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Hi Wordsmith! Russell Crowe (Jack Aubrey), Paul Bettany (Steven Maturin), Billy Boyd (Barret Bonden), James D'Arcy (Tom Pullings) are going to be in the film version of O'Briens books, which is going to be called The Far Side of the World. It is supposed to be out November 14th. Actually, it had been scheduled to come out this summer, but apparently they think the Oscars are still worth the trouble.

The Official Film site

IMDb listing

I have fallen in love with the series at last, although I haved a horrible habit of 'speed reading'...I have to go back and slow the eye down in order to pick up the more important things...and then sometimes it is like reading Shakespeare...it is so grounded in the language and social situations of the time period it is set, that I ahve trouble gaining an understanding of what they are saying. Still, after the second page of "Master and Commander" I knew that I would like Aubrey. Maturin is rather funny himself, and I love learning about life on a sailing ship. Its about as close to the sea as Id like to get without actually experiencing it! (Im a woodland forest kind of gal...)

Thank you so much for the links! I think that the Aubrey/Maturin novels will convert wonderfully to film. So much that O'Brian has to spend many words on - such as the sheer grandeur of being at sea - can be conveyed immediately via film. As with LOTR, though, I pray that the effort does justice to the original material. Any hints of leftist anti-imperialism would spell doom. Aubrey and Maturin's faith in the British Empire, and in the evil of Napoleonic dictatorship, is unshakeable.

I think I've probably had a similar experience with the books to yours since my father turned me on to them a couple of years ago. I read, and loved, Master and Commander despite the challenge, but bogged down in Post-Captain and set the series aside until a few months ago.

Then I discovered that my local library has the entire series in unabridged audiobook! My commute is an hour each way, all no-brainer cruise control, so it's perfect for audiobooks. The O'Brian books are ideal for this medium because I don't have to stumble over the pronunciation, or get hung up trying to tell a foretopsail from a mizzenmast.

My favorite so far is HMS Surprise. Aubrey's courtship of Sophie, Maturin dueling over Viller's, Aubrey's bold defense of the East India Company fleet, the degree to which the real India of the 19th century is conjured. Amazing stuff. Although Aubrey fussing over his cottage and struggling with matrimony at the beginning of Desolation Island was hilarious, and the wide-ranging naval strategy of Aubrey as commandore in The Mauritius Command was fascinating.

Gee, can you tell I'm hooked on these books? I seriously think they contend with Tolkien for the best episodic fiction written in the 20th century. I can't believe I never encountered them in college literature classes. Just goes to show how much the leftists rule the university.