The Hundred Days by Patrick O’Brian has been on my TBR for…a very long time. So long I can’t remember how long, unless I go blog-diving. Part of the issue was I was having trouble obtaining a copy when I reached that point in the series, at least a copy I could afford. It’s been so long I’ve forgotten how I ended up finally finding one. I was expecting it to be a banger, and it’s definitely backlist at this point.
I had thought I might have trouble getting back into the series after this long, but I was incorrect – it was like visiting a familiar place with familiar friends. I would call the following a spoiler, if this book had not come out in 1998. The book begins with the unexpected off-stage death of Diana Villiers Maturin in a carriage accident, which struck me as the author being tired of her character after she had married Stephen Maturin and borne a daughter.
Ostensibly, the plot relates to eliminating ships being built to serve Napoleon after his escape from Elba, with Jack Aubrey commanding a makeshift squadron and Stephen Maturin acting as a spy for the same purpose; also, they are trying to hijack funds intended to pay Turkish mercenaries. This mission doesn’t actually commence until over a hundred pages of preparation and naval business into the novel, but I didn’t actually care. The joy of O’Brian is the historical detail and delightfully idiosyncratic characters, and their personal concerns and side journeys. One just…goes with it.
One of my favorite things about this series is Jack and Stephen’s love of music; in this book, they are working on a piece by Zelenka, whose work I love but who is not hugely popular outside of baroque music enthusiasts in today’s world. It was very satisfying to see him crop up!
Diana’s death, both timing and its handling, struck me very oddly at the time. I haven’t reread it since, partly because I’ve been waiting for a good chance to read through the whole series straight.