What is the author's style in Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian?

O'Brian has no sympathy for the ignorance of his readers. He expects them to know or to research the contents and language of his historical narrative. Not only does he not explain the language of the period, but he even utilizes Latin in his medical descriptions of animals or medicines without really explaining anything. As mentioned before, the narrative is also in a kind of note style, where transitions are blurred or missing altogether.