I'm a big fan of Patrick O'Brian's seafaring Aubrey-Maturin novels—great stories, great writing. And you might think having devoured the lot I'd want to hurry and read the notes and half-text of the 21st in the series, found in his papers after his death and due to be published soon. But after reading about the manuscript and his condition when he wrote it, I don't think I'm going to rush to do that.
Recent Bluessky Posts- Clearly we need an AI to check all the citations, right? February 15, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- Webster's New World dictionary is much preferable IMHO. February 14, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- But it does it quickly and congratulates you for asking February 14, 2026 Alejandro Montenegro
- Shorter MY: leaders should not lead. February 14, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- L'Amérique profounde ce réveille. We have passed an inflection point. Unfortunately the regime will get more and more desperate, so more bad times coming before things get better. But folks like this are why it will get better eventually. Maybe not quick enough for Ukraine, but that's another story. February 14, 2026 Michael Froomkin
I think even Blue at the Mizzen is not up to the standards of the earlier books. To me it seems rushed, as if he were trying to jam in all the points of his outline. before it’s too late. I agree that I wouldn’t be eager to read a partially-finished fragment.