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| The Letter of Marque |  | Author: Patrick O'Brian
Publisher: Harper
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £4.71
as of 5/9/2010 07:10 CDT details
You Save: £3.28 (41%)
New (28) Used (18) from £0.72
Rating:  4 reviews
Format: Special Edition
Media: Paperback
Edition: (Reissue)
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0006499279
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780006499275
Publication Date: April 1, 2010
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Amazon.co.uk Review
When Jack Aubrey is unfairly deprived of his commission in the Royal Navy, Stephen Maturin comes to the rescue, purchasing the captain's former ship and outfitting it as a privateer, to be commanded by none other than Jack Aubrey. Soon the Surprise is off to sea, on a mission that Aubrey hopes will redeem his good name. The author's grasp of period detail is astonishing as ever--and so is his gift for pure entertainment.
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| Customer Reviews:
The Letter Of Marque September 24, 2009
Frank A. Haysom (Southend-on-Sea, England.)
Excellent historical novel continuing the series of Aubrey & Maturin.
Supplied by Afrohead on time and in good condition.
One of the highpoints of a brilliant series October 22, 2008
H. Beentje (Kew, England)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the 12th book out of a 20 (or 21) book series, and it is one of my favourites in the series - a series which I believe to be incomparable. O'Brian manages to turn a tale of derring-do on the high seas and some politicking and love-troubles on land, into a story that touches the soul.
It starts deep in the doldrums. Captain Aubrey has been dismissed the service: thrown out of the Royal Navy, his life. But his particular friend, the surgeon Dr Stephen Maturin, has bought the frigate *Surprise*, and they - and a prime crew of old Surprise hands and shady Shelmerstonian privateers and smugglers - are off on a private mission, as a Letter of Marque. Essentially, as a privateer. For aficionadoes this is all they could wish for: we meet all our old friends, Pullings, Killick, Bonden, Plaice, even Babbington and Mowett make an appearance: and, of course, the lovely *Surprise* itself, no longer H.M.S. but still her old self, and a real personality. There is heartache; there is extreme tension; there are ruses; and there is the interplay between old friends Jack and Stephen, between them and their music, and between the ship and the elements. This is old ground, lovingly rediscovered and described with the Master's hand. There is no-one to touch O'Brian, and he is in full flow here - little touches of humour, painful personal moments, and descriptions of life at sea to touch your soul. Even if, like me, you are a landsman. On land we meet again Sir Joseph Blaine, Mrs Broad of the Grapes, and even the butcher's dog. There are enchanting scenes at Ashgrove Cottage, and some good life at Shelmerston, that freelancing Devon port.
And there is long-drawn-out tension, something O'Brian is particularly good at - on and on it goes, and it keeps your nerves as taut as the rigging in a full-blown gale. Tension during two very important cutting-out expeditions: one for the Diane in France, one for Diana in Sweden. This is O'Brian at the peak of his form, and this is a wonderful book.
Another masterpiece from Patrick O'Brian April 1, 2001
hutchoman@aol.com (London)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
Having read the entire series of Richard Bolitho books by Alexander Kent, and having an interest in the period, I looked around for a substitute, and to my great joy stumbled upon Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series of novels. What priceless gems they are! Having just completed the twelth book in the series "The Letter of Marque", I can say it gently dove-tails into the end of the previous novel (as all books in the series do), providing a continuous insight into the lives of the main characters. The story begins with a despondent Jack Aubrey having been dismissed from the Navy for a stock-market fraud he didn't comit. It unwinds into a series of mini adventures arranged by his close friend and secret agent; Stephen Maturin and his Naval Intelligent colleagues, designed to get Aubrey reinstated to the Naval List. All the usual twists and turns of an O'Brien novel follow. What Fascinates me about this and the other eleven books I have already read in the series is their realism. Patrick O'Brian has the ability to transfer you back to the period. His descriptive powers, the richness of language used by the characters, and the general storyline prove compelling reading. A must read. My suggestion is to start at the very beginning by reading "Master and Commander", then work your way through the entire series as I am doing. That way you'll really appreciate the variations each new book brings.
Sea tales without peer December 22, 1997
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
The Letter of Marque (the entire series for that matter) goes so far beyond the swashbuckling cliche as to make the comparison irrelevant. O'Brian's ability to evoke a place, an era, an age is to my mind unprecedented. The series is actually so many chapters of one great work that will hook you completey, and leave you in awe of the mind that contained them.
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