Master and Commander

My husband LOVES this book. In fact he loves the whole series. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien is the first in a series of twenty novels (and a twenty-first unfinished novel) about sea captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. The books are set in the Nepoleonic Era and follow the career of Aubrey as he rises through the ranks in the British navy. The books are full of details about history and boats, have lots of action, and depict a great friendship between Aubrey and Maturin, who serves as ship's doctor and Aubrey's closest advisor. If you have seen the movie, don't be suprised that the book is different, as it actually based on one of the later books in the series. Also check out Salon's Table Talk, there are many mentions of Stephen Maturin in the characters we love thread.