Set among the strange sights and smells of the Indian subcontinent and in the distant waters ploughed by the ships of the East India Company. Aubrey is on the defensive, pitting wits and seamanship against an enemy enjoying overwhelming local superiority. But somewhere in the Indian Ocean lies the prize that could make him rich […]

Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half-pay without a command — until his friend, and occasional intelligence agent, Stephen Maturin, arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope, under a Commodore’s pennant. But the difficulties of carrying out his orders are compounded by two of his own […]

Jack Aubrey has been ashore for a while and is getting into difficulties both in cards and at business, mostly due to his naivete and belief in the honesty of others. Stephen Maturin is also in personal trouble over his relationship with Diana Villiers and his increasing use of laudanum to relax. Aubrey is offered either the old […]