The Lubber’s Hole - A Patrick O’Brian Podcast

We're taking a break from The Mauritius Command to bring you a guest interview with Antonia Senior. Antonia is a book critic at The Times, as well as a writer, podcaster and journalist. But before she was any of those things, she was a Patrick O’Brian fan, and we had a great time talking to her about historical fiction, what makes O'Brian such a standout, and which other authors come close. With a little chat about espionage on the side! 

We step into O'Brian's re-telling of the Battle of Grand Port, the only major French naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars, and one of the most devastating, catastrophic reversals in the entire Aubrey-Maturin canon. For one of our characters in particular, it’s going to be a life-changing event.

They're all at it: Jack Aubrey summons his resilience, Tom Pullings summons himself, and fate summons a familiar captain back to the waters off Mauritius.  We’re going to have cat-and-mouse pursuits, false dawns, anti-climaxes and yet another blood-soaked action at sea, with a hidden clue as to the fate awaiting one of our main characters.

After flexing his brain surgery skills, Stephen is off to subvert the catholics of Mauritius, but gets a nasty dunking. Jack Aubrey has a chance to take on Commodore Hamelin on equal terms.

The pieces fall into place for the final stages of the invasion of Mauritius - we find out how that’s all going to play out! Plus resolution for Stephen, a boiled baby for Tom Pullings, grief and anger for McAdam, un-earned glory for Admiral Bertie, and a delightful piece of news from home for Jack Aubrey.

Desolation Island opens with bucolic absurdity - we’ve got Jack Aubrey on ‘Fiddler’s Green’, Stephen dissecting a fresh cadaver's hands before dinner, a catastrophic get-rich-quick scheme, and Jane Austen-style fibbing from almost everyone. Grab a glass of port and mind your poke—we're getting the band back together.

 Jack and Stephen get some help from their friends, Stephen navigates the highs and lows of London street life, and we discover what's been happening to Diana Villiers.  To cap it all, Stephen and Jack are persuaded that the best place for them is at sea.

There's death below decks, a stowaway, rats and a dog, Stephen stepping up as surgeon and spy (despite his Jonesing), an introduction to the wardroom, classical poets, toasted cheese and Corelli in C Major.

We get a thickening of the plot with Louisa Wogan and her lover Herapath; plants everywhere to be paid off in this book and later ones; idyllic sailing time, Old Adam, a saintly cleric, decomposed puffins, and Stephen's nemesis finally declares itself as he gathers allies.