The Ionian Mission

Aubrey & Maturin #8

by Patrick O'Brian

Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, veterans now of many battles, return in this novel to the seas where they first sailed as shipmates. But Jack is now a senior captain commanding a line-of-battle ship in the Royal Navy’s blockade of Toulon, and this is a longer, harder, colder war than the dashing frigate actions of his early days. A sudden turn of events takes him and Stephen off on a hazardous mission to the Greek Islands, where all his old skills of seamanship and his proverbial luck when fighting against odds come triumphantly into their own.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Audiobook, Nautical, War

367 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1981

About the author

Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will).

Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.

In addition to the Aubrey-Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherriere's memoir Papillon. O'Brian died in January 2000.

The Aubrey-Maturin Series on Goodreads

Reviews

[Katherine Arden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another reread, these books just flow, one to the next, and reading them is soothing, not because any one book reaches new literary heights, but because the quality of the writing is so high and so consistent, because the characters are familiar enough to feel like friends. An absolute go-to when I want to lose myself for a few hours but don't want to commit mental energy to anything new.

This one has a delightful chase and battle involving a pirate, however, and Jack Aubrey outwits his enemies at sea yet again, which, as a fan of the character, always makes me happy.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political intrigue in the Mediterranean during the Napoleonic Wars as seen through the eyes of a Royal Navy captain. The Ionian Mission is yet another strong showing in the long Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.

Our hero British naval officer Captain Jack Aubrey needs to get out of Dodge and takes a boring blockade assignment that turns into something a bit more touchy in the diplomatic line. Very volatile politics indeed!

Intrigue simmers in the background. A double-cross heats things up between supposed friends. Failure and embarrassment leaves Aubrey with a bad taste in his mouth.

I absolutely love this stuff! Here we find Jack Aubrey struggling to use his wits for once, instead of his might and skill at naval warfare, to unravel a tricky situation amongst three Turkish beys, minor rulers in the eastern Mediterranean. Will he or won't he choose wisely, side with the right one and back him, thus creating a strong ally in the region for the British? Choosing incorrectly could be disastrous. Hell, choosing correctly could end up worse for him and his crew!



O'Brian has a good sense of humor and he includes some light-hearted scenes right up front. Some old friends show up for the fun, including the frigate HMS Surprise, a ship as lively as any of O'Brian's well-rounded characters.

Incorporating history in his fiction is another of the author's strong suits. In this instance, he gives the reader an example of the Mediterranean pirate. Piracy was a big problem there and then, especially if you were Christian. Many a European and American was sold into slavery due to North African pirates.



In this story, Aubrey is asked to possibly ally with a loose-cannon Turkish captain and his battle-thirsty crew, who are created in the image of the pirate of the era. That alone makes this a good read. Why? Because I love pirates!


My review of book seven, The Surgeon's Mate
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of book nine, Treason's Harbour
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the tumult and strife of the previous two books (sea battles, grievous injuries, prison escapes, marriage at sea, etc) , most of the current offering feels like an interlude, a vacation for Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, who are sent out on a tedious mission of blockading the French fleet in Toulon and preventing it from escaping into the larger Mediterranean or joining forces with the Atlantic squadrons. Yet looking back at the duos adventures after the last page of the novel, I realize it is just as good and eventful as its predecessors, written with the same consummate skill that makes technical nautical terms and ship maneuvers in storm or in battle seem easy to grasp, that switches registers from the dramatic to the humorous like a well run ship turning into the wind.

It's a routine and boring job in a second-rate ship of the line for Captain Aubrey, but also an offer he cannot refuse, since his creditors in England are closing in for the kill as a result of his past financial mismanagement. Maturin is also needed in the Mediterranean for political reasons, something that will come to dominate the later part of the novel, as the British Empire is trying to counteract the French influence in the East and win some ports and some new allies into the bargain.

Highlights of the "Ionian Mission" include, but are not limited to:

- the domestic arrangements of Stephen Maturin, who, despite being recently married, still tries to enjoy the perks of bachelorhood.

- a breakneck chase against the clock from London to Portsmouth, bringing Maturin to the new command of his friend, HMS Worcester.

- an incident with second hand powder for the guns of Worcester, that ends prematurely an engagement with a French frigate

- artistic preoccupations for the crew and officers who try to relieve the boredom of blockade work. This includes poetry contests that use actual verses written by Navy officers in the early 19 century; a Bach oratorio for the crew; a show of Hamlet put on by the midshipmen; and of course Stephen and Jack playing together on the cello and the violin in their cabin, as they did during all their journeys together

- a Mexican Standoff in the port of Medina, done this time with ships of the line.

- a night incursion into enemy territory for some cloak-and-dagger business by Stephen

- a three-way political battle for control of the port Kutali, currently under nominal Ottoman Empire rule, a potential base of operations for the Fleet. Jack Aubrey is cast in the role of arbitrator by the cargo of guns and munitions he can give to the favorite.
- a spectacular engagement at sea between HMS Worcester and a couple of stronger armed Turkish frigates.

As you can see, I called the novel a vacation in the Mediterranean, and it turned out to be another edge-of-your-seat, thrilling adventure. Patrick O'Brian doesn't disappoint, and I look forward to the next journey in the company of his heroes.

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But he had not seen a more wicked and as it were spiteful sea, with its steep, close-packed waves -- a sea that threatened not the instant annihilation of the great antarctic monsters but a plucking apart, a worrying to death."
- Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission




Probably my least favorite in the series so far. It was destined to happen. Even the best instruments will see their strings get loose after a few weeks on the water. It is still lovely and has some amazing parts, but this is not the book I would hand someone to get them hooked on Aubrey/Maturin novels. That said, I loved the poetry contest, was glad to see the good captain and doctor playing again, found the Ottoman politics, and naval blockade strategy interesting.

In a previous review I talked about one of the things that allowed the novels to remain fresh was a change in setting. I still think this is one of the biggest components that allows O'Brian to write book after book about the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars without being too repetitious. However, this book reminded me of another thing O'Brian does -- he changes ships quite often. It is like seeing Mozart play on different types of instruments. The song might not change that much, and it might be still a recognizable Mozart tune, but hearing different instruments keeps everything fairly fresh.

All that said, I would probably have given this a simple 3 stars, had the last bit, the final brutal act, not been so beautifully staged. Reading the last 40 pages of this novel was like watching the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan. I'm not saying they are similar in brutality, only similar in resonance. You exit the action and wonder how anyone could craft something so sharp and hard. That is the dilemma I think in writing or filming war (even naval war) books and movies. So much of actual war is (to borrow a phrase that has almost become a cliché in describing modern war, piloting, etc.) "months of boredom punctuated by moments of extreme terror." THAT is the challenge for O'Brian with this book in particular. I think he was trying, in a literary fashion, to SHOW the reader that. 95 percent of the book was a naval blockade. It wasn't sexy. There was the weather, yes. But characters were almost dying from boredom. And. Then. Action!!!

[Ken-ichi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously, these books are like crack. Some choice terms and quotes (defs mostly from King's invaluable A Sea of Words):

Words
fearnaught screen: thick felt used to cover hatches during battle.

felucca (n): a small Spanish sailing vessel, but also a kind of fishing boat formerly used in the SF Bay Area.

houario (n): "A French lug-rigged boat of the chasse-marée type," according to King.

levinflash (n): lightning flash. "Levin" is apparently an archaic term for lightning, from Middle English.

mastic (n): a small Mediterranean tree, and also the resin made from that tree. Stephen mentioned it during one of their string sessions, so I assume he was referring to the resin.

poltroon (n): a coward.

titivate (v): to spruce up.

Quotes
p. 83: "There is an art to pudding, to be sure: but what is art without suet?"

p. 91: "... for you are to observe that in a crew such as this a great many scrovies are necessarily swept in, froward dirty disreputable rough good-for-nothing disorderly ragabashes and raparees to begin with, and sometimes for ever." As usual, Stephen is a lexical gold mine. A "scrovie" is apparently an archaic nautical term meaning a nautically worthless man that was pressed into naval service (I'm pretty sure I would qualify). A "ragabash" is an idle, worthless person. A "raparee" is "an armed Irish freebooter or plunderer, esp. of the 17th century," and a "freebooter" is a sort of pirate.

p. 292: "... pragmatical clinchpoop ..."

p. 302: "Like many large, florid, good-natured men, Jack Aubrey was afflicted with an undue proportion of small pale, meagre friends of a shrewish turn."

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those who already are O’Brian fans will love the opening——both for its summary of events and for the wonderful storytelling style that O’Brian dazzles us with.

The first chapter of this book is a tour de force. (I have underlined almost half of its 32 pages.) Though the novel may be at too slow a pace for some: those who appreciate how O’Brian weaves so much into every chapter will not be disappointed.

It is far into this book before we know what the Ionian Mission is all about….and even further until we reach this point: "The tension of that interminable waiting for the transports was gone, and with it his uncertainty and his immediate distress about Kutali and all the falsity and double-dealing on shore: his present course of action was clear-cut and perfectly direct at last, an operation that he was fully qualified to undertake by training, inclination, and the splendid instrument at his disposal, and one in which he needed no man’s advice…The Surprise bore down, therefore, under her fighting-sails, with her master at the con, her guns run out, powder-boys sitting well behind them on their leather cartridge-cases, shot-garlands full, splinter-netting rigged, scuttle-butts all along, decks damped and sanded, and wet fearnought screens over the hatches leading to the magazine far below, where the gunner sat among his little deadly kegs… Bonden, the captain of the gun, kept the starboard chaser steadily trained on the Torgud’s bows, perpetually shifting it with his handspike. They were drawing together at a combined speed of ten miles an hour…"

For some fans of this series, this is what it is all about: O’Brian's perfectly chosen phrases that describe the ferocity of sailing ships in battle. For them, there is a long wait in this volume. But, for me, this book is full of the joys of a wide-angle perspective on what life was about in this period of Napoleonic Wars. Among the things that captured my attention:
British politics of the period
The joys of the natural philosophers
The incredible divisions of peoples around the Mediterranean as well as in Eastern Europe including Venetians, Greeks, Jews, Armenians, the divisions of the Ottomans and Vlach
The debates of morality and how it may differ on sea and on land
The number of chores necessary to keep a sailing ship going
The variety of attitudes on the part of the crew and how they are influenced by circumstances
The delights given by discovering new music or improvising on old themes with cello and violin
The politics of the British Admiralty
The details of guns, canons: their care and use
The many facets of diplomacy
And, the humor – both intended and unintentional

A totally satisfying section of the Aubrey-Maturin saga.

5*

[Malacorda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sapevo che la "scelta O'Brian" sarebbe stata la lettura corroborante e galvanizzante di cui sentivo il bisogno: non è una panacea - ci vorrebbe ben altro per risolvere tutti i problemi causati dagli arresti domiciliari - ma sin dall'inizio si è rivelata di grande aiuto, già alle prime pagine mi ha strappato una qualche grassa risata.

La trama di questo ottavo episodio è marcatamente actionless, il clima di attesa sarà a tratti spasmodico e resterà in sospeso fino alle ultimissime righe. La diretta conseguenza di ciò è che la narrazione si ritrova con parecchio spazio in più da dedicare alla quotidianità della vita di bordo, cosa che io ho percepito come elemento assolutamente positivo - prima a bordo di una pericolante Worcester, quasi una sorella della orribile, vecchia Leopard, e in seguito di nuovo a bordo della amatissima Surprise*).
Ho amato particolarmente anche il ritorno a Minorca, in quegli stessi luoghi in cui tutto aveva avuto inizio otto libri fa.

Da un punto di vista "musicale" questo ottavo episodio è un adagio, in maniera del tutto analoga a quanto già rilevato per il secondo, ma la soddisfazione non cala di un millimetro. Il rapporto di amicizia tra i due protagonisti è sempre in forma smagliante - sarebbe a dire: perfettamente e squisitamente realistico - ed anche i rapporti tra Aubrey e i suoi superiori così come i suoi ufficiali, il tutto è strutturato ottimamente come sempre.

Una bella crociera attraverso il Mediterraneo, come una fantasticheria ad occhi aperti, era quello che mi ci voleva, ed è una delle pochissime cose che non possono toccarci e su cui non possono imporci obblighi o divieti.
Quante volte ci siamo ritrovati tutti a concionare - in gruppo o in singolo - a proposito del "leggo perché...", ma mai come adesso s'era sentito il bisogno di leggere come forma di fuga dalla prigionia.

*)NB - La sinossi qua sopra che parla di Aubrey che dovrebbe "mettersi al servizio di Worcester, un vecchio uomo d'arme" è completamente inventata e campata per aria, mi chiedo da dove sia saltata fuori.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having lately read six books in the Aubrey-Maturin series in a row I can compare it to nothing so much as binge-watching a really good TV series on Netflix. That being said this volume is perhaps the weakest I’ve read thus far (not counting book one which was a real stumbling block for me way back when). It is by no means bad, but simply not quite up to par (IMHO) when compared to the previous ones I’ve read to this point. O’Brian does, however, manage to switch things up a bit by showing us something we’ve not yet seen in Aubrey’s naval adventures: how he handles being on a true ship of the line in a naval blockade that is keeping an eye on the French fleet in Toulon, as opposed to taking action on his own account in one of his beloved frigates.

While even independent action on a frigate can be characterized by long spells of boredom it is really a perennial state of being for a ship on blockade unless the enemy happens to try and break through the line, an eventuality that may be months away if it ever occurs at all. Suffice it to say that it is hardly the most adventurous or desirable of postings for a captain looking to make some prize money, especially when coupled with the fact that Aubrey is saddled with the Worcester, a nearly unseaworthy vessel that is a member of the infamous ‘Forty Thieves’, a group of ships known for having had numerous corners cut in their construction to line the pockets of unscrupulous ship builders. O’Brian takes the opportunity of the interminable monotony of daily life in a blockade to explore some of the more unexpected aspects of naval life such as the apparent popularity of the arts amongst a ship’s crew as the members of the Worcester have poetry competitions, work to put on an oratorio, and even attempt to stage a production of Hamlet for their amusement.

Fortunately for Aubrey (and the reader) the somewhat monotonous duties of a ship of the line are interrupted by several lucky adventures. The first ‘out’ that comes along for Lucky Jack is in the form of his 'particular friend' Stephen Maturin who, in his capacity as a secret agent of the crown, needs to be ferried to specific nearby locations in the name of his clandestine duties and of course who better to do this than Captain Aubrey? The second materializes when the French, at long last, leave port and attempt to evade the blockade resulting in a chase in bad weather on the Mediterranean. Both adventures prove to be ultimately futile for the British, though Jack is able to turn apparent bad luck to good when the current captain of his beloved former ship the Surprise is killed in action and the clunky Worcester, no longer a tenable ship after the strains she has endured, is sent to harbour for much needed repairs. Jack is immediately appointed captain of the Surprise and given a diplomatic mission of some importance in which he must decide which of three possible allies from the fractious Turkish states he can trust to aid the British in their war on France. I know what you're thinking: giving Jack Aubrey a delicate diplomatic mission to complete is something akin to asking a bull to dust the items of a china shop. Well, you wouldn't be completely wrong, though Jack manages to perform fairly well, even if some feathers are ruffled in the process. Luckily for him any possible diplomatic snafu just might be fixable via the very exciting naval action that closes the book, an endeavour in which Jack is outstanding in his field. The chase and ship battle come to a bloody head with a boarding sortie that could make or break Jack’s future.

[Sherwood Smith]

This and the next two books form an arc; they are in some ways all the same book, split up. This one ends very abruptly at what feels like the end of a chapter, after one of the fiercest, most vivid of all O'Brian's battle sequences.

Before that we get the tedium of blockade, an attempted ship entertainment, and some very lively characters. Steven also gets to slip into France for some derring-do.

The writing as always is terrific, but with great swathes of somewhat repeated minutae about shipboard life. Jack's frstration mounts, particularly when he comes within inches of ship action in a vivid, truly unexpected scene with untoward consequences.

It's the next book that I find myself rereading the least of all of them save 19 and 20, which I pretend don't exist.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2008, and its the 8th marvellous volume of the delightful "Aubrey/Maturin" series.

In this tale Aubrey and Maturin, veterans of many battles, find themselves at first in the Mediterranean, at the blockade of Toulon, with Jack Aubrey now as a Senior Captain commanding a line-of-battle ship.

Sudden turns of events will take Aubrey and Maturin towards the Ionian (Greek) Islands, where there they will encounter various dangerous and miraculous sea-actions.

Luck combined with outstanding seamanship will turn these events in the Ionian Mission into one where skill and triumph will be for Aubrey and his crew of great seamen.

What is to follow is an outstanding seafaring tale, which is brought to us by the author in his own beautiful authentic and entertaining fashion, to make this read such an enormous one to enjoy.

Highly recommended, for this another magnificent addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Awesome Ionian Mission"!

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Aubrey and Doctor Maturin are as delightful as ever, with Aubrey's unmatched skills as a seaman and naval warrior, and Maturin's efforts as a spy, fishing for French officers tired of
Napoleon. Rich with humor and the details of 1800 British Naval life and war, every book in this series is a wonderful escape with characters I can't help but love.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its been a while ol’ friend!

As usual we start on land but.... Huzzah... its only for a few short pages as “Lucky Jack” has to put to sea to escape his creditors & we’re soon aboard the HMS Worcester which although a ship of the line is a bit of a decayed wreck of a ship. We are introduced to some of the familiar lags as they flock to Jack’s colours & we pick up a new crew in Plymouth before heading for the blockade at Toulon (which spookily im reading about in a history book currently)

As to the story...... bit of a Mill pond this one..... down more (I hope) to the fact that the ships are part of a blockade on the port & as such there’s very little action which is reflected in the writing & I found the first 150 pages of the book really difficult to get into compared to others in the series. Then we have a mission & the action/events start to pick up as Captain Aubrey leaves the blockade. Although in truth it never really kicks on & if it wasn’t a series I was reading I’m not sure I would have finished this book. There is a battle towards the end but you have to wade through ¾’s of a book of treacle to get to it & then it’s all over in a flash...... in fact I skipped most of the last 75 pages.....

A really disappointing episode to the series & it’s rounded up to 2 stars.

[Gilly McGillicuddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I wrote in my LJ while I was reading it:

So I started reading The Ionian Mission last night. 50 Pages in.

* Stephen and Diana's married life cracked me up / endeared me / slightly disgusted me (pancreas in the bedside cabinet? ew!)

* I doubt whether I could live with Stephen... or Diana for that matter.

* Poor Jagiello having to deal with so many fawning women. And then jumps up like a pup when Stephen enters the room. (dammit I AM one of those fawning women.)

* Diana is pregnant! whoooo. Or may be. But I think she is. In any case it proves that STEPHEN FINALLY HAD SEX IN THESE BOOKS! XD

* I don't trust Jagiello and Diana alone together.

* Little George!!! *heart* XD

* Everyone getting agitated at Stephen's lateness and then pulling one over on the Admiralty, to make it LOOK like they were leaving. Hehe, sailors rock.

* Jack being so moved when he had to say goodbye to Sophie and the children.

* Stephen having to get on board by himself and all the Surprises all snappish. Mowett, Pullings... Bonden even.

* "Surely you did not fall in, like a mere lubber."

* Jack's sudden moodswing from OMFGANGRYYOUALMOSTMADEUSMISSOURTIDE to kind and only slightly seething.

* Jack's little "foreigners" speech about Jagiello.

* Pullings being his cheerful laughing self and Mowett writing a song about Stephen. THE PIE!

* Poor Pullings having to do so much of the work.

* Stephen sending the gardener home.

* Pullings getting upset over the couple of people Stephen says he dismissed. *snerk* Riiight, you just know it's going to be a lot more of them that he'd admit to.

*Jack realllllly not wanting chaplains on board. And daying that the CREW is superstitious, not himself, oh no. Never.

* Stephen and Jack finally playing together again. Aubreyisms. "Bach had a father." -- "Heavens, Jack, what things you tell me. Yet upon recollection I seem to have known other men in much the same case."

* Jack having dinner with Captain and Mrs Fanshaw. -_-

* THE LITTLE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOY JACK DOESN'T WANT IS CALAMY!!!!!! FUCKING CALAMY!!!! I LOVE THAT BOY! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE CALAMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

* CALAMYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! Which means we'll get to see him grow up! LIKE BABBINGTON! This is the coolest thing in the world. CALAMYYYYY!!!

* And lastly: he's going to form part of a blockade at Toulon? Nelsonian overtones, ahoy? (I even had to make sure just now that he wasn't actually AT Nelson's blockade, because that would completely screw with my timeline.)

_____

Up to p 100 in The Ionian Mission and I just have one word:

Gumbrils.

... I need to slow down.
But dammit, with a very few exceptions like Babbington and Sir Joseph, this book has all of my favourite characters. The entire families, Jagiello, Pullings, Bonden, Mowett, Dundas, Killick, ... and then there's wee!Calamy and Joe Plaice... and Mr Martin is shaping up to be wonderfully likeable as well. But most especially Pullings, god such a wonderful man.

I love watching people grow up, I find. See them go from boys to men. I can't wait to see little George on a ship for the first time, and see what becomes of the girls (they'll have to learn to be a tad more genteel in any case *g*) and little scared Calamy just awakens the mother instinct in me.

I feel maternal over a book character.

Damn obsession.

_____

There are no limits to the slashiness of this book. Imagine this scene: Jack finds himself back at Port Mahon after so many years, he finds Stephen is not there yet and he winds his way down to Joselito's and to the Crown where he finds our delightful little squeaking Mercedes. I like her, she's terribly cute.
Of course, Jack being the warm-blooded type of guy he is immediately starts fishing for sex, and she seems all too compliant. When they're mid-flirt, Stephen barges into the room, makes his apologies to Mercedes and snatches Jack away, and in his haste saying "spouse-breach" among his mutterings.
Jack doesn't take it well.
Of course, Stephen was perfectly right to bring that up, especially after last time's fiasco at Halifax, but even so, he would know that Mercedes wasn't really the type of girl to try such tricks (and she was married anyhow), and Jack's had casual sex with random girls on shore plenty of times when he hadn't uttered a word.
Now we get to my favourite bit:
"[H]ow had he, Stephen, come to say 'spouse-breach' at the Crown? The imputation was certainly true, but it was also certainly impertinent, unwarranted, ill-bred and unpardonable freedom. Was it impatience and fatigue on his own part, or a lurking jealousy at the sight of that fine, melting, amorous wench?"
Yes, we needn't ask in which direction my mind assumed the jealousy went.

Jack (of course) forgives Stephen by the next day, because face it, he's Jack Aubrey, he's not the kind of guy to hold a grudge anyway and when Stephen and he are sitting in the great cabin after dinner, his feelings toward Stephen have been perfectly restored.
"'I wish to God you were not going,' said Jack in a low voice."

I feel I might also mention how much Mowett's grown on me through the course of this book. His opinion on poetry seems tolerably solid, and the way he cares for the Doctor's well-being would almost begin to rival that of Pullings and Bonden. The heated discussion he had at the table a couple of chapters back just carved his name into the fannish part of my heart. Bless the man.

And of course, Bonden continues his old loveable self. This exchange amused me in particular:
"'You have your cloak, Doctor?' said Mowett suddenly.
'I have not,' said Stephen. 'Nor do I feel the need of it. Sure it is a warm, even a balmy night.'
'So it is, sir. But I have a feeling the wind may back into the south -- look how those clouds turn and tear -- and if it does, we shall have rain.'
'The Doctor is sitting on his cloak,' said Bonden. 'I stowed it there myself.'"
*fond smile.* They take such good care of him. And then as they reach the shore:
"Five minutes while Bonden struck a shaded light, lit Stephen's dark lantern and closed it, hung his other equipment round his neck in a little cloth bag, and made him put on his boat-cloak."
And people wonder why I call him Nanny Bonden.

The whole secret mission scene I read in an empty train compartment, so apart from the creaking of the rails there was no noise at all. I almost held my breath, I wanted to be so quiet.

I've also found I identify more and more strongly with Stephen as I progress, even though my general character might possibly be more aligned to Jack's, (who remains my favourite character). Dear Lord, and I identify entirely too much even sometimes. There was a moment during a gale when Stephen got on deck and both Jack and Pullings started yelling at him to go below and I was just so shocked and taken aback that I almost felt like I had wronged them personally.
Ah, I just found the scene:
"Quite shocked by the vehemence of his cry Stephen turned: but even as he turned a party of seamen ran the stiff end of a cablet into his side, thrusting him under the fiferail and calling out 'By your leave, sir, by your leave,' as they did so. And as he was disentangling himself from the belaying-pins he happened to loop a fancy-line about his ankle and walk off with it until his old friend Tom Pullings bawled 'Stop playing with that fancy-line, and go below' with a ferocity that might have daunted Beelzebub.'
I was so very shocked to see Pullings, whom I always imagine as a kind, good-natured man in such a mood, and especially when directed toward Stephen.

The Trafalgar overtones are also noticeable, of course. Few British foul-bottomed Toulon blockade ships, going after a lot of French clean ones? Especially this bit:
"For it will take them a great while to make an orderly line, whereas we do so every day, and we practise the manoeuvre from the dispersed positions at least twice a week. Every man will slip into his place and since the Admiral has explained his plans for half a dozen situations every man will know just what he is to do. There will be little signalling. The admiral dislikes it except in the greatest emergency, and the last time he spoke to the captains he said that if any one of us was puzzled or could not make out the order of battle because of the smoke, he might take it upon himself to engage the nearest Frenchman yardarm to yardarm."

Also compare Jack and Nelson:
"'Lord, Stephen, I shall not be satisfied with anything under twenty prizes, and a dukedom for the Admiral.'"
"At 6.45 Nelson altered the course of the fleet to east: and that was the last manoeuvring signal he had to make, because everyone knew what to do. He said to Hardy: 'I shall not be contented with capturing less than twenty.'

Also O'Brian openly comparing Jack and Cochrane (upon whom he modelled Jack), both of them using hawsers. The bit about the Irish pennants/Saxon standards was pretty funny. As was the insult-exchange with the Surprises. Hehe. I shouldn't laugh but that was damn funny.

Final note, because I'm making this too long again: Jack finally has the Surprise again, but dammit, I didn't want it to be like this. There's no joy in it now, or precious little. I liked Latham. He seemed fun, he was brave, he treated her well... :(

____

I finished The Ionian Mission on the train today.

Poor little Williamson! Oh my dear sweet boy!

O'Brian has NO RIGHT to make those last two pages as intense as they were. It's completely unfair to write an entirely docile book and then DO WHAT HE DID in the last two pages. It's unfair, I tell you.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saying that The Ionian Mission is disappointing and one of the lesser instalments of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey & Maturin series is a bit like being a Duran Duran fan and complaining about The Reflex. It's true that it isn't the book (or the song) I would choose to read (or listen to) any old time, but I'd still rather spend time in its pages (or with my headphones) than with almost anything else I can get my hands on.

My problem with The Ionian Mission, I think, is that this book spends too much time -- most of its time -- flirting with a big Naval action, then delivers that action in one, final, orgiastic burst, only to leave us hanging just as the climax is achieved. Like a lover achieving orgasm, jumping out of bed without any cuddling or after care, whipping on his clothes and saying "I'll call you," The Ionian Mission does its thing then disappears from your life, leaving you unfulfilled and a little jaded.

Even so, the book builds well to the action, and there are some classic character moments within its pages, especially when it comes to Captain Jack's realizations about his age and what it is to be a Captain with so little true companionship, and what it means to him that he is a rare Captain who actually has mostly regular companionship with Dr. Maturin. His need for their relationship is rarely plainer than it is in The Ionian Mission, and it is even plainer when the men are parted, which makes this lesser novel worth reading all the same.

[Phillip Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ship Worcester is the ship Jack Aubrey is in command of in this novel and was constructed by a group called the 40 thieves because they cut corners. Captain Jack manages to overcome this disadvantage in this adventure to accomplish his mission with flying colors. This guy deserves the name Lucky Jack because he manages to beat the odds in accomplishing his Ionian mission. I can't atribute all his success to luck because he is able to get his crew into fighting shape with his superior seamanship. The writer is able to draw you into the story despite the fact that many of the nautical terms are not explained in a glossary that could have been used in an Appendix.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The eighth in the adventures of Captain Aubrey and Dr.Maturin. After a peak into their respective home lives (Maturin's is my particular favorite: he and Diana have homes of their own because their lives are so different--plus he needs privacy for all his intelligence work--but he visits often for shared breakfast in bed and dinner parties), they ship off to support the blockade against the French. It's a long, boring period for them, made more troubling by the leadership. One of Aubrey's old commanders is in charge of the blockade, and too long without action or hope have severely depressed his spirits and health. His second in command is one of the many captains Aubrey has disobliged over the years--this time, not by sleeping with his wife, but instead by catching him cheating at cards. At last, the French make a break for it, giving the squadron a chance to finally fight--and they can't catch them. The commander is so depressed he must go home for his health, and Aubrey is placed under the command of a man who deeply hates him. Then some other stuff happens that I have forgotten because I took a few months' break (purely because I listen to these books rather than read them), and then somehow Aubrey manages to get off his slow decrepit ship and onto the dear old Surprise! Moreover, he's off blockade duty and instead, gets to travel up and down the coast determining which Turkish leader to throw his support (and canons) behind. The book ends with a very exciting ship battle.

This is a wonderful episode in the lives of Maturin and Aubrey. Both characters are adorably showcased here, plus Aubrey gets to be a serious badass, which he's missed out on in the last few books. Additionally, this book is particularly funny--I cannot count the number of times I cackled.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second try at reading this one. I gave up. Dull blockade duty, and a dull book. John Gribbin's short review sums up my reaction, too: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"the most boring book in the Aubrey/Maturin canon. For most of the book, hardly anything happens."
Oh, well. Abandoned & returned.

[Bob Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another reading. Here in volume eight, Patrick O’Brian has fully immersed himself in the life and time of his beloved characters, and the need for swashbuckling and sea battles to keep reader interest has been replaced by more subtle character development. We see what Maturin is like as a married man (not much has changed!). We get a view of life at sea under a never-ending blockade of the French, and the politics involved in being a post-captain within the British Royal Navy, both within the quasi-corrupt admiralty and dealing with mostly unreliable allies against the French. Pullings, Bonden, Babbington, and Killick are all here, giving us insights into their unique characters and bringing us joy. Maturin’s bungling at sea takes on new levels to Aubrey’s dismay.

O’Brian’s ability to catapult you aboard an 18th century frigate with his beautiful, descriptive language is truly unparalleled:

The water of the bay was gently rippled in some few places but glass-smooth in others, and in the purest of these natural mirrors they could see the astonishing peaks that rose from the sea with the whole town at their feet — all this reversed, and superimposed upon the image stood ships and boats, most as it were suspended, hanging motionless, a few creeping across the surface with sweeps or sculls. The dead calm, the cloudless sky, the stillness of the ship and perhaps this sense of being on or even in a looking-glass gave an extraordinary impression of silence and people spoke unnaturally low.

The book concludes with a heart-thumping sea battle that might very well be the best of the entire 20-volume series.

I love these books!

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ionian Mission gives the people what the want in an Aubrey/Maturin book, with a straightforward tale of rousing naval action. Captain Aubrey's new command is a ship of the line, the unfortunate HMS Worchester, one of the notoriously poorly built "40 Thieves", and his new assignment is blockade duty off Toulon.

I appreciate the return towards normalcy. Few captains have careers like Lucky Jack, and a lot of naval warfare is cutting tacks in almost the same place, stores and ships running down, waiting for the French to make their move. We see the issues of the fleet at sea, waiting for the French to do something stupid so that there can finally be a battle--and there's a couple of close calls.

Fortunately for us, intrigues with the ramshackle Ottoman government in the Eastern Mediterranean require a senior captain with a fast ship, and we're back in the good old HMS Surprise to determine which of three local Turkish governors should get a gift of cannons to drive the French out of a nearby port. These political intrigues twist out of Aubrey's control, and there's a sharp battle at the end. Huzzah!

This book is probably the most traditional in the series since book three, a safe and thrilling exploration of the formula. But that's what we're here for. Lighter elements include Aubrey getting a supply of brightly colored fireworks powder for gunnery practice (Royal Navy captains had to supply their own powder for practice), the difficulties of putting on a performance of Hamlet and a choral concert, and a wardroom poetry contest on the theme of ships, where O'Brien demonstrates his own wit.

[Margaret Carpenter]

Stephen saw five spotted eagles so this book was pretty much a total success.

[jrendocrine at least reading is good · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read most of it, listened to the most delightful Patrick Tull for many of the best parts.

By this time we all know and love both Aubrey and Maturin, and here is most simply a loving back and forth between the two and their idiosyncratic characters. Many reviewers say it is too slow, and too long before the big battle of the last chapter (which is great), but for me it was the things I love the most: Stephen being Stephen with his stubborn lack of knowledge about the ship, his more than knowledge of the birds, and his integrity, and Jack being Jack with his open bright personality, his humility and and also integrity, and his love of his ship and all souls upon it. They come together many times for their old Scarlatti, despite Stephen's fingers having been broken by torture, and Jack's shoulder repair in America. They are perhaps the best literary couple of all time.

What makes this volume stand out is the humor. It's subtle if you are anxious to get on with it, or if you are insensitive to drollery and irony, but O"Brian lays it on thick. I found myself laughing out loud, e.g., Jack's special time with a horse - who is quite exhausted from carrying "his great bulk" on the fictional Turkish island Kutali - is a hilarious moment of interspecies understanding!

The last bit - back on Jack's beloved Surprise - is mostly politics in the Ionian Sea, somewhere along the west coast of Greece - hard to keep up with where they are once past Malta, but thanks Patrick O'Brien Mapping project !!

Anyway, I loved it, despite, as usual, hearing most of the naval talk as another language - though both our heroes do explain several terms like "post paid on every ball" to this reader's great satisfaction. It does stop abruptly // giving a great push to the next book// which I shall read, of course!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a whole lot of not very much happening, unfortunately. Stephen and Diana seem to have a surprisingly workable marriage, which I didn't expect, but I don't expect the bloom on that rose to last very long. Aubrey very nearly cheats on his wife again, except for Stephen's bad (good?) timing, and then has the audacity to be offended when Stephen calls him on it. I wish faithful Stephen and faithful Sophie were together, and cheating Jack and almost-certainly-cheating Diana were together instead. Put the cheaters in the same boat, you know? There's also some interesting philosophical discussions about the merits of "gentlemen" versus people with actual sailing talent as officers.

The battle : First, Jack sails to a neutral port and tries to goad some Frenchmen into attacking. They do not do so, so nothing happens. Then they sail on blockade duty for a while, and nothing happens. Then the French slip the blockade and look like they're going to fight, so the big English fleet chases down the big French fleet...and then the French change their minds and sails back to port, so nothing happens. Uggggh. But the final fight is as brisk and well-done as usual, with Aubrey and the Surprise taking on two Turkish ships at once, and pulling a Nelson (not my phrasing, it's directly called out as such in the book) by boarding one ship and then leaping across after it surrendered to board the other ship. Excellently done and where all the stars in this book come from, unfortunately.

The scientific / spywork : They pass a boat which has a rhinoceros on it, which leads to some colorful commentary about how the other ship is managing to keep it exercised by hoisting it aloft and watching its little piggy legs try to paddle through the air, which is humorous. Stephen also chases some spotted eagles, but not much else is done with it. The spy stuff is also a major letdown -- Stephen is let ashore in France to meet some vaguely-defined plotters at a midnight rendezvous, runs into a party from a second British intelligence agency, all three parties (brits, brits, and french) shoot at each other in confusion, and then everyone runs away from everyone else and nothing else happens or comes from this. After the one-two punch with Desolation Island / Fortune of War and the whole Louisa Wogan arc, this is a major letdown when we know what Stephen is capable of.

The relationships : Callback to Mercedes from the first novel in Port Mahon, and Aubrey almost cheats with her. BOOOO -- that would've been the second time, after that hussy in Nova Scotia. Sophie is completely absent except as Jack writes her letters. Stephen and Diana seem to get along well, though they immediately separate into different houses as his housekeeping is horrendous (keeping partially dissected frogs in your nightstand is apparently frowned upon by civilized people). But he still goes over to her house for dinner every day, and they find a system that works for both of them. I'm pretty sure Diana is cheating on him with the Lithuanian guy from the last book (Jagiello) but I guess we'll wait confirmation of that. Mr. Calamy the young midshipman is introduced -- if the movie is at all accurate, I believe this is the fellow who is bullied into thinking he's a "Jonah" and throws himself over the side in Far Side of the World, but that's two books out yet. The bullying that will eventually cause that has its seeds here, where the rest of the crew tricks him into trying to carry a young calf around every day as it grows into a bull, on the belief that it will make him a strong man instead of a puny small weakling. Even Aubrey pitches in on this (good-naturedly, possibly), but given where this ends up it's worth noting that he's not blameless in this matter.

The medical : Not much here, except for Stephen treating one of the midshipmen for mumps, which can apparently cause swollen testicles and the potential loss of reproductive function. There's a hysterical scene where he describes to the other doctor that yes, it is contagious, but who really spends all that much time having sex anyway, and why are you backing away from me, and suddenly canceling all your engagements, and I really don't understand why I had to deal with three different deputations from all levels of the crew to reassure them there was no problem...Stephen's blind naivete here about how much men might, you know, value their ability to procreate was beatifully, understatedly comical.

Today's malapropism : Almost 80% of the way into the novel before we got this one :

"Why, as to that," said Jack, "...perhaps you could tell him to judge the pudding by its fruit."
"You mean, prove the tree by its eating."
"No, no, Stephen, you are quite out : eating a tree would prove nothing."

Thus proving that Stephen is well aware that Jack is prone to this tendency, and is not above a bit of gentle ribbing of his friend on that score.

8 down, 12 to go!

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading The Ionian Mission, the eighth episode in the twenty-volume canon of Patrick O'Brian's brilliant 'Aubreyiad.' This had a bit of it all too: affairs with 'hearth and home' in London and at Ashgrove Cottage; doings with Sophie Aubrey and Diana Villiers Maturin; Stephen Maturin's intelligence activities against the French ashore and afloat; and some fascinating sea-faring adventuring in the Mediterranean Sea. It was wonderful to watch Jack and Stephen have the opportunity to interact with Tom Pullings, and the 'Williams' Mowett and Babbington again too -- but mostly that they were all back aboard H.M.S. Surprise!

The title of the novel becomes clear through reading the last third of the book; and an exciting episode it is too! O'Brian does a superb job in providing the reader with a fairly in-depth description of the politics, historical situation, and geography of the little fiefdoms up and down the shores of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas; all of which were controlled, at that time, by the Ottoman-Turkish Empire.

The novel ends with a fabulously well-written description of Jack's and the Surprises' engagement in an absolutely edge-of-your-seat and ferocious battle with two enemy ships, the Torgud and Kitabi. A terrific book in all respects!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen finds that marriage with Diana is hard and stressful work, while Jack needs to go back to sea to escape his legal problems. Blockading the French fleet in the Mediterranean Sea on a ship of the line is boring stuff; but then a mission to the Ionian Sea aboard HMS Surprise follows and everything is quite intense. The book ends in the paroxysm of one of the most violent naval engagements O'Brian described.

Music plays an important role in this book and I found it very interesting: from Handle's Messiah that the entire ship practices to Bach's Chaconne that Jack and Stephen play together. The passage where Jack describes his encounter with Bach's piece is great: “On the face of it the statements made in the beginning were clear enough: their closely argued variations, though complex, could certainly be followed with full acceptation, and they were not particularly hard to play; yet at one point, after a curiously insistent repetition of the second theme, the rhythm changed and with it the whole logic of the discourse. There was something dangerous about what followed, something not unlike the edge of madness or at least of a nightmare; and although Jack recognized that the whole sonata and particularly the Chaconne was a most impressive composition he felt that if he were to go on playing it with all his heart it might lead him to very strange regions indeed.”

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

A novel without an ending. In the recent books PO has a habit of just ending the story around 330 pages regardless of plot.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another ripper from the master Patrick O'Brian...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we’ve now reached the eighth book in this superlative series, it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed it immensely, as it seems that Patrick O’Brian is incapable of writing anything I don’t enjoy. Even when not much is happening.

The Ionian Mission is nowhere near as action-packed as its predecessors, as instead of dashing up and down the Med taking prizes, Jack and his crew are now just one small part of a blockade. Without much fighting or sailing to do, Jack can’t bank on his strong skills (and luck) in those regards and is instead having to push his little grey cells into playing politics.

It’s a testament to O’Brian’s writing and fantastic characters that the daily life of an all but stationary ship and a bored crew can still make such great reading. And while I might have missed my beloved Stephen a little at times (he’s still here, but off-ship or in the background for a good part of it) the sarcastic and nagging Killick made sure that I still got more than my fair share of smirks and sniggers. Add in a quick stopover in my hometown where a purchase of cheap gunpowder results in Jack’s ship sending cannons across the water powered by shrieking flashes of fireworks, and the result is me being tickled pink.

**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**

[Ian Mapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading these - one a year in April - since I started a new job and wanted to use the series as a handrail to guide me to retirement. I can stop working when I get to Book 10, if Mrs M allows me to.

God knows what I will do with my spare time but I won't be wasting (it all) on turgid nonsense like this.

I know what to expect - dense, endless chapters of nothingness. Limited sense of time (no dates, just vaguely Napoleonic) and place. Three pages or more dedicated to an ill thought out joke.... this time about double bottomed defacators - the mind boggles as to what they are - O'Brian has other uses for words than explaining them.

Other things are introduced without fanfare or purpose. This books has a Rhino.

Then there is the history - which is surely what you read Historical Fiction for - this all culminates with a 10 page battle against the Turks (I think), presumably on or near the Ionian Greek Islands (can't be sure).

An utter waste of my time - but so many things are.

Back next April for Book 9.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blockading and negotiating is a tedious business.
What a fright at the last page, I almost thought a favourite character was struck down.

[Addison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic audio narration once again by Patrick Tull, but the story was slow and felt much less cohesive than the last installment. Much harder to follow than the previous book. Still won't dull my appetite for continuing this great series.