Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spy -- and a treacherous disease that decimates the crew. With a Dutch man-of-war to windward, the undermanned, outgunned Leopard sails for her life into the freezing waters of the Antarctic, where, in mountainous seas, the Dutchman closes . . .
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Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spy -- and a treacherous disease that decimates the crew. With a Dutch man-of-war to windward, the undermanned, outgunned Leopard sails for her life into the freezing waters of the Antarctic, where, in mountainous seas, the Dutchman closes . . .
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Patrick O'Brian wrote 20 novels in this series and Desolation is one of the overall best. The action is intense, the story believable and the characters will cause anyone who reads this to catch AMS - the Aubry/Matrian Syndrome!
More than a nautical tale, it is a story about a relationship between a ships capitan (Jack Aubry) and his "particular" friend and surgen, Stephen Matrian. Beyond that is the intregue that comes with the special duties that Maturian conducts.
Most start with the first book in the series, not this 5th one, but each are written as a complete book so you can start with Desolation Island as it is a complete story on its own.
There are none who have done historical fiction better than O'Brian. His details make every story come alive.