• H.M.S. Surprise

  • Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 3
  • By: Patrick O'Brian
  • Narrated by: Patrick Tull
  • Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (3,306 ratings)

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H.M.S. Surprise  By  cover art

H.M.S. Surprise

By: Patrick O'Brian
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
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Publisher's summary

At the opening of his third novel in an ongoing adventure series by Patrick O'Brian, Jack Aubrey is cruising off Cape Sicie when his friend Stephen Maturin (more serenely situated in Sussex) is informed of the Board's decision regarding Aubrey's prize money, taken after victorious engagement with a Spanish squadron at Cape Santa Maria. The money, five million pieces of eight, is not, as is the custom of war, to be divided among the crews of the four victorious vessels, but is to be treated as droits of the Crown of England. Five million pounds is, after all, five million pounds.

It will be a hard rub for Aubrey, who had counted on that money to clear his debts and make himself a suitable match, but no more hard than for Maturin who spends much of his free time at Mapes Court in the company of the lovely Sophia Williams, Aubrey's betrothed. How could Stephen deliver the news that would break Sophia's heart?

When Jack docks at Portsmouth, he is clapped in irons forthwith, and carried off to a sponging house for debtors. Jack knows a prisoner can rot in jail, so when Sir Joseph graciously offers him escape aboard the H.M.S. Surprise, bound for the East Indies, he makes for the only place where his unsteady virtue remains intact: the sea.

Don't miss the rest of the Aubrey/Maturin series.
©1973 Patrick O'Brian (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"O'Brian knows his history and sailing, as is evident in the rich particulars....Stretching its genre but never escaping it, the novel will impress those who enjoy swashbucklers." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about H.M.S. Surprise

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Make note of your reader

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.

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32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

India as thorough as Conrad

Recall your personal explorations of Joseph Conrad; Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness, et al. Remember how Conrad's descriptive narrative put you in the locales of his protagonists? Now, place Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin in Conrad's "Orient," and breathe in, observe, and encounter the rich, diverse, yet painful realities of Imperial England's dalliances with India. Blend in storms, battles, and human intrigue...what is your reward? H.M.S. Surprise, a brilliant and insightful examination of the quest for Empire told through the eyes of our beloved Jack and Steven.

If you have made it this far in the Aubrey Series (narrated by Tull) you are richer for it. Keep going, it only gets better.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than Hornblower!

I have not listened to this book, but I have read the entire series. If you enjoyed the Hornblower books, you will love Aubry. The characters are excelent, the plots realistic and historicly accurate, and the whole series reaks ofthe sea. Master and Commander is one of the series, and I expect they all will eventually get the Hollywood treatment.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You have debauched my sloth

“Surely man in general is born to be oppressed or solitary, if he is to be fully human...”
― Patrick O'Brian, HMS Surprise

So, I am now three books into the Aubrey/Maturin series and the books are only getting better. Master and Commander and Post Captain were 459 to 527 pages respectively, and I wouldn't fault a page. However, now it seems O'Brian has trimmed and edited these books down to the sub-400 page range and they seem to spirit along nicely.

In its way, this beginning of this series reminds me a bit of the beginning of Alan Furst's Night Soldiers series. The first two are bulkier than the rest, but then the authors settle down and find their groove. Both Furst and O'Brian, by book three in their series, have worked out that they can write thousands of more pages with the setting, characters, and action they have in their heads and by book three they both have their pace.

Major concern going forward: I think the relationship between Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin is amazing, and one of the graces of the English language. I'm not sure, however, how long my attention can be plucked by expansion of the duet to include Diana and Sophie. They will either kill me, thrill me, or bore me eventually. But how do I love these men and their affection for women, science, music, people, nature, etc. It really is a giant love note to that Napoleonic age. I'm also not sure how much of the nautical lingo will eventually seep into my brain. Perhaps, by the time I'm finishing up book 20, I will understand most of what is happening during a naval engagement. Like a teenager just finishing Spanish 1, I can understand bits and pieces. Just enough of this language is uncovered to make me dangerous and hesitant to even describe what just happened. But I am hooked.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A pleasure to listen to

If you enjoyed the first 2 books you'll love this one as well. Patrick Tull continues to provide really superb narration: he excels at weaving through the naval jargon, and pays particular attention to the dialog.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Aubrey/Maturin, O'Brian/Tull

I accidently bought this book with a reader other than Tull. After about 15 minutes, I had to buy this copy. No author captures the Royal Navy like O'Brian. No reader captures O'Brian like Tull. Aubrey/Maturin & O'Brian/Tull. You'll never think of one without the other once you've listend to this series.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A superb series

A rivetting story, with very good historical detail. Make sure you listen to the unabridged book (you don't want to miss anything), with Patrick Tull reading (an excellent reader).

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow, and a change in the narration is not easy to

So far, this is my least favorite offering. The first two have me invested enough to continue, but this just seemed to plod. A bit heavy on Stephen's journal entries and ruminations. Yes, there are some interesting moments, but for a book with such a good beginning simply faded for me and the middle had me almost putting the book down for good and actually skipping on to book 4 in hopes that it is better. Let's hope that it is.

Also, apparently Simon Vance's full length versions are gone. Switching to Mr. Tull is proving tedious for me. I will give it one more go, but I may abandon the series.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Can't do this narrator

There's a version of these books narrated by Simon Vance, and the quality is night and day. I couldn't make it through more than two chapters of Patrick Tull's performance.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

HMS Surprise

This is the third book in the series I had finished the first two. It is great to follow them in order. Unfortunately I started toward the end and then saw Audible has them all so started with the beginning and will go forward just skipping the ones I have already read. Patrick Tull is the perfect reader for this series. Love the information about the Royal Navy and the East Indian Company ships. Can not wait to listen to the next one and another trip into history.

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5 people found this helpful