Master and Commander [UNABRIDGED] | Patrick O'Brian

Master and Commander [UNABRIDGED] | Patrick O'Brian | Audible Silk

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Master and Command...

	Master and Commander [UNABRIDGED] Patrick O'Brian Blackstone Audiobooks Inc., 2004 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half pay without a command, until Stephen Maturin arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope under a commodore?s pennant, there to mount an expedition against the French-held islands of Mauritius and La Réunion. But the difficulties of carrying out his orders are compounded by two of his own captains?Lord Clonfert, a pleasure-seeking dilettante, and Captain Corbett, whose severity pushes his crew to the verge of mutiny.

Wonderful revelation

I came late to this table, intrigued by the excellent Russell Crowe movie. (A note for new readers arriving by the same route: the movie is an amalgam of several of the books in the series, then modified even further by the supposed needs of Hollywood.)

When I bought this 13½ hour CD reading of the first book, I was delighted but also somewhat baffled: the language is extremely challenging, even to one with years of sailing experience. How could this series have sold millions? Another Amazon reviewer set me straight: the books are written so that they could be understood and enjoyed by the characters themselves, and describe the harsh sensibilities of the times without apology or explanation.

An extremely difficult feat to pull off, writing in the 1970s. Being a rather proud writer myself, at first my anachronism police came out in full force, looking for missteps. Oh they are there, if you want to get curmudgeonly, but instead, why not just enjoy the author's magnificent accomplishment? The book has become my nightcap: one chapter per night, with a rewind each morning to the point I fell asleep. It has also become my traveling companion: I ripped all 11 CDs down to one mp3 disk, and traffic jams immediately stopped annoying me. (For people wishing to do the same, it can be encoded at a generous 256bps and still fit on one CD). And there are still another 21 novels to go...

To the meat: You will have to put up with sometimes excruciating detail: is it really necessary to have an unbroken five-minute naming of parts? The top mizzens, each and every backstay, the exact length of each spar? But perhaps it is. The internal voice of Aubrey: a sympathetic man whose company I would nonetheless not enjoy, the utter callousness towards human suffering displayed. We wouldn't judge Jane Austen for having archaic sensibilities; Patrick O'Brien should be given the same leeway.

But with your investment in place, the rewards are enormous. The battles, the tactics, the seamanship displayed and the characters involved are described at close to the level of Conrad. It is impossible to read (or listen) without trying to imagine your reaction to being hauled off a side-street, impressed into the Navy, given your 14" of hammock-space and sixteen hours of daily work, with the lash readily available if you ever care to demur. And as a reminder, the monthly reading of the Articles of War, with almost every infraction being followed by: "...and shall suffer death." O'Brian probably accurately describes this monthly litany as comforting and reassuring to the men.

The reader, Simon Vance, does an excellent job. He trips up occasionally by repeating himself, and his occasional Scottish accent is strictly from the James Doohan Hollywood school, but those are hardly gripes: his friendly voice is accurate and his personality is quite invisible, as it should be.

"Aubrey! May I trouble you for the salt?"

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Audible Silk

Listening to Simon Vance read Patrick O'Brian's words is like having silk poured in your ears. A fantastic book made even better!

Excellent Performance by Simon Vance

I highly recommend the performance of Simon Vance. His reading is excellent. Jack Aubrey's vibrant personality comes alive, as does Maturin's more subtle character. Killick is a riot. I have all recordings up to "The Thirteen Gun Salute" by now, and Vance keeps the individual voices consistent across all books. He is a true pleasure to listen to and even does the women well, which can't be easy. His mediterranean accents are not so good, but this is a minor hitch. These CDs are very good value for money.

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It is impossible to get enough of Patrick O'Brian

O'Brian was a master storyteller. This is must-read swashbuckling literature. The movie, although a sort of mish-mash of stories, was great too.

Simon Vance gets it!

My parents had been trying to get me to read this series for a number of years. I tried once or twice, but whether it was the wrong time or I was in the wrong mood, I just couldn't get into the characters. I then was in a position of driving, alone, from New York to Texas, and stopped in a bookstore for something to listen to on the way.

First, the Master and Commander that I listened to was not Simon Vance. Happily it was well enough done to make me continue the series. At this writing, I have 3 and 1/2 books left. Simon Vance is so good though, that I am purchasing his version, of this, the first book. I also had ordered, without checking, the last book. When I received it from the used seller, and discovered that it was read by someone else, I dropped that in the charity bag, and ordered another with Mr. Vance. He does not intrude on the story, but he is definitely a part of the family. I couldn't imagine finishing up with anyone else.

I have not done any more long car trips, but have listened piece meal during day to day driving. The story holds up, and I have spent quite a bit of time sitting in the driveway "just finishing up a bit" I always keep the next book ready in the car.

There are many reviews of the books, probably much better than I could set out. I was not an audio book listener until we listened to the Harry Potter books, read by Jim Dale, on a number of long car drives. (The last one on the drive that got me to New York from Texas). I had tried several other books, including favorites of mine, and really have decided that the reader makes all of the difference. I have listened to books that I love, and not been able to finish them, because the reader just didn't get the material. Simon Vance gets this material.

I have added the paper books to my library and will read them the old fashioned way some day. These CDs will stay in my permanent library as well. They certainly match the gold standard of "re-readability".

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reviews: page 1, 2

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