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Miles Vorkosigan posted:In terms of page length there are very few books with as much time spent on land as Post-Captain. I think The Reverse of the Medal takes place entirely on land, but it's a short book and so engaging odds are you won't even notice. I always read Reverse anticipating the pivotal scene. Still makes me teary eyed.
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Sep 1, 2013 01:28
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Yeah, I get that and I'm enjoying the character interactions a lot, but it's good to know there's more ship stuff to look forward to. I sailed boats for years and have always been interested in age-of-sail stuff, and it's really good to read an author who knows his poo poo, rather than someone going "yaaar splice the main brace and avast!" He writes a level of detail you don't often see in a novel without a modern setting.
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Sep 1, 2013 02:12
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AlphaDog posted:Yeah, I get that and I'm enjoying the character interactions a lot, but it's good to know there's more ship stuff to look forward to. True, we all look forward to those details while they are at sea. He did he research to be sure, he was quite old when he passed but it is unfortunate we never got more after the partial of 21. I grew up reading his books and that led me into the Navy when I graduated high school. Course it wasn't the same as O'Brien depicted it but he never the less influenced my military service choice.
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Sep 1, 2013 06:22
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AlphaDog posted:There's less land-based stuff in future books, right? It's well written and interesting, but the stuff at sea is so much better. There is some land-based parts in most books (nearly none in book four though), but it is far more balanced than book 2, and often far from Britain. Some as the already mentioned Reverse or Fortunes of War take place mostly on land, but are far more compelling than the love-in-the-countryside of book 2. Generally land (especially Britain) means troubles for Aubrey, sometimes for Maturin too, so they tend to flee to the sea rather often and quickly. Decius fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Sep 1, 2013 |
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Sep 1, 2013 18:05
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Decius posted:Generally land (especially Britain) means troubles for Aubrey, sometimes for Maturin too, so they tend to flee to the sea rather often and quickly. This really is the ultimate bromance series.
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Sep 1, 2013 20:19
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:This really is the ultimate bromance series. Yes, it is. Finished book 2, reading something else that's shortish, then on to book 3! Totally hooked.
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Sep 5, 2013 11:36
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Holy poo poo, did I just read a passage with Stephen's Dad?!? In "The Commodore," when Stephen is in Spain, he asks if "Colonel Don Patricio Fitzgerald y Saavedra is still with us" -- and we know from earlier books that Stephen's father was a Fitzgerald who was in Spain. When he meets "Don Patricio" he calls him "Cousin Stephen," and describes himself as an "old soldier." Old enough . . . to be Stephen's father? If we dismiss the "Cousin" as a euphemism, everything else fits with this being Stephen's father, especially given who else is with Stephen on that trip. Am I off base here or is this a legitimate theory? I don't think there are any other mentions of Stephen's parents in the series.
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Sep 18, 2013 22:32
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What reason is there to think that the guy isn't a cousin?
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Sep 18, 2013 22:45
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Holy poo poo, did I just read a passage with Stephen's Dad?!? Stephen's been mentioned as being part of the Fitzgerald family before. I think it was by Sir Joseph. I've always taken the guy to be a cousin, just once or twice removed (older, obviously).
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Sep 19, 2013 01:19
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Was 'cousin' ever used as a way to acknowledge illegitmate children?
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Sep 19, 2013 01:50
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withak posted:What reason is there to think that the guy isn't a cousin? 1) We know Stephen's father was older than he is, a Fitzgerald, in the Spanish military service. "Cousin Fitzgerald" is all three of those things. How many such people were there likely to be? My guess would be not many, and those few details are all we have of Stephen's father, and this guy only shows up for a paragraph and all three are mentioned. 2) "Cousin" makes sense as a euphemism for "son" in this context; compare with Aubrey's relationship with Sam Panda. 3) What more natural than that Stephen should take his daughter to see her grandfather? And given that this is Stephen, never explicitly mention the man was his father? Plus, it's always bothered me that Stephen's parents never make any direct appearance in the series and aren't ever explicitly stated as dead. Anyway, I don't think it's provable that the guy isn't just a "cousin." But he also fits with everything we know of Stephen's father, and it seems to really fit with the way O'Brian writes to throw such a subtle, crazy detail into the book in a way that's exactly that crazy subtle. I think this is my new personal pet theory.
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Sep 19, 2013 01:55
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What reason would there be for subterfuge?
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Sep 19, 2013 02:58
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withak posted:What reason would there be for subterfuge? The same reason Aubrey and Sam Panda never actually explicitly call each other father or son. It's bastardy, in the 18th century. On top of that, Stephen is the sort of person who keeps secrets and speaks cautiously even when there's no real reason to, just out of habit and practice. If they both know it, why say it?
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Sep 19, 2013 03:31
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The same reason Aubrey and Sam Panda never actually explicitly call each other father or son. It's bastardy, in the 18th century. On top of that, Stephen is the sort of person who keeps secrets and speaks cautiously even when there's no real reason to, just out of habit and practice. If they both know it, why say it? If this turns out to be a major spoiler I'm going to be pretty disappointed! Would've rather had not read it if it is
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Sep 19, 2013 03:59
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I'm sure you will survive.
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Sep 19, 2013 04:43
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PlushCow posted:If this turns out to be a major spoiler I'm going to be pretty disappointed! Would've rather had not read it if it is It's not. O'Brian makes it very clear that they're father and son.
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Sep 19, 2013 05:03
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PlushCow posted:If this turns out to be a major spoiler I'm going to be pretty disappointed! Would've rather had not read it if it is Sorry! I don't really know what to use tags for in this thread, the whole thing's been out for like twenty years now =(.
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Sep 19, 2013 05:25
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From the OP:quote:BIG IMPORTANT NOTE: I’ve never read these books before. Don’t spoil them for me or anyone else. We've all been guilty of not using spoiler tags in the right spots, it's no big deal, just do better in the future. And no, O'Brian doesn't make it clear. As you can see, there are plenty of people in the thread who don't think that's the case. For a more spoilered discussion (and a personal pet theory), In The Thirteen Gun Salute, I'm convinced that Mr. Fox and Ledward are former lovers, probably from when they were in school together but I don't have a whole lot of proof to back the second part up. Part of me also thinks that Fox is feeling jilted at Ledward choosing Wray as a lover.
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Sep 19, 2013 13:01
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ItalicSquirrels posted:From the OP: Actually, what happened to the communal read-along that initially started this thread? Will we forever be stuck at the second book?
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Sep 19, 2013 13:17
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tonberrytoby posted:Actually, what happened to the communal read-along that initially started this thread? Will we forever be stuck at the second book? Yeah that guy has kinda vanished. I worry about him sometimes =(.
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Sep 19, 2013 13:21
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Yeah that guy has kinda vanished. I worry about him sometimes =(. He probably went to sea. I'm sure he'll be back....
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Sep 19, 2013 14:41
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ItalicSquirrels posted:We've all been guilty of not using spoiler tags in the right spots, it's no big deal, just do better in the future. And no, O'Brian doesn't make it clear. As you can see, there are plenty of people in the thread who don't think that's the case. Who on earth doesn't think Sam Panda is Jack Aubrey's son? Glaring context clues aside, O'Brian makes it very clear in The Thirteen Gun Salute among others: Patrick O'Brian posted:Sam Panda, as tall as Aubrey and even broader, was Jack's natural son, as black as polished ebony yet absurdly recognizable - the same carriage, the same big man's gentleness, even the same features, transposed to another key. Raskolnikov2089 fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Sep 19, 2013 |
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Sep 19, 2013 16:45
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:Who on earth doesn't think Sam Panda is Jack Aubrey's son? Glaring context clues aside, O'Brian makes it very clear in The Thirteen Gun Salute among others: My understanding of the quote is that he was responding to the bit with Stephen, which is what I believed you to be responding to.
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Sep 19, 2013 17:25
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Which audiobook version is recommended for this series?
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Sep 20, 2013 00:23
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Patrick Tull, full stop.
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Sep 20, 2013 00:28
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Molybdenum posted:Which audiobook version is recommended for this series? ItalicSquirrels posted:Patrick Tull, full stop. Actually, I prefer Simon Vance. I've listened to Tull and feel at times his pronunciation on things is a bit off. Simon's voice is also more comfortable on the ears over the long haul to me. If you have an audible.com account both are available as well as a new reader as well.
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Sep 23, 2013 08:26
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BriceFxP posted:Actually, I prefer Simon Vance. I've listened to Tull and feel at times his pronunciation on things is a bit off. Simon's voice is also more comfortable on the ears over the long haul to me. Really? I've always gotten annoyed at Vance's re-use of voices more than Tull's mispronunciation ("stem to stem" instead of "stem to stern" and so on, although I think some of those are in the source material). Tull's ability to give almost everyone a unique voice is what makes me a huge fan.
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Sep 24, 2013 18:21
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ItalicSquirrels posted:Really? I've always gotten annoyed at Vance's re-use of voices more than Tull's mispronunciation ("stem to stem" instead of "stem to stern" and so on, although I think some of those are in the source material). Tull's ability to give almost everyone a unique voice is what makes me a huge fan. Yes sometimes it has grated on me that his range doesn't seem to be as great as Tull when it comes to unique voices, but I'm such a stickler for proper pronunciation in speech it is almost an OCD issue. Tull is good, but in this case it is just a personal preference.
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Sep 25, 2013 09:53
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BriceFxP posted:Yes sometimes it has grated on me that his range doesn't seem to be as great as Tull when it comes to unique voices, but I'm such a stickler for proper pronunciation in speech it is almost an OCD issue. I listened to a little bit of Vance reading one of the books after listening to Tull read them, and the thing that really made it unbearable for me was the way he did Stephen's voice. Tull's is perfect, slightly croaking with an Irish accent but very obviously well educated, while Vance gave him this prissy english voice.
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Sep 26, 2013 14:13
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thekeeshman posted:I listened to a little bit of Vance reading one of the books after listening to Tull read them, and the thing that really made it unbearable for me was the way he did Stephen's voice. Tull's is perfect, slightly croaking with an Irish accent but very obviously well educated, while Vance gave him this prissy english voice. Yeah, I listened to a Vance reading of The Surgeon's Mate in the middle of a Tull marathon, and was really put off by how he voiced Stephen. Also, his Diana was just unbearably tame, which is arguably a worse offense than making Stephen sound like an English wimp.
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Sep 27, 2013 01:14
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Oh, so The Letter of Marque is really good. I'm actually enjoying it more than any of the other novels in the series. I'm not sure if it's the change in situation (Jack being kicked out of the RN and actually getting to do what he likes, which tend to be more interesting things) or if I'm used enough to the writing that it all seems quite natural to me. Either way, I've been ripping through it.
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Oct 29, 2013 12:05
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Just started rereading the series (for probably the fifth time). I always forget about the bees (NOT THE BEES) that Stephen brings aboard at the end of "Post Captain", when Jack gets his acting command on the Lively. Never fails to make me laugh, the rough, tough sailors losing their poo poo over a paltry sixty thousand or so bees:Post Captain posted:Jack had the door-handle; he opened it a crack and glided swiftly through. "Killick!" he shouted, beating at his clothes.
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Oct 29, 2013 23:01
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CarterUSM posted:Just started rereading the series (for probably the fifth time). I always forget about the bees (NOT THE BEES) that Stephen brings aboard at the end of "Post Captain", when Jack gets his acting command on the Lively. Never fails to make me laugh, the rough, tough sailors losing their poo poo over a paltry sixty thousand or so bees:  Edit: vvv considering that the books basically narrate the life-stories of jack and maturin the order does matter very much... Nektu fucked around with this message at 08:24 on Nov 20, 2013 |
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Oct 30, 2013 08:22
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I picked up a bunch of books in the series secondhand so I'm reading them out of order (not that I think it matters much). Just finished up with Nutmeg of Consolation, which I thoroughly enjoyed, perhaps because it partly takes place in my home state. I did not see Maturin having a baby, though. I know he's married to Diana, but still.
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Nov 20, 2013 03:39
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Rereading "The Fortune of War". 1) Being a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and having had aspirations to go to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, it is strange to feel so sorry for Aubrey and the other RNs when Java is defeated by Constitution. The Action of 29 December 1812 is famous in the annals of U.S. Naval history, so reading about it from the other side, and with a sympathetic viewpoint, is interesting. 2) I love the oblique reference to John James Audubon when Johnson is trying to give Maturin a gift of ornithological prints, referring to "A young Frenchman I met on the Ohio River, a Creole, very talented..." 3) Stephen finally showing his wetworks side explicitly. 4) And the always hilarious description of Choate's Asclepia hospital and its inhabitants. It's one of my favorite books in the series, especially for the change of Scenery to early 19th century Boston.
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Nov 21, 2013 20:44
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CarterUSM posted:Rereading "The Fortune of War". I live near Boston, and have seen the Connie many times, so I know exactly what you mean.
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Nov 21, 2013 20:55
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Oh God, I'm in the middle of "The Surgeon's Mate", and have just hit what is possibly the funniest scene in the entire series. (no major spoilers, but if you haven't read it yet it's better to get to it with the full build-up) During the trip to Paris, when Jack, Stephen, and Jagiello are prisoners of war, and they have their enormous crayfish dinner with Duhamel...which turns out poorly, with their bowels becoming suitably volcanic, so that their arrival at the prison is totally undignified: "Their entrance into the grim ancient fortress was unlike any that Stephen had ever known. Duhamel had his door open before the carriage stopped, and followed by Jack and Jagiello, who trampled on Stephen and broke his larger bottle in their haste, he ran into the immense vaulted guard-room where those charged with receiving the prisoners sat among scaffolding and pails. With irresistible impetuosity they rushed past the deputy-governor, his secretary, the turnkeys and ran on, pale and earnest, down a dark corridor, Duhamel a good length ahead. " It was so perfectly set up, and the entire pages-long preface to the final bit of slapstick just built the comedic tension.
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Nov 28, 2013 07:58
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Woe is me! After seven months of listening, I've finally reached to the end. These books are really well balanced. They have humour, action, sailing and other things in perfect amounts. And when the author repeats stuff from book to book, it’s not boring or annoying, but makes you feel more familiar with the characters. Most favourite side characters must have been Aubrey’s little daughters, who curse like the foremast jacks who helped to raise them: “They were also told very firmly that they must not call out after their brother with such words as sod, swab and whore son beast”. And of course there’s the shrewish Killick. I listened the whole series as audiobooks, and I think that from now on I automatically compare other readers to Patrick Tull, and find them lacking. Except for Christopher Lee, whose Children of Hurin is still unsurpassed. As a historical fiction series, this is the best I’ve ever encountered. But if I compare a single book from the series to other historical fiction novels, I’ve read better. Like Mika Waltari's The Egyptian. Even though I’m somewhat a landsman, the naval jargon wasn’t that difficult. If you encounter a new word just put it in a search engine and you get an explanation and probably even a nice picture too. The ending and afterwords to the unfinished book were really bittersweet. And drat I wished to see Maturin talking to Napoleon!
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Nov 28, 2013 18:24
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Yes, the ending is bittersweet. But at least we have the consolation of knowing that at the end, everyone is together and things are going well, Patrick didn't pass on and leave us with the series at a tragic moment.
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Nov 30, 2013 21:31
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I didn't read past Blue at the Mizzen. I felt that was the perfect end to the series.
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Nov 30, 2013 22:18
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