H.M.S. Surprise
Published: 1973
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Book 3 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels
Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel
Check out the review of this book here:
Summary
A convoy led by Aubrey seizes the ships carrying the gold that Spain requires in order to consent to enter the war on France's side. The new First Lord of the Admiralty thinks the large sum is adroit of the Crown and hence not split out with the captives, despite the fact that Spain had not yet entered the war. Smaller sums will be handed to the captains, contrary to the successful convoy's expectations. During the hearings, the First Lord makes a mistake and mentions the identity of intelligence operative Stephen Maturin, placing Maturin in danger.
Maturin is sent to Spain on a mission and will be met in Port Mahon by Aubrey, who is now on blockade duty near Toulon aboard HMS Lively. Aubrey hears from a Catalan rebel at the rendezvous place that his companion has been kidnapped and tortured by French intelligence in Port Mahon, the island having been handed to Spain in the Amiens Peace. Except for Captain Dutourd, Aubrey organizes a rescue expedition, rescuing a devastated Maturin and killing all of the French interrogators.
Aubrey is abducted by bailiffs and imprisoned in a sponging house, a debtors' jail, in England. Sir Joseph is informed of Maturin's capture and Aubrey's dilemma. Aubrey's wedding to Sophia Williams has been postponed because her mother demands that he be debt-free. Aubrey is released when Maturin receives an advance on his donation of money. Sophia meets Aubrey in the middle of the night in a carriage before he assumes charge of his new ship, the HMS Surprise, and they vow to marry no one else.
Aubrey and Maturin board the Surprise on their way to the Sultan of Kampong in the Malay Peninsula to deliver an envoy. Aubrey plans to track down the French squadron led by Admiral Linois, who previously kidnapped him. The crew shows indications of scurvy after being stuck in the doldrums north of the equator. Maturin makes a brief break atop St Paul's Rock on a scorching Sunday. Two major storms hit; the officer who rowed him out drowns, and Surprise is wrecked and forced away. Maturin maintains that the scorching sun has restored his health after the torture and that he survives on bird-fouling water and booby blood. They make a pit break near the Brazilian coast for new food and supplies, as well as to see a sloth; this is Maturin's first trip to the New World. They registered for mail at Rio.
Surprise has been refitted and repainted and now sails around the Cape of Good Hope, which is held by the Dutch, who are Napoleon's allies. They get caught in a violent storm in the seas of the Antarctic Ocean. The ambassador develops a serious illness. They arrived at Bombay, India, to refuel and rest the ambassador after the storms. Maturin encounters a streetwise local girl named Dil, who excitedly takes him on a tour of the city. When Maturin and Dil are watching a parade, they notice Diana Villiers, who has arrived in Bombay ahead of her companion, Richard Canning. They agree to go on a date and spend several days together, after which Maturin proposes to her. She does not respond right away but pledges to do so when Surprise arrives in Calcutta. Maturin discovers Dil dead and robbed of the silver bracelets he had given her, and he arranges for her cremation on the beach.
The ambassador dies on the way to the Sunda Strait, so the Surprise sets sail for the United Kingdom. They meet the China Fleet of the East India Company and return to England unaccompanied. The Surprise sees Linois' squadron in the Indian Ocean a day after departing the China Fleet. Surprise confronts the corvette Berceau, destroying her rigging, before speeding back to the China Fleet to alert them and organize a defense. Aubrey outfits the China Fleet's greatest ships as men-of-war and sends some of his commanders to battle alongside them. The Surprise and the huge Indiamen are being pursued by the French squadron. The Surprise attacks the Marengo, the greatest French cruiser; she is outgunned and in danger when one of the Indiamen engages the French ship from the opposite side, causing the Marengo to retreat. The French squadron is forced to quit the chase due to damage and must refit.
Aubrey is greeted enthusiastically ashore in Calcutta by merchants, including Canning, who are eager to refit the Surprise. They enable him to take gems as freight as a personal incentive, which will win him a substantial award when he arrives in England. During the repair, Canning discovers Maturin with Villiers. Canning smacks Maturin in a jealous rage and Maturin dares him to a battle. Canning attempts to assassinate Maturin but inadvertently injures him. Maturin murders Canning instead of wounding him. Rather than tending to Villiers while he heals on board the Surprise, Maturin persuades him to sail to England on a commercial ship that would leave immediately. Maturin stoically works on himself with the aid of Aubrey and M'Allister, extracting the bullet lodged near his heart. Aubrey looks after his friend through a particularly bad bout of fever, during which the secretive man spills all of his secrets.
Aubrey writes Sophia a message, asking her to meet him in Madeira so he may pay off his obligations. Villiers has returned the ring he gave her, and she has departed with Mr. Johnstone from America, who visited her in Calcutta, Maturin learns in port. Sophia isn't present. Aubrey overtakes the frigate HMS Ethalion, commanded by Heneage Dundas, within a day's sailing and discovers Sophia on board. When they return to England, she swears to marry him.
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:
Action, Aubrey And Maturin, Billy Boyd, British Navy, Character Development, Drama, Diana Villiers, Early 19th Century, High Seas, Historical Fiction, HMS Surprise, Jack And Stephen, Jack Aubrey, Jane Austen, Master And Commander, Napoleonic Wars, Nautical Terms, Patrick O’Brian, Patrick Obrian, Patrick O Brian, Paul Bettany, Peter Weir, Post Captain, Royal Navy, Russell Crowe, Stephen Maturin, Years Ago
Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes.
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