High Seas Fiction

[Calis]

So I have a bit of a decision to make and hoping for a nudge in the right direction from the good folks here at FOFC. I've come into possessing both Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander and C.S. Forester's Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. Which one should I dig into first?

I know nothing about ships or naval battles really, but I've always been kinda interested in it. Either of the series easier to get into than the other? Is one of the vastly superior literary-wise? I'm not at all interested which one is more historically accurate. I just want the one that's more fun, and eventually I'll read both I'm sure.

Another option I have is Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser which from what little research I did think I'd enjoy the most overall, but right now I'm in the mood for some sea battles, so it'll be pushed aside for now I think.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Leonidas]

I think they are both fabulous. O'Brian is a bit more into realism and capturing the moment of what it was like in the Royal Navy at the time while Forester is into grand story telling. O'Brian is probably more challenging, more subtle. Maybe Forester is the best bet to start off with, but if you like the genre I suspect in the end you'll like O'Brian more.

[gstelmack]

I wasn't all that impressed with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. The series gets much better once he becomes a Captain, has a great middle run, then tanks near the end when he becomes an Admiral in the West Indies. The middle 6 books or so are great classics, however.

I have not read Master and Commander, but after hearing recommendations here I'll have to pick it up soon.

[WSUCougar]

I love them both, but I think O'Brian's work is a little more accessible for someone not familiar with the genre.

[Calis]

Thanks for the input guys. I started reading Hornblower, and so far it seems like it's just a series of short stories somewhat connected. Is this how it works throughout? Not exactly what I expected.

I'm having a hard time not picking up O'Brian though. That's interesting though Coug, I'd heard that O'Brian was more difficult for folks to get into, but I think I'll be trying it out soon enough. Might just go through the first few chapters and see which one grabs me first.

I had to go pick up Port Royal this morning also to help sate my new thirst.

Enjoyed what I read of Forester so far though, even though I'm lost when it comes to down the technical talk. Was hoping it would be a little more thorough in explaining it, but it seems like they expect you to have a firm grip on the subject before diving into it.

[Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Calis

Enjoyed what I read of Forester so far though, even though I'm lost when it comes to down the technical talk. Was hoping it would be a little more thorough in explaining it, but it seems like they expect you to have a firm grip on the subject before diving into it.

Both of them are like this, which is why I like them so much. They don't insult your intellgience by spoonfeeding you the material. It's written with the intent you will read the whole series. The more you read the easier it is to pick up.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by Leonidas

Both of them are like this, which is why I like them so much. They don't insult your intellgience by spoonfeeding you the material. It's written with the intent you will read the whole series. The more you read the easier it is to pick up.

That's a good point, and thinking about it more I'd probably be bored off my ass to sit and read descriptions of what everything meant. Just occasionally have to look something up, or just take a guess.

I started up Master & Commander this afternoon, and I think that's going to be the one I stick with for now. It just grabbed me a bit more off the bat. I can definitely tell they're very different just from the few chapters though. Think I'd like Forester's more if I was in more of a "fantasy" mood. He just seems more like a fantasy book hero.

Looks like I have a whole mess of books to keep me busy for a while if I stick with these though.

[Flame Eater]

Good luck with O'Brian.

I studied Lit of the Sea in college; read a lot of the masters...Conrad, Melville, etc.

I can NOT get into O'Brian. He's a late 20th century author writing in the style of the early 19th century. I'm not saying it's bad; it's just hard work...more work than I am willing to invest in a leisure time activity.

[Schmidty]

One of the best High Seas adventure books I ever read was Wyvern by A.A. Attanasio. Here's a link to it:

hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0899194095/qid=1081707904/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl14/002-4912904-4476825?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[Runtheball]

I read Master and Commander a few years ago. It took awhile to get into it, but turned out to be well worth the effort.

Many (I mean MANY) years ago I read several books in this genre by Alexander Kent. I thoroughly enjoyed them (but I was in my early teens then, and tastes do change.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Calis

Thanks for the input guys. I started reading Hornblower, and so far it seems like it's just a series of short stories somewhat connected. Is this how it works throughout? Not exactly what I expected.

No. That's how "Midshipman Hornblower" works, and is a key reason I didn't like it, either. The series gets much better real fast. The first one I read was actually an anthology of 3/4/5 (?), starting with the one where he takes his frigate to South America. Sorry, can't remember the titles, it's been a while. But this was a fantastic set, and the three following it are really good as well.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Calis

I know nothing about ships or naval battles really

Me either.

[WSUCougar]

Calis, one suggestion if you are overwhelmed somewhat by the ship/sailing terms is to keep a diagram handy for reference (the books themselves may have them). Part of the fun is getting to know the ship's layout, since both authors utilize the specifics sails, decks, rigging, etc., so frequently as part of the stories.

Here's one of a frigate I found with a quick Google search:


As for Port Royale...I have spent WAY too much time on that game lately! It has just swallowed me up. It's one of those classic time-gobbling games. I've finally married the governor's daughter (who-hoo!), and am pulling in some serious gold. On the downside, the !@#$% French just sent a military convoy after one of my convoys, and it was invincible: four galleons against my four barques...OUCH. It was over quickly.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

No. That's how "Midshipman Hornblower" works, and is a key reason I didn't like it, either. The series gets much better real fast. The first one I read was actually an anthology of 3/4/5 (?), starting with the one where he takes his frigate to South America. Sorry, can't remember the titles, it's been a while. But this was a fantastic set, and the three following it are really good as well.

Ahh, cool then. I might end up taking Mr. Midshipman back(I only checked it out), and trying out the first one written, and not the first chronologically. It sounds like that may be the best bet.

Still really enjoying Master and Commander though. I'm about 200 pages or so in, and the only problem I'm running into right now is I don't find Jack Aubrey to be a very likeable character. I hope that changes a bit, because I'll have a hard time reading 19 more books about a guy I don't like. I keep hearing that this series really takes off on the 3rd book, so I think that's a good sign since I'm already enjoying the first so much.

I hear what you're saying Flame Eater on it reading like a 19th Century novel, but I think that's really what O'Brian was going for, and if it didn't read that way I think it'd lose a lot of it's atmosphere. If I didn't know it was written in the '90s I'd swear this was from back then, so I think that's pretty impressive. It ain't for everyone though, that's for sure.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

As for Port Royale...I have spent WAY too much time on that game lately! It has just swallowed me up. It's one of those classic time-gobbling games. I've finally married the governor's daughter (who-hoo!), and am pulling in some serious gold. On the downside, the !@#$% French just sent a military convoy after one of my convoys, and it was invincible: four galleons against my four barques...OUCH. It was over quickly.

Yeah, I was planning on hunting down a pic and maybe a couple pages of common terms to help me out. The book has a diagram in the front, but it's of a three masted ship, and the Sophie is a two if I'm reading correctly, so it's a bit different. Seems an odd way of doing things. Thanks for the link though.

Port Royale sucked up a lot of my weekend as well. I ended up doing nothing but reading and playing this game over the weekend. What a time sink! Outstanding game though. I've brought myself into power firstly through having a stranglehold on the potato trade, and then moving on to tobacco which you can make some serious cash wish. I have I think 5 auto trade routes running now which are working out pretty well for me. Not huge moneymakers, but consistent. I also married the Governor's daughter but then she got kidnapped. I had no war fleet, so I had to hurry and build one up and buy the time they were ready and set sail, it was too late. Oops. I'm still doing poorly with most of my businesses though. I've got to figure that out a little better, but my housing is working out quite well. I just keep on stocking up St. Kitts with settlers every so often, and I'm raking in cash from rent.

It's a blast though. I'm really impressed with Ascaron after playing this and Sacred. They're definitely a company to keep an eye on.

[Calis]

Hmm, I believe this is my first ever triple-dola..I have to do it though.

hxxp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805066152/ref=ase_schoonermanA/002-1779376-9316865?v=glance&s=books

Anyone have this? Sounds like a pretty neat reference book to have for reading through the O'Brian books. Wondered if it's as good as it sounds though. Might have to grab it. I'm pretty anal about looking everything up that I don't know, and that's becoming a bit of a pain with this book so far.

Bah, stuck at work..I want to read more.