I loved those books--read and re-read them. I don't know how many copies of the first, Master and Commander, I've bought because I keep giving it away. At one time, Norton would send you Master and Commander for free if you asked, so confident were they that you would buy the rest. But, to address your reference to The Hunt for Red October, I have described O'Brian as the love child of Tom Clancy and Jane Austen. The meticulous loving descriptions of naval hardware along with some of the best writing of his generation.