I found many things to love about this novel, and other things that tested my patience.

O'Brian's erudition shines throughout the story, not in a pedantic manner but creating a sense of credibility and immersion that I rarely see in historical fiction. These characters feel human, with their virtues and foibles, but also they talk and think as people from their time, rather than modern people somehow transported back in time. There's also depth to them, at least to the main characters.

The relationship and friendship between the two main characters is, of course, the heart of the story. Captain Jack Aubrey and physician and naturalist Stephen Maturin. Does this friendship ring true? If this were a romance we might say that Aubrey and Maturin have too little in common. Maturin is much more learned (except in naval matters), intelligent and sensitive. Aubrey is an excellent seaman, vigorous and with lust for life, but he's not Maturin's equal intellectually. Aubrey is Watson to Maturin's Holmes, although in this case Watson is the leader. Can such a friendship be fulfilling for Maturin? Perhaps it can, because sometimes people have chemistry, no matter how little in common they may have. O'Brian handles this skilfully, never telling us how it is between these two, but allowing us to see it, in the time they spend together, in the conversations and the silences they share.

The writing style is readable, but the vocabulary is challenging. The writer drowns us with naval terms, and to be honest, it sometimes felt like it was too much, to the point that it will be a deal-breaker for some readers. You have to allow it to flow around you and enjoy the immersion, without trying to understand every word. You can sense that these characters would have probably talked this way, but it is not really necessary for us to learn the name of every sail and every single naval term. Even without understanding all the words, you always get the gist of what is happening, and the book rewards your effort and patience.

The plot is rather episodic. We follow the Sophie and her crew in their missions, and they might be escorting a trading convoy or harassing Spanish and French merchant ships. There's plenty of action, but it's not all part of a single, clear-cut mission. The kind of action we see will be familiar for readers of C. S. Forester's Horation Hornblower series, and other naval stories in that style. One thing that bothers me about this kind of action is that you have to show your hero overcoming adverse odds, and that means defeating stronger ships and regularly surprising the enemy. But to do that your enemy needs to be less competent. I have seen that in Horation Hornblower and also here. All the tricks are from our hero and the enemy always falls for them, because it's how these things go. Not that the hero always wins, because sometimes the odds will be too overwhelming, but the opponents definitely are dumber. These exploits are inspired by Thomas Cochrane, who achieved some victories of this kind in real life, so it's not completely unbelievable, but when you read many books like this it gets old.

If you can get past the vocabulary, it is a well-written story. I enjoyed the time we spend on land or the daily life at sea with these characters as much or more than the action. I particularly appreciated the way the point of view of both main characters complemented. ( )

Brilliant for what it is, an immersive historical fiction that does not halt for any audience member less than willing to roll along with its period jargon and nautical terms. I absolutely loved it, but I love the period of the Napoleonic Wars and I love letting myself sink into a time period even if I do not understand what the author is talking about for pages at a time (though the frontispiece map is very helpful for finding out the difference between a topsail and a royal, for example). If you don't enjoy either of those things, I'm not sure why you'd pick up this book at all. If you do, you will likely also love the bluff narrative perspective of Jack Aubrey, the generally non-toxic relationship between men that is surfaced throughout, the oddball characterization of Maturin, and the delightfully true-paced sea battles. This whole series has a very specific reader; you'll know quite quickly if you're one of us (and no, it's not just dudes, I swear). ( )

Only fair, very hard to read due to language (very flowery, ver y BRITISH, & too nautical without explanations)

I originally read the first book in 1997. Finished Blue at the Mizzen in 2013. It was time to start over.

Words are at a loss on this novel and the series. O'Brian is a unique writer that doesn't clobber you over the head with his character interactions or events. Subtle is his usual method, and once you get used to that, his writing will bring you into new depths of humor, character development, action, intrigues, romance and so much more. No romance in this book, but others do have it.

I highly recommend this series and the audiobooks read by Simon Vance.

If this is your first time into naval warfare, then I suggest picking up Sea of Words or something along that line to help with the naval terms. ( )

Jack Aubrey invites Stephen Maturin to become his ship's doctor/surgeon in 1800.

It is certainly a steep learning curve as the author makes no concessions to readers' ignorance of naval terminology and practice of the period. There were definitely times when I had no idea what was going on. it certainly throws into relief how much other authors play down the strangeness of the past. ( )