O'BRIAN, PATRICK — Blue at the Mizzen

London, HarperCollins. 1999, 1st UK Edition. (ISBN: 0002259591) Hardcover. Book, The title of this book, which seems to dance in the breeze, intimates that Jack Aubrey, lucky Jack Aubrey, is going to win the prize on which he has long set his heart. For once at the outset of the story he is neither financially embarrassed nor under some unmerited professional cloud. But time is gaining on him. His spirits, his energy, his zest for life and its pleasures are not what they were. He has reached the top of the Captain's list and the odds against his promotion to flag rank are lengthening. On the other hand, his old shipmate Stephen Maturin has lost none of his spark. Recovering from the loss of his wife, he finds passion for natural history happily combines with a tenderer emotion. And in the revolutionary politics of South America, whither the Surprise is bound, his expertise in intelligence work is indispensable.262p. Fine/Fine.