Under Enemy Colors

By: S. Thomas Russell

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

At the time of the French Revolution, one of Britain's most skillful naval officers, Charles Saunders Hayden, is a young lieutenant, the son of an English father and a French mother. His abilities and his loyalty to the king of England are beyond dispute, yet his career seems doomed by his "mixed" heritage and lack of political connections. Consequently, Hayden is assigned to an aging frigate, the Themis, under the command of Captain Josiah Hart, a man known as "Faint Hart" throughout the service.

As the Themis takes to sea to harass the enemy, the disaffection of the crew begins to boil over into acts of violence, and the lieutenant finds himself caught between his superior and a crew pushed toward mutiny. A revolution at sea ensues, and Hayden is wrenchingly torn between honor and duty, as the magnificent Royal Navy engages the French in a centuries-old struggle for power.

©2007 S. Thomas Russell (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. and Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Russell's first-rate debut features taut plotting, liberal action and an attractively modest hero." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great Book if You want to Lose alot of Sleep

Through the first few chapters it was a fairly good book, but then as they take to the sea it turned into a book that I couldn't stop listening to, Lost a night just hanging on each new adventure. This is a great book for historical fiction listeners. Can't wait for the next in the series.

great listen

this is the kind of book you hope to find when you search for something new. outstanding.

A good performance, somewhat lacking in narrative.

I enjoyed Simon Vance's tone, pacing, inflection, and his fair range of voices. Only rarely was I unable to tell who was speaking in context, and that with a fairly large cast of characters. His accents were pretty good, except the American accent which was not. No complaints otherwise.

The narrative left something to be desired, alas. Most of the romance aspects seemed unnecessary and sort-of tacked-on. The pacing felt sluggish at some points. I enjoyed the resolution of the story, it seemed like a realistic conclusion was reached in the circumstances. The protagonist's exploits were fun, and the hardships he endured made those adventures more enjoyable yet.

I liked the audiobook overall, and would recommend it to someone looking to scratch that Aubrey-Maturin itch. While the story apparently takes some cues from that epic series, it establishes itself as more than a mere clone. I think it stands up well on its own, and would make a good introduction point to nautical fiction as opposed to O'Brien's notoriously jargon-heavy Master and Commander.

4/5

Enjoyable rare foray into fiction

I was needing a good sailing story and though I strongly lean toward non-fiction, this book scratched the itch. great for helping with my motivation to go for walks outdoors during a Chicago area Winter. now fetch me warm cup of grog, it was sunny, but chilly today.

An excellent and well-crafted work!

I have been a Patrick O'brian fan and have read all of his Master & Commander series and as such, approached this book with some trepidation. I didn't know if it would live up to my previous expectations. Let me just say that if you enjoyed the above-mentioned series or if you enjoy historical fiction set in the Napoleonic era, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It is written (AND READ) very well and is polished. This will not disappoint.

Excellent new series for an experienced author

The author, who writes as S. Thomas Russell in this, the first of a series about a British ship's captain during the Napoleanic War, is an experienced fantasy author as Sean Russell. The characters are well-developed, believable and show depth and humanity. The battles compare favorably with C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series. I am eagerly awaiting his next in the series.

Excellent book

The book was very good. The court marshal proceedings were awesome. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the old shops of the line.

If you enjoy the Aubrey Maturin Series this is 4U

If you are a fan of Patrick O'Brian then you should give "Under Enemy Colors" a Listen! Russell seems to be cut from the same "Sailcloth" as O'Brian. While I have not run into anyone, so far, that can top Patrick Tull's Narration of the Aubrey Maturin Series, Simon Vance does an extremely credible performance in Under Enemy Colors. Just finished Under Enemy Colors and immediately purchased the next book in the series. I'm confident you won't be disappointed if you give a listen to Under Enemy Colors!!!

Enjoyed, new subject.

When I first started listening to this audio book, I found it a little boring. The narrator seemed a little monotone. Maybe it was just me because in a short time I was engrossed in the happenings and characters. I have never read a nautical novel, so I really enjoyed the educational part of this historical novel.

if you love British sea novels ....

around the end of the 18th century then you'll love UNDER ENEMY COLORS!! An honorable protagonist... A repugnant antagonist... Throw in all the descriptions of Naval warfare of that period and a flawless performance by the amazing Simon Vance and you have a first rate audio book. I loved it, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.