Silver

Return to Treasure Island

By: Andrew Motion

Narrated by: David Tennant

In the eastern reaches of the Thames lies the Hispaniola, an inn kept by Jim Hawkins and his son. Late one night, a mysterious girl named Natty arrives on the river with a request for Jim from her father - Long John Silver. Aged and weak, but still possessing a strange power, the pirate proposes Jim and Natty sail to Treasure Island in search of Captain Flint's hidden bounty. But the thrill of the ocean odyssey gives way to terror as the Nightingale reaches its destination, for it seems Treasure Island is not as uninhabited as it once was....

Silver is a worthy sequel to Treasure Island and a work of extraordinary authenticity and imaginative power from one of England's greatest writers.

©2012 Andrew Motion (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"...rich and thrilling narrative which so ingeniously complements [Treasure Island]." ( The Independent)

"Motion writes beautifully...a darker world than Stevenson's with real evil and genuine loss in it - and a tentative but credible burgeoning love story. Considered as a sequel, Silver more than holds its own as an adventure story." ( Irish Independent)

"...a splendid adventure story in its own right." ( The Guardian)

What a story and dramatic reading!

Excellent reading of an excellent book! I highly recommend. it says I need more words. Word Word Word

it was a good story

it was kind of hard to get into, but overall a good book to read

great story, poor ending

this was a great story with fantastic narration. left a little sour by an abrupt and wholly unsatisfying ending..

WOW!!!

David Tennant is an amazing narrator! I could listen to him all day!!! The story was a great sequel to Treasure Island with suspense, humor, and a bit of romance. All in all, a very enjoyable listen!

Brilliantly read! Every character voiced to perfection.

This well written story was entertaining and absorbing, in no small part because of David Tennant

Wait... it's over?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I really enjoyed it because David Tennant. The book's well-written and entertaining, but I was nonplussed by the abrupt ending and had to look to make sure there wasn't supposed to be another part to the audiobook.

Would you be willing to try another book from Andrew Motion? Why or why not?

I suppose I will have to read the sequel to this because I need to know what happens next... which shows that Mr. Motion got me hooked enough to want to carry on.

What does David Tennant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's a remarkable actor who brings all the characters to life. It's always easy to tell who's talking because he doesn't just read the book, he really acts all the parts and makes them vivid and unique. I've listened to a lot of Tennant's audiobooks and I think this is one of his best.

Could you see Silver being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see this being a movie.

decent

The recording seemed to have a repeated chapter.

I thought the story had a good plot and some great parts, but I'd like to see more adventure and less romance. The story seems to need some more drafts by the author.

Tennant exalts while Motion's story collapses.

Would you try another book from Andrew Motion and/or David Tennant?

David Tennant is an excellent narrator. Motion raised me up and shot me down with a morbid ending.

Would you recommend Silver to your friends? Why or why not?

I couldn't recommend a story, with an ending thats like a fatal bus crash, after a winning trip to Atlantic City.

What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?

Spirited and emotionally entertaining storyteller. Can always recommend Mr Tennant.

Do you think Silver needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It obviously was written with the author expecting to write a follow up. He could easily have wrapped things up neatly in another 3 chapters. The ending of this has soured me to his intents.

Any additional comments?

If not for the narration of David Tennant, this would have been the only audio book, I have gotten, that I would have returned.

Fun Sequel to a Classic

I read the Stevenson original, Treasure Island, countless times as a youngster. Stevenson created indelible characters in Israel Hands, Jim Hawkins, Squire Trelawney, and of course, Long John Silver. So I was happy to find this audiobook but I assumed it would be a pale imitation of the original. Well, yes, there is a lot of the original in this book but it features the descendants of the original as a twist. I thought having similar plot structure might make it tedious but I thought this was instead a lovely little homage. Fine line between being derivative and an homage, right?

So, no, it doesn't veer too wildly from the core idea of the original which made it so fun. Pirates, treasure, villains, betrayal, but added to this one is a nice little love story. This is not great literature but it is one heck of a fun book. Enjoy it as a nice piece of nostalgia and just let yourself forget all the cliches that Stevenson inspired.

Prosy at end

Started out good. I was enjoying it. The narrator was very verbose, but not too bad for first 2/3 of book. Last 1/3 of the book, he got way too verbose and prosy! Talk, talk, talk, I was waving my hands, get on with it! Could have cut out a lot of words in the last 1/3 of the book and it would have been better.