The Fortune of War vs The Surgeon's Mate: 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 Surgeon's Mate
“The long harbour of Halifax in Nova Scotia on a long, long summer's day, and two frigates gliding in on the tide of flood under their topsails alone: the first, since she had belonged to the United States navy until a few days before, wore the Stars and Stripes under a white ensign; the second showed no more than her own shabby colours, for she was HMS Shannon, the winner in that short and bloody”
| media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD)
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Surgeon's Mate has the widest readership — 585 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| The Fortune of War | The Surgeon's Mate | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.4 (585) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (49) | 4.3 (47) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (169) | 4.5 (138) |
Reception
| The Fortune of War | The Surgeon's Mate | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 169 | 585 |
| Editions | 27 | 25 |
| Citations | 3 | 3 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 3258 |
| Written reviews | — | 585 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1082 | 1134 |
| Pages | 312 | 382 |