The Fortune of War vs The Letter of Marque: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Ship physicians, Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, Aubrey, Maturin, Naval History
The Fortune of War
“The warm monsoon blew gently from the east, wafting HMS Leopard into the bay of Pulo Batang.”
Sixième épisode des aventures maritimes du capitaine Jack Aubrey.
vs
The Letter of Marque
“Ever since Jack Aubrey had been dismissed from the service, ever since his name, with its now meaningless seniority, had been struck off the list of post-captains, it had seemed to him that he was living in a radically different world; everything was perfectly familiar, from the smell of seawater and tarred rigging to the gentle heave of the deck under his feet; but the essence was gone and he was”
In The Letter of Marque, Jack is once again aboard his beloved Surprise but stripped of his post captaincy for a crime he did not commit. Bought by Stephen, the Surprise has become a privateer. Sailing into French…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Fortune of War has the widest readership — 169 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| The Fortune of War | The Letter of Marque | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 4.3 (49) | 4.0 (1) |
| Google Books | — | 4.5 (5) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (169) | 4.5 (129) |
Reception
| The Fortune of War | The Letter of Marque | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 169 | 129 |
| Editions | 27 | 25 |
| Citations | 3 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1082 | 768 |
| Pages | 312 | 288 |