Technically dense but thoroughly enjoyable

this is the kind of book that I would never make it through if I were reading it off a page. never mind that I would completely butcher the pronunciation of many of these nautical terms, but I know that I would be so encumbered by the urge to look up definitions and parts of the sailing ship to try to understand what is going on at any given moment. Here, the audiobook is a satisfying and expeditious way to enjoy the novel at a reasonable pace. The narration allows you enough inference to glean what's going on in any given scene even when you don't understand every 10th word. The story is well written, well-paced, and the characters enjoyable.

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Such a wonderful story

Yes I agree Patrick Hulls narration is perfect. I still hear it. But the brilliance of this novel delivered by Ric Jerrom shines thru. The last minutes brought tears to my eyes although I know this story well. O Brian is certainly one of the greatest novelists of all time- but if you are reading this you must know that already. This is true literature. So satisfying and so engaging.

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Nautical Historical Fiction at its Finest

Much like how Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series captured the essence of British infantry life during the Napoleonic era, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series (read by Ric Jerrom) creates for the listener a similarly detailed & compelling narrative of British nautical warfare throughout this period.

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Superb narration

One if the best narrated books i have ever had the pleasure. So professional and enjoyable

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Masterfull and commanding

"Master and Commander" is a thrilling voyage into the world of nautical adventure. Initially, the abundance of nautical lingo might seem overwhelming, but it quickly transforms into a second language, immersing readers into the vividly depicted world of the British Navy in the early 1800s.

What truly sets this book apart is its impeccably crafted characters of Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturin. The dynamic between the two main characters is nothing short of brilliant, infused with sharp wit and a delightful camaraderie. Captain Aubrey, with his unwavering leadership and deep love for the sea, embodies the quintessential image of a naval officer. His larger-than-life personality is complemented by the rather eccentric Doctor Maturin, whose intellect, love for natural history and unconventional personality add layers of depth to the narrative.

Their complex friendship, marked by witty banter and mutual respect, forms the cornerstone of the story, providing readers with a dynamic and compelling duo to root for throughout their adventures on the high seas. It makes this book a joy to read.

O'Brian's masterful storytelling creates a world that is as entertaining as it is engaging. Overall, "Master and Commander" is a superb read and an ideal entry point into the series. It's a book that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.

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The Beginning of an Incredible Series...

I made a mistaking buying this audiobook. I wanted the version narrated by Simon Vance. So I was shocked when Ric Jerrom started reading the story to me. Initially, I was disappointed at my error but now I consider it a real stroke of luck. Simon Vance is a brilliant voice artist for sure, but Ric Jerrom give this tale (of sharp historical insight and high seas adventure) a more theatrical performance and it is a very nice contrast to Vance's reading (while is also brilliant). The story itself is in turn funny, insightful, vivid, and utterly gripping in its description of the (two) culminating conflicts. It is also the beginning of one of the greatest series every written. I had no particular interest in the great battle ships of the 1700s and 1800s, but after being exposed to Mr O'Brian's story I consider myself completely fascinated. (AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY.)

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Incredible!

Most entertaining and interesting piece of great literature. Enjoyable from beginning to end.
How i wish they made more movies based in these type of literature.

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A great classic!

A strong reading.
Obviously, the writing is brilliant, especially when it comes nautical descriptions and terms. (The history seems accurate, he certainly draws on historical characters and incidents.)

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Looking at the Sea with Loving Relish

The first meeting between Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin is humorously inauspicious. At a performance by an Italian quartetto in the music-room of the Governor’s House at Port Mahon on the island of Minorca near Spain, Jack is so enthusiastically enjoying the music, beating the time with his hand and humming “pum-pum-pum,” that Stephen elbows him sharply in the ribs, so that Jack must master his desire to pick up a chair and dash it over the villain's head. Yet after receiving the wonderful news that he’s been promoted to Master and Commander of the Sophie, a small sloop, Jack is in such high spirits that when he runs into Stephen around town he invites him to a sumptuous meal, during which he invites him to become the surgeon of the Sophie. (Whereas other naval historical fiction, like the Horatio Hornblower and Alan Lewrie series, begin at the beginning of their heroes’ naval careers as midshipmen, O’Brien opens his with the promotion of Jack, who has nominally been at sea since nine and factually since twelve, to master and commander, a proto-captain.)

Jack and Stephen differ in so many ways! Jack, an officer in His Majesty’s navy, is tall, robust, tanned, good-natured, and blond-maned, while Stephen, an out-of-work civilian physician-biologist is small, slender, pale, melancholic, and be-wigged (with a weird hair-piece made of wire). Furthermore, Jack tends to speak his mind, often unintentionally offending his interlocutors, is bad at languages (as when he comically confuses “putain” with “patois”), is hot-tempered (which gets him into trouble with authority figures), while the highly educated and intelligent Stephen is more careful in his speech, more philosophical, and is fluent in Catalan and speaks Spanish and French as well. Nevertheless, the two men are roughly the same age (between twenty and thirty), share a love of music (Jack playing the violin, Stephen the cello), and are naturally drawn to one another as boon companions. One of the great pleasures of the novel is beholding their friendship unfold.

Other pleasures involve the exciting scenes of naval action that suddenly pop up, from inconclusive minor skirmishes between pairs of ships to major battles involving multiple ships and shore batteries (for in the year 1800 when the novel takes place England is at war with Spain and France), as well as the occasional brief, vivid, and lyrical descriptions of the world viewed with relish from a ship at sea:

“At almost the same time the sun popped up from behind St. Phillip’s fort; it did, in fact, pop up, flattened like a sideways lemon in the morning haze and drawing its bottom free of the land with a distinct jerk.”

Or

“The sea itself already had a nacreous light that belonged more to the day than the darkness, and this light was reflected in the great convexities of the topsails, giving them the lustre of grey pearls.”

O’Brien also writes many spicy and funny lines, as when some of the Sophie’s men comment on the middle-aged Master’s obvious feeling for Jack: “Old Sodom and Gomorrah is sweet on Goldilocks.” Or as when Stephen looks forward to working on a patient: “It has been a long time since I felt the grind of bone under my saw.” Or as when Jack tells Stephen about the poor food he’ll have to endure till the Sophie can get better supplies: “Salt horse and Old Weevil’s wedding cake for most of the voyage, with four-water grog to wet it.”

There are also poignant lines about the difficulties we face in life, as when the conflicted Lieutenant James Dillon says to his fellow-Irishman Stephen, “We understood one another better before ever I opened my mouth.” Stephen himself has a philosophical turn of mind, and is often observing and then commenting on human and animal nature, as when he tries to explain to the straightforward Jack how a man might be torn between conflicting loyalties, or as when he intently observes the macabre copulation of a praying mantis couple, during which the male mounts the female and grasps her body with his legs, only to have her bite off his head and eat it, leaving his body still copulating, which leads Stephen to tell Jack that at times a woman doesn’t need a man’s head and heart. (The depiction of women in the novel is definitely done from a male point of view!)

And of course there are plenty of nautical details in the novel, about the different ships in the age of sail, and of the different sails, masts, guns, crews, officers, punishments, techniques, procedures, protocols, strategies, food and drink, toilets, sleeping arrangements, and so on involved. Some of them remain opaque to land-lubber me, but many of them become more or less clear thanks to O’Brien’s device of inserting Stephen, a man with “no experience in naval matters,” into Jack’s world, so that he may ask questions and make comments on our behalf, so to speak, as when early in the novel he’s given a tour of the Sophie by a midshipman. Anyway, the nautical details never get in the way of the story, which is full of psychological and physical excitement, humor, relish, and suspense.

Ric Jerrom reads the novel with clarity, feeling, and wit, modifying his voice effectively for the different seamen, whether common or elite, English or foreign, old or young, drunk or sober, pleasant or nasty, and so on. He brings the book vividly to life.

Fans of the Hornblower or Lewrie books should enjoy Master and Commander, as should anyone who likes historical novels featuring compelling characters and authentic settings and exciting action.

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7 people found this helpful

Balm for the nautical soul

What made the experience of listening to Master and Commander the most enjoyable?

Getting into the nautical life in the 1800's. There was much I haven't understood, but that's OK, I caught as much as I missed. The slow pace of much life under sail surprised me, but it makes sense when they were so reliant upon the wind.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stephen - sensible, observant, reflective. A foil for the exuberant, shallow and somewhat oblivious Captain.

What does Ric Jerrom bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Accents, emphasis

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Under sail in the Mediterranean - a doctor's story

Any additional comments?

Good book. From listening to previews, I am not sure the narrators of later books of the series have done as a good a job as this one.

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2 people found this helpful