An enjoyable read, and what for me is the best of the series thus far. Granted this is only the fifth of them, but my ratings seem to have fallen into pattern, continually seesawing between two and three stars. Invariably, the higher ratings reflect a book that focuses on Dr. Maturin more than his counterpart, and this volume certainly does that. I'm not nearly so fond of Aubrey as a character, but also the books that focus on Aubrey tend to have lengthy sea battle after lengthy sea battle, and with the best will in the world I find those dull. Here there's only one fight and thankfully it's over quickly. Far more of the conflict is against the elements, or against disease, or the cat-and-mouse game of intelligence taking place aboard the Leopard, which to me is far more entertaining than those interminable cannons.