How far will a man go in the name of revenge, honour, love or simple survival? Far from familiar seas, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew must test themselves to the very limits of human endurance. Following a daring rescue, Jack Aubrey accepts a new command and a new commission to a far-flung destination.Ahead of him and his crew are the new sights and smells of the Indian subcontinent, and the terrifying hazards of an archipelago of islands in the East Indies, where their French enemies have near overwhelming superiority. ‘Combines adventure and the art of the novel with an astonishing finesse.’FRANCIS SPUFFORD ‘Few, very few, books have made my heart thump with excitement.HMS Surprise managed it.’HELEN LUCY BURKE, Irish Times