Master and Commander
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brianby Patrick O'Brian
Shares rank 5 of 13 historical novels by recommenders
People recommend it as the first of a long, well-written naval series with a rich, period English voice. The most common caveat is that it is a long series that is hard to stop reading.
People recommend it as the first of a long, well-written naval series with a rich, period English voice. The most common caveat is that it is a long series that is hard to stop reading.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Rich, perfectly formed English prose
“I'd never before heard someone give voice to the English language in what sounded to me as such a profoundly perfect form”
Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else” “which is an awesome reminder of the bygone floridity of educated English”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “Marshall Islands Stick Chart” Long series of well-written books
“If you've seen the movie master and commander and liked it, or are interested in a long series with 20 well written books”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “An awesome series of books. Beware, when you start... There are over 20 volumes in the series, and it's hard to stop.”
Comment from 22 May 2026 in “Project Hail Mary – Stellar Navigation Chart” “These books are awesome I really recommend starting at Master and Commander and working your way through all 20”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “Project Hail Mary – Stellar Navigation Chart”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Some find it pretentious pulp
“Master and Commander is pretentious pulp”
Comment from 7 Mar 2026 in “Bourdieu's theory of taste: a grumbling abrégé”
Other historical novels people recommend
The four most recommended other historical novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aubrey-Maturin seriesby Patrick O'Brian | 18 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Three Musketeersby Alexandre Dumas | 12 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| The MANIACby Benjamín Labatut | 12 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| I, Claudiusby Robert Graves | 11 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Master and Commanderby Patrick O'BrianThis page | 7 | 1 | 88% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“which is an awesome reminder of the bygone floridity of educated English”
“If you've seen the movie master and commander and liked it, or are interested in a long series with 20 well written books”
“I liked Master and Commander, I still prefer C.S. Forrester's Hornblower books.”
“Patrick Tull is wonderful as the narrator of the Master & Commander audio books”
“I'd never before heard someone give voice to the English language in what sounded to me as such a profoundly perfect form”
“These books are awesome I really recommend starting at Master and Commander and working your way through all 20”
“An awesome series of books. Beware, when you start... There are over 20 volumes in the series, and it's hard to stop.”
“Master and Commander is pretentious pulp”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.