SOURCE: “Ahoy! Patrick O'Brian Sails Again,” in Commonweal, Vol. 123, No. 19, November 8, 1996, pp. 9–10.

In the following positive review, Wheeler compares The Yellow Admiral and the entire Aubrey/Maturin series with Homer's epic tales of ancient Greek life.

The enormous success of Patrick O'Brian's historical novels defies any simple explanation. Perhaps the current interest in film adaptations of Jane Austen's works offer some explanatory clue. Indeed, the two authors share a loving devotion to the Royal Navy at the time of the Napoleonic campaigns, but O'Brian sails with hindsight into waters which Miss Austen could only imagine, landlocked as she was ashore. Norton, O'Brian's publishers, certainly cannot be at sea when they regard the enormous sales figures; their best-selling author can even be found smiling quizzically from his own spot on their internet home page. Perhaps he wonders about the on-line links to a chat group and a list-serv which...