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Master and Commander

Aubrey-Maturin (Book 1)

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What to expect

In this, the first of Patrick O’Brian’s much lauded Aubrey–Maturin novels, discover a vibrant world conjured by a master storyteller, rich with detail and character.

1800. Napoleon Bonaparte is the biggest threat to peace yet seen.

Newly promoted to command of his first ship, Captain Jack Aubrey, along with his crew, and new friend and ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin, must patrol a Mediterranean fraught with peril but rich with rewards. A glimpse of white sails on the horizon could mean a prize to be taken – or a fight for survival.

‘In Aubrey and Maturin, Patrick O’Brian has created two of the most enjoyable characters in twentieth-century fiction. One of the greatest authors to sail with.’
MICHAEL PALIN

‘There are two types of people in the world: Patrick O'Brian fans, and people who haven't read him yet.’
LUCY EYRE, Guardian

Critics Review

‘If O’Brian’s novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive. . . They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action.’
Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph
‘The Aubrey–Maturin novels, by Patrick O’Brian, are so addictive that after I finish one I have to hide the next from myself for a little while in order to do anything else but read.’
Louise Erdrich
‘In Aubrey and Maturin, Patrick O’Brian has created two of the most enjoyable characters in twentieth-century fiction. Their relationship sustains an absorbing and thrilling sequence of naval stories, unrivalled in their complexity, full of impeccable detail and psychological insight. O’Brian switches from the intimate to the epic with equal assurance. One of the greatest authors to sail with.’
Michael Palin
‘My hero is Patrick O’Brian. It’s basically impossible to write that well.’
David Mamet
‘One of the most compelling and brilliant novelists of his time . . . Beyond his superbly elegant writing, wit and originality, Patrick O’Brian showed an understanding of the nature of a floating world at the mercy of the wind and the sea which has never been surpassed.’
Max Hastings, Evening Standard
‘I devoured Patrick O’Brian’s twenty-volume masterpiece as if it had been so many tots of Jamaica grog.’
Christopher Hitchens
‘Written with most engaging enthusiasm that can’t fail to give pleasure to anybody who enjoys historical adventure flavoured with more than a dash of realism.’
The Sunday Times
‘One of the most brilliantly sustained pieces of historical fictional writing this century.’
James Teacher, Spectator
‘Patrick O’Brian brings depth to his sea-stories with outstanding dialogue, characterisation, humour and a golden thread of romance. You don’t have to love books about naval battles to become entranced.’
Katie Fforde
Author Patrick O’Brian, Abridged by Neville Teller
Narrator Robert Hardy
Series Aubrey-Maturin
Duration 4 hours and 23 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9780007217298
Format Audiobook
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Genre Historical adventure fiction, Historical fiction, Napoleonic War fiction, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Sea stories
Availability AU, GB, IE

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