A breathtaking collection of sea-faring tales. Contains Desolation Island, The Fortune of War and The Surgeon's Mate. These three tales follow Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend the surgeon, Stephen Maturin as they sail to Australia with a hold full of convicts and a beautiful and dangerous spy; as they arrive in the Dutch East Indies where Jack Aubrey is appointed to the command of the fastest and best-armed frigate in the Navy; and as they are involved in a chase through the fogs and shallows of the Grand Banks. Never a dull moment!