The Final, Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey

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Pointers for your own little Jack Aubrey story - Rated
I know that in strict page-to-pound terms this book is a waste of money. I know that there are only about 35 pages of type and the rest is Patrick O'Brian's almost illegible handwriting, but I also know that I missed Jack and Stephen terribly, and to even have the slightest prompting as to what might have happened to them after Blue at the Mizzen finished is worth a lot to me.
There they are, making their jokes as old friends do and trying to sort out land problems while at sea. And there's a promise that something exciting might have happened if only O'Brian had finished the book. But it wasn't to be, and the few personal notes from O'Brian's real life that bleed onto the last few pages make for a poignant end to a great set of adventures. I'm glad I read this. Its lack of completion gives you leave to make up your own fate for the characters.

A memento. for fans only - Rated
It is, perhaps, a tribute to Patrick O'Brien ... or at least to his market value ... that this edition of his last novel should be released. 'Novel' is a bit of an exaggeration. This is an unfinished, incomplete piece of work, the last manuscript on which O'Brien was working at the time of his death. O'Brien's untitled novel was intended to carry forward the story of Jack Aubrey, now elevated to the rank of Rear Admiral.

What you get is a series of incomplete story notes. Fascinating reading, maybe, for the genuine fan. Or an interesting read for anyone concerned to understand how the mind of a novelist works. You get, literally, a pen picture of a work-in-hand - facsimile images of his writing and crossing outs, his experiments with plot and character, scribbled images, notes, and an insight into how a novel is put together. Buy it if this is the sort of thing which fascinates you ... but don't imagine it's a complete story.