DollsArtCats

(Here Captain Jack Aubrey discovers the coffee is..odd.) A little "edited down" excerpt from Patrick O'Brian's The Mauritius Command , where Stephen, the ship's surgeon, discovers the coffee situation from Preserved Killick, the Steward. "Killick," said Stephen, "what's amiss? Have you seen a ghost in the bread-room?" "Is there a ghost in the bread-room, sir? Oh, oh, and I was there in the middle watch. Oh sir, I might a seen it." "There is always a ghost in the bread-room. Light along that pot, will you now?" "I dursn't sir, begging your pardon. There's worse news than the ghost, even. Them wicked old rats got at the coffee, sir, and I doubt there's another pot in the barky." "Preserved Killick, pass me the pot, or you will join the ghost in the bread-room and howl forevermore." ... Jack (Captain Jack Aubrey) walked in, poured himself a cup as he bade Stephen good morning, and said...

Original Jane Austin Portrait Here I have been working my way through the Patrick O' Brian novels (there are something like 20) and as I was reading the first 3 I thought "These are really amusing" and "The writing is almost like Austen's" and then I thought,"well, that is a little over the top". But in fact, I am not the first reviewer to think this. There isn't a lot of plot, the books are mostly character studies with the occasional bout of naval violence, but it's highly enjoyable. (And much more fun than the movie Master and Commander ) While I thought Russel Crowe was fine as Captain Jack Aubrey, it needed someone sunnier; like a British John Goodman--and maybe David Tennant as Dr. Maturin, with his combination of daffiness and determination. Here's O'Brian's note about Mrs. Harte, who Aubrey is having a career-limiting affair with in Book One. "...she poured out a bumper and drank it off with a very practi...