The Letter of Marque, Patrick OBrian
The Letter of Marque, Patrick OBrian
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The Letter of Marque

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Narrator: Tim Pigott-Smith

Abridged: 5 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/04/2000


Synopsis

The 12th installment in the Aubrey/ Maturin series.

The time is the early 1800s, and the British Navy stands as the only bulwark against the militant fanaticism of Napoleonic France.  Jack Aubrey, a brilliant and experienced officer, has been struck off the list of post-captains for a crime his has not committed.  His old friend Stephen Maturin, usually acting as the ship's surgeon to cover his activities on behalf of British intelligence, has bought for Aubrey his old ship The Surprise to command as a privateer.  Together they sail on a desperate mission against the French which, if successful, may redeem Aubrey from the private hell of his disgrace.

From these familiar Patrick O'Brian has created a tale of great narrative power that rivals C.S. Forester for suspense, and surpasses him in its perception of character.

About The Author

Patrick O’Brian’s many novels include Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, in addition to twenty volumes in the highly respected Aubrey/Maturin series. O’Brian wrote acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks and translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture’s biography of Charles de Gaulle. Mr. O’Brian died in January 2000.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Terry on February 04, 2020

3.5 – 4 stars In a nutshell this volume of Aubrey and Maturin’s adventures covers a short, though very eventful, series of engagements in the Surprise under the titular letter of marque granted them by the crown, making Aubrey and company privateers (or in other words government sanctioned pirates).......more

Goodreads review by Clemens on December 19, 2021

Read this book in 2008, and its the 12th wonderful outing in the "Aubrey/ Maturin" series. In this tale Aubrey, after taken off the list of post-captains for a crime he did not commit, will get assistance from his friend and ship's Surgeon and not to forget spy, Stephen Maturin. This same Maturin has......more

Goodreads review by Nigel on October 31, 2014

I'm returning to this series after a very long break, and I'm glad that I did. It's possible, after all, to read books wrong, which can end up spoiling the book for reasons that are nothing to do with the book itself. In the case of the Aubrey/Maturin series, the uniformity of their excellence in te......more

Goodreads review by Brad on November 05, 2024

Whenever I finish this chapter of the Aubrey-Maturin tale, I feel like I've experienced something particularly special. As The Letter of Marque begins, we see both our protagonists at the lowest ebbs of key components in their lives: for Captain Jack Aubrey, it is his career; for Stephen Maturin, it......more

Goodreads review by Vladimiro on January 19, 2024

Arrivati alla dodicesima avventura dei nostri, nulla si può dire sullo stile, ormai maturo e qui nella sua forma migliore. Il voto alto è qui dato dall'ottimo bilanciamento tra le parti d'avventura pura e quelle sulla terraferma: le ultime 50 pagine sono dopo la risoluzione dell'avventura marinara,......more