The French Prize
A Novel
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The French Prize
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Narrated by:
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John Lee
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By:
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James L. Nelson
About this listen
Acclaimed, award-winning author James L. Nelson—praised as “a master of both his period and the English language” by Patrick O’Brian—returns to the world of sea and sail in The French Prize.
Jack Biddlecomb has much to live up to, being as he is the eldest son of the esteemed Captain Isaac Biddlecomb, wealthy merchant captain, leading light of the War for American Independence, and newly minted congressman. Jack finds himself off to a promising start, however, when he’s given command of the merchant vessel Abigail bound from Philadelphia for Barbados.
But even before the dock lines are cast off, the voyage, which should have been routine, begins to look like a stormy passage indeed. Jack is saddled with two passengers, one as unpleasant as he is highborn, the other a confidant of the Abigail’s owner who cannot help meddling in the running of the ship. What’s more, with the French making prizes of American merchantmen, Abigail’s owner has armed the ship and instructed Jack to fight if need be, thrusting the first-time captain and his small crew into a naval war for which they are totally unprepared.
What Jack does not know, but soon begins to suspect, is that he is being used as part of a bigger plot, one that will have repercussions on an international scale.
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 45
Shortly after Thomas Marlowe's arrival in Williamsburg, Virginia, all in that newfound capital city are speaking his name. With the bounty from his years as a pirate—a life he intends to renounce and keep forever secret—he purchases a fine plantation from a striking young widow, and soon after kills the favorite son of one of Virginia's most powerful clans while defending her honor. But it is a daring feat of remarkable cunning that truly sets local tongues wagging: a stunning move that wins Marlowe command of Plymouth Prize, the colony's decrepit guardship.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I could not stop listening!
- By nurseshark on 06-14-25
By: James L. Nelson
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The Only Life That Mattered
- The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story5 out of 5 stars 21
Fed up with an outlaw existence, Calico Jack Rackam swears off the pirate life, but he hasn’t reckoned with Anne Bonny, a woman who would as soon stab a man as give him a good tumble—that is, unless he’s a pirate. Soon Jack finds himself out on the high seas again, with Anne by his side and his men spoiling for action. And when they capture a Dutch merchant ship, they pick up an unlikely crewmate as well, an expert sword fighter and topmast seaman who has a secret: he just happens to be a woman named Mary. Together they cut a bold swath through the West Indies.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Love James Nelson’s work, always excellent!
- By Cherri on 07-14-23
By: James L. Nelson
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The Colonial Post-Captain
- Carlisle and Holbrooke Naval Adventures Series, Book 1
- By: Chris Durbin
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 138
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 117
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 117
Captain Carlisle hails from Virginia, a loyal colony of the British Crown. As the clouds of war gather, Carlisle's small frigate is ordered to Toulon on a reconnaissance mission. If battling the winter weather in the Gulf of Lions is not a sufficient challenge, Carlisle must also juggle the delicate diplomatic issues in this period of pre-war tension while contending with an increasingly belligerent French frigate. But Carlisle has additional problems unique to his colonial origins.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A prelude to the Master and Commandeer Series
- By James R. Ellis on 05-06-23
By: Chris Durbin
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Fin Gall - A Novel of Viking Age Ireland
- Norsemen Saga Series #1
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 724
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 663
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 664
For centuries, the Vikings have swept out of the Norse countries and fallen on whatever lands they could reach aboard their longships, and few could resist the power of their violent onslaught. They came at first to plunder and then to settle, an encroachment fiercely resisted wherever they went. Such was the case in the southern lands of Ireland. En route to the Viking longphort there, known as Dubh-linn, Thorgrim Night Wolf and Ornolf the Restless stumble across an Irish ship.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Tolerable with this trick
- By Victoria on 05-10-16
By: James L. Nelson
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The Buccaneer Coast
- Blood, Steel, and Empire, Book 1
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Jason Keller
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 39
More than one hundred years after Columbus blundered onto Hispaniola, the West Indies are held in Spain's iron fist, and no threat to that absolute rule is tolerated. But such total control cannot last, and one threat will emerge as the most dangerous of all: the buccaneers. Camped on the shore of Hispaniola, these half-wild men eke out a living hunting the island's feral livestock. Among them, Jean-Baptiste LeBoeuf lives out his exile, content that no one in the hunters' camp is curious about his past. But when a hurricane sweeps through the Caribbean, it upends their rough existence.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent storytelling!
- By Shawn S. on 03-26-25
By: James L. Nelson
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The East Indiaman
- Percival Merewether Series, Book 1
- By: Ellis K. Meacham
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 104
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 97
The Naval Service of the Honorable East India Company, popularly known as the Bombay Marine, operated in romantic areas in perilous times. From the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, from Calcutta to Canton, the Company ships were famous for their speed and daring. The "Bombay Buccaneers" who sailed them were the stuff of legend. For Percival Merewether, 1806 would be a year to remember.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Rousing Tale
- By Jean on 07-18-17
By: Ellis K. Meacham
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Kydd
- Thomas Kydd, Book 1
- By: Julian Stockwin
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 375
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 343
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 344
1793 and Europe is ablaze with war. Thomas Paine Kydd, a young wig-maker from Guildford, is seized by the press gang to be a part of the crew of the 98-gun line-of-battle ship Duke William. The ship sails immediately and Kydd has to learn the harsh realities of shipboard life fast. Despite all that he goes through in danger of tempest and battle he comes to admire the skills and courage of the seamen - taking up the challenge himself to become a true sailor.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Intriguing storyline
- By Raymond W. Hill, Jr. on 11-07-14
By: Julian Stockwin
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Brewer's Luck: Hornblower's Legacy
- By: James Keffer
- Narrated by: Nigel Peever
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 97
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Story4 out of 5 stars 96
After gaining valuable experience as an aide to Governor Lord Horatio Hornblower, William Brewer is rewarded with a posting as first lieutenant on the frigate HMS Defiant, bound for American waters. Early in their travels, it seems as though Brewer’s greatest challenge will be evading the wrath of a tyrannical captain who has taken an active dislike to him. But when a hurricane sweeps away the captain, the young lieutenant is forced to assume command of the damaged ship, and a crew suffering from low morale.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Lots of Action and Fun on the High Seas
- By Spooky Mike on 11-11-19
By: James Keffer
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The Blackbirder
- Brethren of the Coast, Book 2
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
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Story5 out of 5 stars 15
In a blind rage, King James, ex-slave and now Marlowe's comrade in arms, slaughters the crew of a slave ship and makes himself the most wanted man in Virginia. The governor gives Marlowe a choice: Hunt James down and bring him back to hang or lose everything Marlowe has built for himself and his wife, Elizabeth. Marlowe sets out in pursuit of the ex-slave turned pirate, struggling to maintain control over his crew—rough privateers who care only for plunder—and following James's trail of destruction.
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5 out of 5 stars
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and Needed.
- By GravelGertie on 06-17-24
By: James L. Nelson
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Hold Fast
- A Novel
- By: J. H. Gelernter
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
It's 1803. The Napoleonic Wars are raging, Britain is on her heels, and His Majesty's Secret Service has just lost its best agent, Thomas Grey. Deeply depressed by his wife's untimely death, Grey resigns from the service and accepts an offer to join a lumber firm in Boston. But when a sea battle with a privateer forces the ship carrying him west to make port in neutral Portugal, Grey is approached with a counteroffer: Become a wealthy man by selling out Britain's spy network to France.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Perfect!
- By ashly on 06-22-21
By: J. H. Gelernter
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Sharpe's Tiger
- The Siege of Seringapatam, 1799
- By: Bernard Cornwell
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 524
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 472
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 471
From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the first exciting adventure in the world-renowned Sharpe series, chronicling the rise of Richard Sharpe, a Private in His Majesty’s Army at the siege of Seringapatam.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Give us Farley!
- By Samantha Maxwell on 06-04-22
By: Bernard Cornwell
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Wharton
- The Wharton Series, Book 1
- By: George Edwardson
- Narrated by: Sam Beveridge
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 6
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 6
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Midshipman Johnnie Wharton has no idea when he joins HMS St George as a 12-year-old that he is soon to take part in some of the greatest sea battles of Nelsons Royal Navy. Life aboard his next ship HMS Gibraltar is tough for the youngster and he and the other officers face disgrace as his Captain blunders badly at the Battle of the Glorious First of June.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Poorly written and produced.
- By M. Daly on 05-15-25
By: George Edwardson
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Midshipman Bolitho
- By: Alexander Kent
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 321
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 273
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 274
October 1772, Portsmouth. Sixteen-year-old Richard Bolitho waits to join the Gorgon, ordered to sail to the west coast of Africa and to destroy those who challenge the King's Navy. For Bolitho, and for many of the crew, it is a severe and testing initiation into the game of seamanship.
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3 out of 5 stars
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This is *not* the book advertised.
- By Robert Bolin on 08-26-16
By: Alexander Kent
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Men-of-War
- Life in Nelson’s Navy
- By: Patrick O’Brian
- Narrated by: Ronald Pickup
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
What was daily life in Nelson's navy really like, for everyone from the captain down to the rawest recruit? What did they eat? What songs did they sing? What was the schedule of watches? How were the officers and crew paid, and what was the division of prize-money? These questions and many more are answered in Patrick O'Brian's elegant narrative, which includes wonderful anecdotal material on the battles and commanders that established Britain's naval supremacy.
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1 out of 5 stars
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NOT MUCH
- By Brad W. Mackinaw on 07-04-25
By: Patrick O’Brian
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Glory in the Name
- A Novel of the Confederate Navy
- By: James L. Nelson
- Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
April 12, 1861. With one jerk of a lanyard, one shell arching into the sky, years of tension exploded into civil war. And for those men who did not know in which direction their loyalty called them, it was a time for decisions. Such a one was Lieutenant Samuel Bowater, an officer of the United States Navy, a native of Charleston, South Carolina. Hard pressed to abandon the oath he swore to the United States, but unable to fight against his home state, Bowater accepts a commission in the nascent Confederate navy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A epic saga………………….
- By Bruce on 12-06-22
By: James L. Nelson
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The Captain's Nephew
- The Alexander Clay Series, Book 1
- By: Philip K. Allan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Bunce
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 76
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 67
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Story4 out of 5 stars 68
After a century of war, revolutions, and imperial conquests, 1790s Europe is still embroiled in a battle for control of the sea and colonies. Tall ships navigate familiar and foreign waters, and ambitious young men without rank or status seek their futures in naval commands. First Lieutenant Alexander Clay of the frigate Agrius is self-made, clever, and ready for the new age. But the old world, dominated by patronage, retains a tight hold on advancement.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Exciting
- By Jean on 03-28-19
By: Philip K. Allan
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Sails on the Horizon
- A Novel of the Napoleonic Wars
- By: Jay Worrall
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 329
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 216
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 215
With his first historical high-seas adventure chronicling the exploits of Naval Commander Charles Edgemont, Jay Worrall sets sail in the rousing tradition of C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Muster and Commandeer
- By Andrew J. on 12-10-07
By: Jay Worrall
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The Shores of Tripoli
- Lieutenant Putnam and the Barbary Pirates
- By: James L. Haley
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 332
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 306
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 303
It is 1801, and President Thomas Jefferson has assembled a deep-water navy to fight the growing threat of piracy, as American civilians are regularly kidnapped by Islamist brigands and held for ransom, enslaved, or killed, all at their captors' whim. The Berber States of North Africa, especially Tripoli, claimed their faith gave them the right to pillage anyone who did not submit to their religion.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Listen to the sample
- By Mike on 10-30-18
By: James L. Haley
Annoying accent by the narrator
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Narrator
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Fabulous an more
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Thoroughly enjoyable!
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INCREDIBLE. EXCITING. EPIC STORYLINE.
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Exciting
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What a great story
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Another wonderful tale.
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Great story of early American sailors
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wtf is John Lee doing with this American accent
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