The Aubrey Maturin Series, a Novel Series by Patrick O'Brian
Reviewed by Martin Maden
The "Aubrey Maturin" Series by Patrick O'Brian
(20 Titles - although there is a 21st novel on the list)
For lovers of historical fiction: I'm a big fan of the late Patrick O'Brian who passed away in 2000. But I so admired his 20 novel, "Aubrey and Maturin" series of which I only have two. The second and the 6th.
I stopped buying his books randomly because I had decided to buy his whole series, and to read them from beginning to the 20th. But as there was no reliable PNG bookshop... this plan has not eventuated as yet.
I stopped buying his books randomly because I had decided to buy his whole series, and to read them from beginning to the 20th. But as there was no reliable PNG bookshop... this plan has not eventuated as yet.
I think that no novelist has ever described life on a sailing ship, especially a "ship of the line" as well as Patrick O'Brian could. He took historical events and placed his fiction characters in there and even as they fought these historical battles, from a fictitious ship, you still feel part of the history, you still feel the ordinary sailors life, you still meet Lord Nelson.
Captain Aubrey is an embodiment of Lord Nelson. He definitely carries Lord Nelson's injuries and behaves like Lord Nelson would have as he commanded the ships of the British Navy. In his long and eventful naval career Nelson had lost an arm and an eye in naval battles.
Admiral Lord Nelson was appointed Commander in Chief of the British Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars where he died in action during the famous naval battle of Trafalgar. In that battle, which decided the British naval superiority and prevented Napoleon from invading Great Britain, Lord Nelson was captain of the H.M.S. Victory. He defeated the combined navies of France and Spain who were based in Cadiz, near Gibraltar. This navy had orders from Napoleon to sail into the English Channel to suport Napoleon's planned invasion of Great Britain. He died in action knowing that he had defeated a naval force greater than his own. The French and spanish had 33 battleships (ships of the line) against the 25 ships under his command.
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Maybe not something for everyone but:
Yesterday October 19th, was actually the 206th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar so I'll tell a little of the history.
Background Definition: "Ships of the line" - a battleship big enough to carry a battery of cannons, to stand in the traditional line of naval battles and to exchange barrages of artillery with enemy ships. Usually in the British Navy, these were ships having three decks lined on both sides with heavy cannons. Some of the Spanish ships were much larger than the British warships. Two battle lines of ships would face each other to manoeuvre engagements from this starting formation.
In the battle of Trafalgar, Lord Nelson changed this approach so that he could concentrate his force and break up the superior numbers of his enemies into disarray. Using the direction of wind, which was blowing towards Africa, he entered the enemy "line" from the West, in two ship columns after two thirds of the enemy ships had passed his own force. Nelson led the column (squadron) advancing towards the enemy ships on the windward side (North) while Admiral Collingwood Captain of the "Royal Sovereign", led the Squadron on the Leeward (the southern or right squadron).
The "Royal Sovereign" was the first ship in the British line to be fired upon by the French but she held her fire until she was well within the enemy formation before her cannons started firing on the Spanish ship "Santa Anna" which eventually sank in that battle. By the time "Royal Sovereign" started fighting with the "St. Anna", other ships from the British second squadron had arrived to engage with the French ships, especially the French ship "Fougueux", who had been firing on her as she entered the enemy line. The rest was hell and chaos as the mobile British ships arrived on the line to engage and fire on the enemy.
At the end the British lost 1587 men while the French and Spanish lost 16000 lives. All the enemy ships in the part of the line that the British entered were captured or detroyed. 11 were captured or burnt and 8 fled towards Africa (the Leeward side). Nelson's Navy did not lose a single ship in that battle.
I won't describe the battle from aboard the H.M.S Victory, but if you're ever in England, I've always wanted to visit the HMS Victory, Nelson’s Flagship, which lies in Portsmouth Harbour preserved as it was at the time of the battle of Trafalgar. I did not have time the last two times I was in London to make the trip. There you should be able to revisit the battle of Trafalgar.
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Back to the "Aubrey and Maturin" series:
As we read through this incredible series of novels the reader can actually experience history through the British naval heritage.
The two books from the series I have read are: "The Fortune of War" and "H.M.S. Surprise". "H.M.S. Surprise" my biggest favourite so far, describes a naval battle fought between a British ship and an American battleship during the American War of Independence.
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