Patrick O'Brian - The Nutmeg Of Consolation

Rating: 5/5

Review:
The fourteenth 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 sublimely titled Nutmeg Of Consolation finds Jack and his wrecked and battered crew still in the Far East, but restored to a ship and heading for their rendezvous with the Surprise and thence to the penal colonies of New South Wales to refit. There is plenty of seagoing action this time, plus a superb picture of the true horror of the penal colonies and plenty of life ashore for Steven as a naturalist. It’s another superbly constructed, engrossing instalment with a couple more of O’Brian’s quiet but deeply touching moments, too.

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.