HMS Surprise (novel)

Infobox Book |
name = HMS Surprise


image_caption =
author = Patrick O'Brian
country = United Kingdom
language = English
cover_artist = Geoff Hunt
series = Aubrey-Maturin series
genre = Historical novel
publisher = Harper Collins (UK)
release_date = 1973
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD)
pages = 416 pp (first edition, hardback)
isbn = ISBN 0-00-221316-8, (first edition, hardback)
preceded_by = Post Captain
followed_by = The Mauritius Command

"HMS Surprise" is the 1973 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is third in the series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin.

Plot introduction

Captain Jack Aubrey is charged with carrying a British ambassador to the East Indies.

Accompanying him (as always) is his friend Stephen Maturin, and much of the novel deals with the ups and downs of Stephen's relationship with Diana Villiers, introduced in the previous novel, "Post Captain".

Plot summary

As the book opens the Admiralty is debating on how to reward the captains who captured the Spanish gold ships. Since Spain was not at war the prizes are not considered prizes and the captains end up with much smaller bounties than they thought they would receive. In the same meeting the new First Lord of the Admiralty mentions Stephen's name even though it is in a classified folder, blowing his cover as a spy.

Stephen willingly goes on a mission to Spain anyway, and is to be picked up by Jack while he is guiding HMS "Lively" on a return journey to English waters. Stephen has been captured and is being tortured by French intelligence when Jack gets to Port Mahon. A Catalan revolutionary gives Jack Stephen's location, to which Jack leads a party rescuing Stephen and killing the French interrogators.

Upon returning to England Jack finds that the fortunes he had expected from the Spanish gold fleet were not as large as he had hoped and he is still in debt. Jack is soon taken by bailiffs and is held in a sponging house. Stephen returns to Sir Joseph and tells of his capture and Jack’s predicament. By pulling a few strings, an advance is given to Jack on his prize money which gets him clear of the debt he is currently being held on, but not all of his debt.

Ever since Jack had fled the country for debt, Mrs. Williams had forbidden Sophie to talk to him. He believes that she is interested in marrying an Anglican priest, but after meeting with Sophie, Stephen convinces her to go see Jack secretly before he takes command of his new ship HMS "Surprise". Jack and Sophie meet in a coach in the middle of the night, and promise to marry no one else.

Stephen and Jack leave in the "Surprise" to ferry an ambassador to the East Indies. Upon getting underway, half of the crew become sick with scurvy and the ship is forced to put into Brazil to receive fresh fruit.

As the journey continues the "Surprise" makes a wide turn around the horn of Africa, at the time held by the Dutch who are at war with England. To avoid encounters, "Surprise" navigates into the waters of the Antarctic Ocean and has to weather a severe storm. The ambassador at this time becomes very ill. The "Surprise" puts into India to refit from the storm and to rest the ambassador. While ashore Stephen meets a local girl named Dil who shows him around India. While watching a parade with Dil Stephen runs into Diana, who had moved with Canning to India. They spend several days together and Stephen asks her to marry him. She doesn’t answer him before he has to leave.

The ambassador dies east of India and the "Surprise" turns around and sets sail for home. They run into the East Indian Company's China Fleet on return for England, but unescorted. A day after leaving the China Fleet the "Surprise" spots a French Squadron cruising the Indian Ocean. "Surprise" engages the smallest sloop of the squadron, knocking about her sails, then turns and makes speed back to the fleet of merchantmen to warn them and organize a defence.

Choosing the largest ships of the China Fleet, Jack dresses them as Men-of-War and sends some of his officers to help them fight. The French squadron closes on the "Surprise" and the large Indiamen. The "Surprise" turns and engages the largest French warship, the 74-gun ship of the line "Marengo", and is exchanging broadsides with the heavier ship when one of the Indiamen is able to engage the French ship from the other side, forcing her to disengage and the entire French squadron is forced to flee to refit.

Jack is the toast of the merchants. He is allowed to transport jewels as freight which gives him a significant cut of the profit as a reward. While in India, Canning confronts Stephen and they challenge each other to a duel. During the duel Canning shoots Stephen in the ribs, but Stephen hits Canning in the heart. Stephen convinces Diana to return with him, though on a merchant ship instead of "Surprise"; Jack will hear nothing of it. Meanwhile, Stephen is running a high fever because the bullet is still lodged in his ribs. With the help of Jack and the ambassador’s surgeon, Stephen operates on himself, removing the bullet.

As the "Surprise" sails home they stop at an Atlantic outpost and there Stephen finds that Diana has left him for a Mr. Johnstone from America (called "Mr. Johnson" in later books). Jack, on the other hand, had sent ahead for Sophie so that he may marry her now that he is out of debt, but she is not on the island. Within a day’s sailing, Jack overtakes an English frigate in the night and finds that Sophie is aboard. She refuses to marry him then but promises that once they return to England, she will.

Characters in "HMS Surprise"

*Jack Aubrey - Captain in the Royal Navy and appointed Captain of HMS "Surprise".
*Stephen Maturin - ship's surgeon, friend to Jack and intelligence officer.
*Sophie Williams - Jack's love interest
*Mrs. Williams - Sophie mother
*Diana Villiers - Stephen's love interest
*Dil - Female child, Stephen's Indian guide
*Richard Canning - Rich merchant, Diana's "protector" in India
*Tom Pullings - Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, third of the Surprise
*Barrett Bonden - Jack's coxswain
*Preserved Killick - Jack's steward
*Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois - French Admiral

hips in "HMS Surprise"

The British:
*HMS "Surprise" - frigate
*"Addington" - Indiaman
*"Ocean" - Indiaman
*"Camden" - Indiaman
*"Bombay Castle" - Indiaman
*"Alfred" - Indiaman
*"Wexwood" - Indiaman
*"Lushington" - Indiaman
*"Royal George" - Indiaman

The French:

*"Marengo", 74 gun ship of the line
*"Semillante", frigate
*"Belle Poule", frigate
*"Atalante", corvette

Major themes

Allusions/references to other works

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

The "cutting out" (capturing while at anchor) of HMS "Hermione" refers to an actual event involving HMS "Surprise" in 1799.

The capture of the Spanish treasure fleet, with Jack in command of HMS "Lively", is based on the 1804 Battle of Cape Santa Maria.

Aubrey's attack on the French squadron is a fictionalization of the 1803 Battle of Pulo Aura.

Literary significance & criticism

:"His books can absorb and enthral landlubbers like myself who do not even know the difference between a jib-boom and a taffrail." [cite journal | last =Webster | first =Valerie | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Review of HMS Surprise | journal =Scotsman | volume = | issue = | date =19 January 1974 | url = | accessdate = ]

Release details

*1973, UK, Collins (ISBN 0002213168), Pub Date ? ? 1973, hardback (First edition)
*1973, USA, Lippincott (ISBN ???), Pub date ? ? 1973, hardback (1st American edition)

Editions

* W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037037)
* Thorndike Press; Largeprint hardcover edition (2000) (ISBN 0786219343)
* Harper Collins; reprint paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0006499171)
* Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged Audio CD edition (2004) (ISBN 078618597X)
* Fontana; Paperback edition (1976) (ISBN 0006141811)
* Recorded Books, LLC; Unabridged Audio edition narrated by Patrick Tull

ources, references, external links, quotations

*cite book | author=Richard O'Neill | title=Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World | publisher=Running Press | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0762415401
*cite book | author=Dean King | title=A Sea of Words: Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales | publisher=Henry Holt | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0805066152
*cite book | author=Dean King | title=Harbors and High Seas: Map Book and Geographical Guide to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian | publisher=Henry Holt | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0805066144
*cite book | author=Brian Lavery | title=Jack Aubrey Commands: An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian | publisher=Conway Maritime | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0851779468
*cite book | author=Anne Chotzinoff Grossman, Lisa Grossman Thomas | title=Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which Is a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels | publisher=W W Norton & Co Ltd | year=2000 | id=ISBN 0393320944
*cite book | author=David Miller | title=The World of Jack Aubrey: Twelve-Pounders, Frigates, Cutlasses, and Insignia of His Majesty's Royal Navy | publisher=Running Press Book Publishers | year=2003 | id=ISBN 0762416521
*cite book | author=A.E. Cunningham (Editor) | title=Patrick O'Brian: A Bibliography and Critical Appreciation | publisher=British Library Publishing Division | year=1994 | id=ISBN 0712310711

Footnotes