Review by Tamar Lewin, New York Times Book Review: "Here is an unexpected bonus: a precursor to the Aubrey-Maturin series...with all the charm of the author's mature works. And for those who have been daunted by the prospect of embarking on a 17-volume series, here is the perfect way to test the waters...It has the same elements that mark O'Brian's more recent works: the wealth of social detail, the quiet humor, the harrowing shipwrecks, the swashbuckling adventures in foreign parts...From a cozy, well-lighted 20th-century home, [Jack and Toby's] travails could not be more delightful to contemplate."
I think of it as a 'prequel' to the series since it has Jack and Toby as 'young men'. It was reminiscent somewhat of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe since Jack and Toby manage to get themselves stranded on an island with very unfriendly natives. Fun to read, the whole series is on my keeper shelf so I can re-read it all at some point.
