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)

Entertaining Story, Hard to Follow

Despite only understanding 80% of what was said I still enjoyed the story. It is very easy to get lost in the Old English Dialect and sailor speak but if you can hang in there the story it self is quite entertaining. The character development is some of the best I've seen. All in all a fun book.

great

i have been wanting to read this for awhile...completely worth it. the narrator was incredible!

A Good Story Spoiled.

This is a classic story and a good one. However, it is unlistenable with the narrator. It's not his thick British accent, that actually lends the story credence. It's his incomprehensible cadence. He stops when he should carry on and he carries on when he should stop. That would make it difficult but when he stops he makes clearly audible, and disgusting mouth noises.

It ruins the entire experience. If you hear this story, read the book, or find anyone else to read it.

Marvelous

We’ll done! Not being a sailor, I was transported to a new world of seas and rigging

My third reading!

Read the biography of Patrick O’Brien. It took most of a lifetime for him to arrive at Aubrey and Maturin. Then he wrote 20 novels and died while writing the 21st. What a life!

Amazing book!

If you like historical fiction, British navy, this is an amazing book. A wonderful glimpse into the world of the old British navy with a great story.

A great book made less so by poor narrator choice

I have read this entire series at least twice in the past and looked forward to revisiting it as audio books. The story is great, but unfortunately, the narrators approach was badly misguided. His use of a stereotypically patrician British way of delivering the text, sounding somewhat bored and above it all, even in the most exciting battle scenes, stiffeled the pace, and failed to capture the character of Jack Aubery's splendid combination of highly competent naval officer and somewhat bumbling man child that makes him so engaging.

A great story that listens better than a movie!

As an avid reader, this series was difficult to follow. The Audible version has taken the words, from the pages, and thrust the listener directly on the Quarter Deck along side Aubrey. What a wonderful series and the narrators version has brought it to life!

Adventure at sea

It was wonderful to listen to such a compelling story with wonderful characters. It makes me want to move on to book two of the series.

Narrator was fantastic

I’ll be listening to more in this series, narrator really creates a formality I wasn’t expecting and sets the mood