| Synopsis: |
A twenty-volume hardcover set of the complete Patrick O'Brian high-seas Aubrey/Maturin adventure classics, including the final book: Blue at the Mizzen. The Great Adventure begins in Master & Commander with the near-disaster of Jack Aubrey's first encounter with Stephen Maturin and the taking of the Cacafuego. Post Captain: Jack and Stephen vie for the affections of Diana Villiers. H.M.S. Surprise: In India, a prodigious blue diamond, a fatal duel, and a dramatic fleet action against the French. The Mauritius Command: An exploration of aberrant psychology and a most memorable storm at sea Desolation Island: The Waakzaamheid chases the Leopard south to the glories of Antarctica. The Fortune of War: Jack encounters the American navy, is taken prisoner, and witnesses the fateful clash of the Shannon and the Chesapeake. The Surgeon's Mate: A shipwreck on the coast of France, and Jack and Stephen are rescued from a French prison thanks to Diana's diamond The Ionian Mission: The Surprise is sent to intervene in the tangled politics of the Balkans.Treason's Harbour: A desert crossing, an unusual single-ship action in shoal waters, and Jack saved from treachery in Malta by Stephen's cunning.The Far Side of the World: Typhoons, castaways, shipwrecks, murder, and criminal insanity in the far reaches of the Pacific The Reverse of the Medal: Jack, lured into a disastrous investment by French agents, is court-martialed and disgraced. The Letter of Marque: Cast out of the Royal Navy, Jack sets sail in the Surprise as a privateer, and Stephen's taste for tincture of opium takes a more serious turn. The Thirteen Gun Salute: A killer typhoon overtakes Jack and his crew in the South China Sea, and Stephen engages in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with French agents. The Nutmeg of Consolation: Pirates, smallpox, and a visit to the grim penal colony in Australia, where Stephen's Irish temper provokes a duel and a diplomatic crisis. The Truelove: Jack and Stephen mastermind a war among the cannibals, and a mysterious female convict sows dangerous jealousies aboard the Surprise. The Wine-Dark Sea: A submarine volcanic eruption serves as backdrop to revolution in South America and a memorable excursion into the Andes. The Commodore: A strange homecoming for Jack and Stephen, followed by a vigorous action to foil the French invasion of Ireland.The Yellow Admiral: Jack is rescued from the doldrums of peace and from amorous difficulties by Napoleon's escape from Elba. The Hundred Days: The cunning of Stephen and the seamanship of Jack prevent Napoleon from conquering Europe at Waterloo. Blue at the Mizzen: Jack Aubrey stakes all on a desperate solo night raid against the might of the Spanish viceroy in Peru. |