Editorial Review

This time it's the War of 1812 that gets in the way of Captain Jack Aubery's plans. Caught en route to England in a dispatch vessel, Aubrey and Maturin are soon in the thick of a typically bloody naval engagement. Next stop: an American prison, from which only Maturin's cunning allows them to engineer an exit. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Best in the Series!
This one has it all!Romantic tension, exploding ships, climactic battle scenes, and (my favorite) ingrigue!The characters, are at their most Jack-and-Stephenesque.O'Brian manages to fit more meaning and emotion into a single simple sentence than any author since Austen and he manages to fit more events into this book than many of his others.Anyone who has gotten this far in the series doesn't need me to urge them to read this one, but I couldn't help but sing its praises.

. . . Aubrey & Maturin delayed in Boston- their adventure home continues
"The Fortune of War" continues where "Desolation Island" left the readers hanging in Patrick O'Brian's previous novel.But rather than being rescued and safe, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are taken out of the frying pan and put in the fire.Whether it is an exploding ship heading home, the pummeling broadsides of the USS Constitution, or the clutches of the fledgling American intelligence network; Patrick O'Brian gives his famous and beloved protagonists almost more than they can handle.
The Fortune of War
This is the sixth volume in the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. English Historical Fiction    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Historical    5. General    6. Great Britain    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. History, Naval    10. Sea & Ocean    11. United States    12. War & Military    13. War of 1812    14. English    15. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (16)

A Great Series
This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.
Hawkeswill kills everything including this book
I've eagerly poured through this great series, but was sorely disappointed to see a re-appearance of Sgt. Hawkeswill.His presence ads nothing to this book, other than a great unbelievable diversion.
One of the better Sharpe novels
"Sharpe's Company" is one of the better books in the Sharpe series with a mostly convincing plot, a geniunely interesting series of complications for our hero Richard Sharpe to deal with (including a demotion, the birth of a daughter and the return of the evil Sgt. Hakeswill) and some really terrific battle scenes.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Badajoz (Spain)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Historical    5. Great Britain    6. Historical - General    7. History    8. History, Military    9. Men's Adventure    10. Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815    11. Siege, 1812    12. War & Military    13. Fiction / Historical   

Reviews (13)

A Great Series
This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.
My favorite so far....
A friend referred to the Sharpe series as literary opium...he may be right.They are guilty pleasures, for sure....and I worry what will happen when I have read them all.
Not bad but not my fave Sharpe novel
"Sharpe's Sword" is a decent entry into the Sharpe series, but I happen to tend to prefer the Sharpe adventures that are primarily military rather than the ones with espionage plots. And, for my taste, "Sharpe's Sword" is a bit heavy on the spy angle and a hair light on the battles. But the book's action scenes, while failing to rival those in, say, "Sharpe's Rifles," "Sharpe's Eagle" or "Sharpe's Company," are still pretty satisfying. "Sharpe's Sword" is far from the weakest of the generally very strong Sharpe series (of the ones that I've read so far, I'd say that "Sharpe's Prey" my least favorite), but it doesn't quite rank among the very best, either. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Historical    4. Historical - General    5. Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815    6. Reference    7. Salamanca, Battle of, 1812    8. War & Military    9. Fiction / Adventure   

Editorial Review

Captain Jack Aubrey sets sail for Cape Horn, determined to intercept an American frigate before it can wreak havoc on the British whaling trade. As always, he is accompanied by intelligence operative Stephen Maturin, and as always, Aubrey has no idea of what his companion is up to. Another impeccably written adventure, by the end of which you should be able to identify a mizzen topsail in your sleep. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

A Fascinating, Fun Read!
The Far Side of the World was my first foray into author Patrick O'Brian's epic series of Napoleon-era novels detailing the exploits and adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and I'm happy to say it won't be my last!
Captain Aubrey Sails for the South Pacific and Galapagos
Note for new readers, or those inspired to read by the movie: For those of you who are beginning this amazing series, or are expecting a close re-telling of the movie starring Russell Crowe, please read the next few sentences closely.This book is the 10th in a series that detail the life and adventures of two best friends and their companions in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars (rough timeline 1805-1812).The recent movie contains the titles of two these novels "Master and Commander", the first of the series, and this novel "The Far Side of the World"; this choice for the movie's title is more than symbolic, the director and script writers have actually taken events, conversations, battles and plot lines from the entire series, and has combined them in new and interesting ways.So, if you're fresh from the movie theater or just watched a new DVD and are excited to experience `the book' version, you should not expect a close retelling.I think of the movie as a new adventure with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, and you can think of this book in the same light.And I believe the concept does the story and the characters justice: in Patrick O'Brian's own brief forward he even speculates on this same possibility -although in a purely literary sense- "and it is possible that in the near future the author (if the readers will bear with him) may be led to make use of hypothetical years, rather like those hypothetical moons used in the calculation of Easter: an 1812a as it were or even an 1812b" (page12).Additionally, I will highly recommend that you start your foray into the nautical world of Napoleon's time with the initial novel of the Aubrey/Maturin Series.
Don't start with this book!
If you are interested in reading this book because of the movie don't start with this one. The movie does a pretty good job of capturing a one dimensional snapshot of Steven and Jack but they are far richer people than the movie can portray. Each book has been written in such a way that it can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel but to get the very best out of it you need to start with the first one. I just finished the last book last night and am deeply sorry, in a way, that it was never finished before Patrick passed away. On the other hand it seems almost right that there is no final period to this wonderful saga.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Historical    4. General    5. Great Britain    6. Historical - General    7. History    8. History, Naval    9. Naval operations, British    10. Sea & Ocean    11. United States    12. War & Military    13. War of 1812    14. Modern fiction   

Editorial Review

The War of 1812 gave the United States some of its finest military moments: Admiral Perry's victory on Lake Erie, Andrew Jackson's lopsided triumph at the Battle of New Orleans, the immortal words "Don't give up the ship!," and Fort McHenry's defense of Baltimore (whichinspiredFrancis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner"). At the same time, the fighting didn't go especially well for the Americans. Their invasion of Canada failed and the British burned the White House to the ground. The conflict ended in a draw. With Read more

Reviews (11)

A Concise Look at a Forgotten War
The War of 1812 is without a doubt one of the more forgotten episodes of American History.Most casual students of history can name only a couple of facts about a conflict that was the first American declared war after the Revolutionary War.Yet this important conflict deserves much more attention by historians than it is given justice, especially in light of current world events and contemporary politics, which in many ways the War of 1812 reflects.
quick delivery.. great price
Right book.. delivered quickly at a great price.. what more could you ask for?

History Repeating Itself
Imagine a war where the majority political party railroads the minority party into joining it, where the rationale for declaring it is hastily revised when the original purpose is exposed as reckless, where the imagined economic benefit morphs into an economic hardship.Imagine a war with prison scandals and party rancor and restrictions on civil rights, a war so unpopular the military has trouble recruiting soldiers.Imagine a war where plenty of lives are lost but the entire exercise returns you pretty much to where you started.Sound familiar?
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Subjects:  1. 1812-1815, War of 1812    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Military - General    7. United States    8. United States - 19th Century    9. War of 1812    10. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    11. USA    12. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (1)

A Winner
This is the first book by Donald Hickey that I have bought and read and it is an outstanding, if somewhat unusual book, on the War of 1812.Because of this, I have just ordered two more books by the author.
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Subjects:  1. Errors, inventions, etc    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - General    7. Military - Other    8. Military - United States    9. Miscellanea    10. United States    11. United States - 19th Century    12. United States - Antebellum Era    13. War of 1812    14. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    15. History / Military / United States    16. USA    17. United Kingdom, Great Britain    18. Warfare & Defence   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: American    4. Influence    5. Military - Other    6. Military - United States    7. United States    8. United States - 19th Century    9. United States - Antebellum Era    10. United States - General    11. War of 1812    12. History / United States / General   

Reviews (31)

Okay Read, Poor Writing
I know that everyone else seems to really enjoy this book, and in general it is okay.I do have to say, however, that the conversational style of this book was distracting. One usually doesnt find question marks at the ends of sentences in the history genre. It wasn't terrible, but many times I found myself saying, "Wow, that was a poorly worded sentence that doesnt fit well with this genre."
An interesting read
Even if you have never found history to be of any interest you may enjoy this book thanks to the good writing techniques of Mr. Borneman. He definitely keeps you interested in the story throughout the book. You even find yourself at times hanging on at the end of a chapter as if you were reading a novel.
The War of 1812: A Turning Point for the New Nation?
The War of 1812 proved a great trial for the young United States. Not only did it include an effective British blockade on American shipping -- especially in the last year of the war -- but the Embargo Act of 1807 passed in Jefferson's second term led to a 90% decline in American exports before the war ever started. Across the country, wharves and warehouses were piled high with American goods and foodstuffs with nowhere to go.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: American    4. Influence    5. Military - United States    6. United States    7. United States - 19th Century    8. United States - General    9. War of 1812    10. History / United States / 19th Century   

Reviews (21)

A unique time
This is a fascinating look at the earthquakes of 1811-12 on the Mississippi River. The author does a nice job of weaving several stories together to show what the area, its people and some of the key players in American politics were like at the time. Some do not come off as very appealing characters but that is as it should be, to show people warts and all. The book is a quick read and sheds light on several less well known chapters of American history from a different perspective.

Interdisciplinary history
Along with "nanotechnology", the other big word in science at the beginning of the 21st century is "interdisciplinary".Specifically, many future technological advances will be made at the points where different sciences meet.For example, genetic engineering arises from the meeting of biology with nanotechnology.This push for interdisciplinary science is affecting the social sciences also, as the events of human history are being revisited and re-examined with an eye towards geology, climate change, ecology, etc, etc...Such is this book titled "When the Mississippi Ran Backwards...".Written by Jay Feldman, this book shows how a geological event, such as a series of massive earthquakes, can change the course of human history even if the earthquake itself does not kill that many people.The earthquakes in question here are the New Madrid earthquakes centered on the Mississippi basin in 1813 - 1814.The quakes themselves destroyed buildings throughout the region of what is now Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouria, Arkansas and Alabama.But what is more important is what people did in response to these quakes.This then is the focus of this book.
If only all history books were this well researched..
Any time an author includes a sentence beginning with 'The county court records..in 1810' in a book, you know that he has leafed through a lot of material to get his facts...
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Subjects:  1. 1812-1815    2. 19th century    3. Earthquakes & Volcanoes    4. General    5. History    6. History - U.S.    7. History: World    8. Indians of North America    9. Mississippi River    10. Missouri    11. New Madrid Earthquakes, 1811-1    12. New Madrid Earthquakes, 1811-1812    13. United States - 19th Century    14. Wars    15. History / United States / 19th Century   

Reviews (2)

A Fascinating Diary
This book is a fascinating voyage through one of the great 19th Century Southern political minds; perhaps second only to John C. Calhoun.Alexander H. Stephens was a strange little man, never weighing more than 100 pounds, and standing only 5' 7" tall; but "Little Aleck" had the heart of a lion. He was possessed of a small head with protruding ears and piercing black eyes.Trained as a lawyer, with a frail almost boyish figure, he never married and was totally devoted to his half-brother, Linton, who served in the Georgia Legislature, on the Georgia Supreme Court and as a Confederate officer, and whose family Alexander Stephens adopted as his own. Fort Warren's last prisoner
This is a reprint of the original diary kept by Stephens while at the fort. It is the only book still in print that was written at Fort Warren. If you had a Confederate relative imprisoned at Fort Warren, this gives a terrific insight to the daily routine at the famous bastille. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1812-1883    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Boston    6. Diaries    7. Historical - U.S.    8. History    9. Legislators    10. Massachusetts    11. Military    12. Political    13. Prisoners of war    14. Stephens, Alexander Hamilton,    15. U.S. History - Civil War And Reconstruction (1860-1877)    16. United States    17. United States - Civil War    18. Biography: general    19. Civil war    20. Stephens, Alexander Hamilton    21. USA    22. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (3)

Great Historical Christian Fiction Reading!
In 1812, Erica Langston's father owns a thriving business and provides his family with a comfortable home. They show no outward signs of the struggles and fears faced by her Acadian forbearers. Everything is perfect in Erica's world. Her dad entrusts her with the business' financial matters, since her brother has no head for numbers, and she has discovered a new business venture her family will profit in. Then one terrible morning when the family is still eating breakfast, British soldiers march on the city of Washington to torch government buildings, the beginnings of the War of 1812. Someone sets fire to the Langston business and in the ensuing panic; her father is hit over the head by a British soldier and dies in Erica's arms. great
This is a marvelous book that incoludes a great plot, and has a great heroine, and has great romance, and is very intelligent...yep, talk about perfect! Erica Langston is the intelligent, smart, and beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant. As her father's pet, Erica is granted her desire to learn the ways of the business world. When a great tragedy helps bring the remainder of her family closer together, Erica decides that she must fullfill the duty that nearly ruined the Langstons. The best part of that, is upon arriving in London to do this, she comes face to face with a young man, Gareth Powers, that she had met in the terrible incident of her past. Erica finds the need to watch her back for danger, and work her hardest in the ways her father had taught her so well. Questions flash through your mind when you read this...will Erica get what she came for? Will she ever make peace with Gareth? Will she ever come to trust in God? This was such an awesome book...I really can't wait for the sequel to come out! READ

This will be a best seller.
As a fan of Davis Bunn, I have particularly enjoyed the works he did in collaboration with Janette Oke. Although this book was not done with Janette, Isabella Bunn has done a marvelous job in providing the woman's heart and touch that were so key to the tone and content of the Bunn/Oke series.Read more

Subjects:  1. Acadians    2. Americans    3. England    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Religious    6. Historical - General    7. History    8. Religious - General    9. Religious - Historical    10. United States    11. War of 1812    12. Washington (D.C.)    13. Women    14. Fiction / Religious    15. General & Literary Fiction    16. Historical fiction   

Reviews (6)

Better insight into TR than history of 1812
I read this book to try and kill two birds with one stone - get a better feel for one of my favorite Americans and learn about the war of 1812.Unfortunately Roosevelt focuses on the naval actions without giving much context or background.He also assumes you will know a lot of the nautical terms he uses and I did not.Roosevelt is fixated with refuting William James' "Naval History of Great Britain" at every turn, which got tiring; even if it did provide a lot of insight into how obsessive the man was and how relentlessly he attacked those obsessions.
Wonderful account of the naval war of 1812
I must admit that after seeing that this book was written well over a century ago, I was a bit hesitant, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this work.
Three Cheers for America!
In a time when patriotism is passe, reading this book can redden the stuff in any American's veins.Our Navy's often-victorious battles against a superb and numerically superior foe ranks with the Athenian victory at Marathon in the annals of honor.Roosevelt was a natural storyteller and a first-rate scholar.Like JFK two generations later ("Why England Slept") this work was the product of a young twentysomething Harvard grad (JFK was actually a senior) that commanded serious attention nationally, and presaged a later rise to the summit of public life.Roosevelt's research is exhaustive, but not tedious, thanks to a vigorous prose style that carries the reader through a mass of detail without losing sail.The digression on which nationalities make the best seafarers would no doubt be considered un-PC today, but, as a general characterization of national characteristics, they arguably hold true.The author's final chapter, on the Battle of New Orleans, forshadows future policy, in that his criticism of the unreliability of the militia were embodied in the reforms that fully Federalized the National Guard, as the Dick Act of 1903.(Doubtless, his Spanish-American War experiences contributed to his desire to supplant the 1793 Militia Act, as well.)This book rests on my shelf, next to Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History," and O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin novels - as is fitting for an historical work written in the spirit of high adventure and studded with minute detail. -Lloyd A. Conway ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Naval    5. Naval History - Modern    6. Naval operations    7. Navy    8. New Orleans, Battle of, New Orleans, La., 1815    9. United States    10. United States - 19th Century    11. United States.    12. War of 1812    13. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    14. History / Military / Naval    15. USA   

Reviews (4)

St. Simon's Island: A Memoir
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful lady's memoir.I have been reading her books for years and lost track of her for a while.I read the book she wrote to her readers and it was copyrighted in 1992.What I'm wondering - what is her very latest book?Doing a calculation, I think she must be in her mid-80's and I wonder if she and Joyce are still partof the famous Islanders on our favorite vacation spot, St. Simon's?.Thank you.

romantic without being dirty, spiritual,intriguing,fascinati
Eugenia Price is a very spiritual writer with a lotof love to go around.I've read everything I can get by her and even went to her island about 4 years ago and toured around the island right down to the cemeterieswhere some of the characters were buried.A very fascinating book, as areall her books.

I couldn't put it down.
This book was captivating. The characters were well defined, the descriptions were vivid, the plotline was rivoting. I was completely swept away with Anne and John's love story and with Anne's love of her homelandand family. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Historical Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Romance    4. Georgia    5. History    6. Romance - Historical    7. Romance: Historical    8. War of 1812    9. War stories    10. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. History    6. Lake Erie, Battle of, 1813    7. Military    8. Military - Naval    9. Military - United States    10. Naval operations    11. Ship captains    12. United States    13. War of 1812    14. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    15. Biography: historical    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. History - U.S.    3. Reference    4. United States - State & Local - South    5. American history    6. American studies    7. Central Southern states    8. Reference / Encyclopedias    9. abolition; Anglo-American antebellum culture; Atlantic world; Civil War battlefields; Cold War; colonial heritage; Confederate States of America; emancipation; frontier heritage; Great Depression; globalization; Paleo-Indian period; archaic period; woodland period; Mississippian period; Indian removal; Jacksonian Democracy; Jeffersonian Tradition; Korean War; maritime tradition; Mexican War; black migration; military bases; military tradition; New Deal; Progressive Era; Reconstruction; sharecropping; slave culture; slave revolts; Spanish-American War; Vietnam War; War of 1812; World War I; World War II; Robert Beverly; Daniel Boone; William Byrd II; John C. Calhoun; Jimmy Carter; Citizens' Councils; Bill Clinton; Confederate veterans; Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); Davy Crockett; Jefferson Davis; Frederick Douglass; W. E. B. Du Bois; Medgar Evers; Farm Security Administration; George Fitzhugh; Nathan Bedford Forrest; John Hope Franklin; Grimke sisters; Fannie Lou Hamer; James Henry Hammond; Andrew Jackson; Jesse Jackson; Stonewall Jackson; Jamestown; Thomas Jefferson; Andrew Johnson; Lyndon B. Johnson; Martin Luther King Jr.; Robert E. Lee; John Roy Lynch; James Madison; James Meredith; James Monroe; NAACP; Frederick Law Olmstead; Frank Owsley; U. B. Phillips; James Knox Polk; Elizabeth Allston Pringle; John Randolph; Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); Southern Historical Association; Southern Historical Society; Jeb Stuart; Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); John Taylor; Trail of Tears; Nat Turner; United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC); 1965 Voting Rights Act; Booker T. Washington; Ida B. Wells-Barnett; Woodrow Wilson; Carter G. Woodson; C. Vann Woodward; Alvin C. York   

Reviews (5)

A FANTASTIC read!
For various reasons, the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain to lay claim over Canada is sometimes referred to as a forgotten war. There was no well known American president involved such as George Washington, nor was there a popular general involved such as Ulysses S. Grant to capture the imaginations of the American people. Many Canadians feel military accomplishments have never been a focal point in our national conscience, but the War of 1812 was the bloodiest conflict fought on Canadian soil and was an essential event in forming the foundation of the Canadian identity.