The Commodore

Aubrey & Maturin aboard the flagship Bellona, leading a squadron to suppress the slave trade and intercept a French misson to Ireland, c.1812

***

And we are back from our latest voyage. Laughing and learning as we go, hoping that Killick will light along there, with a coffee pot and toasted cheese. Which he already am, ain't he? ... Sir.

Lucky Jack Aubrey completes the circumnavigation of the world, and has made it to the big time. He is now a Commodore, leading a smallish squadron into action. He owns, at least temporarily, for this assignment, the rank of Rear Admiral, as I understand it. 

We get some time at home, to see Sophie and the kids at Ashgrove Cottage, and to meet Stephen's daughter Brigid. We have had disturbing hints that all is not well with the youngster, and the possibility of some form of birth defect weighs heavily on all involved. Diana, Stephen's wife and Brigid's mother, has not taken it well and has disappeared. Clarissa Oakes has been acting as nanny to the little one. A breakthrough is made with the child, with the help of Stephen's hired man Padeen, who gets her to begin speaking a bit, in Irish, no less.

Intelligence matters force Stephen to want to remove his money, his daughter, and the two convicts he helped escape from New South Wales to the security of Spain. It seems a well-placed friend of Ledward and Wray, high in the government, has smoked him out, and is making trouble with respect to the pardons Stephen discretely seeks for Clarissa and Padeen.

A mission is called for! A dual mission, wherein a sea captain extraordinaire and a highly valuable intelligence agent are both required! First, go down to the coast of Africa and disrupt the slave trade (a noble pursuit, no doubt)! Also: be very much seen and heard doing just such a thing... so that a secret French squadron, bound to land troops in Ireland, will not be scared off from continuing their mission. Once some anti-slavery action is taken, quickly make for a rendezvous point where the French will be assembling for the run toward the Emerald Isle. What results? Fleet action!

A satisfying book, to be sure. The seventeenth of twenty-one. Nearing the end of the line, it pains me to say.

As a medical side note, I weigh as much as Jack Aubrey, to whom Stephen directs a constant stream of weight-related criticism. Sad.

Sharpe's Honor

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Vitoria, June 1813

***

I have been missing my good friends, Sharpe, Harper, Aubrey, & Maturin. Here we have a familiar situation: our good Sharpe gets himself into a pickle, having to do with a girl, and must set out on a non-standard-Army-issue adventure across Spain.

His new archenemy, the French intelligence agent Pierre Ducos, is up to his old tricks. This time trying to implicate Sharpe in a murder while eroding Spanish support for the British. Spoiler alert: it doesn't work out for the Crapauds.

The Battle of Vitoria sounds like an absolute rout on the part of Wellington. The French were destroyed and abandoned highly lucrative baggage trains, containing the looted wealth of Spain, gold, silver, paintings, jewels, etc; amassed for the trip back to France. It never made it. Thus ends, for the most part, the Peninsular War. The French lost 151 cannon: they only managed to retreat with two-and one of those was lost during the flight.

The Wine Dark Sea

His Majesty's hired vessel, Surprise, in the Pacific near South America

***

Just finished this, the sixteenth novel in the series! Only five more to go. I will be both happy and sad when these wonderful books are done. I have enjoyed my time with dear Stephen (you astonish me) and seventeen stone (you really should eat less, for all love) Jack.

Much of Stephen's time is spent high in the Andes, avoiding a rather botched attempt at supporting a Peruvian coup. We first suffer a very strange event, as depicted on the cover of the book: the eruption of an undersea volcano! Burning rocks pelted down and choppy seas to all sides. Sounds horrible.

Many prizes taken west of South America. Almost got to cash in a trio of American cargo ships 'round the Horn, in a sea of ice, but those barkys had company. Outgunned, Surprise has to run for it, barely making it out alive. Then they are struck by lightning, and lose their rudder and the last of their masts. Oh the indignity.

Adrift, 5000 miles from land, and then "Sail ho!". The American frigate to finish the job? No! None other than our friend Heneage Dundas in the HMS Bernice. We're saved!

The heroes are (still) homeward bound. This is the fourth of a five book run chronicling a circumnavigation of the globe.

Sharpe's Enemy

Richard Sharpe, Christmas 1812

***

Sergeant Obadiah bloody Hakeswill! A band of deserters from all the local armies (British, French, Portuguese, Spanish) has taken up residence in some castle ruins high in the lonely mountains. They have hostages. They are behaving abhorrently. They have demanded ransom; from both the French and British sides, in order to release a number of high ranking women.

Sharpe, of course, is tasked with the job of delivering the requested gold and escorting the ladies back to safety. The barbarous deserters invite both French and British representatives at the same time. The peaceful negotiations don't work. The bad guys, including one Obadiah bloody Hakeswill, wish to keep both the gold and the women. Sharpe is then tasked with kicking some; its to be a daring night-time raid rescue mission.

The problem is, the French have a similar idea. They arrive in the region intent on using the high mountain pass as an entry point into Portugal (after they destroy the deserters in the old fortifications blocking said path). To bad, Frenchies, ol' Sharpe has already beaten them down. Here's your hostages back (and a large group of French deserters). Now go home.

Afraid we can't do that, Mr. Sharpe. We outnumber you, and we're going through that pass, mon ami.

Wanna bet?

A great read, as usual. Adventure! Intrigue! Great sadness. I won't spoil who dies.

The Truelove

Aubrey & Maturin in Botany Bay and the South Seas, c. 1812

***

This one, titled "The Truelove" in the US and "Clarissa Oakes" in Britain (and the rest of the world?), was rather shortish. I still took quite some time in reading it, however, as I have multiple books going at the same time. A very solid entry into the canon. The heroes start out in New South Wales, at the penal colony, and then set sail for a number of islands in the South Pacific. Clarissa Oakes is a transported stow-away who wins the hearts of the crew. She is allowed to stay aboard when she is married to midshipman William Oakes.

Captain Aubrey gets ordered to settle a dispute between two rival factions living on the island of Moahu, a 'nominally British island south of the Sandwich Islands'. Settle it he does, bringing carronades to a stick fight.

Ouch. They are still cleaning up (and eating) the pieces, no doubt.

Sharpe's Skirmish

Richard Sharpe at San Miguel, defending the River Tormes, 1812

***

This was a fascinating book for many reasons. At only 61 pages, clearly it wins the title as shortest of my reads thus far. More curious, however, is the fact that it was originally written in 1998 as a special short story to be given away to customers who purchased Cornwell's regular length novel Sharpe's Fortress. The author says he wrote the tale at the last minute, in just four days. The give-away was limited to a single British bookseller, and the short story limited to ~1000 copies. Others (booksellers and customers alike) felt slighted not being able to access the material. Soon a secondary market developed wherein the short work fetched unbelievable prices whenever it could be found.

This edition was commissioned by a fan club called The Sharpe Appreciation Society, and profits from its sale go to that society and to charity. Cornwell decided to give the original, hurried tale the once-over, and wound up completely rewriting it; in the process making it longer as well.

The short story tells the tale of a French thrust toward the Wellesley supply lines, occurring in a sleepy town Sharpe is guarding as he recuperates from his pistol injury. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition...er...the French to attack, so this assignment is a bit of light duty for the South Essex Light Company. As if.

As usual, a thrilling tale of adventure and derring-do, like we have come to expect from our good Rifle Captain.

Nutmeg of Consolation

Aubrey & Maturin in the South China Sea and elsewhere, including Australia, c. 1812

***

The journey continues... The shipwrecked Dianes are rescued and returned to Batavia, where they can get a replacement ship, an old Dutch affair which they christen the Nutmeg (of Consolation). This ship serves them until they are reunited with their good friends in the Surprise.

The heroes visit an island decimated by smallpox. Stephen has the opportunity to get into a fight, defending the honor of Ireland.

Conditions, as described herein, found in New South Wales (Australia) are utterly deplorable. Very sad indeed. To top it off, Maturin and Martin find a platypus (or water mole) and it stings him. With a venomous spur. Because it's male. WHAT? Platypuses are poisonous (at least the males)?!?

Mind = blown. Another great read. Onwards and upwards, as one might say.

Sharpe's Sword

Richard Sharpe at the Battle of Salamanca, 1812

***

Another book, another woman, and another French bastard that our man in the Iberian Peninsula needs to deal with. This time Richard Sharpe must help out his good friend Major Hogan deal with a French intelligence-minded cavalry officer named Leroux. This bastard is torturing to death all the good British spies in the region. And is looking to uncover a whole host of informants, networked all across Spain, Portugal, and France itself. Yikes!

The lady is high above Sharpe's lowly station; one Marquesa de Casares el Grande y Melida Sadaba. A real looker, this one. Sharpe is gravely wounded in this book, and has a long road to recovery. Harper is instrumental in nursing him back to the land of the living, so he is.

Wellesley tricks the French Marshal into believing that the British army is fleeing for Portugal, leaving not but a rear guard force to slow French pursuit. The bloody frogs take the bait, and the trap is sprung. A decisive British victory made slightly less overwhelming due to the poor performance (again!) of the Spanish troops Wellington is here to help. They abandoned their posts, guarding the lone bridge across the river, allowing some of the French survivors to escape.

Another excellent read.

The Thirteen Gun Salute

Aubrey and Maturin, returned to the Royal Navy, sail the South Seas until shipwreck, 1812

***

Ahhh, yes. Jack Aubrey returned to his Majesty's Not-so-Secret Service. Sailing with his friend Stephen, from his Majesty's Secret Service. This time we get to behold the sights and sounds of the South China Sea. Meet some dastardly Frenchmen who are vying for the affections of a certain Sultan from Pulo Prabang (as Wikipedia calls it, "...a piratical Malay state in the South China Sea". The English cannot have such a situation potentially interfering with the East India Company shipping lanes. Heave to and show some leg. Look lively, now.

The Sultan is know by many names: Flower of Courtesy, Nutmeg of Consolation, and Rose of Delight.

Stephen meets an orang-utang. Later he is mistaken for one. An insufferable "diplomat" is suffered by all. For this adventure Aubrey gets to command the Diane, the ship he cut out in our last adventure. Nobody will be commanding her from now on.

Let's just say that our old frenemies Ledward and Wray won't be bothering anyone any longer, either.

By the way, these wonderful paintings used as book cover art are enchanting. All (if I am not mistaken) by martitime artist Geoff Hunt:

http://www.hmssurprise.org/harpercollins-covers-geoff-hunt

Sharpe's Company

Richard Sharpe at the Siege of Badajoz, 1812

***

Sharpe gets to partake in two sieges in the Peninsular War. First up is Ciudad Rodrigo, the northern barrier to Spain. Second is the much larger and better defended fortress of Badajoz, one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars. Estimates say the British army suffered 4800 killed in a few short hours of intense fighting. Wellesley wanted to hasten the conclusion of the siege, as he was concerned about the approach of French reinforcements. Many thought the siege cannons needed more time to open the breaches in the walls and further reduce the French defenses.

When General Wellesley beheld the aftermath, with hundreds and hundreds of dead British soldiers piled against the defenses, he wept openly. And cursed the British government for not properly funding and equipping his Peninsular army.

At the conclusion of the siege, which was actually the third British siege of the Badajoz fortress, Wellesley commanded the Portugal-Spain frontier, and had secured his path into the heart of French held Spain. Now we're getting somewhere!

In this book we see the return of a horrible human piece of trash: Sergeant Obadiah bloody Hakeswill. Hakeswill joins Sharpe's company and sows his discord, as befitting his status as a world-class malcontent. Sharpe wants to kill him. Harper wants to kill him. Sharpe's new/old ladyfriend Teresa wants to kill him.The rest of the regiment wants to kill him. After much conniving, the disgusting brute manages to get away. We haven't seen this guy since way back in Sharpe's Tiger (the first book in the Richard Sharpe adventure story). My gut (and some research on Wikipedia) says we haven't seen the last of ol' Obadiah Hakeswill just yet.

The Letter of Marque

Aubrey & Maturin and the now Private Man of War, Surprise c. 1812

***

Since last we met up with our heroic pair, Lucky Jack Aubrey has been struck from the Royal Navy lists and the recently very rich Stephen Maturin has purchased their old ship, Surprise. He has also obtained from his connections in the intelligence services a Letter of Marque, making the Surprise into an official privateer. What is more, Stephen has obtained another special letter, preventing the officers and crew from being impressed into service aboard any other Royal Navy ships. 

On a first cruise, training the new privateers in the ways of the Surprise, Luck Jack earns his name again by capturing a string of enemy vessels as easy as kiss my hand, honey. May I give you joy of the day.

Of course, Stephen and his connections are also a great source for secret missions, off the books. In this case Whitehall wants the new privateer to do something about a French frigate, Diane, moored at St. Martin's. What follows is a wonderfully exciting cutting-out mission; and guess what? Aubrey is even more successful, arriving back in jolly old England with a new string of prizes and a treasure trove of intelligence-related papers. The scuttlebutt around the capstan is that Aubrey may just be reinstated in the lists; the public loves him (and hated the trumped up scandal of late attached to his name). The coup de grace? Following the death of General Aubrey, Jack's father, our hero is approached by a powerful old cousin and asked to become a member of Parliament in his father's stead. Whoah! Basically a done deal with the whole reinstatement (even with preserving his seniority on the Post Captain list). The situation will take some time to work its way through the system (hopefully we're back in the Royal Navy by next book).

Maturin has a touching reunion with his estranged wife, Diana Villiers. Things seem good on that front again, perhaps better than ever. Just lay off the tincture of laudanum, Stephen. AND Padeen.