Patrick O'Brian, (born Richard Patrick Russ; 12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000) was a British novelist and translator. He is best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series (1969–2004) of sea novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The book series was about the friendship of the English naval captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish-Catalan doctor Stephen Maturin. The series had a total of 21 books.