Having greatly enjoyed the movie starring Russell Crowe I thought I’d give the book a try, and so I checked this one out of the library. It is the first book in a series of around 20(!).
This book has an incredible amount of sailing jargon and you really get hit over the head with it a few chapters in, when the ship’s doctor gets a tour from one of the veteran sailors. Staysails, forestays, futtock-shrouds, rigged hanks, topgallant, fo’c’sle – these are just a sampling of the tricky words that come up throughout the book. The author did his research, and it shows.
But where this book really shines is the swashbuckling and naval battles, the relationships between officers, and the exploration of the intersection of leadership, duty, income and friendship. I especially liked the ship doctor’s writings during the adventures – his secret shorthand journal contains his observations and dreams of exploration and science. Great stuff.
The main character, Jack Aubrey is likable, flawed, funny, and prone to running his mouth to his own detriment when suitable lubricated during port calls – not what I expected at all. This isn’t a stuff book but one full of adventures giving the real taste of life at sea during wartime.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series – most it is available from the library – but if I have a gap in my reading list these books may fill it with a little adventure. After all, now that I know what a mizen is I should find some way to use that knowledge.
Next up is “The Flavor Equation” by Nik Sharma.
