I got to finish off H.M.S. Surprise on the flight out to Peoria today. It’s a little shorter than the previous volumes, but still a fantastic read. I’m still learning 19th century naval terms and was a little stumped on a few, but it didn’t detract from the book at all.

The book opens with Jack Aubrey’s prize money being taken away by political games which also expose Dr. Maturin’s spying. It then moves on to India and the main acion of the book. There’s not as much combat in this one as there were in the previous versions, but it does a good job of showing Capt. Aubrey growing in to his command and sets the stage for where the series is going to go.