The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack AubreyBlue at the Mizzen (novel #20) ended with Jack Aubrey getting the news, in Chile, of his elevation to flag rank: Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron, with orders to sail to the South Africa station. The next novel, unfinished and untitled at the time of the author's death, would have been the chronicle of that mission, and much else besides. The three chapters left on O'Brian's desk at the time of his death are presented here both in printed version-including his corrections to the typescript-and a facsimile of his manuscript, which goes several pages beyond the end of the typescript to include a duel between Stephen Maturin and an impertinent officer who is courting his fiancee. Of course we would rather have had the whole story; instead we have this proof that O'Brian's powers of observation, his humor, and his understanding of his characters were undiminished to the end. |
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Admiral Admiral's African squadron asked Aubrey's barge boat Brigid cabin called Cape Caplan Captain Aubrey Captain Miller Chilean CLARISSA OAKES command course coxswain crew cried damned decent deck delight Dr Jacob Dr Maturin Edward face fack friends frigate frigate's glass grave GREATEST HISTORICAL NOVELIST greenstick fracture hand happy heard Heatherleigh HMS Suffolk HMS SURPRISE IONIAN MISSION Jack Aubrey Jack's Killick land least Legate letters lieutenant little girls live look Lord Leyton mate Medenham mizzen never Nuncio NUTMEG OF CONSOLATION officers once PATRICK O'BRIAN perfectly perhaps port POST CAPTAIN Rear-Admiral Ringle River Plate sail salute sand ship shipmates shore shot side Simmons Slepten soon Sophie South African St Paul's Rock Stephen Strait sure Surprise Surprise's tell thank ther thing THIRTEEN GUN SALUTE voyage walking werewolf wind Woolcombe