Product Description

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of their beginning, with Master and Commander, these evocative stories are being re-issued in paperback with smart new livery. This is the ninth book in the series. Uniquely among authors of naval fiction, Patrick O'Brian allows his characters to develop with experience. The Jack Aubrey of Treason's Harbour has a record of successes equal to that of the most brilliant of Nelson's band of brothers, and he is no less formidable or decisive in action or strategy. But he is wiser, kinder, gentler too. Much of the plot of Treason's Harbour depends on intelligence and counter-intelligence, a field in which Aubrey's friend Stephen Maturin excels. Through him we get a clearer insight into the life and habits of the sea officers of Nelson's time than we would ever obtain seeing things through their own eyes. There is plenty of action and excitement in this novel, but it is the atmosphere of a Malta crowded with senior officers waiting for news of what the French are up to, and wondering whether the war will end before their turn comes for prize money and for fame, that is here so freshly and vividly conveyed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19427 in Books
• Published on: 1997-03-03
• Format: Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
This segment of the Aubrey saga is set in Malta, where the captain's "small, sweet-sailing frigate" is undergoing repairs. The island, however, is swarming with Napoleonic agents, which means that Stephen Maturin must do everything in his power to avert sabotage. A typical O'Brian cocktail of action and intrigue.

Review
'!full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein! Patrick O'Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars.' James Hamilton- Paterson 'You are in for the treat of your lives. Thank God for Patrick O'Brian: his genius illuminates the literature of the English language, and lightens the lives of those who read him.' Kevin Myers, Irish Times 'In a highly competitive field it goes straight to the top. A real first-rater.' Mary Renault 'I never enjoyed a novel about the sea more. It is not only that the author describes the handling of a ship of 1800 with an accuracy that is as comprehensible as it is detailed, a remarkable feat in itself. Mr O'Brian's three chief characters are drawn with no less depth of sympathy than the vessels he describes, a rare achievement save in the greatest writers of this genre. It deserves the widest readership.' Irish Times

About the Author
Patrick O'Brian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey--Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime's contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000.

Customer Reviews

Another great Aubrey/Maturin story
A great story of intrigue and naval action in the mediterranean / red sea. Highly recommended, however if you're getting it take away on holiday, be sure to get the next book, as the story is not completely resolved in this book, (I haven't read the next one "Far Side of the World" yet, so I don't know if it gets resolved there either). Oh well, off to order the next one...

Aubrey and Maturin in Malta
Like certain films, certain books just cheer the spirits and every Aubrey/Maturin book acts like a balm upon me. As I finish one it is gratifying to know there are plenty more to come. Treason's Harbour sits somewhere in the middle of the series and for the first time reader of O'Brian's treasures, it might stand as a perfect example of the author's mastery and charm. There seems to be subtle changes of structure; and the balance between the various elements of the story are almost perfect. Comedy, drama and intrigue all take their turn and as an addict, I was sure as I read, that it was the best yet. Anyone who has enjoyed the intense and vivid hues of a Mediterranean holiday, will see those colours bright and clear, in the descriptions of the blue and white breaking beneath the hull of the Surprise. For sheer reading pleasure, it has to be O'Brian.

Excellent: Like 19th Century Le Carre Novel
A good change of pace for O'Brian. His characters get involved in the intrigues on land and an interesting side trip by sea and land. Some readers often accuse these books of dragging, when the characters hit the beach, while accelerating in action and interest once they go to sea again. This book breaks that pattern very well. Highly recommended to solid Aubry/Maturin fans, and to readers of Le Carre novels, too. Deep, dark stuff.