I loved the first book of this series, Master and Commander. When I started reading Post Captain, however, I almost didn't finish it. This second book of the series started out extremely boring. Instead of the normal action and war at sea, a large part of the book took place in England, while Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin try to court the ladies and find wives.

After a while, however, Post Captain became more interesting. Aubrey had to escape from his creditors, and later escape from being interned in France (after Napoleon declared war again). Throughout the action, the friendship of the two main characters becomes more and more strained, as each man pursues the same woman, behind each other's back.

As the book went on, it became harder and harder to put down. O'Brian does not only know much about the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuies. It is clear that he also knows much about the deepest inner workings of friendship and relationships. Indeed, it seems to me that O'Brian has a most wonderful and complete insight into the depths of human nature. Combined with his incredible gift of language, O'Brian is the best writer I know of. After Post Captain, he is by far my favorite author.