SOURCE: “Patrick O'Brian's Profoundly Addictive Tales of the Sea,” in Chicago Tribune Books, December 19, 1993, p. 4.

In the following review, Reardon offers a positive assessment of The Wine-Dark Sea, noting that—although the novels in O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series are similar—each installment remains enjoyable on its own.

The Wine-Dark Sea, is the 16th in Patrick O'Brian's series of addictively readable Aubrey/Maturin novels of the British Navy at sea and at war in the early 19th Century.

For those already caught in the thrall of the exploits of Captain Jack Aubrey and his particular friend, Stephen Maturin, a surgeon, naturalist and spy of high skills, no more needs to be said. Skip the rest of this review. Go out and buy the book.

For those who have seen the handsomely packaged paperback copies of the series blossoming, seemingly all at once, across entire shelves of bookstores in the...