"Although O'Brian is ingenious at devising new adventures, it is the richness of his characters which justifies his readers' continuing enthusiasm."
--New Yorker

"This series is some of the finest historical fiction of our time, transforming a musty genre into art."--Los Angeles Times

"Fans of O'Brian's previous novels will find themselves well rewarded."
--Booklist

"Taken as a whole, the Aubrey-Maturin novels...are uniquely excellent."
--New York Times Book Review

A New York Times Best-Seller

Life ashore may once again be the undoing of Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy.
He is feuding with his neighbor and on even worse terms with his wife, whose mother has ferreted out a damaging trove of old personal letters. His erratic voting as a member of Parliament has dimmed his prospects at the Admiralty; and with the outbreak of peace in 1814, Aubrey fears being "yellowed," that is, nominally promoted to the rank of admiral without a squadron to command.

But Stephen Maturin returns from France with the news that the Chileans, to secure their independence, require an English navy. And just as Jack is dusting off his captain's hat, an urgent dispatch orders him to Gibraltar: Napoleon has escaped from Elba.