The Reverse of the Medal

The Reverse of the Medal is the eleventh novel of the Aubrey-Maturin series by the English writer Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1986. It is set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, and it is the book in which the series moves decisively from the sea to the shore.

Aubrey is bringing the battered Surprise home with American prisoners taken in a recaptured whaler, and on the way he meets for the first time Samuel Panda, the son he never knew he had, who is travelling to the Brazils with Catholic missionaries. Maturin takes to the young man at once and promises to help him with the difficulty that stands between him and taking orders.

Once he is ashore the novel changes shape. A chance meeting on the road gives Aubrey word that peace is coming, and word of that kind is worth money to anyone who reaches the market before it is generally known. What follows is a contest between a sailor who is wholly unfitted to it and men who know exactly how the game is played, and Maturin is the friend who stands by him through the reverses that come.