'Full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein!Patrick O'Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars.' James Hamilton-Paterson 'You are in for the treat of your lives. Thank God for Patrick O'Brian: his genius illuminates the literature of the English language, and lightens the lives of those who read him.' Kevin Myers, Irish Times 'Written with most engaging enthusiasm that can't fail to give pleasure to anybody who enjoys historical adventure flavoured with more than a dash of realism.' Sunday Times 'Liveliness and expertise!the hero is vigorous flesh and blood.' Observer 'This book sets him at the very top of his genre.' Mary Renault

Patrick O'Brian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed 'Aubrey--Maturin' tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including 'Testimonies', and his 'Collected Short Stories'. 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 received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000.