Master and Commander

Aubrey-Maturin Series, Book 1

By: Patrick O'Brian

Narrated by: Ric Jerrom

Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Master and Commander is the first of Patrick O’Brian’s now famous Aubrey-Maturin novels, regarded by many as the greatest series of historical novels ever written. It establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent. It displays the qualities which have put O’Brian far ahead of any of his competitors: his depiction of the detail of life aboard an early 19th century man-of-war, of weapons, food, conversation and ambience, of the landscape and of the sea. O’Brian’s portrayal of each of these is faultless and the sense of period throughout is acute. His power of characterisation is above all masterly. Ric Jerrom reads this classic sea story from Patrick O’Brien.

©2014 Audible, Inc.; 1970 The Estate of the late Patrick O’Brien CBE

Ripping yarn, wonderful characters

The Aubrey-Maturin series is one of my favourite series of historical fiction. The historical backgrounds are well-researched and accurate, the plots intriguing, the writing superb. What's more, the stories are told with some humour, and with real love for the main characters which are thouroughly human and likeable despite (or because of) their faults. And there's plenty of naval warfare action, plus some science thrown in too.
The narrator of this first book in the series is excellent, he strikes exactly the right tone of voice.
I can't wait for the whole series to become available (*unabridged*!).

Excellent piece of work

What did you love best about Master and Commander?

I enjoyed being immersed in a history work with a detailed focus on tall ship sailing and naval tactics

What other book might you compare Master and Commander to and why?

The Hornblower series because it is the same genre however this work emphasises the social relationships and norms of the time.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Ric Jerrom?

Yes excellent reading and acting

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really

Masterful!

All encompassing!
You truly get the gauge of naval life and the detail of the nautical battles are breath taking!

Now I know what I've been missing.

Good dramatization of historical events and age of sail procedures and customs. I thought the narrator did a credible job of imparting the style of the speech and manner of the people, without straying into parody, at least to my uneducated ears. I quickly got to caring about the characters and what happened to them. I would recommend it to anyone who likes good stories with detail which is part of the story, rather than the story merely being there as an excuse for the recitation of the details. I'll get around to the next volume before too long, I'm sure.

HMS Sophie

Superb seafaring story. Want to know more of Patrick O'Brian's work, loved Master & Commander.

Dr Terence Dwyer

This series of novels is one of the greatest glories of English literature. Its portrayal of the interaction between the man of action and the man of philosophy and science and their interactions with women, superiors, subordinates and Nature transcends by far any superficial characterisation as genre literature.

The reading by Mr Jerrom is brilliant as he retains each voice in character throughout the novels.

I stand in awe of the combined artistic accomplishment.

A wonderful Age of Sail Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Master and Commander to be better than the print version?

Definitely different, but I am not about to compare apples and oranges

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stephen Maturin, he is the man of the enlightenment. He has stood behind ideals and became disillusioned, but he is still able to feel childlike joy.

Who was the most memorable character of Master and Commander and why?

It was the duo of Aubrey/Maturin (big surprise there) as the chemistry is simply right.

Any additional comments?

This book is heavy in nautical terms/slang.
If you don't like Age of Sail stories, consider to decrease the story rating by one or two stars.
If you want to read your first Age of Sail story, this can get you hooked, the print book did it for me.

Good narration of sea story makes it enjoyable

Where does Master and Commander rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Of the books i have listened to this version rates highly

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The use by the narrator of character voices provides greater enjoyment to the listerning experience

What aspect of Ric Jerrom’s performance would you have changed?

N/A

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Aubrey is great fun

Any additional comments?

N/a

The attention to detail. Excellent the conveyance of emotion, the finesse in choice of dialect and the timing of deliverance.

Appropriate delivery, considered choice of voice, historically convincing without false antiquarianism . Chapeu. More words unnecessary.

Not nearly as exciting as it might seem

There's an adoration for Patrick O'Brian's series of novels, centered around the friendship of a Captain Aubrey and physician Stephen Maturin, that made me want to pick it up. Well, I've now experienced the first of the 20-volume series ... I can see why people love it. As many historical novels, Master and Commander pulls you into a world you've never experienced - and does so with great affection and immense detail. As for me, I have to admit that I found it interesting at first, then often tedious and meandering. I guess I never really bought into the world so lovingly depicted. I got the idea, I get the sense, I got the imagery ... but the description of yet another wind or windless situation, the hoisting of yet another sail ... well, life on a ship is tedious for the most part, I gather. Same, actually, with the battles - yes, there were all sorts of variations to deceive, to foil, to engage, to disengage ... but all that action didn't really jump across for me. Still, as said, I get why many people love it - if you give yourself to the read, you'll leave this world for one that was clear, orderly, simple - in that sense, these novels are exactly the kind of escapism people crave in our 24/7-always-on world.