Patrick O'Brian

Finding a posthumous novel from an author you love is a little like finding a hundred dollar bill in the pocket of the jeans you haven't worn in months: a surprise gift. And while The Road to Samarcand is not a complete novelty - it was printed in the U.K. in 1954 - it was certainly off the radar screens of most American readers. Patrick O'Brian wrote this book before he launched his beloved Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin series, and the writing is not as good as his later works. But Patrick O'Brian at his worst is still head and shoulders above most writers, and this story is a wonderful, old-fashioned yarn. A recently orphaned teenage boy, whose parents were missionaries in China, undertakes an adventurous overland trip from southern China to Samarcand (located in Uzbekistan, it is the midpoint of the Silk Road). He is accompanied by his archaeologist cousin, his sea captain uncle, a burly Swedish sailor, a flowery-tongued Chinese sea cook and a young Mongol boy his same age. There are murderous monks, roving bands of Mongol hordes, precious antiquities and prowling yeti. Obviously, this book is packed with action and excitement, but O'Brian also manages to pepper the story with interesting dialogue and picturesque descriptions. The setting is actually the 1930s but it feels more like the 1880s, probably because the group is traveling amongst people still living their traditional lifestyles. (Because of this, the appearance of a helicopter in the story is an incredibly jarring note.) But overall it's a great story by a talented author just beginning to develop his style.