Preview of The Commodore Summary:

The most commonly reiterated themes throughout the Aubrey/Maturin series are duty, love of glory, freedom from tyranny (especially as embodied by Napoleon), the pursuit of knowledge, and the maintenance of civil relations among the sometimes fractious members of the human race, considered as individuals and as nations. In The Commodore, these themes are expressed as the characters pursue the double mission of patrolling the west coast of Africa against the slave trade...