This was perhaps one of the best novels in the series. For those that enjoyed the film, loosely based on this book and others from the Aubrey-Maturin set, the book is far greater than the movie. I greatly enjoyed this volume in the series.

For those who find misspellings, bad punctuation and poor grammar quite jarring, you'll want to prepare yourself for this read.

While every published book has its tendencies of style and its occasional errors, none of the previous books in this incantation of the series showed as little attention to consistency of style, proper usage and plain grammatical sense as this edition shows.

It's still a great tale and it's still worthy of its forerunners, but if your eyes are sensitive to mistakes, you'll be rubbing them soon and often.

The 10th book in the Aubrey-Maturin seagoing series. This was my least favorite so far in the series. O'Brian's books are always episodic, rather than plot-driven, but this story seemed even more of a collection of random incidents than usual. In this book, the Surprise is sent to protect the British whaling fleet in the Pacific. Along the way, there's adultery, a murder, a shipwreck, sharks, a lesbian band of runaway Polynesian women, and much, much more. Maybe O'Brian had writer's block and a deadline when he wrote this one, or maybe he was just "having us on."

I am working through Patrick O'Brian's famed Aubrey-Maturin series in order, and am both proud and sad to say that I've reached the midway point with Book 10, "The Far Side of the World." But it is without reservation that I say that this is my favorite novel in the series so far.



Part of that enjoyment stems directly from my enjoyment of first nine books in this series - this is not an example of one sterling novel in a series of sub-par efforts. Rather, I appreciate "Far Side" for the new directions where O'Brian is willing to take the characters he has established so well.



The first nine novels can be safely broken down into "Aubrey novels" or "Maturin novels". The "Aubrey novels" have plots that follow the personality of Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey - they are action packed, with taut sea-chases and horrific broadsides. "Master & Commander" and "The Mauritius Command" fall into that category. The "Maturin novels," on the other hand, focus their plots on Dr. Stephen Maturin and his spy-games. "The Surgeon's Mate" is one of these novels. While all the novels feature the classic O'Brian love of language, their plots tended to focus on one over the other.



"Far Side" takes a new tack, as in this novel Aubrey is charged with tracking down an American frigate, the "Norfolk," that is harrassing British whalers in the Pacific. So there is lots of sailing - they have to get to the Far Side of the World, after all. O'Brian reveals himself as a travel writer of surpassing skill as he describes the wild sights that enchant the naturalist Maturin, including the Galapagos Islands. For the nature-lovers in O'Brian's cast of characters, the thought of spying a new type of beetle is just as romantic a notion as encountering a pod of eighty-ton sperm whales.



In addition to some spectacular travel writing, O'Brian musters up fights, murder, mayhem, shipwrecks, and even the sub-plot of Aubrey and Maturin winding up lost at sea, only to be rescued by seafaring Polynesian/Amazonians. The novel twists and turns, but always seems both plausible and restrained. Look for a lot of humor and touch-and-go action in this novel, and the novel's conclusion is highly satisfying and yet leaves one panting for Book 11, "The Reverse of the Medal."



Be warned - despite its title, this is not the sole O'Brian novel that was used to make the fantastic Peter Weir movie, "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World." That movie borrowed several plots and ideas from many different novels in the entire series - you will surely recognize some of them in this book, but not all. For fans of the movie, this is a good thing - it will encourage you to read all the other novels as well. And you will be glad you did.

I am working through Patrick O'Brian's famed Aubrey-Maturin series in order, and am both proud and sad to say that I've reached the midway point with Book 10, "The Far Side of the World." But it is without reservation that I say that this is my favorite novel in the series so far.

Part of that enjoyment stems directly from my enjoyment of first nine books in this series - this is not an example of one sterling novel in a series of sub-par efforts. Rather, I appreciate "Far Side" for the new directions where O'Brian is willing to take the characters he has established so well.

The first nine novels can be safely broken down into "Aubrey novels" or "Maturin novels". The "Aubrey novels" have plots that follow the personality of Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey - they are action packed, with taut sea-chases and horrific broadsides. "Master & Commander" and "The Mauritius Command" fall into that category. The "Maturin novels," on the other hand, focus their plots on Dr. Stephen Maturin and his spy-games. "The Surgeon's Mate" is one of these novels. While all the novels feature the classic O'Brian love of language, their plots tended to focus on one over the other.

"Far Side" takes a new tack, as in this novel Aubrey is charged with tracking down an American frigate, the "Norfolk," that is harrassing British whalers in the Pacific. So there is lots of sailing - they have to get to the Far Side of the World, after all. O'Brian reveals himself as a travel writer of surpassing skill as he describes the wild sights that enchant the naturalist Maturin, including the Galapagos Islands. For the nature-lovers in O'Brian's cast of characters, the thought of spying a new type of beetle is just as romantic a notion as encountering a pod of eighty-ton sperm whales.

In addition to some spectacular travel writing, O'Brian musters up fights, murder, mayhem, shipwrecks, and even the sub-plot of Aubrey and Maturin winding up lost at sea, only to be rescued by seafaring Polynesian/Amazonians. The novel twists and turns, but always seems both plausible and restrained. Look for a lot of humor and touch-and-go action in this novel, and the novel's conclusion is highly satisfying and yet leaves one panting for Book 11, "The Reverse of the Medal."

Be warned - despite its title, this is not the sole O'Brian novel that was used to make the fantastic Peter Weir movie, "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World." That movie borrowed several plots and ideas from many different novels in the entire series - you will surely recognize some of them in this book, but not all. For fans of the movie, this is a good thing - it will encourage you to read all the other novels as well. And you will be glad you did.

Give these stories a chance! I credit the recent film "Master & Commander" with making the O'Brian series more accessible. One of the best films I have ever seen, it provided a visual context for me when I read the Aubrey/Maturin books. Though the film departs quite a bit for good reason from "The Far Side of the World", I thoroughly enjoyed the book and O'Brian's style of writing. Especially memorable for me was the unorthodox method O'Brian applied for conclusion of the book. Victory is in the air, and he dispenses with the need to drag the book out unnecessarily. Brilliant and revelatory to me!

Give these stories a chance! I credit the recent film "Master & Commander" with making the O'Brian series more accessible. One of the best films I have ever seen, it provided a visual context for me when I read the Aubrey/Maturin books. Though the film departs quite a bit for good reason from "The Far Side of the World", I thoroughly enjoyed the book and O'Brian's style of writing. Especially memorable for me was the unorthodox method O'Brian applied for conclusion of the book. Victory is in the air, and he dispenses with the need to drag the book out unnecessarily. Brilliant and revelatory to me!

My husband LOVES this series of books, and has been collecting them. The newer addition (post 1992) had covers like you can see in the online picture, and the neat thing about them is that when you put the bindings of the series together, it forms a picture. Unfortunately, we thought we were ordering the same edition (that's what it says in the information about the book), and we received this book in the old edition, which does not match. Needless to say, my husband was disappointed. But I would definitely recommend the series.

The Far Side of the World was my first foray into author Patrick O'Brian's epic series of Napoleon-era novels detailing the exploits and adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and I'm happy to say it won't be my last!

The story, set in 1812, is this: Captain Aubrey, also known as `Lucky Jack' for his good fortune on the seas, is assigned to hunt down and destroy, or take as a prize, the American frigate Norfolk, which has been attacking British whaling ships in the Pacific. After assembling his regular crew and selecting some newer members to fill vacancies left by promotions, the HMS Surprise sets out under Aubrey's command. Along the way, he and his faithful companion, Stephen Maturin, an intelligence officer and ship's doctor, face a series of challenges and incidents (a cheating wife, a murder, a vicious storm, an incident with men overboard and, believe it or not, an encounter with a tribe of deadly Amazonian women!) that threaten to end their voyage and their lives.

From the first sentence, it was clear that The Far Side of the World was not going to read like the `cinematic Big Macs' of today's popular fiction (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Immediately dropping us into the action, that opening sentence sets up a whirlwind of events that are already in progress in a prose style that is more reminiscent of actual novels of the 1800s than of today's popular fiction. Moreover, while some things are explained, it is generally taken for granted that we know the ins an outs of life on a ship, the terminology, the past relationships among the crew members and the general history of the time. As much as I felt that, because of all the references, I wasn't quite getting everything out of the book that I could have been, I simply chose to continue onward without worrying and in the end, I feel that that approach (for someone not familiar with the series nor with the sea) worked well and paid off. The events that transpire in and of themselves prove to be so interesting and fun that it didn't bother me at all - the book simply hooked me.

The story is not necessarily as exciting as it is fascinating. Readers who pick up The Far Side of the World expecting it to be like the movie will be disappointed. The film, while very faithful to the characters, some of the incidents, and most importantly the spirit of the book, has a feeling of full speed ahead that builds as the story progresses. The book, on the other hand, is more about one interesting incident simply following another, with not too much linking these events beyond that they happen on the same ship and on the same mission. Once Aubrey and his crew put to sea, some readers might even say that the story begins to cool off as it meanders from incident to incident and toward it's twist of a conclusion.

While in some respects I can agree that the book is paced, shall we say *patiently*, I found O'Brian's realistic, slice-of-naval-life approach far more fascinating and involving than anything that I was expecting after having seen the film version. I was fascinated by the details of the way things worked on the ship, the relationships between the crewmembers and how they reacted to the challenges that they faced. Most of all, though, I was fascinated by the feeling that everything was as it happened in 1812. It was obvious by the rich detail and painstaking research that must have gone into Far Side of the World that the author was absolutely in love with the sea, in love with the time period and in love with the Surprise and her crewmembers. I think that love of the sea translates into a lot of enjoyment for the reader and is what really carries the book so well when the story slows. Those willing to give the book a chance will find it to be in it's own way every bit as exciting and fun as the film.

If I had one issue with the book, however, it would be the transitions between scenes. Perhaps I'm too much a child of today's popular fiction, where things are simply spelled out, but I found the way O'Brian moved between scenes to be slightly confusing. While I'm sure he was aiming for smooth transitions that moved the story along quickly, the best word I can think of to describe O'Brian's transitions would actually be `stealthy' - as in, the reader isn't always quite aware of them until actual characters or events transpire to anchor us in a new scene. There were numerous times when I found myself flipping back several paragraphs or even a page or two because I was unaware that the scene had transitioned to another and was confused as to who was speaking to who and why! While these stealthy transitions sometimes worked well to move the story along and I eventually got used to them, I thought O'Brian might have made them a little clearer for the reader. Or, perhaps I'm just slow and dim-witted.

To those interested in O'Brian's Napoleon-era epic, I wouldn't exactly say don't start with this book... but I have a feeling that, assuming the other books are just as good as this one, it might be better to start with Master and Commander (the first in the series). All around, however, the Far Side of the World was a fascinatingly detailed read that I found to be great fun. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves tales of the sea or adventure in general. I suppose the best compliment I could give is to simply say that, after reading Far Side of the World, I greatly look forward to reading another adventure of Captain Aubrey and his crew!

Note for new readers, or those inspired to read by the movie: For those of you who are beginning this amazing series, or are expecting a close re-telling of the movie starring Russell Crowe, please read the next few sentences closely. This book is the 10th in a series that detail the life and adventures of two best friends and their companions in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars (rough timeline 1805-1812). The recent movie contains the titles of two these novels "Master and Commander", the first of the series, and this novel "The Far Side of the World"; this choice for the movie's title is more than symbolic, the director and script writers have actually taken events, conversations, battles and plot lines from the entire series, and has combined them in new and interesting ways. So, if you're fresh from the movie theater or just watched a new DVD and are excited to experience `the book' version, you should not expect a close retelling. I think of the movie as a new adventure with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, and you can think of this book in the same light. And I believe the concept does the story and the characters justice: in Patrick O'Brian's own brief forward he even speculates on this same possibility -although in a purely literary sense- "and it is possible that in the near future the author (if the readers will bear with him) may be led to make use of hypothetical years, rather like those hypothetical moons used in the calculation of Easter: an 1812a as it were or even an 1812b" (page12). Additionally, I will highly recommend that you start your foray into the nautical world of Napoleon's time with the initial novel of the Aubrey/Maturin Series.

"The Far Side of the World" picks up directly where "Treason's Harbour" left off. Jack Aubrey is in the Mediterranean and coming to terms with the disastrous results of his previous mission involving a violent Barbary city-state secretly allied with France: one ship-of-the-line destroyed, the Surprise barely managing to escape- though through elegant and cunning seamanship, Aubrey led an enemy frigate onto a shoal and destroying her. However, despite what may on the surface seem disastrous is in fact not altogether a failure when the balance of naval power in the region is considered, and Aubrey is given a mission that will take him across the globe in pursuit of an enemy American frigate on course to wreck havoc on British Whalers in the Pacific. Here is the first considerable departure from the movie- the enemy is American due to the War of 1812, rather than the more comfortable villain of France (the movie-makers bow to the audience in the USA and us Patriots around the world).

As the story unfolds, Jack and Stephen must contend with a very attractive impotent Gunner's wife and the chaos she unwittingly ferments in the crew; the adultery it leads to and its final horrifying culmination. Jack and Stephen's most trying adventure occurs lost at sea without a ship, and their deadly rescue by a tribe of cannibal man-hating Pacific Islanders- and throughout the journey they must contend with unnatural bad weather. When the American frigate Norfolk is finally in their sights, the culmination of the story will completely surprise viewers of the movie, and satisfy readers intent on setting sail into another adventure. . .

This story is more focused on life at sea, the particular challenges of the capricious ocean, and the psychology that develops between a small group of people held together in amazingly small confines. It does not satisfy my craving for the gunpowder and saber action found in previous and later novels, but it is a critical juncture in the series, beginning Jack and Stephen's next long journey through the far side of the world.

If you are interested in reading this book because of the movie don't start with this one. The movie does a pretty good job of capturing a one dimensional snapshot of Steven and Jack but they are far richer people than the movie can portray. Each book has been written in such a way that it can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel but to get the very best out of it you need to start with the first one. I just finished the last book last night and am deeply sorry, in a way, that it was never finished before Patrick passed away. On the other hand it seems almost right that there is no final period to this wonderful saga.
Patrick O'Brian has done a wonderful job of creating a cast of interesting and conceivably real people that have enough depth to keep you interested. They all have their warts as well as their steller performances. The story lines have enough layers and depth to them to keep you interested without overloading you. I can't imagine what it was like to have to wait for the next novel to come out when these were first written.
If you are looking for cannons and thunder on every page you might be a little disapointed at first but the realness of it all will soon draw you in to a period of history that is both beautiful and brutal at the same time. I am actually looking forward to starting this series all over again in the not to distant future and spending a little more time and research on the wealth of information that these books contain. It is a true masterpeice that has and will stand the test of time.

The book is allright but not one of the highlights of the saga, nevertheless the sense of continuity of adventure and sudden turns of the plot are there...
Obviously NOT the place to start reading the AUBREY/MATURIN series.

As an already hooked fan I can NOW recommend you to see the film MASTER AND COMMANDER/THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, I saw it with a bit of concern (unfounded as it was... after reading four or five novels... yes I am a late commer to it), and I can justly say THEY did a perfect resume of the series and for once CHANGING THE PLOT (a great movie script in it's approach...)WAS FOR THE BETTER!... it enabled me to read on without revealing the REAL or ORIGINAL O'Brian novels... OF COURSE I OWN THE DVD!, but also the CD's "MUSICAL EVENINGS WITH THE CAPTAIN" (2 so far).

The tenth book in a suite of nineteen it is the ecuator line of the tale and I am not tired of it.

The only sound advice I can give you is START AT THE BEGINNING.

Happy sailing.

ADB

The reviews I've read all follow a consistent theme - those familiar with the Aubrey/Maturin series are generally pleased with this outing, and those who made this their first adventure with Jack and Stephen in print disliked it.

Well, I can see why.

This is indeed one of the series' odder books, as it is a series of misadventures and personal setbacks for all concerned. Within this book, various crewmen onboard the HMS Surprise suffer lightning strikes, groundings, secret affairs, incredible seas south of Cape Horn, botched abortions, murders, mysterious hauntings, suicide, falling overboard, drifting in the ocean, near human sacrifice, head injury, coma, and being cast away on two separate desert isles. All this, and the usual disappointment to the naturalists onboard as they sail past the Galapagos with "not a moment to lose".

If you know and love these characters, as any reader of Master and Commander and particularly Post Captain will do, then all of this is endurable and in fact, enlightening as it exposes us to a different view of these characters than is usual.

If you come upon them cold, then you get no glimpse of the very qualities that make one desire to sail with these men, and to read 20 separate volumes on their lives, loves and adventures. Jack has little opportunity for combat or distinction. Stephen has small chance to exercise his fiery intelligence and secret espionage skills. But if you know these men and their compatriots, then this outing is rewarding, and often amusing.

So, to sum it up, DON'T START WITH THIS BOOK. It would be like walking into "Gone with the Wind" 1/2 way through - interesting but confusing. Start with Master and Commander or Post Captain, and you'll find yourself hooked, and then when you do read this book, you'll find it rewarding.

This abridged audio version of The Far Side Of The World, from the rousing Aubrey-Maturin series of books, by the late Patrick O'Brian, features a ripping adventure of ships and sea. Mr. Tim Piggott-Smith (best known for portraying that right b-----d Ronald Merrick, in the Jewel In The Crown, and well played was that role too, by Mr. Piggott-Smith, gives a wonderful reading, employing his many talents as an actor, with the various voices (including an American? one) to bring the adventure to life. The story surrounds the adventures of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin on the Surprise, one of her majesty's ships. Beyond that, you'll have to listen, sorry. I also recommend The Commodore and Master and Commander (not necessarily the "Crowe" version). I might caution the listener/reader to pick up a copy of "A Sea Of Words" in the latest addition, as the nautical terms might throw one for a "loop", as they are almost a language in themselves. It doesn't diminish this fine seafaring adventure. For all of us "landlubbers" who fancy themselves (in our minds) seamen.

Beware all readers who are looking for the literary counterpart to the Russel Crowe movie 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.' While the books share the same title, the same premise (Napoleonic-era British ship HMS 'Surprise' goes after an enemy that is attacking British whalers in the South Pacific) and many, but not all, of the same characters, they are in no way the same story.

Rather than re-hash plot details and characters that are already covered thoroughly by other reviews, I will proceed to other matters.

Patrick O'Brian's attention to historical detail is almost unparalleled in historical fiction. He even extends this to his writing style. He writes in a style similar to the style that was used in the 1800s. To me, reading this book was akin to reading a Dickens novel or Stowe's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' The words and phrases were often archiac and I found that I had to re-read passages from time to time. While some may appreciate this unique trait of the series, I found it distracting and, at times, a discrouragement.

So, in summary, great historical detail but the writing style gets in the way. Final Grade: C+.

I guess I'll review it here. This one is pretty lurid -- ticked-off lesbian sepratist polynesian cannibals, criminal insanity, multiple murder, abortion. Whew! And yet . . . not much of substance seems to happen.

The loose ends of Treason's Harbour are tied up. The Surprise gets a reprive, yet Jack gets stuck with sullen, if not mutinous, sailors and lunatics to fill out his crew. He's to go to the Pacific to protect British Whalers from American predations. We've been with Jack to this part of the world previously in Desolation Isalnd which was probably a more substantial book. Yes, this one is fairly light, but 'tis still entertaining.

Patrick Tull is in fine form. His readings have brought the characters alive for me. His use of accent to show class differences is something this dumb ol' Hoosier would never have gotten on his own. And Tull's acting abilites bring O'Brians characters to life before our ears. I've yet to actually read one of O'Brian's novels, and I do not think I will till I've listened to 'em all first.

Jack Aubrey, captain of HMS Surprise, sets off to intercept an American vessel that's been assigned to harass British shipping and whaling in the Pacific. From the viewpoint of an Englishman in Nelson's time, he's literally been sent to the far side of the world.

There are 20 novels about Captain Aubrey and his close friend, ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin. Despite my long-standing affection for this genre (C.S. Forester and Alexander Kent are old friends), I've frankly avoided the Aubrey-Maturin series because I didn't want to find myself chasing down all of its volumes. I picked this book up remaindered, after seeing the recent film. My reaction to O'Brian's original tale won't be colored here (I hope) by my enjoyment of the movie, because the two stories simply are not one and the same. This novel wouldn't have made an audience-pleasing screenplay without drastic changes, and I can only applaud the film's writers for the transformation they worked. But, with that said...

THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD is a sea story for those who already hold its genre dear. More time than I as a newcomer to the series needed was spent "catching up" on the characters' past lives, but I could see why O'Brian thought it necessary to offer the information. The book's pace is leisurely, and the author seems far more interested in characterization and historical detail than in rousing action sequences. This works beautifully as far as it goes - I read immersed in the time and place, and I came to know Jack Aubrey quite well in the relatively brief space of this one book. Yet when I came to the ending, and witnessed what could have been a visceral conflict from a bystander's viewpoint - and had to put up with being told what had just happened, instead of being allowed to see and feel it with one of the participants - I closed the book feeling let down. No, I'm not hooked on this series as a result of having read THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD. But neither am I so disappointed that I won't be willing to sample it again, if a similar opportunity presents itself.

Something that really annoys me these days is the plethora of false history that the general public accepts as fact and is portrayed in books and movies. The Master and Commander series by Patrick O'Brian does a good job of not doing that though. I recently read one of the novels of the group, The Far Side Of The World, and was very pleased at how accurately described Naval warfare and life at sea in general are in the 18th and 19th centuries, specifically right before and during the Napoleonic wars.
While I won't go into many details about the plot because it would spoil it for you, this book is about Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey and his friend and surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also an important person in dealings with British intelligence, as they embark on a mission for the British Royal Navy to intercept at Cape Horn an American frigate before it can harass the British whalers in the Pacific. If you have seen the movie "Master and Commander", this may seem odd. I have the movie on DVD and I tell you now basically the only things in common are the two main characters, Aubrey and Maturin. However, other than a very different plot, the movie did a good job with historical accuracy.
Overall, this book is a very interesting read and a book that I would advise for anyone who enjoys history, chiefly the era of Bonaparte and anything dealing with navies. The plot isn't great, though it is still good, but it is a better read for history than plot. If you just want to read the book because you saw the movie, do yourself a favor and just buy the DVD. Also, I would advise reading the previous 9 books of the series (there are 20 total) beforehand. I did not and there were parts where I just didn't know what was going on. I was lucky enough to have a roommate who has read them all and he filled me in on some things.

There are twenty of the Aubrey/Maturin naval adventures all about ships and the high tides and storms on the ocean. This one was made into a movie starring that guy who deserted Meg Ryan. I was told by a 'prejudiced' person that it was the worst movie made, so I skipped it. I was upset at him for not sticking with poor Meg who almost lost her career because of their on-again-off-again affair. He acted marvelously as John in 'The Beautiful Mind' and I did buy the DVD of 'The Gladiator.' Next time, I will not listen to other's opinions of movies as I like to do that in this fashion.

Patrick O'Brian advises that "the reader will meet no basilisks that destroy with their eyes, no Hottentots without religion, policy or articulate language." He declares that Geoffrey Chaucer borrowed from both the living and the dead with his tales of Canterbury and other writings. Shakespeare, in his opinion, invented 'nothing' but my! he has a way with words to make it seem like it was his original idea in everything he wrote. There were concerns for some time that Shakespeare didn't even write his own work.

Jack Aubrey and his confidante, the ship's surgeon Stephem Maturin, had many adventures filled with murder, shipwrecks, and rescues in the Pacific Ocean. This episode in the fictitious life of Aubrey, a captain in Nelson's British Navy. He must intercept a frigate intent on wrecking havoc among the whaling ships for Her Majesty's Royal Navy.

Darwin proclaims: "Down the white hills dissolving torrents pour,
Green springs the turf, and purple blows the flower,
His torpid wing the Rail exulting tries,
Mounts the soft gale, and wantons in the sky..."

In his 'Origin of Society,' he wrote:
"Behold!" he cries "Earth! Ocean! Air above,
And hail the Deities of Sexual Love!
All forms of live shall this fond pair delight,
And sex to sex the willing world unite."

O'Brian has a book out of his short story collection, several other novels in addition to this series, and biographies of Picasso and Joseph Banks.

This is a review I have dreaded to write ever since I finished the first chapter of "The Far Side of the World". I know that I am going to take a beating over this review, but with the exception of just a few scenes, I did not enjoy this book very much. I had been tempted to take on Patrick O'Brian`s Jack Aubrey novels for quite some time because I had heard that O'Brian had masterfully recreated the sailing period of the 18th and 19th centuries. I began with "The Far Side of the World" because of the recent movie, not that I had seen the movie but because a friend had seen it and gave me the book as a gift. I had no preconceptions, therefore, only misgivings about beginning with one of the middle books in the series.

Despite these misgivings, I found that "The Far Side of the World" could be read as a stand alone novel. There are plenty of references to earlier adventures, but O'Brian encapsulates his plot such that these earlier adventures do not drive the current plot. The issues I have with the book are the antique language O'Brian uses (though I acknowledge that the use of antique language sets the period and imbues the book with authenticity; nevertheless I would finish page after page and have no idea what I had just read) and O'Brian's choppy transitions from scene to scene. This transition device moves the story along, but has the reader leaping from one important scene set below decks toward another scene set above decks several weeks later toward yet another scene set upon an island several weeks further on. I could hold on to no real sense of the passage of time, and sometimes these "scene leaps" would land in the middle of dialog-who is speaking, and to whom? While the main characters are fully developed-Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin-secondary characters are introduced and discarded in unsatisfying ways. This may have been the reality of the nautical life of the time, but for me it was tedious storytelling. I found the ending to be entirely anticlimactic.

I know that many readers are very fond of this series, and if I had been able to find a way to immerse myself into O'Brian's style I'm sure that I would have felt the same way. Perhaps it was a mistake not to begin the series with "Master and Commander". In truth, I am tempted to read "Master and Commander" if only to see if I can reverse my feelings about "The Far Side of the World".

If you are looking for a written version of the movie you have come to the wrong place! This book is a slow moving look at life in the Royal Navy back in its hayday. While it does cover that topic in a somewhat interesting manner, it does not resemble the fast moving movie in anyway. There is not one naval battle of any consequence in the book. It is really unfair to judge the book based on the movie, but I want to make sure that no one else buys this book expecting an action packed story filled with exciting naval battles.

The recent film Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World sparked my interest in Patrick O'Brian's lengthy series of nautical adventures featuring Capt. Jack Aubrey and his close friend and ship's doctor, Stephen Maturin. While the source novel, The Far Side of the World, comes at a midpoint in O'Brian's chronology, it provides a familiar port for a movie fan to embark on the journey. (Had I read the book before seeing the movie, this might be an entirely different review; now, a comparison between the two is inevitable.)

O'Brian's novel is an intelligent, fascinating look at British naval life during the Napoleanic wars. The author quickly draws readers into the world of seamanship and His Majesty's Navy, filling the pages with rich images and jargon that bring a bygone era back to life with less flash but more substance. Book and movie are both enjoyable and absorbing; still, readers will find very little resemblance here, as the movie draws very few scenes and plot twists from O'Brian's text.

Characters, on the other hand, are better developed in these pages, and there are more of them to boot. Relationships aboard ship are more fully explored and there are even a few women -- a handful of officer's wives -- among the passengers. Subplots dealing with international intrigue, shipboard romance and murder (that were dropped entirely from the movie script) kept my interest level high. There is plenty of humor, too, providing the occasional elbow jab in the ribs and hearty chuckle.

The novel can be slow-moving at times; it seems an endless wait before HMS Surprise and her crew even leave port! But there's interest in the details even while bound to land -- Maturin's eccentric fascination for birds, for instance, and the gauntlet of formal meetings and informal callers Aubrey must deal with as he tries to hasten his ship's departure. The voyage itself, to action hounds, will seem interminable. The U.S. frigate Aubrey has been ordered to find and take or destroy doesn't even appear until more than 200 pages have passed -- and even then, it passes quickly by. The cat-and-mouse game that dominated the movie is, here, more mouse than cat.

Don't read the book looking for great sea battles, cannons blazing and cutlasses at the ready, either. There is no great sea battle at the climax, but O'Brian's denouement is satisfyingly unexpected.

I kept turning pages with unflagging eagerness as the story unfolded. The Far Side of the World is not high adventure, but it is historical fiction of the highest order.

Given the existence of the movie MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, something has to be said initially about that. I would very strongly recommend anyone who has seen the movie and wants to read the novel to resist the temptation to do so. Mainly this is because it is the tenth novel in a series, and the author assumes that you have read the previous nine. If you pick this up and attempt to read it without having read the others, you will be utterly at sea (pun intended). I also do not recommend this novel to viewers of the movie (who don't intend to read the other novels first) because the novel and the movie bear very little resemblence to one another. There is, in fact, almost nothing in common between the two except for the two main characters, the fact that the H.M.S. Surprise is chasing another ship (an American ship rather than French as in the movie, presumably so as not to alienate American movie goers), they encounter the Gallapagos Islands, and they end up in the Pacific. In other words, there is only the most superficial resemblence between the novel and the movie.

For readers of the series, this is one of the stronger additions to the sequence. Instead of taking the Surprise back to England where she is to be sold or perhaps broken up, Jack is summoned to go out in search of the U.S.S. Norfolk, an American ship sent out to harrass British whaling ships in the Pacific. Although things go well at first, it turns out to be an almost doomed voyage, with one catastrophe after another taking place. None of the misfortunes dooms the mission, but neither do they allow anything to go smoothly. The only thing that saves the mission is that the Norfolk ends up having even less luck than the Surprise.

The key to Patrick O'Brians series is not to focus too very much on any one novel. There is truly a sense in which all the novels together form a single saga. Unlike other series, no single book stands very well alone. In fact, each novel functioned more like a chapter in a very long book than an independent novel. For the reader who plows through all of the novels, this can be immensely satisfying, like reading the longest novel ever written. I'm a little surprised that the publishers didn't contest O'Brian's strategy (or perhaps they did but he successfully resisted). Most publishers prefer series that can be entered at any point in the sequence, but with the Aubrey-Maturin books you need to start at the beginning or not at all.

While I do not recommend neophytes beginning with this series, I do heartily commend the whole group of books. This is not merely the finest set of historical novels ever written, as has often been noted by literary critics and reviewers: it is arguably the finest long series of novels of any genre of the past hundred years. It has the potential to appeal to a remarkable range of people, whether fans of great literature, those engaged in sailing, those who enjoy first rate historical fiction, or those who like sea faring adventure. It is a sequence that can truly be many things to many people, and yet manage to satisfy all.

I had been unaware of O'Brian's series until the movie came out; this is the first "Master and Commander" book I've read. There are a few warnings I would give to those who, like me, saw the movie and want to read the books.

First, aside from the time period and the geography, there's very little that is the same between the movie and the book. The movie, believe it or not, has more in the way of violent action, but leaves out huge chunks of the story (and completely changes the ending, of course...which is good for keeping some suspense).

Second, the prose is tough to adjust to. O'Brian worked hard to give his characters authentic 19th Century personas, and the whole book is written in somewhat archaic language.

That said, it's an engaging (and well-researched) read with great attention to detail. I do recommend it.

The Far Side of The World, by Patrick O'Brian, is a wonderfully written, rich, and telling account of the British Nayy during the early 19th century.

This is book 10 of the Aubrey/Maturin series of novels following the exploits of Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his good friend Dr. Stephen Maturin.

This book tells the story of Jack Aubrey, and his ship the HMS Surprise in their pursuit of American Frigate The Norfolk which is attacking British whaling ships.

Wonderfully written and rich with detail, this book tells of life on a tall ship in the early 19th century. Daily routines of hard work, bad food, and brutal discipline are told in a rich and colorful language. Also wonderfully accounted are the feeling of true independence and discovery that came about from traveling on the high seas to areas where no one has ever been before.

The story is highly entertaining, and kept me turning the pages, though more than any other book, this novel has a steep lurning curve. Most of that is the fact that this IS the tenth book. Though this book is good, I would suggest you start with "Master and Commander" (Book 1), as a lot of things in this book rely on knowing backstory from the previous books.

There are many terms, both nautical and specific to the 19th century, which are routinely used in the books. Words like Foresail, Mainsail, Mizzensail, Flying Jib, Foremast Stay, and Bowsprit will be new to those who are not adroit in nautical language or in 19th century life. You can easily learn through looking the words up, it is easier to start with "Master and Commander", as they explain a lot of the terms very plainly in that book.

Overall the book is wonderfully written, and entertaining read, though it is nothing at all like the movie. Those of you who are hoping to "read the movie" will be dissapointed, but those who love colorful period accounts and stories will love this book.

This is my first O'Brian book, and after reading it, I can surely state that it will be my last! I don't get all the furor about what a great series this is, because I found that, even though I finished the book, I didn't enjoy it very much. The plot (what there was of it) moved at a snail's pace, and kept getting interrupted by naturalist lectures and other really boring asides between the characters. There was more than enough going on with nautical terms that had me scratching my head in puzzlement, and that certainly took away from the reading enjoyment. Nothing much happened in the book, and it went through several hundred pages for this nothing to finally come to an anticlimactic end. Mr. O'Brian certainly has his rabid fans, but I for one will not join them!