The Unknown Shore

One of O'Brian's early novels, which contains what seem very much like preliminary versions of Aubrey and Maturin. An utter delight to read, with O'Brian's wonderful mix of wry humor, maritime shenanigans, and well-paced story.

Greatly enjoyed the first half of the book. The second was more like our heroes' feelings aboard the sea-going pig, Lys, six knots was her top speed. My favorite line in the book: Paquita, the housekeeper, as nearly spherical as anything can be in this imperfect world. To learn what happened to Captain Cheap and the mutineers who returned to London, read The Wager by David Grann.

Like _The Golden Ocean_, _The Unknown Shore_ is based on Commodore Anson's circumnavigation of the globe in the 1740s. Midshipman Jack Byron and surgeon's mate Tobias Barrow are aboard the _Wager_, which is separated from the rest of its squadron and shipwrecked off the coast of Chile. I really liked the first half of the book; Jack and Toby are clearly studies for Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, and O'Brian's humor, descriptive powers, and nautical knowledge are all as excellent as usual. The second half, after the shipwreck, I wasn't so fond of, as the travails they go through were hard to slog through, and the descriptions of the native South American hard to stomach (even keeping in mind that this would have been how the English show more sailors would have seen them). It's more than worth reading as a companion to _The Golden Ocean_ and a precursor to the Aubrey-Maturin books, though. show less

An interesting aside from the Aubrey Maturin series, this book follows the fortunes of Jack Byron, a midshipman, and his surgeon friend Toby. They seem like models of a younger Aubrey and Maturin. The opening is extremely funny - more humorous then just about any other O'Brian book, getting the boys off land to sea. Once on the sea, they sail the Wager, a lunk of a ship, and are shipwrecked on the west coast of southern Patagonia. The second half of the book is a tale of incredible hardship and the crew fractures into groups and slowly dies off. They are lucky to find natives that will help them out of their dilemma, but at time the natives are almost worse than simply succumbing to death. I can't imagine surviving hardship described by show more O'Brian. It was a very good read. I'd like to better understand where this comes in O'Brian's ouvre... seems like it could have been a prototype for Aubrey Maturin that he shelved and alter pulled out of retirement. show less

The narration hardly ever cracks - a pretty astounding thing, given how drawn-out the descriptions can be. The dialogue's formatting is really masterful, but I didn't appreciate the lazy and often unclear way O'Brian would occasionally start chapters in medias res. The plot drags 2/3rds the way through, and the pacing falls off a bit, but generally it's an enjoyable story with a couple really exciting and funny scenes.

Absolutely delightful precursor to the Aubrey/Maturin novels where the heroes are a junior version of the sailor and the scientist.. Each sentence is a joy. Funny, charming and if you like Marryat, and Austen, and Fielding, you will love this.

Indispensable to Aubrey/Maturin fans as the first draft of the characters. The problem with the book is that it adheres strictly to the historical facts of the wreck of the Wager, which were so unremittingly miserable as to wear out long before the end any pleasure in reading about them.