Christmas Delivery Guaranteed 🚚
Christmas Gift Guide Gift Guide
Christmas Delivery Delivery
Store Hours Store Hours
Gift Cards Gift Cards

Today Only: Free Gift Wrap! 🎁

HMS Surprise

By Patrick O’Brian
Series: Aubrey-Maturin
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.42 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 21,054 ratings, 983 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
HMS Surprise by Patrick O’Brian follows Captain Jack Aubrey and his close friend, the surgeon Stephen Maturin, as they embark on a voyage aboard the ship HMS Surprise. Their journey is filled with naval battles, sea adventures, and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. The storyline weaves in elements of friendship and personal challenges, making it a compelling nautical adventure.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2300
Elsewhere:
$2500
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by high-seas adventure blended with historical detail. It offers a vivid portrayal of life during the Napoleonic Wars with richly developed characters and gripping naval battles, making it appealing to fans of historical fiction and nautical tales.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

HMS Surprise

How far will a man go in the name of revenge, honour, love or simple survival?

The epic historical action adventure historical fiction novel

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. All eighteen books are being re-issued in hardback by HarperCollins with stunning new jackets to coincide with a new film based on the adventures, introducing these modern classics to a new generation.

HMS Surprise follows the variable fortunes of Captain Jack Aubrey's career in Nelson's navy as he attempts to hold his ground against admirals, colleagues, and the enemy, accepting a mission to convey a British ambassador to the East Indies. The voyage takes him and his friend Stephen Maturin to the strange sights and smells of the Indian sub-continent and through the archipelago of spice islands where the French have a near-overwhelming superiority.

Rarely has a novel managed to convey more vividly the fragility of a sailing ship in a wild sea. Rarely has a historical novelist combined action and lyricism of style in the way that O'Brian does. His superb sense of place, brilliant characterisation, and a vigour and joy of writing lift O'Brian above any but the most exalted of comparisons.

Series: Aubrey-Maturin

View all

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Patrick O'Brian's HMS Surprise has garnered praise for its vibrant writing and masterful storytelling. Critics have likened O'Brian to the Homer of the Napoleonic Wars, noting his exceptional ability to create an immersive and believable world. The book is lauded for its exciting narrative, authenticity, and the depth of its characters, making it a thrilling adventure and a remarkable piece of literature.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780006499176

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 January 1997

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: HarperCollins

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 416

Collections

Featured Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Patrick O’Brian Series: Aubrey-Maturin

About the Author

Patrick O'Brian, one of our greatest contemporary novelists, is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. His first novel, Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories have recently been republished by HarperCollins. In 1995, he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime's contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of letter by Trinity College, Dublin. He died in January 2000 at the age of 85.

Also by Patrick O’Brian

View all

More from General Fiction

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.