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Title: Blue at the Mizzen

Subtitle: Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 20

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Narrator: Patrick Tull

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-25-03

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 586 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

With his swashbuckling adventures, best-selling novelist Patrick O'Brian transports you to the high seas of old, where privateers lurk in the mist, and great ships fight to control the waterways. Blue at the Mizzen hoists the excitement to new heights as British frigate commander Jack Aubrey stakes everything on a desperate raid against the mighty Spanish fleet. Ever since Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, Captain Aubrey's prospects in the new peacetime navy have looked dim. Even worse, his frigate Surprise was badly damaged in a nighttime collision. While Aubrey waits for repairs, ship's doctor Stephen Maturin brings him intriguing information about the New World. Soon Aubrey is leading a bold expedition that will determine the fate of a rising South American nation, and his own. Critically-acclaimed author Patrick O'Brian blends authentic period atmosphere, rich humor, and elegant language in each of his seafaring yarns. You can almost hear the thunder of the waves and smell the salty sea air as you listen to Patrick Tull's dramatic performance.

Don't miss the rest of the

series.

©1999 Patrick O'Brian; (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic Reviews:

"O'Brian is not that hard a taste to acquire, but he is very tough to shake...[the Aubrey/Maturin series] is a great work." (Boston Globe)

Members Reviews:

A review of the (end) of an entire series

What made the experience of listening to Blue at the Mizzen the most enjoyable?

The narration of this entire series (by Patrick Tull) was phenomenal. When I re-read these books I hear Maturin's and Aubrey's voices exactly as Tull presents them. He made these characters come to life - he made them real. I have listened to many Audible books, particularly ones where the characters are from a certain time/place/class/education, and Tull has nailed O'Brian's people perfectly. Frankly, I am at a loss to understand why they were later re-recorded by a different narrator...

What other book might you compare Blue at the Mizzen to and why?

If a person picked up Blue at the Mizzen without having ever read (or listened to) any other of the Aubrey-Maturin series they would certainly be entertained but they would be at a disadvantage (or perhaps I should say they would be doing themselves an injustice). This book is the culmination (the last) of twenty books in a chronological series. These books (all of them) are an experience to be savored, but more so, far more, in their entirety. This is last (finished) book in a series that follows the lives, loves and careers of two men over the span of many years and through numerous adventures and hardships. These are characters that we all have come to care about over time. Which, is the real, lasting gift that a truly gifted novelist bestows to his readers. I don't think you can fairly take one of the series of out that sequence and judge it as a stand-alone novel. If anything, I would say that Blue at the Mizzen is the last chapter of a long and absolutely gripping and endearing novel. And under that premise I would say that O'Brian gave us a fitting, if bitter-sweet, final chapter. It's hard to say goodbye to Aubrey and Maturin (and the rest).

Which character as performed by Patrick Tull was your favorite?

Maturin.