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The Unknown Shore
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The Unknown Shore Hardcover - 1995

by Patrick O'Brian

An immediate precursor to O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series, The Unknown Shore is a saga of mutiny, bloodshed, and survival set in the mid-1700s, recounting the adventures of midshipman Jack Byron and his friend Tobias Barros, an alarmingly naive surgeon's mate.


From the publisher

Patrick O'Brian's first novel about the sea, The Golden Ocean, took inspiration from Commodore George Anson's fateful circumnavigation of the globe in 1740. In The Unknown Shore, O'Brian returns to this rich source and mines it brilliantly for another, quite different tale of exploration and adventure.

The Wager was parted from Anson's squadron in the fierce storms off Cape Horn and struggled alone up the coast of Chile until she was driven against the rocks and sank. The survivors were soon involved in trouble of every kind. A surplus of rum, a disappearing stock of food, and a hard, detested captain soon drove them into drunkenness, mutiny, and bloodshed. After many months of privation, a handful of men made their way northward under the guidance of a band of Indians, at last finding safety in Valparaiso.

This saga of survival is the background to the adventures of two young men aboard the Wager: midshipman Jack Byron and his friend Tobias Barrow, an alarmingly naive surgeon's mate. Patrick O'Brian's many devoted readers will take particular interest in this story, as Jack and Toby form a kind of blueprint for Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, the famed heroes of the great Aubrey/Maturin series to come.

From the rear cover

Patrick O'Brian's first novel about the sea, The Golden Ocean, took inspiration from Commodore Anson's fateful circumnavigation of the globe in 1740. In The Unknown Shore, O'Brian returns to this rich source and mines it brilliantly for another, quite different tale of exploration and adventure. The Wager was parted from Anson's squadron in the fierce storms off Cape Horn and struggled alone up the coast of Chile until it was driven against the rocks and sank. The survivors were soon involved in trouble of every kind. A surplus of rum, a disappearing stock of food, and a hard, detested captain soon drove them into drunkenness, mutiny, and bloodshed. After many months of privation, a handful of men made their way northward under the guidance of a band of Indians, at last finding safety in Valparaiso. This saga of survival is the background to the adventures of two young men aboard the Wager: midshipman Jack Byron and his friend Tobias Barrow, an alarmingly naive surgeon's mate. An immediate precursor to Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series of historical novels, The Unknown Shore displays all the splendid prose and attention to detail that O'Brian's readers have come to expect. Yet perhaps this novel's most fascinating aspect is the characterization of Jack and Toby, for in them we catch tantalizing glimpses of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, famed heroes of the great series to come.

Details

  • Title The Unknown Shore
  • Author Patrick O'Brian
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition 1st Edition
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher W. W. Norton & Company, New York
  • Date 1995
  • Features Maps
  • ISBN 9780393038590 / 0393038599
  • Weight 1.18 lbs (0.54 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.53 x 5.9 x 1.18 in (21.67 x 14.99 x 3.00 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Sea stories
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 95032887
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Kirkus Reviews, 09/15/1995, Page 1303
  • Library Journal, 12/01/1995, Page 165
  • Library Journal Prepub Alert, 07/01/1995, Page 56
  • New York Times, 12/17/1995, Page 22
  • Publishers Weekly, 10/02/1995, Page 55
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The Unknown Shore
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The Unknown Shore

by O'Brian, Patrick

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Unknown Shore : A Novel

Unknown Shore : A Novel

by Patrick Obrian

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ISBN 13
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The Unknown Shore

by Patrick Obrian

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The Unknown Shore
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The Unknown Shore

by Patrick O'Brian

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