HMS Surprise Add a review

HMS Surprise is the third historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1973. The series follows the partnership of Royal Navy Captain Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin during the wars against Napoleonic France.

In the story, Maturin's work as an intelligence agent gets him into trouble just as Aubrey takes command of a new ship, HMS Surprise. Later, the friends embark on a long voyage to bring an ambassador to Southeast Asia, rounding the southern tip of Africa.

The novel is often considered one of the best in the series. Some reviewers found it had "superb depictions of life", yet too full of nautical detail, while others found that detail part of the author's erudition and not in the way of the plot. The author showed "capacity for creating another completely believable world", while another reviewer said the novel is "stretching its genre [naval adventure] but never escaping it."