In this sadly brief beginning to the 21st and last in the incomparable and beloved series of novels by Patrick O'Brian (1914-2000), Jack Aubrey (now an Admiral of the Fleet) and Stephen Maturin (still a humble physician/spy) sail around Cape Horn to Argentina, where various dangers await them. However, O'Brian fans will be glad to know that, in this posthumous work, they also encounter Aubrey's illegitimate son, Sam, now a Papal Nuncio. As the fragment ends, the Surprise is again under sail, heading into the sunset for Africa. The text appears in a printed version bearing O'Brian's corrections, facing a facsimile of his meticulously written original manuscript, which continues the story to include a very interesting episode in the life of Stephen Maturin.
Did you find this review helpful?