Desolation Island

Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 5

By: Patrick O'Brian

Narrated by: Patrick Tull

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Jack's prize money has set the household accounts aright, but if he continues frittering it on naive extravagances, it will be gone in a fortnight. Fortunately he gets a commission aboard the Leopard, bound for Australia to rescue the hated and captive Captain Bligh.

Don't miss the rest of the Aubrey/Maturin series.

©1978 Patrick O'Brian (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC.

Critic reviews

"O'Brian is not that hard a taste to acquire, but he is very tough to shake...[the Aubrey/Maturin series] is a great work." (Boston Globe)

A fantastic listen

This one is particularly strong. Wonderful descriptions and writing really make this an ideal audiobook experience.

Slow start and abrupt ending.

Where does Desolation Island rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not the best of the series but still full of the details of "Lucky Captain Jack's" adventures.

Would you be willing to try another book from Patrick O'Brian? Why or why not?

Absolutely. I love the details about the sailing ships of the time.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not at first but found my self sitting in the drive way listening to just a bit more when I could afford the time.

Entertainment at its best

There is no one better at telling an Aubrey-Maturin tale like Patrick Tull! Every inflection is perfect in his narration. Not to be missed!

Perfection

Greatest books ever written. Love Patrick Tull’s voice. So sorry o’brian is gone. The golden ocean is great too.

A master writer and a masterful reader

Exceptional performance of a well-written story. Once again, period and nautical detail provide a firm foundation for what is, at heart, an examination of the human condition. Warfare? Yes, but the primary focus is on relationships: friendship, master and servant, international intrigue and the life of the spy.

Very Well Written

There are a few negative reviews of this book.
I would disagree.
I found this story to be very entertaining and very well written.
It's not all swashbuckling, but still a very good story.
Besides, if you don't listen to this story, you won't understand the beginning of the next story.

Wombats on shore for those that like them...

The next chapter in the spectacular Aubrey/Maturin series. I love these books and I could probably just line all of my superlatives up and be done with it. I don't quite know why I love them so much. I think it's a combination of the attention to detail in the sea-going portions of the books (plus the piquing of interest from the references and allusions to actual historical events) and, since I'm listening to the series rather than visually ingesting it, the marvelous reading that Patrick Tull performs.

Many a better reviewer has reviewed this series and its component parts so I'll just mention the bits that I loved and be done with it.

Desolation Island has a few passing allusions to Australia since the penal colony at Botany Bay is the ultimate destination of the voyage that this book describes. This leads to references such as "Think of the opportunities, Stephen - thousands of miles of almost unknown sea and coastline - wombats on shore for those that like them...". My Australian heritage and subsequent prolonged absence therefrom make me a sucker for anything Aussie and it was fun to hear ye olde Australia referenced like that.

The chase scene in this story is also fantastic. I don't want to mention any specifics but the description of the participants (including the weather), the general drama leading up to the final conclusion really was top notch.

Stephen's intelligence work plays a reasonably central part in this story and his machinations are interestingly examined and explained as the story progresses.

Finally, as previously mentioned, the minutiae of historical shipboard life, the details of the convict transportation, the food, the medical treatments of the time, it's an awesome (in both the old and new senses of the word) reminder of what people used to take for granted and of how lucky we are today.

In conclusion, go read it now, great fun!

Wonderful!

Magnificent story now rated to perfection by one of the best leaders in the world.

Not to be missed by any lover of the sea or of O'Brien.

i wish this series never had an end!

If you could sum up Desolation Island in three words, what would they be?

great yarn

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jack, he is such a larger than life character but with plenty of weaknesses.

Any additional comments?

Patrick Tull was the finest British narrator EVER!

The beat so far

This is one of the best books in the series. It’s superbly written, the characters are wonderful as usual. Just an all-around delightful book.