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Audiobooks > Fiction >  Historical > The Road to Samarcand: An Adventure
The Road to Samarcand: An Adventure Audiobook, by Patrick O’Brian Play Audiobook Sample

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3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 (3.00) - 197 customer ratings
The Road to Samarcand: An Adventure Audiobook, by Patrick O’Brian Play Audiobook Sample
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Author: Patrick O’Brian Narrator: Simon Vance Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Audio Length: Release Date: June 2008 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download ISBN: 9781455188680
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Publisher Description

This stand-alone adventure from the mighty Patrick O’Brian begins just where his devoted fans would want it to: with a sloop in the South China Sea barely surviving a killer typhoon. But the time is the 1930s and the protagonist a teenaged American boy whose missionary parents have just died. In the company of his rough, seafaring uncle and his elderly English cousin, an eminent archaeologist, young Derrick sets off in search of ancient treasures in central Asia.

Along the way, they encounter a charismatic Chinese bandit and a host of bad characters, including Russian agents fomenting unrest. The tale ends in an icebound valley with the party caught between hostile Red-Hat monks and the yeti whom the Tibetans call the Great Silent Ones.

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Quotes

  • “O’Brian’s richly told adventure saga, with its muscular prose, supple dialogue, and engaging characters, packs a nice old-school punch.”

    - Publishers Weekly

  • “Simon Vance, who has recorded almost all of O’Brian’s work on audio, is perfect; he catches every vocal social nuance and foreign accent without veering into caricature.” 

    - Publishers Weekly (audio review)

Customer Reviews

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  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " An exciting read - very well written and absorbing in a true story telling fashion. "

    - Rael, 2/11/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " A nice adventure story in the "old school" manner. A tad too "swashbuckling" at times with the language, but an entertaining read anyway. "

    - Mama, 2/4/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Wonderfully enjoyable read by O'Brian. Strong ties to his Aubrey/Maturin series and common thematic elements abound. However, it is unique to works in that it is what I would call a "Young Adult" novel in its quick pace and simple, action-packed plot. Very fun and refreshing read from O'Brian. "

    - Cole, 1/26/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A fun quick read. Great original story. "

    - Agnieszka, 1/22/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " When I was cruising the New Book shelves for vacation reads, I saw this and thought "A new Patrick O'Brian? Cool!" After I checked it out I remembered that O'Brian died in 2000. Hmmm... Sure enough, this book was originally written in 1954 and never published during the author's lifetime. Not promising. Still, I loved his Aubrey/Maturin series and so decided to give this one a shot. At first it was a little off-putting because it is so completely different in style, tone, and voice than the seafaring series. But soon I realized that this is a basic boy's adventure story, not a serious adult novel. Once I accepted that, I enjoyed this book tremendously. It has sea voyages, foreign travel, archeaelogy, fights, hunts, snowstorms, dangers galore, and Yetis! Hoo boy! "

    - Ann, 1/11/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " loving this old fashion adventure tale. "

    - Anne, 12/25/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " want to reread soon... my absolute favorite ending to any book, ever. "

    - Wendy, 12/21/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This is a perfect summer read - fairly short, action-packed scenes, lots of emotional depth, and fascinating characters. This is my first Patrick O'Brian novel, and I plan to pick up a few more. The book was published in England in 1954, but is only now being released in the U.S. "

    - Alicia, 11/28/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This is the first book by Patrick O'Brian I have read. So far, so good. Much adventuring and memorable characters. A fun read. "

    - Erin, 11/26/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " This book gave me hope as a writer. It is one of O'Brian's earlier attempts and had millions of flaws but still carried me away. It showed me that even the masters had to start somewhere. And O'Brian is a master. "

    - Betsy, 11/14/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " After you get used to hearing words like "Gee" and "Swell guy" come out of the mouths of O'Brian characters, this was an excellent book. All the adventure, drama, social commentary, and humor of his Maturin and Aubrey books, but this time set (mostly) on land. "

    - Brittany, 11/4/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " This turned out to be a bit younger than I'd anticipated. A pretty good boy's adventure story. "

    - Aneel, 11/2/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " This is an early effort by Patrick O'Brian, published about 16 years prior to his first Aubrey/Maturin novel. It is clearly a work by an author just discovering his talents. It is not up to the standards of his later work. I'll recommend it to an O'Brian completist, but to nobody else. "

    - Joe, 10/15/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " Not Patrick O'Brian's greatest. It takes place on land. "

    - Jill, 7/21/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I am genetically programmed somehow to enjoy Patrick O'Brian's books, especially this one. My favorite of his so far. "

    - Chris, 6/10/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " It was pretty exciting and fast paced although the end was rather sudden and not too well explained. It made me realize how little I know about Asia -- maybe it's time to learn. "

    - Margaret, 5/10/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This light-hearted adventure story was great fun to read. "

    - Annie, 4/28/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Not nearly as engaging as his other works. However, I think this would make an excellent novel for middle school and high school readers. Dogs, yetis, Mongol hordes... I was amused to find a 'new' book by a dead author at the bookstore. "

    - Valerie, 2/18/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Adventure story of an American orphaned boy, his ship's captain uncle and crew and his professor cousin who make their way through China and Tibet in the 1930s. "

    - Stephanie, 12/15/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " What was once called "a ripping yarn." Characters that initially seem cliched show depth, and a callow boy becomes a man. Great fun if you like this sort of thing, and I rather do. "

    - MeiLin, 9/7/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Fun good book by the writer of the Aubrey Maturin series. It makes me want to pick up some of his other works. Anyway, I really enjoyed it and it was story telling much like you'd get reading about Jack and Stephen. "

    - Matt, 5/30/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " An excellent adventure story. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that the ending seemed too abrupt to me. Otherwise, a great book. "

    - Michael, 1/18/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This is the sort of book Kipling would have written if Kipling had been a little more open-minded. Like Kim, only better. In fact, I almost wonder if O'Brian's questioning of imperialism didn't contribute to the fact that, when he wrote in in the 1950s, it wasn't published. "

    - Brackman1066, 12/26/2010
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Ripping yarn for boys. "

    - Louise, 9/25/2010
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This light-hearted adventure story was great fun to read. "

    - Annie, 9/11/2010
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " This turned out to be a bit younger than I'd anticipated. A pretty good boy's adventure story. "

    - Aneel, 2/9/2010
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " An excellent adventure story. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was that the ending seemed too abrupt to me. Otherwise, a great book. "

    - Michael, 11/29/2009
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This is the first book by Patrick O'Brian I have read. So far, so good. Much adventuring and memorable characters. A fun read. "

    - Erin, 10/23/2009
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Fun good book by the writer of the Aubrey Maturin series. It makes me want to pick up some of his other works. Anyway, I really enjoyed it and it was story telling much like you'd get reading about Jack and Stephen. "

    - Matt, 8/19/2009
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " loving this old fashion adventure tale. "

    - Anne, 7/31/2009
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " This is an early effort by Patrick O'Brian, published about 16 years prior to his first Aubrey/Maturin novel. It is clearly a work by an author just discovering his talents. It is not up to the standards of his later work. I'll recommend it to an O'Brian completist, but to nobody else. "

    - Joe, 6/5/2009
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " A nice adventure story in the "old school" manner. A tad too "swashbuckling" at times with the language, but an entertaining read anyway. "

    - Mama, 2/16/2009
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " Not Patrick O'Brian's greatest. It takes place on land. "

    - Jill, 12/7/2008
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Not nearly as engaging as his other works. However, I think this would make an excellent novel for middle school and high school readers. Dogs, yetis, Mongol hordes... I was amused to find a 'new' book by a dead author at the bookstore. "

    - Valerie, 11/30/2008
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " What was once called "a ripping yarn." Characters that initially seem cliched show depth, and a callow boy becomes a man. Great fun if you like this sort of thing, and I rather do. "

    - MeiLin, 11/29/2008
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " It was pretty exciting and fast paced although the end was rather sudden and not too well explained. It made me realize how little I know about Asia -- maybe it's time to learn. "

    - Margaret, 11/28/2008
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " This book gave me hope as a writer. It is one of O'Brian's earlier attempts and had millions of flaws but still carried me away. It showed me that even the masters had to start somewhere. And O'Brian is a master. "

    - Betsy, 11/25/2008
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I am genetically programmed somehow to enjoy Patrick O'Brian's books, especially this one. My favorite of his so far. "

    - Chris, 2/1/2008
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " After you get used to hearing words like "Gee" and "Swell guy" come out of the mouths of O'Brian characters, this was an excellent book. All the adventure, drama, social commentary, and humor of his Maturin and Aubrey books, but this time set (mostly) on land. "

    - Brittany, 7/9/2007

About the Author

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.

About the Narrator

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.