Treason's Harbour (1983)

Estacionado en Malta Aubrey se preocupa porque las cosas no le estan saliendo bien. Por su parte el Dr Maturin se encuentra con una red de espias franceses que no termina de desenredar. En el medio misiones que fracasan, al Mar Rojo cruzando el Sinai, a a costa africana. ( )

Book 9 in Patrick O'Brian's series of sea stories featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's doctor and part-time spy Stephen Maturin. In this one, they go after a potentially incredibly valuable prize and deal with some issues of compromised intelligence.

You know, it sometimes occurs to me to think that either O'Brian knows nothing about pacing or just does not care, and this volume is very much a case in point. Rambling conversations about nothing relevant go on for pages while dramatic moments where plot-critical things are happening are sometimes passed over very quickly. And yet somehow, at his best, he makes that work for him. And as far as I'm concerned, it definitely worked for him here. This was kind of slow, and not all that exciting, but doggone it, I found it just terribly pleasant, somehow, as I sat there reading it in my living room on a series of lovely spring days, imagining the desert breeze wafting in through my windows might at any moment start bringing me the scent of the ocean and feeling content with my life of not being shot at by the French. ( )

A bit of a curate's egg in that whilst it had the excellent characterisation, the realism, the evocative prose of all Aubrey/Maturin novels not a lot happened. The overall story of Aubrey and Maturin did not progress very much. But then I would guess it was often like that. ( )

It was a while since I last read an Aubrey & Maturin book but I've had this one on my to-read for too long. I did not enjoy it much though. It was ok, but there was too much text about nothing and too little text about actions.

The background is that Aubrey and Maturin are stranded on Malta, waiting for repairs of Aubrey's ship(s) or a new command. Malta is awash with rumors about what is going on and is a haven for French spies, and double agents. Since Maturin's cover is long blown he becomes the target of an operation and from there we go.

Maturin also acquires a diving bell. That is fun for him.

The completionist in me could not skip this book, but I probably should have. ( )

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