Enter The War of 1812, and The United States | The Fortune of War (Vol. Book 6) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) |...

cliffhanger | The Fortune of War (Vol. Book 6) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) | Patrick O'Brian

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	• The Fortune of War (Vol. Book 6) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) Patrick O'Brian W. W. Norton & Company, 1994 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

No Etymologist He

The pace of THE FORTUNE OF WAR, sixth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series of sea-faring novels by Richard Russ (the real name of "Patrick O'Brian"), moves smartly along from cover to cover. The action aboard His British Majesty's frigates is guaranteed to hold the reader's interest, and the novel provides a fast and gripping experience, vicarious though it be, for the reader.

Of course, as with the other nineteen complete novels and the unfinished twentieth book of this series, it definitely behooves the reader to begin with the first (MASTER AND COMMANDER) and proceed through the books in the story line's chronological sequence. While the descriptions of naval warfare are thoroughly gripping regardless of the story line's chronology, each book contains references to characters that are far more meaningful if one has read the preceding volumes.

Also as in every other Russ/O'Brian novel that I have finished thus far, this one is not without a few stylistic weaknesses, which, although not numerous, are annoying and pretty well ensure that Russ/O'Brian is by no means the "five-star author" that less demanding readers have rated him. This one also contains a strange and spurious etymology for a common American expression that, were it to be spread today via the Internet, would merit the label of "urban legend." While there is never any question that Russ/O'Brian is a writer of fiction, this particular explanation is so superficially believable that it is decidedly in danger of being spread as accurate:

Maturin, captured by the American navy, ponders an American's expression that "hominy grits cut no ice with him." This is an unidiomatic use of the phase to start with, but that problem pales into insignificance in light of the explanation from another American speaker, who explains that it derives from Iroquois "katno aiss' vizmi" meaning "I am unimpressed." This is, in a word, balderdash. The so-called Iroquois is bogus, and numerous sources (try a simple Google search) thoroughly debunk that explanation of the origin of the phrase "cuts no ice." Now, it may be that Russ/O'Brian is attempting to interject some levity into his text at this point and never intended for any reader to take the "explanation" at face value. This becomes more apparent if one reads the supposed Iroquois words aloud. If indeed the author is writing this tongue-in-cheek, then it seems to be an inappropriate place in the story in which to interject humor and will likely be misinterpreted by most readers. Russ/O'Brian had best avoid slapstick as a genre.

The other stylistic shortcoming is one that we see again and again in the books of this series, the author's total disregard for transitioning between scenes. At one point, we see two characters, Maturin and young Herapath, approaching the Asclepia hospital in which Aubrey is recuperating, when they behold the elder Herapath leaving the building. Maturin speaks to his companion, saying, "Should you not relieve him of his burden...? Enlightened self-interest, no less than filial piety, demands such a course. Good day to you now, and I thank you for your company."
"Jack," he said, "how do you do?"

Somehow, instantaneously after speaking to Herapath, Maturin has been transported from the approach to the hospital into Aubrey's room inside the building. No time has elapsed, and no distance has been traversed. Even the transporter aboard the Starship Enterprise takes longer to move a character from one location to another!

Such instantaneous teleportation pops up again a hundred pages or so further on when Captain Broke speaks from the deck of his ship: "Pass the word for Dr. Maturin" and, in the very next sentence, addresses the man he has just sent for: "Dr. Maturin, how good of you to come." As written, the words even appear in the very same quotation, as though there were no more than a pause for the single period between the two sentences. The time it took for word to be conveyed to Maturin and for him to ascend to the deck has simply vanished without a trace.

As I have opined in reviews of other novels in this series, Russ/O'Brian may be considered a "good" writer for he does generate a captivating story line and is generally entertaining and attention-holding. However, his repeated stylistic weaknesses and gaffes surely preclude him from being considered "great" by any but the most superficial readers. Yet, because he does create a captivating historical fiction, I have little problem recommending his series to readers who enjoy the genre--just don't accept his analysis of American idiom at face value!

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Enter The War of 1812, and The United States

THE FORTUNE OF WAR is the sixth volume in Patrick O'Brian's masterful adventure series about Captain Jack Aubrey, R.N. and his dear friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin. Though the Aubrey-Maturin novels can stand more-or-less alone, the narratives are closely linked. THE FORTUNE OF WAR in this way finds Aubrey's ship, HMS Leopard, limping into the fictional bay of Pulo Batang in the Spice Islands, after its disastrous near-sinking by an iceberg in DESOLATION ISLAND. This volume has Aubrey and Maturin suffer two more disasters at sea before finding themselves prisoner in Boston. Earlier books in the series, in particular DESOLATION ISLAND, had had Americans figure into the story line, but this is the first in which the young American nation features prominently. The cause for this is the War of 1812, and now the focus of battle turns from the French and Spanish to the United States.

Maturin plays an especially strong part in the plot of THE FORTUNE OF WAR. Although the Aubrey -Maturin novels are historical nautical fiction, largely renowned for their accurate depiction of the early eighteenth-century Royal Navy, some of the novels may also be seen as part of the espionage genre, with Maturin serving as a spy on behalf of the British crown. In previous stories, for instance, Maturin suffered torture under the French for his espionage; in another instance, one closely tied to the plot of this story, he tricks the French into killing off a number of their intelligence assets. In THE FORTUNE OF WAR, Maturin's past catches up with him, and he is forced to take action of a sort that belies his reputation as a physician and gentle naturalist.

This novel is in some ways much stronger than the fifth volume, DESOLATION ISLAND, which, though having a strong finish, at times appeared to lose the wind in its sails. THE FORTUNE OF WAR makes it clear that O'Brian's ideas and storytelling remain strong and vibrant in this series; with so many volumes yet ahead, this is indeed reassuring.

As usual, O'Brian's research is thorough, yet the historical details don't overwhelm the story. The pace is fairly brisk, with only some stalling--perhaps appropriately so--in Boston. This is fortunately not caused so much by the reappearance of Diana Villiers, Stephen Maturin's great love of his life. (She is as welcome to this reader of O'Brian's stories as is Jack's wife, Sophie.) The wimpy minor character Michael Herapath, the son of a wealthy American trader, also reemerges. But I find him somewhat interesting for his passionate interest in Chinese poetry; this accurately reflects the growing interest in the nineteenth century in the literature of China, and is an example of the interesting ways O'Brian treats the reader with tastings of such historical esoterica.

THE FORTUNE OF WAR describes a couple of naval engagements. The one that features at the end of this novel is as good (if not better) as any rendered by Patrick O'Brian in any of the volumes up to this one. In it, O'Brian captures the technical details of the fighting while also conveying very effectively the horror of the moment (actually, fifteen minutes). It is crackerjack writing, vivid and spellbinding.

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cliffhanger

This deep into the Aubrey-Maturin canon, it seems pointless to write an in-depth review for an imaginary reader who is on the verge of buying The Fortune of War. By the time you're arrived here, chances are you're committed to reading the entire series, and the many sparkling virtues of O'Brian's writing hardly need praise. As have all the Aubrey-Maturin novels so far, this one kept me up far too late, on a weeknight no less, as I was unable to sleep until I had finished it. Having devoured it with so much relish I can hardly give it a bad review. But I must complain that it ends on such an abrupt note and leaves so much up in the air that I feel a little cheated. I have high hopes that the arc of the story in The Fortune of War will continue in the next book in the series, but I would encourage other readers who are about to buy this one to go ahead and purchase The Surgeon's Mate right along with this one. Indeed this one has convinced me to go ahead and purchase the box set containing all twenty novels, as even the six that I have already read warrant repeated reading in the future, and I will be spared the anguish of having finished one book without the next one to pick up.

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Aubrey and Matarin seem more human than ever

Maybe the best of the series so far, in spite of or because of the long shore-bound center section when Aubrey and Matarin are unwilling guests (prisoners) of the US during the War of 1812. Both seem more human, more nuanced, than ever before.

Seventh in the series: The Surgeon's Mate

At last! An historical error!

Aha! I got you, O'Brian! Johnson and the doctor are discussing turkey buzzards and such, and Johnson mentions that he expects to see a bald eagle's nest the following day at a friend's place "in the state of Maine". But Maine did not become a state until 1820; before that year, it was part of Massachusetts.

This is the last of the superb sextet which begins the series; then a decline in quality sets in, and the final few installments are just plain bad. But I would recommend the first six to anyone. "The Fortune of War" belongs more to Maturin than Aubrey, who is without a command from very early in the book. It's quieter than its predecessors, with more inner monologue than action.

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"A marvellously full-flavoured, engrossing book, which towers over its current rivals in the genre like a three-decker over a ship's longboat."?Times Literary Supplement Captain Jack Aubrey, R. N., arrives in the Dutch East Indies to find himself appointed to the command of the fastest and best-armed frigate in the Navy. He and his friend Stephen Maturin take passage for England in a dispatch vessel. But the War of 1812 breaks out while they are en route. Bloody actions precipitate them both into new and unexpected scenes where Stephen's past activities as a secret agent return on him with a vengeance.
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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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