The Far Side of the World ship and swam for shore; only half of them landing. Eventually, the hopeless situation forced the frigate to surrender. The "Essex" suffered 58 killed, 97 wounded, while the British casualties were 5 dead, 10 wounded. The novel provided part of the title and some of the plot-structure for the 2003 Peter Weir film, "". The fictional USS "Norfolk" morphed into the fictional American-built French privateer "Acheron", and episodes also migrated from other books in the series, including "Master and Commander" and "HMS Surprise". The design and size of the fictional "Acheron" reflect those of the USS "Constitution". In reviewing the
The Far Side of the World wars in sequence, as the first six novels did. Patrick Reardon, writing in the "Chicago Tribune", reviewed this novel and the previous one, "Treason's Harbour", as paired, one two-volume novel. He notes that "O`Brian writes about people, not characters." Though there is action, there are battles, the author gives the reader "the everyday meat of life, about emotions that are deep and complex, and are more important than the plot," and he "writes historical novels without the swashbuckling." The marooned captain of the "Norfolk" reminds Aubrey of the Chesapeake–Leopard Affair, in which the British Navy captain acted badly toward a