description Desolation Island Overview
Desolation Island is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian, published in 1978 as the fifth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series. The narrative follows Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin aboard the HMS Leopard, an aging ship tasked with transporting convicts to Australia. The voyage is complicated by an outbreak of typhus, a devastating shipwreck, and pursuit by a heavily armed Dutch warship.
The novel is noted for its detailed depiction of 19th-century seamanship and naval medicine.
help Desolation Island FAQ
Who actually wrote Desolation Island?
Desolation Island was written by Patrick O'Brian, not C. S. Forester. Published in 1978, it is the fifth novel in O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.
Why is the ship HMS Leopard in danger in Desolation Island?
A severe outbreak of gaol fever, identified with typhus, kills many prisoners and crew members during the voyage. The undermanned Leopard then faces dangerous southern waters and pursuit by the Dutch warship Waakzaamheid.
Do Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin reach Desolation Island?
The title refers to the remote island now known as Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean. The voyage is disrupted by disease, battle, and severe damage to HMS Leopard, leaving the story with an intentionally difficult stopping point.
Which Aubrey-Maturin novel comes after Desolation Island?
The Fortune of War continues the sequence and resolves consequences from the Leopard's voyage. Readers normally get more from it after completing the first five books, beginning with Master and Commander.
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