Treason's Harbour, by Patrick O'Brian

[rowyn]

Book 9 of the Aubrey/Maturin novels, and the least 'complete' in feeling of the books I've read so far. Seriously, this book introduced like three major plot threads, none of which are resolved by the end. I was thinking I'd finish one of these and then another Vorkosigan, but with this kind of non-ending I might as well just stop in the middle of the next one. It will be just as satisfying.

This aside, it did have some delightful humorous moments, like Jack's rescue of the dog and the canine's ensuing reaction, or Killick's bold defense of Jack's possessions. The naval actions were unpredictable and gripping. Lots of fun moments, even if there didn't really seem to be a cohesive overall plot to hold them all together. Not my favorite of the series, but a solid 7.

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Is it the 9th out of 10? Or were there 13 or something?

I've noticed some series' books get less distinct as time goes on because the author cares more about the overall plot.

[alltoseek.livejournal.com]

There are 20 complete books in the series, and a 21st that was started and the few chapters written were published posthumously (O'Brian died while still working on it).

Endings were never POB's strong point, as they are always abrupt. Certainly as the series progresses the endings are more like endings of chapters, because the series is the epic - more complete than any individual book. All the major narrative arcs transcend individual books. The books generally have a complete mission in them, but not always. For TH the main mission was the trip down the Red Sea.

Oh, but rowyn has such a treat in store - Far Side of the World! :D :D :D