Patrick OBrians Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of their beginning with Master & Commander these evocative stories are being re-issued in paperback with smart new livery. This is the fourteenth book in the series. Patrick OBrian is regarded by many as the greatest living historical novelist writing in English. In The Nutmeg of Consolation Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin begin stranded on an uninhabited island in the Dutch East Indies attacked by ferocious Malay pirates. They contrive their escape but after a stay in Batavia & a change of ship they are caught up in a night chase in the fiercely tidal waters & then embroiled in the much more insidious conflicts of the terrifying penal settlements of New South Wales. It is one of OBrians most accomplished & gripping books.