Desolation Island
Ratings12
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings12
Average rating4.3
"The relationship [between Aubrey and Maturin]...is about the best thing afloat....For Conradian power of description and sheer excitement there is nothing in naval fiction to beat the stern chase as the outgunned Leopard staggers through mountain waves in icy latitudes to escape the Dutch seventy-four." —Stephen Vaughan, Observer Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and surgeon Stephen Maturin sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spy—and a treacherous disease that decimates the crew. With a Dutch man-of-war to windward, the undermanned, outgunned Leopard sails for her life into the freezing waters of the Antarctic, where, in mountain seas, the Dutchman closes.
Featured Series
8 primary booksVol. is a 8-book series with 8 primary works first released in 1972 with contributions by Patrick O'Brian.
Reviews with the most likes.
The long stern chase in this book is one of the most dramatic and compelling stories of war at sea ever told, and of all the Aubrey/Maturin novels its final resolution is probably the scene that sticks with me most strongly and clearly.
The whole book is one long, slow, build, with enough sources of tension and interest to remain engrossing throughout. The whole series is worthwhile (this was a read-read for me) but this book is definitely one of the highlights.
This was one of the best of the series so far. The description of the sea battle during a storm was incredibly vivid, and the subsequent events were just as gripping.
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