A Century of New Historical Fiction Reads
Patrick O'Brian

Patrick O'Brian’s Followers (2,290)

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Patrick O'Brian


Born
in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, England
December 12, 1914

Died
January 02, 2000

Website

Genre
Historical Fiction, Fiction

Influences
Walter Scott ...more


Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will).

Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nom ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.29 · 359,175 ratings · 19,497 reviews · 327 distinct works • Similar authors
Master and Commander (Aubre...
4.07 avg rating — 60,681 ratings — published 1969 — 9 editions
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Post Captain (Aubrey & Matu...
4.26 avg rating — 24,034 ratings — published 1972 — 131 editions
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H.M.S. Surprise (Aubrey & M...
4.42 avg rating — 20,403 ratings — published 1973 — 43 editions
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The Mauritius Command (Aubr...
4.35 avg rating — 17,558 ratings — published 1977 — 6 editions
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Desolation Island (Aubrey &...
4.41 avg rating — 15,626 ratings — published 1978 — 98 editions
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The Fortune of War (Aubrey ...
4.41 avg rating — 14,487 ratings — published 1979 — 89 editions
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The Surgeon's Mate (Aubrey ...
4.40 avg rating — 13,561 ratings — published 1980 — 79 editions
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The Far Side of the World (...
4.45 avg rating — 13,114 ratings — published 1984 — 96 editions
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Treason's Harbour (Aubrey &...
4.38 avg rating — 12,192 ratings — published 1983 — 32 editions
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The Letter of Marque (Aubre...
4.50 avg rating — 11,535 ratings — published 1988 — 77 editions
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More books by Patrick O'Brian…

Series by Patrick O'Brian

Master and Commander Post Captain H.M.S. Surprise The Mauritius Command Desolation Island The Fortune of War The Surgeon's Mate
(21 books)
by
4.32 avg rating — 304,179 ratings

The Golden Ocean The Unknown Shore
(2 books)
by
4.15 avg rating — 3,968 ratings

Quotes by Patrick O'Brian  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Wit is the unexpected copulation of ideas.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days
tags: dr-maturin, patrick-o-brian
1061 likes
Like

“But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.”
― Patrick O'Brian, Master & Commander
tags: jingoism, maturin, nationalism, nationality, patriotism, stephen-maturin
218 likes
Like

“Jack, you've debauched my sloth.”
― Patrick O'Brian, H.M.S. Surprise
tags: debauched, drunk, sloth
95 likes
Like

Polls

June 2017 New School Classic Poll

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, 351 pgs, 1905
 
  49 votes, 15.2%

The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 295 pgs, 1982
 
  44 votes, 13.6%

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, 218 pgs, 1996
 
  42 votes, 13.0%

 
  24 votes, 7.4%

My Ántonia by Willa Cather, 232 pgs, 1918
 
  22 votes, 6.8%

The Godfather by Mario Puzo, 448, 1969
 
  19 votes, 5.9%

 
  16 votes, 5.0%

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, 308 pgs, 1967
 
  15 votes, 4.6%

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, 231 pgs, 1939
 
  13 votes, 4.0%

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, 654 pgs, 1913
 
  13 votes, 4.0%

 
  12 votes, 3.7%

 
  11 votes, 3.4%

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, 418 pgs, 1931
 
  10 votes, 3.1%

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, 359 pgs, 1950
 
  10 votes, 3.1%

 
  8 votes, 2.5%

 
  7 votes, 2.2%

Titanic by Filson Young, 236 pgs, 1912
 
  5 votes, 1.5%

 
  3 votes, 0.9%

323 total votes
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