Both books are full of the fantasy that has made OBrians seafaring yarns such a success. Like them, they are full of engaging adventures, curious lore, fond descriptions of food and scenes of battle Caesar makes delightful, often hilarious reading Hussein is more sophisticated. Here fully thirty years before Master and Commander was published is the unmistakable texture of OBrians historical fiction. Hussein has it all: the immersion in another world, full of local colour, the delight in a specialised vocabulary, the relish of male camaraderie, travel, treasure and fighting.David Sexton, Evening StandardOBrian admirers can now appreciate another dimension to his writing Alex OConnell, The TimesAbout the AuthorPatrick OBrian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed AubreyMaturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetimes contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000. how do i know what book to read next Beasts Royal: Twelve Tales of Adventure