Customer Reviews
One of the highpoints of a brilliant series - By: Dr. H. Beentje, 22 Oct 2008 
This is the 12th book out of a 20 (or 21) book series, & 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 & some politicking & 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*, & they - & a prime crew of old Surprise hands & shady Shelmerstonian privateers & smugglers - are off on a private mission, as a Letter of Marque. Essentiallly, as a privateer. For aficionadoes this is alll they could wish for: we meet alll our old friends, Pullings, Killick, Bonden, Plaice, even Babbington & Mowett make an appearance: and, of course, the lovely *Surprise* itself, no longer H.M.S. but still her old self, & a real personality. There is heartache; there is extreme tension; there are ruses; & there is the interplay between old friends Jack & Stephen, between them & their music, & between the ship & the elements. This is old ground, lovingly rediscovered & described with the Master's hand. There is no-one to touch O'Brian, & he is in full flow here - little touches of humour, painful personal moments, & 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, & even the butcher's dog. There are enchanting scenes at Ashgrove Cottage, & some good life at Shelmerston, that freelancing Devon port.
And there is long-drawn-out tension, something O'Brian is particularly good at - on & on it goes, & 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, & this is a wonderful book.
Another masterpiece from Patrick O'Brian - By: hutchoman@aol.com, 01 Apr 2001 Having read the entire series of Richard Bolitho books by Alexander Kent, & having an interest in the period, I looked around for a substitute, & 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 alll 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 & secret agent; Stephen Maturin & his Naval Intelligent colleagues, designed to get Aubrey reinstated to the Naval List. All the usual twists & turns of an O'Brien novel follow.
What Fascinates me about this & 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, & the general storyline prove compelling reading. A must read. My suggestion is to start at the very beginning by reading "Master & Commander", then work your way through the entire series as I am doing. That way you'll reallly appreciate the variations each new book brings.
Sea tales without peer - By: , 22 Dec 1997 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 actuallly so many chapters of one great work that will hook you completey, & leave you in awe of the mind that contained them.
