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.Don't miss the rest of the Aubrey/Maturin series.©1984 Patrick O'Brian (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC.

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)

Action Novel for the Thoughtful

Originally intrigued by the movie Master and Commander, I was interested in listening to the book, and found that I very quickly loved listening. Knowing virtually nothing of ships or the navy, I found that O'Brian is such an incredible story-teller, that you somehow intuitively pick up on the details of the ship and focus instead on the action. The character development is just excellent and next thing you know you're swept along with the captivating story. The narrator is just excellent too -- you feel his enthusiasm for the novel in every sentence. All-in-all, this is fabulous book -- I can't wait to continue reading the series!

Addictive

This series is absolutely wonderful. Because of all the nautical detail I don't know if I would have been able to wade through them in print but the audio version is outstanding. With O'brien's writing and Tull's narration the characters simply come alive inside your head. You may really come to believe you've been at sea for months at a time in the early 19th century. What a wealth of true history surrounds these fictional characters! I highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
I wish Patrick Tull would narrate some G.A. Henty books.

Warning!!!

It is mandatory that you bump the playback speed up to 1.2 at least. Afterwards, it's perfect, and if you dont, its terribly slow.

if it's your sort of thing

it's a great story and I love the narration. it's technical and sometimes a bit slow but great overall

the best

have read these through twice, but listening is incredible, plan to do them all again by ear

Fun but tough listening

For any naval enthusiest, this is an excellent story. The realism of the language used in the day and the Britsh nature of the text, made some of the nautical terms difficult to understand. However, this story makes you want lean more about Captain Jack and his adventures. The humor is typical dry for the English and the exchanges between Captain Jack and the doctor are much like the movie hit.

outstanding historical acuracy and excitement

The setup is a little slow because of the historical accuracy, but once set up you will never be bored. The reading is very good.

All proper

The voice fits well with the story. His command of the old English sea terms are proper and sound natural. He paints the pictures just as well as if you were hearing it yourself and not from a person reading it to you.

Naval action personal adventures prizes won

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

Only do audio and this one is very well done

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

He is kind of Like Sharpe but in naval warfare same sense of the battle

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

He is alittle difficult at times but he is a gifted reader he brings the characters to life

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the young midshipman to be fell over board in the chase to escape the French, also when Lt Dugan's fight

Any additional comments?

Great book look forward to more naval adventures

Masterpiece

Tull does a wonderful job of revealing the humor, irony and psychological complexity of this masterpiece, which both reifies and transcends its genre. His leisurely pace befits the century, though it does accelerate quite naturally and forgivabyl during the action scenes. I own the entire series in hardcover, but I thoroughly enjoyed the audible version, which was a Christmas present to myself.