The Wine-Dark Sea Audiobook By Patrick O'Brian cover art

The Wine-Dark Sea

Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 16

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Wine-Dark Sea

By: Patrick O'Brian
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.79

Buy for $25.79

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Large in body and spirit, Jack Aubrey throws his heavy frame up mainmasts as if he were a boy of ten. Tendentiously traditional, Aubrey spends his evenings with ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin, a brilliant naturalist and occasional spy for the British government. In the quiet of Aubrey’s cabin, the two work on their Corelli; after numerous voyages their friendship has mellowed into a touching, if occasionally tempestuous, marriage.

Devotees can expect a number of spectacular battle scenes, shipboard jests, and the historical mimicry for which O’Brian is so famous. Maturin’s efforts to persuade Peruvians to revolt against the Spanish crown will send him on a perilous journey across the Andes, while Aubrey will be reunited briefly with his illegitimate black son, and suffer dreadfully under the blustery politics of a Rousseauian.

This audiobook includes an exclusive afterword with the author.

Don't miss the rest of the Aubrey/Maturin series.©1993 Patrick O'Brian (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC.
Action & Adventure Fiction Historical Fiction Sea Adventures Adventure Espionage
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"So much better than the competition that comparisons long ago ceased to be relevant: [the Aubrey/Maturin books] are uniquely excellent." (The New York Times)

"Meticulously researched and heart-stoppingly vivid." (Washington Post Book World)

What listeners say about The Wine-Dark Sea

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,190
  • 4 Stars
    169
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,060
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    942
  • 4 Stars
    138
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hard to put it down

I really enjoy the suspense and action of these stories. The reader really makes it special.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

these are the kinds of stories that stay in the back of your mind 4 days and weeks, and feel like re-union with an old friend when you pick them back up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Wine Dark Sea

Patrick O'Brian did a great job narrating this story. This is an interesting tale the first half deals mostly with Aubrey and sailing along with sea battles. The description of the wine dark sea, earthquakes and the volcanic explosion in the ocean was fascinating. The second half deal more with Maturin and the politics and intrigue of Peru and Chili. Then his trek along the Andean Mt's to Chili with the naturalist description. Interesting book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narration

What does Patrick Tull bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have heard other narrators and Patrick Tull, is the right man for this series.

Any additional comments?

Excellent as usual.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Masterpiece

Brilliant writing. Terrific narration.

What more could you ask for?

The best of the nautical genre.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If you've gotten this far, you don't need a review

If you could sum up The Wine-Dark Sea in three words, what would they be?

Hip, hop, horray

Who was your favorite character and why?

They're always the same; Aubrey, Maturin, Bonden; having listened to all the books, they feel like friends

Have you listened to any of Patrick Tull’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Tull is beyond compare. He has all the accents down beautifully, and his voice is perfect for this seafaring classic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I'd like to listen to all 20+ in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

A tour de force; I'll have more to say after the last volume.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Never disappointed

Patrick Tull is in complete mastery of all characters in the O’Brian novels. Both sexes, all ages, characters from many countries and the wide range of regional dialects as well as classes and levels of education, They are all convincing and full of life and humor.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

a little slower than most

I found this story to have foundered a bit once it was set upon land. it was just too slow going overland. I was much happier to get back onto the sea

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Always consistent with the story line.

The series is always consistent with tradition of the British Royal Navy. My favorite stories!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

O'Brian & Tull, masterful

I believe there has been 3 different narrators for this series and I've heard them all. Tull stands head and shoulders over them all.
This book as well as the others, (I've listened to them all) really take you back to the days of war under sail.
The characters are developed to a degree that makes the reader genuinely interested in them or loathe them to the bone. Russell Crow's portrale of
Captain Jack Aubrey in the motion picture "Master and Commander, the far side of the world" I recommend to you highly. A rare treat for those who love pictures of the days of sail.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!