Patrick O’Brian Books

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A multi-award-winning English scribbler who has since died, Patrick O’Brian’s place of birth was Chalfont St Peter village upon Buckinghamshire in the UK. O’Brian was born in December 1914. Did you know that the penman’s birth name was Richard Patrick Russ? A deed poll enabled O’Brian to legally change his name in mid-1945, ostensibly to distance himself from his Second World War controversial occupations. O’Brian passed away in January 2000 in his mid-eighties. Patrick O’Brian’s occupation ranged from writing novel-length books and short stories, to undertaking translation projects. In matters books, O’Brian’s niche ranged from literature and fiction, to biographies and memoirs, to historical fiction books.

Patrick O’Brian published his first literary work while still young. O’Brian’s debut novel, titled Caesar, was published in his teenage. The penman started writing on a serious note in mid-1940s. Even then his scope was limited to translating French content and was not famous till his penned his acclaimed series. In 1967, Patrick O’Brian started penning his most notable novel series. O’Brian’s big break came in his fifties, hot on the heels of the discovery of his series by a US publishing house.

Mentioning the name Patrick O’Brian conjures up the 21-book Aubrey and Maturin series. Even then there is a duology in his bibliography. There are about 104 editions of O’Brian’s first book in the serialized Aubrey and Maturin. The first edition was initially published in 1969, entitled Master and Commander; and this book is shelved under the fiction (especially historical fiction and naval fiction) and adventure genres.

The featured protagonists in Patrick O’Brian’s 1969 book Master and Commander are Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. Though fictitious characters serving in the Royal Navy in different capacities, both Aubrey and Maturin are aboard the then actual brig-sloop named HMS Sophie. On the one hand, Aubrey is a naval officer initially holding the rank of a captain but is promoted progressively until he becomes a rear-admiral. Aubrey is a courageous and brainy sailor. On the other hand, Maturin is an adept ship’s surgeon who doubles up as a spy and natural scientist; Maturin, who is of Irish descent, is daring, passionate, and perplexing.

Patrick O’Brian’s renowned Aubrey and Maturin series is set in the backdrop of the famed Napoleonic Wars that occurred between 1803 and 1815. Incidentally, the said wars are synonymous with military genius Napoleon Bonaparte. Aubrey and Maturin were looking forward to a duel but they buried the hatchet hard on the heels of Aubrey’s promotion to the position of a ship’s captain and who realized that he needed particularly Maturin’s surgical knowledge. Thus heralds Aubrey and Maturin’s friendship and professional working relationship that transcends naval battles in this award-nominated book.

Patrick O’Brian Awards

Patrick O’Brian has won many literary prizes. In 1970, O’Brian was nominated for the Man Booker Prize, thanks to his book Master and Commander. In 1995, O’Brian clinched the Heywood Hill Literary prize courtesy of his literary works. In 1997, the Dublin-based Trinity College Dublin proffered O’Brian with a honorary doctorate.

Patrick O’Brian Books into Movies

The first book in Patrick O’Brian’s series was adapted into a film. In the 2003 film named Master and Commander, the starring actors are Englishman Russell Crowe and New Zealand filmmaker Paul Bettany who portray Captain Jack Aubrey and surgeon Stephen Maturin, respectively.

Best Patrick O’Brian Books

These are the best books in Patrick O’Brian’s bibliography. The first is Master and Commander.

Post Captain: This is the second novel in the Aubrey and Maturin book series. Published in 1972, this book recounts the (mis)fortunes of the duo following the Treaty of Amiens after which peace prevails.

H.M.S. Surprise: This is the third installment in O’Brian’s serialized Aubrey and Maturin. Published in 1973, it features a financially unstable Jack Aubrey who is now commanding a ship named HMS Surprise in an expedition in the Indian Ocean. Aubrey sees a Napoleon fleet as his gateway to regaining his wealth.

Other Book Series You May Like

Readers who liked Patrick O’Brian’s series also liked these literary series. Just like O’Brian’s series, Dewey Lambdin’s 23-book “Alan Lewrie” series recounts the naval expeditions of protagonist Alan Lewrie. Sean Thomas Russell’s tetralogy, “Charles Hayden” series, features protagonist Charles Hayden, a Royal Navy captain. The “Lymond Chronicles” series, a sextet authored by Dorothy Dunnett, recounts the approval-seeking military exploits of a dishonored Sixteenth century Scottish polymath named Francis Crawford of Lymond.

When Does The Next Patrick O'Brian book come out?

Patrick O'Brian doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Uncertain Land and Other Poems and was released on March, 21st 2019. It is the newest book in the Patrick O'Brian Short Story Collections.

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