The Hundred Days

Just dreadful. How did this author gather so many fans? Bunch of useless conversation, going nowhere. Has none of the color or drama of the film Master and Commander. If you want to read a good sea story from the days of sail read “Kicking Canvas” by Captain A.A. Bestic. You might also try the best of them all, Joseph Conrad. And, if you have the staying power, read Moby. Anything but this! Best I can say about it is to paraphrase the Bard:

“Full fathom five
My Aubrey Lies.”

If you like historical novels, this series is almost impossible to beat. O’Brien is meticulous in his research about the Napoleanic Wars, and shipboard life in the British Navy during that period around the turn of the 19th. Century. Plus his descriptions of naval battles and ship maneuvers are rich in detail and description. All are based upon records of actual battles as described in Captains’ Logs and crew memorirs at the U.K. National Naval Archives. His character development is incomparable, and their respective personal interests in music, natural history, science (astral navigation for one) add a depth to the texture of the series that prevent them from becoming monotonous. I have the entire series, and I enjoy rereading them every three years or so. That’s unusual. I hardly ever reread fictional works. It’s impossible for me to rate his work with less than 5 Stars, both as a series and each book ax a standalone read. A personal all time favorite!

Spoiler alert….don’t read my review if you haven’t already read the book!
Having said that, this book was the “least necessary” of the series so far. I have not yet read 20 or 21. There are some really interesting opportunities for character development and action…all glossed over. The losses of Diana and Bonden are almost ignored. Some reviewers chalk this up to O’Brian’s stoic way of handling death…maybe true…but as a reader it seemed incomplete. Nature, Diana, Ireland and Medicine drive Steven (in that order, I think). Suddenly Diana is gone with about a paragraph devoted to her. So many opportunities for his reflections and sense of loss. It’s certainly there…if you dig…but just barely. Same with Bonden. In a flash he’s gone…with one sentence devoted to him later on.

As for the plot…opportunities wasted. The struggle to bring the Surprise home after the storm and collision? Perhaps some better descriptions of the ship yard burnings? How ’bout some detail on the deal Steven cut to initiate the shipyard burnings. Instead we get a trip the see the Dey…which is meaningless since they seem to be killed every two weeks. I love the series…but this seemed a bit like filler. It’s not difficult reading…but in the end you ask yourself “why was I here?”.

Every Patrick O’Brien novel – especially all of the Aubrey Maturin series – should be required reading for anyone who loves a great story with compelling characters, adventure, suspense and just the slightest touch of romance. Add to that that they are steeped in actual history – based on the logbooks of the RN captains who sailed in the era about which he writes – these are history lessons in the most entertaining form imaginable. Highest recommendation i could possibly give.

A great, great author and a classic 1800’s British Naval sea tale that takes you from modern day to the 1800s period flawlessly. If you’re ignorant of the reason why the English Empire dominated the seas in the 1700’s and 1800’s, here’s a great place to learn the answer.

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