In the early 1800s, the British Navy stands as the only bulwark against the militant fanaticism of Napoleonic France. Captain Jack Aubrey, a brilliant and experienced officer, has been struck off the list of post-captains for a crime he has not committed. His old friend Stephen Maturin, usually acting as the ship’s surgeon to cover his activities on behalf of British intelligence, has bought for Aubrey his old ship, the Surprise, to command as a privateer. Together they will sail on a desperate mission against the French that, if successful, may redeem Aubrey from the private hell of his disgrace.
In this twelfth installment of the beloved Aubrey-Maturin series, Patrick O’Brian has created another tale of great narrative power. O’Brian’s attention to period detail and his ability to weave excitement and high seas adventure into every yarn make his novels utterly delightful must-haves.
Download and start listening now!
“Vance is absolutely perfect for O’Brian’s sad and stirring tale…[He] catches the subtle differences between the land-owning Jack, his rough-tongued crew and the Spanish/Irish Maturin. O’Brian fans should relish this excellent audio outing as should anyone with a love of adventure, history, the sea and fine writing.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review)
“The author’s grasp of period detail is astonishing as ever—and so is his gift for pure entertainment.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review“If Jane Austen wrote Royal Navy yarns, they might read like this…The early-nineteenth-century locations are fascinating, as are the evocation of period shipboard life…Seafarers and landlubbers alike will enjoy this swift, witty tale of money and love.”
— Publishers Weekly“Readers will be glad to see these unlikely friends in action again...An exciting sea story with good character development.”
— Library JournalBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Patrick O’Brian (1914–2000), a translator and author of biographies, was best known as the author of the highly acclaimed Aubrey–Maturin series of historical novels. Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars ,this twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician and spy Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. He wrote acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks. He also translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture’s biographies of Charles de Gaulle.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.