A Private Life – Nikolai Tolstoy Remembers Patrick O'Brian | Hacker News Reader

A Private Life – Nikolai Tolstoy Remembers Patrick O'Brian

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During a 1.75-year-long severe, debilitating depression in 2014-2015 I found the only thing I could read with any comprehension at all was the Aubrey-Maturin novels. They were a wonderful respite from an otherwise devastatingly terrible time in my life. Highly recommend you try them if you find yourself in similar straits.

I've read the Master and Commander series once and listened to the Patrick Tull narrated audio books three times ... and am considering starting it again. (I'm a big fan of O'Brian's other stories too, don't miss those.) I love the story, but the "voice" of the author in Tull's voice is comfort food for my ears. There may be pharmaceuticals with a similar relaxing effect on my nervous system but those have worse side effects. I don't listen to music but maybe this should count as music.

I just got the first book on Audible, and it does sound like it’s going to be a real treat!

Warning, it's a single novel in twenty one volumes.

My father did say I had better gear up for this when i told him haha.

I have also completed three "circumnavigations" with Patrick Tull. Incredible story, amazing narration.

I'm currently reading through these novels as well, I'm on The Mauritius Command (book four). My progression into this has been:

* Played way too much Sea of Thieves

* Helped plan a company on-site sunset sail on a sailboat in Boston Harbor

* Learned to sail at Community Boating over the last 2 seasons

* Watched Master & Commander: Far Side of the World after seeing too many memes about it

* Listened to the first 3 of the Aubrey-Maturin series on audiobook

* Gifted the entire 21 book series for my birthday

* Reading through them all this year (otherwise known as "The Circumnavigation")

It's truly a deep well of wonderful content that's witty, exciting, and just an amazing example of masculine friendship in literature with Jack and Stephen. Excited to read more and learn about the author!!

I have read some of the Aubrey-Maturin novels. They are a true joy!

If you plan to read them try to get ahold of a dictionary of nautical terms. Wikipedia has a free glossary [1] which can be helpful but I'd prefer a paper version if I could find a good one.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_nautical_terms_(A–...

You could try "Sea of Words" by Dean King. It's pretty good.

(Presumably the same Dean King mentioned in the linked article, FWIW.)

+1e9 for "A Sea of Words" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218275.A_Sea_of_Words). It's excellent reading in itself and helped a lot understanding the vocabulary.

Strongly recommend this. I enjoyed "Master & Commander" (and read the first three books in the series, which are really one continuous story) before finding "A Sea of Words" and was astounded, on a re-read, at how much I didn't understand about sailing terminology, life onboard, the navy, etc.

But it's also a book that rewards knowledge of French, Latin, the history of science, music, geography... really an astounding book.

Sea of words would probably do well as a companion but I think for understanding you'd be better off with just an illustrated sailing manual like royce's or the annapolis book.

He was a good writer who understood he was writing for a modern audience and had a plan about it. The royal navy period social stuff is explained in detail as it becomes relevant. Sometimes things are mentioned without being explained, but he always fills in a detail before it actually matters for the plot.

The sailing specific jargon though there is just too much and a lot of it you can functionally treat as technobabble and the books read fine. I think having knowledge of the points of sail and their dynamics is the main thing he assumes that is actually important for following the action.

For what it's worth, the use case that caused me to finally "get" chatbots was as a support while reading the Aubrey-Maturin series. The first conversation in my Claude history is me asking it "Compare the relative strengths of cannon and carronades. Which was more accurate?"

(But if you prefer a book, https://www.amazon.com/Patrick-OBrian-Muster-Book-Aubrey-Mat... is very useful.)

The culinarily-minded should also pick up "Lobscouse and Spotted Dog" by Grossman and Thomas[1]. This a cookbook by a mother and daughter team who cooked every single dish mentioned in the series with period recipes and techniques. As they say, the proof of the pudding is in its fruit.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Lobscouse-Spotted-Dog-Gastronomic-Com...

I have all 21 of the Aubrey-Maturin novels and have read them through twice. At the end of the last time I mentally bid them a fond farewell, sure that I would never devote the time to give them a third go... but now I doubt my resolve on that point. Simply the best historical novels of the sea and the Royal Navy ever written.

I read through the series my first time last year and as I was nearing the end I felt a deep sense of melancholy at not being able to continue on for another 20 books. I’m usually a science fiction and fantasy reader, so I was not expecting the Aubrey-Maturin novels to become one of my favorite series, but here we are.

I just finished my fifth(?) reading through the whole series. Still good stuff! I have sailed a little on an old gaff ketch, so I know a little about sailing ships. Nothing in the whole series sounded wrong to me. Same with their music, it just sounded right for the period. There were some things I suspected were off, like the platypus having poisonous claws, or some of the court details in North Africa, but every single detail was right when I checked it. And on top of that, the story telling, and the persons are so great!

Platypus do have poisonous claws. Or at least a single poisonous 'spur' on each paw.

They're a fascinating little creature.

Horatio Hornblower is for adolescence, Aubrey/Maturin for adulthood.

In sci-fi, the Honor Harrington by Weber and Royal Cinnabar Navy by Drake are obvious and entertaining pastiches

You think the C.S. Forester Hornblower's are juvenile? I assume you jest a little. I haven't read the O'Brian novels but have read the first two Hornblower books. I thought they were excellent, and exceeded my expectation. Better written and better stories than I thought I would get. I highly recommend them.

> I haven't read the O'Brian novels

"They don't think it be like it is, but it do."

It was perfectly fine until the upgrade showed up.

So true, and well put. I read all the Aubrey Maturin books first and then read four Hornblower novels.

Aubrey Maturin is better in terms of style, plot, environment and language.

I'd recommend the Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series to anyone who likes O'Brian. He writes superbly too, but has more action.

For anyone that wants to go super deep on the series I cannot recommend this podcast enough: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lubbers-hole-a-pat...

They unpack each novel paragraph by paragraph and sometimes line by line. After reading the novels 5x through I found a whole new realm of depth and enjoyment. O’Brian is a truly masterful writer and his learning and erudition are simply astounding sometimes.

As for the audiobooks, Patrick Tull cannot hold a candle to Simon Vance’s sublime narration. Sadly blackstone audio isn’t making them available right now unless you can find them on your local library’s app.

> Also in the library, dotted here and there, are objects connected to O'Brian. [...] a device for determining latitude,

Awkward, it's not like astrolabe, or perhaps sextant, are difficult words for the intended audience - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner%27s_astrolabe

O'Brian wrote a very good biography of Joseph Banks, and was the translator to English of "Papillon" and the followup "Banco" by Henri Charrière, before the film came out.

Two books "the Golden Ocean" and "the Unknown Shore" presage much of what is in the Aubrey/Maturin series, writing about the voyages of Anson.

For anyone curious about the connection with the Russian author with the same surname: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Tolstoy#Family

I have also enjoyed the Aubrey-Maturin novels. They have a good mix of elements, including humor and action.

Small world, he lives a few doors down from my mother in law.

From your link:

"According to historian Bob Moore, although the repatriations did occur, Tolstoy's intention was to minimize the culpability of the Cossacks for having sided with the Nazis, and in doing so he had undertaken manipulation of the sources and made "outrageous claims" that were exposed during the trial."

Great successor to the noble bloodline that enjoyed benefits of the work of serfs they owned.

This interview with Dean King from the (now-completed) podcast "The Lubber's Hole" presents a different viewpoint.

https://lubbershole.podbean.com/e/episode-220-dean-king-inte...

Highly recommend the Aubrey and Maturin series to anyone who likes historical novels and specifically has an interest in sailing and the British navy.

I had no interest in sailing or the Royal Navy before reading these books, but I sure do now.

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