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Title: O'Brian could never have written this drivel!
Review: "Disappointment" is far too inadequate to describe my feelings after reading the first third of this book. There is none of the flash and sparkle that made O'Brian's prose so unique, none of the deep foreshadowing that haunts the reader's subconscious, none of the splendid sketches of personality of the main or supporting players which allowed nuances to ripen into full-blown behaviors. It is stilted, clumsy, boring, and, worst of all, a parody of the true O'Brian style.I could not bear to finish it; I have re-read the entire series at least three times, yet if I were to accept "The Hundred Days" as the ultimate chapter, I might never pick up any of the other volumes again. Do not read this book! Let Jack and Steven set off on their oceanographic expedition aboard the Surprise; let yourself forever speculate about the rest of their lives. Do not let them sail into this mess!
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