Aubrey/Maturin books in order

Reading order

Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series spans 21 novels set during the Napoleonic Wars and the years surrounding them. The series begins with Master and Commander (1969), which introduces Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin when they first meet at a concert in Port Mahon, Minorca. From that initial encounter, the series follows their friendship through decades of war, exploration, and personal difficulty.

The books cover an enormous range of settings, from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, the Pacific, and the coast of South America. O’Brian based many of the naval actions on real engagements, adapting historical events to fit his fictional characters. The level of period detail is remarkable, covering everything from how a ship is sailed to what the crew ate and how surgical procedures were performed at sea.

The series maintains its quality across all 21 volumes, which is unusual for a sequence this long. The final book was left unfinished at O’Brian’s death in 2000 and published in 2004 as a fragment. Readers who start with Master and Commander and continue through the series will find one of the most rewarding long-form reading experiences in English fiction.