Patrick O'Brian's 20-volume epic of naval tales -- echoing the work of such master writers as Joseph Conrad, Herman Melville, and Jane Austen -- brings to life the exploits of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. From the excitement of the chases, storms, and battles to the authenticity of language, humor, and the wealth of detail -- down to the last button and turn of phrase -- old and new readers will share the exciting adventure of O'Brian's early-nineteenth-century world.Aubrey, Maturin, and their crew escape from a remote island in the Dutch East Indies -- only to confront legalized slavery and a brush with death at an Australian penal colony.