FREE THE IONIAN MISSION PDF Patrick O'Brian | 400 pages | 23 Mar 2012 | HarperCollins Publishers | 9780006499220 | English | London, United Kingdom The Ionian Mission — Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 After a break from Aubrey and Maturin for a few months--mostly to take care of some nonfiction reading and reviewing--I finally have time to dive back into the continuing story. I went into Book 8, The Ionian Missionwith a bit of fear, however. Because the last time I tried to read through O'Brian 's series, this is the point at which I fizzled out and stopped the series. This was partly because at that time I couldn't find a copy of Book 7, and it was difficult to get back into the serie. This was partly because at that time I couldn't find a copy of Book 7, and it was difficult to get back into the series without having read that volume. Added to that, a friend recently borrowed The Ionian Mission and returned it months later, saying, "This is really O'Brian at his most soporific; I could hardly pick up this book without falling asleep. Was this the book that was going to stop The Ionian Mission progress yet again? I needn't have worried. I finished the book in a week and thoroughly loved it. Not only did it include the "double-bottomed defecator," but it featured subtle character development that kept me intrigued the whole way through. Many ongoing plot points were settled, to some extent, by the end of the previous book, so this book is now a The Ionian Mission build into the next phase of the story. Jack's and Stephen's internal struggles start off very muted, but they will grow and develop through this book into what I assume will be the main conflicts in the next phase of their journeys. Stephen is assigned a complicated negotiation mission in enemy territory--typical for The Ionian Mission in these stories. The Ionian Mission this time, now that he The Ionian Mission "settled" such as he and Diana ever willthe conflict he faces has a different depth than before:. Jack begins to wonder about his destiny. He is as pained by his unluckiness on shore as the reader has been on his behalf for the past few volumes. The adventure that started The Ionian Mission such verve and enthusiasm and promise seems to perhaps be fading into a grey existence. In this case, the reader waits almost the full length of the book, and has to work through some dizzingly complex political negotiations, but the battle finally begins. The end of the book sees The Ionian Mission satisfying conclusion to a number of ongoing minor issues, while leaving open the larger matters of character development. I will be moving on soon, with much eagerness, to Book 9. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling The Ionian Mission about the problem. The Ionian Mission to Book Page. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, veterans now The Ionian Mission 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 Step Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, veterans now of many battles, return in this novel to the seas where they first sailed as shipmates. 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 The Ionian Mission come The Ionian Mission into their own. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published January 17th by W. Norton Company first published January 15th More Details Original Title. Jack AubreyStephen Maturin. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Ionian Missionplease sign up. Was this the weakest of the series? If so, how great is O'Brian considering this would be a 5 star review vs. A great book that gets a 3 star because if the greatness of the other 17 novels. Daniel Bratell Looking at the review grading this seems to The Ionian Mission one of the weakest, if not the weakest. Many fewer have reviewed it than the books before or after ind …more Looking at the review grading this seems to be one of the weakest, if not the weakest. Many fewer have reviewed it than the books before or after indicating people skipped it after reading part of it and it has a lower grade than the other books. The grade is still high though so people that like this series enough to read this book didn't dislike it. Just didn't like it as much as other books. See 1 question about The Ionian Mission…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Political intrigue in the The Ionian Mission during the Napoleonic Wars as seen through the eyes of a Royal Navy captain. 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 Political intrigue in the Mediterranean during the Napoleonic Wars as seen through the eyes of a Royal Navy captain. A double-cross heats things The Ionian Mission 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 The Ionian Mission North African pirates. In this story, Aubrey is asked to The Ionian Mission ally with a loose-cannon Turkish captain and his battle-thirsty crew, who are created The Ionian Mission the image of the pirate of the era. That alone makes this a good read. The Ionian Mission I love pirates! View all 4 comments. Oct 17, Algernon Darth Anyan rated it really liked it Shelves: After the tumult and strife of the previous two books sea battles, grievous injuries, prison escapes, marriage at The Ionian Mission, etcmost 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 The Ionian Mission the Atlantic squadrons. Yet looking back at the duos adventures after the last page of the novel, I realize After the tumult and strife of the previous two books sea battles, grievous injuries, prison escapes, marriage at sea, etcmost 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 The Ionian Mission 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 The Ionian Mission 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 The Ionian Mission limited to: - the domestic arrangements of Stephen Maturin, who, despite being recently married, still tries to enjoy the perks of bachelorhood. 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 Ionian Mission line.