Accompanied by his friend, ship's surgeon and spy Stephen Maturin, Captain Jack Aubrey has returned home to England and the life of a country gentleman. But their comfortable experience is cut short when Jack is made a pauper overnight. He flees to the continent, narrowly escaping debtor's prison, only to find himself a hunted fugitive from Napoleon's regime as, yet again, war looms.

Accompanied by his friend, ship's surgeon and spy Stephen Maturin, Captain Jack Aubrey has returned home to England and the life of a country gentleman. But their comfortable experience is cut short when Jack is made a pauper overnight. He flees to the continent, narrowly escaping debtor's prison, only to find himself a hunted fugitive from Napoleon's regime as, yet again, war looms.

Whether on land or at sea, can Jack Aubrey stay one step ahead of his enemies? With the Treaty of Amiens, England is at peace. At least for now… Accompanied by his friend, ship's surgeon and spy Stephen Maturin, Captain Jack Aubrey has returned home to England and the life of a country gentleman. But their comfortable experience is cut short when Jack is made a pauper overnight. He flees to the continent, narrowly escaping debtor's prison, only to find himself a hunted fugitive from Napoleon's regime as, yet again, war looms.

How far will a man go in the name of revenge, honour, love or simple survival?Far from familiar seas, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew must test themselves to the very limits of human endurance.Following a daring rescue, Jack Aubrey accepts a new command and a new commission to a far-flung destination. Ahead of him and his crew are the new sights and smells of the Indian subcontinent, and the terrifying hazards of an archipelago of islands in the East Indies, where their French enemies have near overwhelming superiority.

How far will a man go in the name of revenge, honour, love or simple survival?Far from familiar seas, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew must test themselves to the very limits of human endurance.Following a daring rescue, Jack Aubrey accepts a new command and a new commission to a far-flung destination. Ahead of him and his crew are the new sights and smells of the Indian subcontinent, and the terrifying hazards of an archipelago of islands in the East Indies, where their French enemies have near overwhelming superiority.

TREASON'S HARBOURValetta, in 1813, is ostensibly a safe harbour, yet the island is a nest of French spies, and even those in authority are not to be trusted.As Captain Jack Aubrey cools his heels in Malta, awaiting repairs to his ship, war rages on. Fearing that hostilities will end before he has any further opportunities for fame and fortune, Aubrey accepts several secret missions, but all is not as it seems.Will a double agent be the undoing of both Jack Aubrey and his friend, ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin?'This is O'Brian at his brilliant entertaining best. When he is on this form the rest of us who write of the Napoleonic conflict might as well give up and try a new career.'BERNARD CORNWELL'Captain Aubrey and his surgeon, Stephen Maturin, compose one of those complex and fascinating pairs of characters which have inspired thrilling stories of all kinds since The Iliad? IRIS MURDOCH & JOHN BAYLEY

TREASON'S HARBOURValetta, in 1813, is ostensibly a safe harbour, yet the island is a nest of French spies, and even those in authority are not to be trusted.As Captain Jack Aubrey cools his heels in Malta, awaiting repairs to his ship, war rages on. Fearing that hostilities will end before he has any further opportunities for fame and fortune, Aubrey accepts several secret missions, but all is not as it seems.Will a double agent be the undoing of both Jack Aubrey and his friend, ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin?'This is O'Brian at his brilliant entertaining best. When he is on this form the rest of us who write of the Napoleonic conflict might as well give up and try a new career.'BERNARD CORNWELL'Captain Aubrey and his surgeon, Stephen Maturin, compose one of those complex and fascinating pairs of characters which have inspired thrilling stories of all kinds since The Iliad? IRIS MURDOCH & JOHN BAYLEY

On Desolation Island, with the known world out of reach, uneasy alliances are sometimes forged...Captain Bligh, of Bounty fame, is now governor of New South Wales and facing mutiny anew, having lost the support of local settlers. Jack Aubrey is commissioned to come to his rescue. With a beautiful but dangerous spy on board, along with an unwelcome hold full of convicts, and war with America brewing, can Captain Jack Aubrey reach Australia in one piece?Outmanned and outgunned in a thrilling chase through an Antarctic storm, the crew of HMS Leopard discover they have become the quarry not the hunter.'What is so gripping about O'Brian's novels is the completeness with which he invents a world which is our own and not our own . . . O'Brian is a brilliant observer.'A. S. BYATT, Evening Standard'I fell in love with his writing straightaway. It wasn't primarily the Nelson and Napoleonic period, more the human relationships . . . It's about friendship, camaraderie. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin always remind me a bit of Mick and me.'KEITH RICHARDS

On Desolation Island, with the known world out of reach, uneasy alliances are sometimes forged...Captain Bligh, of Bounty fame, is now governor of New South Wales and facing mutiny anew, having lost the support of local settlers. Jack Aubrey is commissioned to come to his rescue. With a beautiful but dangerous spy on board, along with an unwelcome hold full of convicts, and war with America brewing, can Captain Jack Aubrey reach Australia in one piece?Outmanned and outgunned in a thrilling chase through an Antarctic storm, the crew of HMS Leopard discover they have become the quarry not the hunter.'What is so gripping about O'Brian's novels is the completeness with which he invents a world which is our own and not our own . . . O'Brian is a brilliant observer.'A. S. BYATT, Evening Standard'I fell in love with his writing straightaway. It wasn't primarily the Nelson and Napoleonic period, more the human relationships . . . It's about friendship, camaraderie. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin always remind me a bit of Mick and me.'KEITH RICHARDS

Loving someone, in a time of war and divided loyalties, can be the greatest risk of all.Ordered home by despatch vessel, Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin have been tasked with bringing the news of the latest victory in the war with America back to the government in Britain. But Maturin is a marked man for the havoc he has wrought upon the French intelligence network in the New World, and the attentions of two privateers who pursue their ship soon become menacing.

Can Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew defy the odds, and outmanoeuvre the French, to take two small but vital islands in the Indian Ocean?Life ashore on half pay, despite the joys of family life, is unlikely to satisfy a man of action such as Jack Aubrey. The sea calls to him. And so, when his friend, ship's surgeon and secret agent Stephen Maturin, arrives with secret orders, Aubrey soon finds himself in command of a frigate and setting sail for the Cape of Good Hope.But, in Nelson's navy, there are as many enemies within as without.

Loving someone, in a time of war and divided loyalties, can be the greatest risk of all.Ordered home by despatch vessel, Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin have been tasked with bringing the news of the latest victory in the war with America back to the government in Britain. But Maturin is a marked man for the havoc he has wrought upon the French intelligence network in the New World, and the attentions of two privateers who pursue their ship soon become menacing.

Jack Aubrey, veteran of numerous battles, has been promoted to senior captain commanding a ship that has been sent out to reinforce the squadron blockading Toulon. Compared to the early days of the Napoleonic conflict, the action is slow, cold and dull. But a sudden turn of events takes Aubrey, and ship's surgeon and spy Stephen Maturin, off on a hazardous mission to the Greek Islands, where the skill, daring and, indeed, luck of both men will be tested to the utmost.

Can Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew defy the odds, and outmanoeuvre the French, to take two small but vital islands in the Indian Ocean?Life ashore on half pay, despite the joys of family life, is unlikely to satisfy a man of action such as Jack Aubrey. The sea calls to him. And so, when his friend, ship's surgeon and secret agent Stephen Maturin, arrives with secret orders, Aubrey soon finds himself in command of a frigate and setting sail for the Cape of Good Hope.But, in Nelson's navy, there are as many enemies within as without.

Jack Aubrey, veteran of numerous battles, has been promoted to senior captain commanding a ship that has been sent out to reinforce the squadron blockading Toulon. Compared to the early days of the Napoleonic conflict, the action is slow, cold and dull. But a sudden turn of events takes Aubrey, and ship's surgeon and spy Stephen Maturin, off on a hazardous mission to the Greek Islands, where the skill, daring and, indeed, luck of both men will be tested to the utmost.

In this, the first of Patrick O'Brian's much lauded Aubrey-Maturin novels, discover a vibrant world conjured by a master storyteller, rich with detail and character.1800. Napoleon Bonaparte is the biggest threat to peace yet seen.Newly promoted to command of his first ship, Captain Jack Aubrey, along with his crew, and new friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, must patrol a Mediterranean fraught with peril but rich with rewards. A glimpse of white sails on the horizon could mean a prize to be taken - or a fight for survival.'In Aubrey and Maturin, Patrick O'Brian has created two of the most enjoyable characters in twentieth-century fiction. One of the greatest authors to sail with.'MICHAEL PALIN'There are two types of people in the world: Patrick O'Brian fans, and people who haven't read him yet.'LUCY EYRE, Guardian