El relato del paso en circunstancias meteorológicas extremas del cabo de Hornos que se narra en esta novela es uno de los episodios más impresionantes de cuantos ha dejado escritos O'Brian en su serie sobre Aubrey y Maturin. Sin embargo, el grueso de la acción gira alrededor del espíritu revolucionario e independentista que parece haber prendido como la pólvora en los países sudamericanos. En este aspecto, será Maturin quien pase a un primer plano, intentando ganar para Inglaterra las simpatías de las jóvenes repúblicas.

Another good one in the series. This time the Dr. is in Peru among the Incas for a while. A French prisoner escapes and ruins the Dr.'s intelligence mission. Jack is getting old and more injured. The Surprise ends up in bad shape. Great story! ( )

Lacked a certain something. Usual evocative prose, rich characterisation, but somehow a little less focused than other Aubrey/Maturins.

Would really like to have given it a 3.75. ( )

In which the Surprise's chase of Franklin ventures into waters strange to both captain and seasoned crew; nevertheless, eventually prizes lie in the offing, a rich haul should even half be brought to bear. Amidst all this activity, Maturin's South American mission finally gets underway, with rebels, subversives, and a trek across the Andes variously involved. Mother Nature influences the various sea ventures more than typical even for the Royal Navy, but also the Surprises reunite with an old acquaintance, possibly putting them back on track.

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Jack saves another Surprise overboard: Reade, but also in boarding action himself suffers yet another headwound, yet another body wound (this time from a pike).

Pullings commands another prize crew.

Stephen engages in a prodigious amount of naturalism this voyage, including his observation of the peculiar musculature of the frigate-bird. In his intelligence work, Stephen discovers Sam to be a valuable asset and able defender among Peruvian activists. A descent in a snowstorm leaves Stephen frostbitten in the leg, serious enough he is carried in a Peruvian Chair, and eventually forced to amputate a "few unimportant toes".

Events pick up immediately after Clarissa Oakes and close a number of months later, in the South Atlantic. Per Seltzer's chronology, events take place in the repeating year of 1813. See also the online Patrick O'Brien Mapping Project for conjectured plot of the journey this volume. ( )

As I stagger past the 3/4 mark of this enormous series of books I am struck by the observation that I am more interested in Maturin than Aubrey. Really though, it's being more interested in what's going on on land than on ship - which is the complete opposite of what I would have said in the first quarter of the series.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY

See the complete review here:

http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/897361/the-wine-dark-sea-patrick-o-brian ( )