The Hundred Days

The Hundred Days is the nineteenth book in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. Jack Aubrey is a commodore in the English navy and is assigned to the Mediterranean when Napoleon escapes from Elba. All of Europe is an an uproar as Napoleon quickly rebuilds his armies and tries to dominate the continent again. Captain Aubrey is commanded to monitor the ports in the Adriatic Sea, find ships being built for the French, and either convert them to English ships or destroy them.

Stephen Maturin, Jack's friend and the ship's surgeon, is mourning the death of his wife in a road accident. The story focuses on him as he is assigned a mission to prevent a large amount of gold being transported from Africa to Europe to assist mercenaries in joining Napoleon's army. Maturin travels into Algeria with a new friend Dr. Amos Jacob. They convince the Dey of Algiers not to transport the gold, but are dismayed when they learn he has been overthrown and a new Dey more friendly toward Napoleon. The ship with the gold tries to sneak through Gibraltar but Jack spies it. A long chase ensues but Jack finally captures the ship and the gold. When Jack and Stephen make it back to the port of Gibraltar, they learn that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo.

This is a fun installment in the series, but it lacks a bit of suspense and excitement in some of the other volumes. The first half of the book is taken up with small successes as Jack attacks shipbuilding in various ports. There is not much of an overall story form here. Stephen's adventures in Algeria are more interesting, especially when he goes hunting and shoots a lioness. There is real intrigue when Stephen deals with the Dey and his assistants as well as the local English ambassador. The chase at the end is when O'Brian shines, with days of firing guns back and forth and suspenseful changes of the rigging. This book is not my favorite in the series but was still worth the read. B+

The Yellow Admiral

The Yellow Admiral is the 18th installment in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. It starts with Jack and Stephen in England catching up with their family. Jack is distressed over the possibility of being "yellowed", or promoted to flag rank without any command, the yellow command being imaginary. Jack is dealing with political issues as an MP in the House of Commons. He leads the opposition to a land reform proposal that another powerful lord and admiral support. Despite the admiral trying to get him orders to go sea, Jack manages to get to Parliament and help vote down the measure.

Stephen Maturin is enjoying his wife Diana and daughter Brigid. He is concerned to learn that his fortune may not be safe in Spain, but then it all works out. Before leaving on a mission, Jack asserts to his wife Sophie that her rudeness to Clarissa Oakes is unwarranted since he has never been involved with her. Yet he soon receives a letter from Sophie informing him that she has knowledge of his affair in America. His attempts to reconcile are useless, until Sophie talks to Diana and Stephen and accepts him back.

Jack is assigned to the Bellona and gets into trouble when a pair of French ships slip the blockade. Then he gets into trouble for leaving formation to chase a French privateer. Stephen returns from a mission in France with plans for Jack to leave the navy when peace breaks out and take a command with the Chilean navy. When Napoleon is captured, Jack is ready to travel to Chile. He is on the first leg of his voyage to Chile when he gets word that Napoleon has escaped and the war is back on.

This book was a bit slower than most of the others. The conflict revolves around Jack's domestic duties and his identity as an MP. Stephen has his usual role as an intelligence agent. Their children get to know each other. Jack struggles with his life on shore and his life on sea, and faces the potential of leaving the sea behind with the end of his career. The voyage at the end with his family starts as a nice valediction until the news of Napoleon's escape. Overall, it's an adequate novel but not among the best in the series. B