Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian; The Aubrey-Maturin Series, Book 1; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Simon Vance

Here is the maiden voyage of O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series, which follows the unique friendship between Captain Aubrey, R.N., and Stephen Maturin, ship’s surgeon and intelligence agent, against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. O'Brian renders in riveting detail the life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson’s navy: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the roar of broadsides as the great ships close in battle.

"It has been said that this series is some of the finest historical fiction of our time…Aubrey and Maturin have been described as better than Holmes and Watson, the equal of Quixote and Panza…All this is true. And the marvel is, it hardly says enough."—Los Angeles Times

“Patrick O’Brian can put a spark of character into the sawdust of time.”—Observer

“Earphones Awards winner Simon Vance juggles multiple characters, accents, and dramatic and comedic scenes with aplomb…Vance's warm, welcoming voice captures colorful characters, entertaining relationships…Readers in search of a handful of excellent companions with whom to spend many enjoyable hours will be hail and well met.”—AudioFile

The late Patrick O'Brian was the author of more than twenty Aubrey-Maturin historical adventures. There are over five million copies of his books in print.

Simon Vance, a former BBC Radio presenter and newsreader, is a full-time actor who has appeared on both stage and television. He has recorded over four hundred audiobooks and has earned over twenty Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, including one for his narration of Theft by Peter Carey. A twelve-time Audie finalist, Simon has won three Audie Awards, including one for Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and the 2008 Booklist Voice of Choice Award. He has also been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.