Master and Commander is the first historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1969 in the US and 1970 in UK. The story features Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin, and is set in the Napoleonic Wars. The novel proved to be the start of a 20-novel series, written from 1969 until the author's death early in 2000 The novel follows a brief period in the lives of three men, Jack Aubrey, a young "Master and Commander" who gains his first command the Sophie, Stephen Maturin, a penniless doctor who becomes a naval surgeon after meeting Aubrey at a musical performance in Port Mahon, and the third, James Dillon, the first lieutenant of the ship on which they sail. The novel is set during 1800 and follows Aubrey's naval exploit during a window of time early in Britain's war with Napoleon's France. Aubrey's ship enters several naval battles that draw on the feats of Lord Cochrane, including a battle modeled after Cochrane's f...