Patrick O’Brian’s The Letter of Marque feels in some respects like a reset of the series, despite being the twelfth in the Aubrey-Maturin series. Principally this is an effect of the naval activity, which comes in tight, intense pieces of subterfuge and bravado both, which remind me of the Sophie‘s daring actions. However, the stakes are as high as they’ve ever been after the crucial events of the last book, and that additional edge also echoes younger days.
I don’t think there has been such a span of highs and lows in a single volume since maybe The Fortune of War, or even H.M.S. Surprise. Or perhaps not at all, since so much of the effect of this volume comes from the accumulated weight of characterization and history [*]. Deeply satisfying and well-crafted as always.
[*] I believe that this book was the first published in the U.S., which must have been very strange indeed.
Finally, another O’Brian resource: “A Guide for the Perplexed”, which translates all the non-English words and phrases in the series. (The Butcher’s Bill, an index I mentioned last booklog post, has already proven its worth by confirming that the confusion over Dixon is all on O’Brian’s part, not mine.)
I don’t know the full history of the US publications of these books, but I have a (jacketless) first US of H.M.S Surprise somewhere, which is dated 1973.
Thanks, Dan. Ah, checking again, the series had been tried here, didn’t succeed, and then was picked up again with this one.