Master and Commander

Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 1

By: Patrick O'Brian

Narrated by: Patrick Tull

Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

This, the first in the splendid series of Jack Aubrey novels, establishes the friendship between Captain Aubrey, Royal Navy, and Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent, against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Details of life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson's navy are faultlessly rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the road of broadsides as the great ships close in battle.

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

©1984 Patrick O'Brian (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC.

Critic reviews

"The best historical novels ever written." (The New York Times Book Review)
"No writer alive can move one as O'Brian can; no one can make you laugh so loud with hilarity, whiten your knuckles with unbearable tension or choke with emotion. He is the master." (Irish Times)

Exciting story of the Royal Navy

Wonderfully narrated by Patrick Tull. He narrated with gravitas and it seemed he truly enjoyed what he was reading. His accents and voices for characters were excellent. I rate his performance among the very best of all the ones I have heard to date. I wish I was able to describe how good Tull os at narration..

The story is exciting and remarkably descriptive. The characters are well presented by the author. They are expertly defined and I could picture each one in my mind. I grew to love many of them. The book is beautifully and intelligently written by Patrick O’Brian and I gained much information and knowledge. O’Brian’s research was extensive and covered many subjects in addition to the Royal Navy of late 1800 and early 1900. His description of music is amazing and moving.. There is a great deal of tension and uncertainty at the end, but the book does not leave the listener is suspense. The story does tie up. All in all, Master and Commander is very entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed it immensely. The only issue I had was sometimes I could not understand what was happening in the battles between the protagonist's ship and the enemy ships. I don't think it was the author's or the narrator's fault. Probably it was just because I do not know enough about the subject to understand.

Excellent Reading

loved the narrator's telling of this marvellous tale. Huzzah huzzah huzzah I give you joy!

Best historical fiction I’ve read in years.

Master and Commander was a simple delight. I’ve long been a fan of the movie and, after reading this first entry in the series, cannot wait to see where the story goes from here.
Master and Commander provides a compelling story of friendship, patriotism, and bravery. O’Brian provides, I believe, the greatest account of nautical affairs in the early 19th century I’ve ever read. He does not rush past details but ensures the reader is properly educated so as to understand the language used and names given among the naval world. He does so in a delightful way, weaving instruction into the story so as to maintain interest and seldom breaks from the plot in order to explain something. I never once felt the book drag but enjoyed the steady, well planned, pace of which the book held throughout. The climaxes were incredible and the narration so good I, one day, missed three turns in a row when I was driving while listening.

great series

loved it! fantastic details and exciting action. can't wait to read the next book

The story was too hard to follow

I totally prefer Hornblower or Bolitho. The plot in Master and Commander is really easy to lose. Tull’s performance, however, was very strong.

A great read! (err, Ahh Listen I Mean)

I thought this was a great book. I read/listened to it after having seen the movie by the same name, although the similaritys are few. If you have seen the movie, it will not ruin the book for you. I started listening to the wrong portion of this book, and it was teribly confusing. I thought to myself, this author is rotten, there is no background on any of the characters, I have no idea why they are doing the things they are doing, or who is who. When I realized I had started int he middle of the book, and changed sections to listen to the first section I was much happier. (I was not quite used to listening on my new palm yet, much different than the MuVo better I would say.) At any rate, I was very pleased to find that there is a whole series of books about these characters. I intend to read/listen to all of them.

Well done

Even tho i was unfamiliar with most of the nautical terms, i found the story terrific and the narrator superb. I learned more about the ships of that era than I expected.

Fabulous

This was my third time through the story (first time with Audible) and I love it even more; I can't wait to experience the entire series. Bravo.

Great 18th Century English Naval history Novel

Excellent novel if you enjoy fiction based on English naval history. You will learn much of ships and their officers and their sailings and battles with the French and Spanish in the Napoleonic era.

Beautiful performance of a classic.

Absolutely submersive. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Great character potrayals by both the author and the reader. Love the nautical language.