Jack receives orders to command a squadron of ships going to West Africa to harrass the slave trade, but also to lay in wait for a convoy of French ships.

As with other books in this series, it isn't the action that makes the book very good. The quality lies in the description of life on the boat, both the daily routine chores, the events and the social life among the men, and especially in the dialogue between Jack and Stephen. We get to know them and their family lives, their lives as navy officer and as scientist, and their friendship and the carefulness with which they live so close together despite their outward and inward differences.

O'Brian is obviously a first-class writer and uses language masterfully to convey a feeling of early 19th century to us, both in choice of words and in wording.

Despite the caption of naval novel, this is a book of dialogue and slowly unfolding life, with short bursts of fast action in between.