Patrick O'Brian - The Reverse Of The Medal

Rating: 5/5

Review:
The eleventh in a brilliant series

This is now my third time reading through this brilliant series and I am reminded again how beautifully written and how wonderfully, addictively enjoyable they are.

The Reverse Of The Medal is a little different from the others in the series in that, apart from a brief initial passage, it is almost wholly set ashore as treacherous forces move against Jack, whose lack of guile allows him to be landed in very serious trouble. It is rather a downbeat book for the most part, but it is fascinating nonetheless and also leavened with the usual flashes of humour and a moment in Jack’s very darkest hour which, even third time around, I found very touching indeed.

Patrick O'Brian is steeped in the period of the early 19th Century and his knowledge of the language, manners, politics, social mores and naval matters of the time is deep and wide. Combined with a magnificent gift for both prose and storytelling, it makes something very special indeed. The books are so perfectly paced, with some calmer, quieter but still engrossing passages and some quite thrilling action sequences. O'Brian's handling of language is masterly, with the dialogue being especially brilliant, but also things like the way his sentences become shorter and more staccato in the action passages, making them heart-poundingly exciting. There are also laugh-out-loud moments and an overall sense of sheer involvement and pleasure in reading.

I cannot recommend these books too highly. They are that rare thing; fine literature which are also books which I can't wait to read more of. Wonderful stuff.