H.M.S. Surprise [by Patrick O'Brian, Unabridged Edition, MP3 CD]

Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half pay without a command, until Stephen Maturin arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope under a commodore s pennant, ther... more

Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half pay without a command, until Stephen Maturin arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope under a commodore s pennant, there to mount an expedition against the French-held islands of Mauritius and La Riunion. But the difficulties of carrying out his orders are compounded by two of his own captains -- Lord Clonfert, a pleasure-seeking dilettante, and Captain Corbett, whose severity pushes his crew to the verge of mutiny. in the end it is the serious exploration of human character that gives the books their greatest power. -- New York Times Book Review less