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The Mauritius Command

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The Mauritius Command

By: Patrick O’Brian
Narrated by: Robert Hardy
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In this abridged audiobook, can Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew defy the odds, and outmanoeuvre the French, to take two small but vital islands in the Indian Ocean?

Life ashore on half pay, despite the joys of family life, is unlikely to satisfy a man of action such as Jack Aubrey. The sea calls to him. And so, when his friend, ship’s surgeon and secret agent Stephen Maturin, arrives with secret orders, Aubrey soon finds himself in command of a frigate and setting sail for the Cape of Good Hope.

But, in Nelson’s navy, there are as many enemies within as without.

‘A few books work their way . . . onto [bestseller] lists by genuine, lasting excellence – witness The Lord of the Rings, or Patrick O’Brian’s sea stories.’
URSULA K. LE GUIN

‘I devoured Patrick O’Brian’s twenty-volume masterpiece as if it had been so many tots of Jamaica grog.’
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

 Action & Adventure Espionage Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medical Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Exciting
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Critic reviews

‘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
All stars
Most relevant
Well read by Robert Hardy, plenty of naval action, described in realistic detail, and the book is not too long

Naval action 19th Century

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Gripping story line. Read by a master storyteller

The Mauritus Command

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I was expecting a full version with the usual narrator. Just not it. Robert Hardy just doesn’t do it for me. A great actor but this narration was jarring after the masterful Mr Jerrom.

Disappointing

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This was an abridged copy recommended to me as Book 4 in the series, I have not read an abridged version before. This was not made clear it was an abridged copy. The storyline was great but semed rushed and incomplete, not surprising in an abridged version.

Dissapointing

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This is a short book in the Aubrey-Maturinn series covering Jack's command in the East. Focusing on the action and in short format Aubrey and Maturin spend less time centre stage. There is little character development and contrasting everyday life with the narrative covering the campaign in brief detail.

This is less rounded than the earlier books in the series.

A short action

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