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A Sailor of Austria
- The Otto Prohaska Novels, Book 1
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
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A Sailor of Austria
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Summary
In which, without really intending to, Otto Prohaska becomes official war hero no. 27 of the Habsburg empire.
"A retro techno-adventure story that falls somewhere between Tom Clancy and Patrick O'Brian... top notch military fiction with a literary flair." (Publishers Weekly)
In the spring of 1915, a young Austro-Czech naval lieutenant Ottokar Prohaska finds himself posted to the minuscule Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Submarine Service in the Adriatic port of Pola. In some trepidation at first, because he has no experience whatever of submarines, his fears are soon set at rest when he discovers that nobody else has either: least of all his superiors. There follow three and a half years of desperate World War One adventures fighting for the House of Habsburg aboard primitive, ill-equipped vessels, contending not just with exploding lavatories and the transport of Libyan racing camels but with a crew drawn from a dozen different nationalities-and a decaying imperial bureaucracy which often seems to be even more of an enemy than the British, the French, the Italians and the sea itself.
After surmounting all this to become - accidentally - Austria Hungary's leading U-boat commander and a holder of its highest military decoration, the closing months of 1918 see him and his crew returning aboard a damaged boat from the shores of Palestine, only to find that the homeland they have fought for so doggedly over the previous four years is now in the final stages of collapse, and that they themselves are effectively stateless persons; sailors without a navy returning to a country which no longer has a coastline.
"Fresh, vivid, and without peer in the current market." (Booklist)
"Stark realism and finely crafted humor.... Biggins's use of narration, his thorough knowledge of the Adriatic, and good technical detail make this... compelling reading." (Library Journal)
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What listeners say about A Sailor of Austria
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- The Village Green
- 29-08-17
Ripping yarns
An engrossing historical novel that deftly weaves reminisces of life aboard Austro-Hungarian U-boats, fighting for a sclerotic Empire in a forgotten theatre of war. There are comedic moments, elements of pathos and bags of action-packed adventure. At points it can feel a bit disjointed as the life story cuts backwards and forwards a bit (the chronology being completed by the other Prohaska novels). Finally, the narrator is clear and concise, although his foreign accents can lean just a smidge towards the 'Allo 'Allo kind.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Iain S. Palin
- 14-09-17
An engrossing historical / war at sea novel
What did you like most about A Sailor of Austria?
It is so good to see this first of the all-too-short series of Otto Prohaska novels available in audio, and I hope the others follow. They are well researched, engrossing, historical novels largely set in WW1 but a part not usually covered in fiction, the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian navy. The series chronicle the short naval career of Otto Prohaska, a character who comes over rather as a good Harry Flashman. The detail, the atmosphere, the penetrating personal observations, the sheer high-quality storytelling of Flashman are all therbut Prohaska is a brave and honourable, if also realistic and rather sardonic, man. For a historical novel, a war novel, a sea saga, all with a difference, start the Prohaska series here and enter into a different, recent, but totally vanished world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- michael bailey
- 15-01-22
Historical literature at its best
It is very hard to believe there is not an element of real biography about this novel. I am no great authority of f the Austro Hungarian Empire but this has a real feel of authenticity, as does the technical aspects of primitive submarine warfare. Thoroughly recommend this story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 04-02-18
One of the best books I have read.
Read the book and listened to the audio throughly enjoyed both. Recommended to anyone who likes sea yarns.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-09-22
Hilarious and touching
I wish I could give this six stars. A wonderful book about a vanished empire, wonderfully read.
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- Jack
- 27-09-22
A Great Listen
I really enjoyed everything about this book from the story to the narration by way of the writing style. Whilst I haven't checked the veracity of historical accuracy I'm confident I have learnt a good deal about the period of time in rerelation to the final years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its makeup of nations and languages and the stratified populace. Great stuff about early submarines too making this breed of mariner even harder to comprehend for volunteering to go to sea in these craft.
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