Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Some great scenes, but far from his best book . . ., Nov 6 2002
I've been reading the Aubrey-Maturin series straight through, from the first volume. While it has one of the most exciting battle scenes and some of the absorbing problems to be solved I've yet
encountered, this is also, untimately, the most frustrating of the first five volumes. Jack Aubrey, having given up his commodore's pendant at the end of the Mauritius campaign, is back to being a post captain, this time commanding the slow, aging _Leopard_ on a voyage to relieve the embattled Gov. William Bligh in Australia. For reasons of state security, he must also transport a batch of convicted felons, among whom is an American women strongly suspected of spying for the United States, and he must deal with an intellectual young man who has stowed away aboard to be close to Mrs. Wogan. Virtually the whole story takes place aboard the one ship, so the author has the opportunity to investigate his characters in great depth -- always one of his strongest points. The only real naval action, a prolonged stern chase in horrible weather, in which _Leopard_ must flee from the much stronger _Waakzaamheid,_ a Dutch 72-gun ship, is absolutely riveting, as is its sudden and tragic resolution. Then there are the icebergs. But when the book ends, _Leopard_ is still a thusand miles or more from New South Wales and Bligh is nowhere in sight. "Ah," I thought, "it's a two-parter." But it isn't, because I peeked at the next volume. I don't believe O'Brian has enitirely played fair with the reader this time, and it annoys me not to know what happened in the rest of Aubrey's commission.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A solid installment in the series, Aug 3 2002
After the disjointed Mauritius Command, I found Desolation Island a refreshing change to the plot devices that maked this series worthwhile. Instead of loosely commanding a squadron of ships as in the prior novel, Captain Jack Aubrey is again commanding a single ship here, the Leopard, accompanied by his good friend (and fascinating character), Stephen Maturin. Stephen really takes center stage in the novel, since his on-again off-again relationship with Diana is explored early, and Stephen (with his intelligence background) is intricately involved in the action of the novel as American agents are aboard the Leopard, on the verge of the outbreak of the War of 1812.Since the entire novel takes place, more or less, on board the Leopard we see more of the interaction among the characters, especially Aubrey-Maturin, an odd American stowaway, and a pretty female prisoner with ties to both Diana and the American stowaway. There is a tremendous naval battle involving a much larger Dutch ship, and a desperate detour towards the Antarctic as Aubrey fights to save his ship among calamity and possible mutiny as the Leopard races to rescue the infamous Captain Bligh. For fans of the series, there is a great deal here to like, and I thought the book was as good as anything I have read thus far by O'Brian.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Patrick O'Brian's Finest Moment, May 25 2002
When fans of the master gather to discuss his works, there are two or three pieces of writing that are recalled with fondness and admiration. One of them concerns an episode of Nineteenth Century punishment in The Reverse of The Medal, movingly described and often read aloud by Patrick Tull, of audiobook fame.But the other occurs in Desolation Island as Jack's ship, the horrible old Leopard, and the Dutch Waakhamzeid engage in an epic duel across the wastes of the Southern Ocean. For sustained conflict, ever-rising tension and a shattering, moving climax, there is nothing else like it in O'Brian's many books. It is, quite simply, superb. The rest of the book is O'Brian at his best. Stephen hatches a devious plot to do with naval intelligence, Jack sails the ship and the rest of the familiar cast of characters make us feel at home aboard. For those who want to keep track, this is the book where O'Brian leaves his "standalone" format, and embarks on a multi-book adventure that continues through The Fortune of War and The Surgeon's Mate before Jack and Stephen are free to take their ease in England once again. And, in his own inimitable style, O'Brian tells us some of the background to the War of 1812 between the USA and the UK, in which the horrible old Leopard plays a crucial part. My verdict? Read it, for all love!
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by Patrick Obrian
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