Three of Patrick O'Brian's glorious adventure novels in one ebook for the first time. If you love the Aubrey-Maturin series then you'll adore these.
These three novels set the way for the Aubrey-Maturin and match the series in their rich detail, adventurous prose and comic nuance that all Patrick O'Brian readers can expect from the master of historical fiction.
The Road to Samarcand finds newly orphaned Derrick thrown into the care of his gruff Uncle Sullivan, the captain of The Wanderer. Captain Sullivan, their cousin the Professor and his new ward set off for Central Asia with their sights set on treasure. Chinese warlords loom and the glint of a priceless piece of Jade send the group up into the mountains of Tibet stalked by something they do not know and cannot name.
The Golden Ocean sees Peter Palafox, son of a poor Irish parson, signing up as a midshipman on Anson's 1740 circumnavigation of the globe, never before having seen a ship. Together with his life-long friend Sean, Peter sets out to seek his fortune, embarking on a journey of danger, disappointment, foreign lands and excitement.
The Unknown Shore sees midshipman Jack Byron and his friend Tobias Barrow, an alarmingly naive surgeon's mate aboard The Wager. The ship is parted from Anson's squadron in the fierce storms off Cape Horn and struggles up the coast of Chile until she hits rocks and sinks. Isolated, the survivors are soon driven to drunkenness, mutiny, and bloodshed. But a handful of men make their way northward under the guidance of a band of Indians, at last finding safety in Valparaiso. This is a saga of survival and Aubrey-Maturin series fans might recognise Jack and Toby as precursors of the famed heroes of the great Aubrey-Maturin series.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Praise for The Road to Samarcand:
'You are in for the treat of your lives. Thank God for Patrick O'Brian: his genius illuminates the literature of the English language, and lightens the lives of those who read him' Irish Times
'The best historical novels ever written'
New York Times
Praise for The Golden Ocean:
'The story has in it something like greatness. It is naive, matter-of-fact; tragic, richly funny; closely detailed but with a bold sweeping action. It goes on that very small shelf reserved for authors who, disregarding aptitudes spin a story out of the heart and soul of their experience and the joy of living'
TLS
'As always, the author's erudition and humour are on display...the attention to period speech and detail is uncompromising and while the cascades of natural love can be dizzying, both aficionados and newcomers will be swept up by the richness of Mr O'Brian's prodigious imagination'
Scott Veale, New York Times
Praise for The Unknown Shore:
'Immediately and unmistakably O'Brian, with humor both slapstick and subtle, the sea implacably neutral, and his heroes bold rough sketches of Aubrey and Maturin. This and The Golden Ocean are fine forerunners of the grand series, and meeting them now is like being suddenly young again' Stephen Becker
'Here is an unexpected bonus: a precursor to the Aubrey/Maturin series...with all the charm of the author's mature works. And for those who have been daunted by the prospect of embarking on a 17-volume series, here is the perfect way to test the waters...It has the same elements that mark Mr. O'Brian's more recent works: the wealth of social detail, the quiet humor, the harrowing shipwrecks, the swashbuckling adventures in foreign parts... From a cozy, well-lighted 20th century home, [Jack and Toby's] travails could not be more delightful to contemplate'
New York Times Book Review
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ISBN-13
978-0-00-753820-1 (9780007538201)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Patrick O'Brian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime's contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000
