The best historical novels ever written.
New York Times Book Review

OBrians sheer brilliance as a writer constantly dazzles.
Irish Times

Patrick OBrian can put a spark of character into the sawdust of time.
Observer

in the end it is the serious exploration of human character that gives the
books their greatest power.
New York Times Book Review

Captain Jack Aubrey, R.N., arrives in the Dutch East Indies to find himself appointed
to the command of the fastest and best-armed frigate in the Royal Navy. He and his
friend Stephen Maturin take passage for England in a dispatch vessel, but the War of
1812 breaks out while they are en route. Bloody actions precipitate them both into
new and unexpected scenes where Stephens past activities as a secret agent return
on him with a vengeance.

Earphones Awards recipient Simon Vance was born in England and worked for the BBC for ten years as a radio news announcer and as a narrator for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London. Besides narrating audiobooks, he is involved in numerous stage-acting projects in the United States and Europe.