Master and Commander

Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 1

By: Patrick O'Brian

Narrated by: Patrick Tull

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.

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)

Superb Adventure, Interesting Characters

I heard this book on tape and am thrilled that it is now available from Audible. O'Brian's characters are truly that, fully rounded human beings, whose faults are viewed as candidly as their virtues. The adventures are based on actual events during the Napoleonic Wars, and the author brings them to life with his portrayal of the telling details and the sweeping political events. The narrator's gritty voice, rather like that of an old salt, adds to the tale well told.

Fascinating Narrative Damped by Narrator

I'm two hours in and have heard the narrator - recorded in the 1980s - swallow painfully and at improbable length more times than in all 60+ Audible titles combined which I have heard thus far.

Narrator drags on this story like a sea anchor

I didn't realize there was a choice of narrators for the first 2 books of this series.. I'm going to excahnge my Tull version for the Vance version and listen again. A quicker paced narration will probably raise this book to a 4 or 5 star overall rating. To prove my point, Tull's version: 16hrs 39mins, Vance's version: 13hrs 17mins. Both are unabridged. The sad thing is that from book 3 on there's no choice of narrator. What a pity. I had just finished CS Forester's great series, and after the disappointment of this first book, I went on to Alexander Kent. The only problem with Kent's series is that not all of the series is recorded, but at least what's there moves along and keeps you interested.

Make note of your narrator

Patrick Tull and Simon Vance are both gifted narrators. However, when you start with one you may find it a jarring change when you start listening to the other. Each brings their own life to the characters, but it is a very different life. My own personal preference are the characters created by Mr. Tull, but Mr. Vance's acting is no less compelling, only different. If you care about such things, don't make the mistake that I made, buying the edition without first checking by whom it is narrated.

Tull is not a good narrator

Patrick Tull is not a good narrator. If I had known that Simon Vance had a version of this book, I would have gotten it instead. Simon Vance is the better narrator IMHO. Just look at the wide variety of novels by other authors read by him with high ratings. Patrick Tull on the other hand has these annoying pauses where he is "catching his breath" and sometimes you can even hear his breathing.