The Mauritius Command

About “The Mauritius Command”

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series is considered the greatest collection of historical novels. To mark the 40th anniversary of the series' start with Master and Commander, the stories are being re-issued in paperback. This is the fourth book in the series. Captain Jack Aubrey is on half-pay without a command when his friend Stephen Maturin gives him secret orders to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope under a Commodore's pennant. His mission is complicated by two captains—Lord Clonfert, who is careless and pleasure-seeking, and Captain Corbett, whose strictness risks mutiny. The story is based on the 1810 campaign in the Indian Ocean and showcases O'Brian's detailed depiction of 18th-century life. The novel is beautifully written and gripping, standing alone as a strong work of fiction.