The Ionian Mission [SEP] series
The Ionian Mission
The Ionian Mission is the eighth historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1981. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars.
The plot begins with the marriage of Dr Maturin and Diana Villiers. Soon after, Captain Aubrey takes HMS "Worcester" on blockade duty around Toulon, France, until the ship is sent for refitting. With "Worcester" refitting, he is reassigned to HMS "Surprise" on which he, Maturin and Professor Graham seek a
after a re-discovery of the author and this series by Norton, finding a new audience for the entire series. Norton issued "The Ionian Mission" eleven years after its initial publication, as a paperback in 1992. Ironically, it was a US publisher, J. B. Lippincott & Co., who asked O'Brian to write the first book in the series, "Master and Commander" published in 1969. Collins picked it up in the UK, and continued to publish each novel as O'Brian completed another story. Beginning with