SOURCE: “On the High Seas with the Royal Navy and Patrick O'Brian,” in Sewanee Review, Vol. 104, No. 2, Spring, 1996, p. R40.

In the following review, Pickering argues that although Men-of-War is an interesting look at life in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, he believes that the Aubrey/Maturin series offer a more-rounded portrayal of the era due to the fictional narrative.

“Thick weather in the chops of the Channel and a dirty night, with the strong north-east wind bringing rain from the low sky and racing clouds: Ushant somewhere away on the starboard bow, the Scillies to larboard, but never a light, never a star to be seen; and no observation for the last four days.” Thick weather, racing clouds, and the wind from the northeast are matters worth thinking about after a day at the office and the long drive home, the radio jabbering about “grass-combing...