The Fortune of War

Patrick O'Brian's British characters, Captain Jack Aubrey and his shipmate, Dr. Stephen Maturin, suffer a shipwreck, weeks in a lifeboat, and capture by an American vessel. Taken to Boston, they become involved in the intricacies of politics that lead to the War of 1812. Narrator John Lee produces spirited conversations for O'Brian's characters, thereby resuscitating a tranquil novel shy on the scheming and naval action readers have come to expect from this series. Lee discovers ample opportunity to exercise his laudable skill at accents; he employs various levels of British English, a credible Boston inflection, and a corny "Peter Sellers" French worthy of a smile. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

This adventure novel features Captain Jack Aubrey and physician Steven Maturin aboard various ships of war and imprisoned in Boston during the War of 1812. The slow and deliberate reading has a lilting quality. This is probably Brown's attempt to match the quality of speech to what he believes may have been used in England in the early nineteenth century. This comes off fairly well but grows a little tiresome from time to time. The sound quality of the recording and quality of Brown's voice are both excellent, and the story holds the attention of the listener. J.D.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine