#17 in Adventure
The Fortune of War
- 329
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Fortune of War” moves the Aubrey–Maturin series onto fresh ground: Boston, in the middle of the War of 1812. Patrick O’Brian keeps close to the historical record, and espionage weighs as heavily here as gunnery. Some readers welcome the American setting as a change of air and find the battles at sea as vivid as ever. As the sixth volume, it rewards readers who already know the two heroes.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Fortune of War is the sixth historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by British author Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1979. It is set during the War of 1812 and much of the story takes place in Boston, Massachusetts.
Reading order · Aubrey-Maturin series
Full order & progress →- Master and CommanderStart here
8.08.0 / 10 - Post Captain
8.28.2 / 10 - HMS Surprise
–Not ranked yet - The Mauritius Command
8.28.2 / 10 - Desolation Island
8.28.2 / 10 - The Fortune of WarThis book
8.28.2 / 10 - The Surgeon's Mate
8.28.2 / 10 - The Ionian Mission
8.28.2 / 10 - Treason's Harbour
–Not ranked yet - The Far Side of the World
–Not ranked yet - The Reverse of the Medal
–Not ranked yet - The Letter of Marque
–Not ranked yet - The Thirteen-Gun Salute
–Not ranked yet - The Nutmeg of ConsolationThe Nutmeg of Consolation–Not ranked yet
- Clarissa Oakes
–Not ranked yet - The Wine-Dark Sea
–Not ranked yet - The Commodore
–Not ranked yet - The Yellow Admiral
–Not ranked yet - The Hundred Days
–Not ranked yet - Blue at the Mizzen
–Not ranked yet - The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack AubreyThe Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.6 across 56 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 28% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Adventure average of 7.8. That is how 8.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 9.0 | 8 | 14% |
| Hardcover | 8.6 | 48 | 86% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Fortune of War?
It has 329 pages — shorter than 77% of the ranked books in Adventure.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Adventure — with scores between 7.2 and 8.2, closest to this book.
