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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780393060256
ISBN number: 039306025X
Label: W. W. Norton & Company
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 144
Printing Date: October 30, 2004
Publishing house: W. W. Norton & Company
Sale Popularity Level: 9970
Studio: W. W. Norton & Company
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
'BLUE AT THE MIZZEN (novel #20) ended with Jack Aubrey getting the news, in Chile, of his elevation to flag rank: Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron, with orders to sail to the South Africa station. The subsequent novel, unfinished and untitled at the time of the author's death, would have been the chronicle of that mission, and much else besides. The three chapters left on O'Brian's desk at the time of his death are presented here both in printed version--including his corrections to the Typescript--and a facsimile of his manuscript, which goes several pages beyond the end of the typescript to include a duel between Stephen Maturin and an impertinent officer who is courting his fiancee. Of course we would rather have had the whole story; instead we have this proof that O'Brian's powers of observation, his humor, and his understanding of his characters were undiminished to the end.
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Rated by buyers 
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The perfect ending to the series, left unfinished when O'Brian died at age 85, shortly after the death of his wife. 21 is 21st in the series, and O'Brian never gave it a title. Now-Admiral Aubrey takes over his flag-ship and his small (but as Maturin learned, don't tell HIM that, unless he says it first) squadron, Surprise is sent home for repairs and refitting, and Mrs Aubrey and children, Brigid and Mrs. Wood, and Padeen are brought to the ship to sail with Aubrey.
When the story ends there, it leaves the characters together, happy--and not completed! The reader can safely imagine them still sailing, happy and active, and never killed off, married off, or otherwise disposed of in ways that leave the reader dissatisfied and wishing for more or different.
Now that you endured, here are two reference books that belong on the bookshelf of a Patrick O'Brian fan:
Harbors and High Seas, 3rd Edition : An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian, Third Edition
A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales
Rated by buyers 
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It was good to see that the author was still working on continuing the outstanding Aubrey - Maturin series. We're all disappointed that the series has ended. 21 was interesting both from the story and procedure viewpoints.
Rated by buyers -
It took me a year, but I couldn't put down a single copy of the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. This literary masterpiece tells a wonderful story, with every character brought to life. The writing is so visual, one actually feels that they have been on the very ship he writes about. I do recommend that readers obtain "A Sea of Words", which is basically a glossary of all the nautical terms used in the novels. Universities should devote a literature course to these novels, since they are so well written. O'Brian's mastery of the writing craft is unsurpassed, in my opinion.
Rated by buyers 
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As others have noted, the book goes only three chapters into the story. I want to add that these chapters are far from complete. It jumps so quickly from one scene to the next, something like those half-hour television westerns from the sixties. Stephen advises Jack to have a look from the top, and in the very subsequent sentence, there he is, in the top. The Ringle crosses the Atlantic twice, but leaves little sense of time passage.
Do not expect any closure here. The value is seeing how the author developed a story. Presumably he would have gone over these pages again many times, enriching them with detailed descriptions and dialog. Those who have been through the series will appreciate the chance to have one more look. It would not likely interest anyone else.
Here is one more thing that interests me. The jacket artwork is by Geoff Hunt, who also did illustrations for the entire series. This one has considerably less detail than the others. Could that be an allusion to the unfinished state of the book?
Rated by buyers 
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Boy, talk about resting on your laurels! Three chapters and some after-dinner scraps of writing and that's it? O'Brian's got a lot of explaining to do if you ask me.
As far as I can tell Aubrey makes admiral but still has to put up with the blow-hard antics of an even higher officer and Maturin, getting soft in his old age, DOESN'T kill some impetuous officer in a duel. And what's with Maturin's homicidal fascination with honor and dueling? Small manly parts, methinks.
"Captain, the surgeon and doctor of our ship is about to engage in a duel over some mispronunciation of a word and if he loses, your ship will be without its medical staff, resulting in disease and death during its voyage."
"Duel? Maturin? Well, let him go ahead and fight to the death. Better that than the welfare of my sailors. Ha Ha Ha."
I hope that O'Brian can pull himself away from whatever he's doing to write a longer 22nd novel. Maybe he'll even take the time to give it a real title.
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