A solid entry into the Aubrey-Maturin series, but I confess to becoming a bit nervous that this lauded series does not appear to be the adored favourite I hoped it would be. I do occasionally find myself in the mood for a Patrick O'Brian story – its unique mix of nautical jargon, erudite dialogue, slow pace and rich characterisation – and such is the weight of sail that the author lays down that, even when I am not in the mood, I can be made so.

Such was the case with The Mauritius Command, the least of the four Aubrey-Maturin books I have read so far. It dragged heavily in parts, particularly (and almost fatally) in its first half, and did not make up for it with any apparent purpose in its plot. Hewing strongly to the coastline of historical fact is part of O'Brian's appeal, but Mauritius took as its bill a real nautical campaign and stayed very close to it, with all the obvious problems that causes for the pace of the story and the space for the characters to breathe in.

That O'Brian does still entertain within these parameters, particularly towards the end, is to his credit, but there's so much warm-up for so little race. A sense of jeopardy is missing, even when the British squadron Captain Aubrey is commanding is fighting against the odds, and the book's battles on both sea and land fail to truly excite. They have their moments, and the book is very well-written, but The Mauritius Command occasionally seems to be struggling under the weight of itself. I've grown fond enough of the Aubrey-Maturin series to not only persevere, but to savour the books when I do find myself in the mood for them, but I wouldn't recommend this instalment for those more casual readers who just want a taste of salt and spray. ( )

I learned that a Commodore is a post, not a position like Captain; so when the activity is completed, one goes back to being a captain. Also how frustrating it can be to prepare carefully for a battle, only to have it never happen because of behind-the-scenes negotiations. There is enough in the book that isn't about the technical terms of sailing to make it interesting to someone like me.

A quote I liked:
... The clock also came from Mapes, the most accurate clock in the county.
'A handsome clock it is too,' said Stephen. 'A regulator, I believe. Could it not be set a-going?'
'Oh, no sir,' said Mrs Williams with a pitying look. 'Was it set a-going, the works would instantly start to wear.' [p. 26] ( )

Plenty of reviews on this, so my summation for my future memory loss is: A good read, interesting sea adventure, a bit disappointing at the end and left me empty.

I wonder if my reaction to this one is because the author was staying as close as possible to the facts of an actual naval battle which took place in Mauritius? Therefore his characters had to conform somewhat to the facts instead of being the heroic figures I wanted them to be? Anyway, it was still a very interesting read. ( )

Enjoyable but one of the battle scenes is quite disturbing in the detail it provides about injuries.

Unabridged audiobook read by Ric Jerrom:
Jerrom is a skilled reader and helps to bring the story to life.

Note that there are separate audiobooks read by Patrick Tull. I recommend Ric Jerrom over Patrick Tull as a reader.

Simon Vance is another reader option but I haven't heard his version.

“...for very strangely his officers looked upon Jack Aubrey as a moral figure, in spite of all proofs of the contrary...”

In many respects this book marks a sea change in the characters of Stephen Maturin and in particular Jack Aubrey. They are older and less energetic than in previous books and Jack in particular seems less gung-ho. In fact the book opens with Aubrey as a fairly ineffective home-owner, husband and father. Both he and his wife wishes to see him back soon in his true element, at sea.

Jack gets his wish, he is to take charge of a frigate, hang a commodore's pendant on it signifying that Jack is to command a squadron, and head out to the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and La Reunion. These strategic islands are being used by the French as bases to attack and seize British vessels en-route home from the India. This fight is over wealth rather than true military value. Jack is given the task of overseeing the capture of these islands. As usual Stephen sails with his friend.

However, in truth it is probably two minor characters that are more significant. Captain Corbett, a vicious "flogging captain" whose idea of discipline is so severe that the men under his command are threatening to turn mutinous, and Lord Clonfert, a son of an Irish aristocrat with whom Jack once served as a youngster but despite being a favourite of his betters has failed to match Jack's military success since much to Clonfert's chagrin. The difficulties with Corbett are fairly straight forward but Clonfert is a different case altogether. Clonfert in contrast is loved by his men but in truth is fairly ineffective as a real leader. He mounts an all-out campaign to prove that he's just as good as his old shipmate, with disastrous results. Fortunately for Jack, he is also working closely with an army officer Colonel Keating whom is almost an army shadow as Jack and together they manage to overcome most of the obstacles in front of them placed their by their enemies on both sides.

There is a certain humour in O'Brian's books that is perhaps less evident in other authors in the genre which is admirable. However, on the down side I find that the actual military action is fairly sparse and over far too quickly for my taste . So although this is a good read, too much time and effort has gone into getting the background information correct IMHO to make it a truly great read. ( )