My least favorite Aubrey/Maturin books are the ones that spend more plot on Maturin's role as an intelligence agent than on nautical derring-do. Maturin as an intelligence agent is by far the least convincing aspect of these novels, so it's never good when a book dwells on it.
In The Thirteen-Gun Salute, our heroes escort a British envoy to Malay, where he hopes to woo the Sultan away from a treaty with France. Stephen Maturin works behind the scenes to undermine the French position.
The voyage to Malay is entirely routine. The finest set piece is Stephen's visit to the Kumai Crater in Borneo, where he visits a Buddhist monastery and communes with the orangutans. O'Brian ends the book in medias res with the crew stranded on an uncharted island, which perhaps bodes well for the next installment.
In The Thirteen-Gun Salute, our heroes escort a British envoy to Malay, where he hopes to woo the Sultan away from a treaty with France. Stephen Maturin works behind the scenes to undermine the French position.
The voyage to Malay is entirely routine. The finest set piece is Stephen's visit to the Kumai Crater in Borneo, where he visits a Buddhist monastery and communes with the orangutans. O'Brian ends the book in medias res with the crew stranded on an uncharted island, which perhaps bodes well for the next installment.
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