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The Sea-Hawk

By: Rafael Sabatini
Narrated by: John Bolen
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Publisher's summary

Sir Oliver Tessilian, a Cornish nobleman, is abandoned or betrayed by everyone he ever loved. He is framed for murder, affronted and shunned by his fiancee and sold into slavery by his half-brother.

Tessilian converts to Islam and becomes the Barbary Corsair, Sakr-el-Bahr, "Hawk of the Sea." He invades the coast of England on a captured Spanish ship and kidnaps the woman whose love for him had been poisoned by deceit and whose unforgiving repugnance had kept him form returning home. This 1923 best seller, doused with pirates, sea battles, villainy, romance and revenge, is considered one of the great classic swashbucklers of all time.

©2002 Tantor Media, Inc. (P)2002 Tantor Media, Inc.
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Editorial reviews

Rafael Sabatini's The Sea-Hawk tells the story of an Elizabethan Englishman who, after being betrayed by his half-brother and sold into slavery, joins the swashbuckling pirates of the Barbary Coast. Historic and melodramatic, this audiobook chucks listeners right into the middle of the action. John Bolen turns in a solid performance. He is not afraid to pause to let the imagery settle, nor to use rapid-fire pacing to bolster action sequences. He particularly hits his stride with his characters' voices, from the high-pitched women to the heavily accented pirates. For fans of good old-fashion melodrama, X marks this spot.

What listeners say about The Sea-Hawk

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

I wish modern stuff was this good. Adventure on the high seas. With morals. Real morals. Not virtue signaling. Go figure.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I've heard fifth graders who could read better.

Great Sabatini story that barely overcame a very poor rendition. Thank goodness Scaramouche and Captain Blood were read by someone else!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A silly tale, very badly narrated

I expect had the narrator been able to pronounce the words correctly, adjust his voice and diction to fit the sentence structure, I would have written a better review. Other Sabatini tales, equally fatuous, had been much better narrated and were enjoyed. This was a tortuous experience.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Swashbuckler that Sloshes

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If you are a fan of Rafael Sabatini, you will probably enjoy this book. I read it as a young lad and was enthralled.

However, the narrator of this version is probably not the best reader I've ever heard and detracted from the story. Also, the story is supposed to be set in Elizabethan times, but it sounded too much like the 19th century to me. This is probably the fault of Sabatini rather than the narrator, however.

All in all, the plot line is good enough to keep me interested, but a better performance would have made it more enjoyable.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story ruined by a bumbling reader

This is is a great story. Read it. Listen to another rendition. But don't listed to this narrator mispronounce words, stress the wrong words in sentences, and overall distract the listener from the story rather than enhancing the story. Disappointed.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A slow start but ultimately gripping

It started off a little slow, but this story of betrayal and its consequences went on to become sit-in-the-garage gripping. It has greater psychological depth than the typical swashbuckler. The reader was disappointing, using the same voice for very different characters (such as the faithful servant and the duplicitious mercenary). The only superior book I know of in this genre is The Count of Monte Cristo.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW!!!

WHAT A STORY, very well read. Really a terrific escape. Highly recommended

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Poor Audio Quality

Love the story but the audio quality is terrible compared to what even the newest of independent creators can produce from home. I would recommend looking for another version of this story before you waste your credits or your money.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator obysmal

While the narrator fumbled, mispronounced words, and made constant intonation errors, the elegant language and incredibly entertaining story made it wonderful reading.
The love scenes, where they hate each other, is among the best I’ve ever read. Not Hollywood!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Well written

The language,style and contruction of the book was wonderful. The action is certainly less than that of Captain Blood but the essential adventure was present. The narration was not as good however and there was difficulty in charachter transition. Overall if you are a fan of Sabatini it is a great listen. Improve the narration and this would easily be 4 stars

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1 person found this helpful