Treason's Harbour continues the Mediterranean cruise that Aubrey and Maturin began in the previous volume. It also extends the bittersweet tone of that book, as Jack and Stephen age, mature, and reflect on their lives and their futures. Jack's luck is still not back to its early heights, though there are hints that it is set to change again. Until then, Jack contemplates the shape of his life:For some time now he had been dissatisfied with himself. . . . It seemed to him that his reputation in the service (and with himself as one who watched Jack Aubrey's doings from a certain distance and with an almost perfect knowledge of his motives) was based on two or three fortunate actions, sea-fights that he could look back upon with real pleasure, small though they were; but they belonged to the past; they had all happened long ago; and now there were several men who stood far higher in the esteem of those whose opinion he valued. . . . It was as though he were running a race: a race in which he had done fairly well for a while, after a slow start, but one in which he could not hold his lead and was being overtaken, perhaps from lack of bottom, perhaps from lack of judgment, perhaps from lack of that particularly nameless quality that brought some men success when it just eluded others, though they might take equal pains. He could not put his fingers on the fault with any certainty, and there were days when he could say with real conviction that the whole thing was mere fatality, the other side of the good luck that had attended him in his twenties and early thirties, the restoration of the average. But there were other days when he felt that his profound uneasiness was an undeniable proof of the fault's existence, and that although he himself might not be able to name it, it was clear enough to others, particularly those in power: at all events, they had given many of the good appointments to other men, not to him. (153-154)I find this to be a poignant summary of the thoughts that go through a man's head as he approaches middle age--and I can't help but wonder if these are the thoughts that attacked O'Brian as he began each new volume of the series, wondering if he still had one more story in him.The plot of Treason's Harbour shows us more of the intelligence network operations that Stephen has been a part of, and we see it from multiple perspectives. It was interesting, and also frustrating, to know more than Stephen is seeing. I was also interested to see echoes of a former romantic rivalry between Jack and Stephen, which in this case has none of the substance of the former conflict and serves to highlight the age and development of the two characters.The book ends, as many of these do, still in the midst of the Mediterranean voyage, with some hope of further adventures for the Surprise and its crew. My reviews of the Aubrey/Maturin series: Master and Commander Post Captain H.M.S. Surprise The Mauritius Command Desolation Island The Fortune of War The Surgeon's Mate The Ionian Mission Treason's Harbour The Far Side of the World The Reverse of the Medal The Letter of Marque The Thirteen-Gun Salute The Nutmeg of Consolation Clarissa Oakes The Wine-Dark Sea The Commodore The Yellow Admiral The Hundred Days Blue at the Mizzen 21
A lot of action takes place on land and at sea in this volume of the series. Jack Aubrey and his shipmate, ship's surgeon and Royal Navy spy Stephen Maturin are still in the Mediterranean, so Jack's family and Stephen's bride Diana Villiers are not present in this book. Prominently represented, however, are Jack's colleague and confidant, Captain Heneage Dundas, and Jack's former Lieutenant, now a Naval Commander, Thomas Pullings. Jack and Stephen went through some hot action in his favorite ship the frigate "Surprise" in the last book, "The Ionian Mission", and they are stuck in Malta at the beginning of this book, as the "Surprise" goes through repairs to put it back into action. Jack had been introduced to the "H.M.S. Surprise" in an earlier book of the same name and he and the ship had proven to be a perfect combination of a highly skilled, action-minded ship commander and fast, responsive fighting ship. Patrick O'Brian, as usual, packs more plot lines and naval encounters in this book than you could ever describe succinctly in a few paragraphs. There is also intrigue as well, cropping up in typical O'Brian fashion in unexpected places. In this case, it happens in the person of Mrs. Fielding, the wife of another naval officer, who befriends Jack and Stephen on Malta. Jack's friendship with her is cemented when Jack rescues her mastiff Ponto. Her husband is a prisoner-of-war to the French, and her current single status as well as Jack's rakish past conspire to get tongues wagging about a romantic affair between them. This is untrue, but the plot is thickened by the fact that Mrs. Fielding is providing intelligence to the French, who have blackmailed her to cooperate with them in order to keep her husband from being harmed while in their custody. It will take Stephen, with his considerable undercover skills, to sort out this subversive threat to England and embarassment to his friend.Jack and Stephens' first adventure in this book is overland, in an arduous camel caravan across the Sinai Peninsula. After surviving a desert ordeal, they learn that "Surprise" is to be taken back to England to be scrapped. Jack gets what appears to be one more chance to command a crew on his favorite ship before its demise. He is to escort a convoy of British ships in the Ionian Sea. During that voyage, he meets the captain of the "Nymphe", which has just rescued Lt. Charles Fielding, and has him on board. Lt. Fielding has heard the rumors of his wife and Jack, and requests Jack to join him in a duel when they are back on land. This is, how else to say, a somewhat awkward moment for Jack.The "Surprise" begins her return journey to England, in company with the "Pollux", and is attacked by a French squadron. Once more, Jack must use his superlative sailing skills to keep his ship from being blasted to smithereens. The action, and suspense continue right up to the end of the book.
What do You think about Treason's Harbour (1992)?
There are a lot of references to events in earlier novels in this installment, but I suspect that readers of Book 9 will be well aware of the series as a whole by the time they get to this book. It's not strictly necessary to read the whole series before getting to this one, but I do think the reading experience would be better for having done so.I'm pretty well sold on this series, and O'Brian as a story-teller, so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on this one other than to note that this installment of the "Aubrey & Maturin" series is more Maturin than Aubrey. The naval exploits that feature in the series take a backseat to the on-shore intrigue of the good doctor's work as an intelligence officer. There are two major naval components to this one: a "man against nature" struggle and one dramatic sea battle that (view spoiler)[occurs almost at the end (hide spoiler)]
—Gary Foss
EDITORIAL REVIEW: Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of their beginning, with Master and Commander, these evocative stories are being re-issued in paperback with smart new livery. This is the ninth book in the series. Uniquely among authors of naval fiction, Patrick O'Brian allows his characters to develop with experience. The Jack Aubrey of Treason's Harbour has a record of successes equal to that of the most brilliant of Nelson's band of brothers, and he is no less formidable or decisive in action or strategy. But he is wiser, kinder, gentler too. Much of the plot of Treason's Harbour depends on intelligence and counter-intelligence, a field in which Aubrey's friend Stephen Maturin excels. Through him we get a clearer insight into the life and habits of the sea officers of Nelson's time than we would ever obtain seeing things through their own eyes. There is plenty of action and excitement in this novel, but it is the atmosphere of a Malta crowded with senior officers waiting for news of what the French are up to, and wondering whether the war will end before their turn comes for prize money and for fame, that is here so freshly and vividly conveyed.
—Duncan Mandel
The continuing adventures of Dr.Maturin and his bff, Captain Aubrey of the Royal Navy. This is a particularly endearing look at them, because both are in fine form. Aubrey is able to showcase his incredible seamanship, strategy, and leadership, while Maturin's naturalist excusions are a humorous counterpoint to his intelligent manipulations. The humor of their strange shipmates and odd customs of the Navy, the obvious intimacy with Maturin's foibles, the affection shown by all of them toward each other--I really loved it.Three things spoiled my enjoyment: Patrick Tull is generally a good narrator, but his voice for the Italian Mrs.Fielding is atrocious, so bad and artificial that it sounds like a parody. Being party to the French Intelligence officers' meetings is fun for the reader, but made me impatient when Maturin didn't figure out the various French plots. (view spoiler)[Particularly annoying was his continued trust in Ray, because there were numerous clues that Ray was involved with the French, and Maturin had absolutely no reason to trust Ray. (hide spoiler)]
—Wealhtheow
