The Letter of Marque

Starred review from January 29, 2007
Unlike its competitors, who are usually linked to major book publishers, Blackstone specializes in giving new audio life to classics—using prize-winning readers like Vance to bring new and exciting life to neglected works. This is Vance's 17th reading of one of O'Brian's superb seafaring novels about Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, and it's the first time that anyone has made new versions since O'Brian's death in 2000. Vance (who also reads under the names Robert Whitfield and Richard Matthews) is absolutely perfect for O'Brian's sad and stirring tale about Post Captain Aubrey's unjust punishment: Aubrey has been stricken off the Admiralty's list, usually the end of a man's career. But Dr. Maturin uses his own money to buy Aubrey's old ship, HMS Surprise
, and turn it into a privateer—a letter of marque. Vance catches the subtle differences between the land-owning Jack, his rough-tongued crew and the Spanish/Irish Maturin. O'Brian fans should relish this excellent audio outing as should anyone with a love of adventure, history, the sea and fine writing. (Reviews, July 6, 1990).

The high-seas adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon, Dr. Stephen Maturin, as read by Patrick Tull, have entertained and educated sailors and lubbers alike for 10 previous productions from Recorded Books. Tull's characterization of these two heroes, his mastery of dialect and his rousing reading of these dramatic sea sagas have become a standard against which all other productions of O'Brian's work must be measured. This book sees Aubrey being struck from the list of the Royal Navy and beginning a career as a privateer, commanding his beloved ship, SURPRISE. Historical fiction doesn't get any better, and Tull's narration is "Prime." L.R.S. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine