THE HUNDRED DAYS

Napoleon has escaped from Elba and seeks an alliance with the forces of Islam. Civilization as we know it hangs by a thread. Enter Patrick O'Brian's dynamic duo, Jack Aubrey (a commodore now) and Dr. Steven Maturin, his brilliant, melancholic friend. Critics have often said that O'Brian writes too well and knows too much to produce a simple seagoing adventure story, and they're right, but this is a knife that cuts two ways. For verisimilitude these novels simply can't be beat. Add Patrick Tull's exquisitely English voice, and you can smell the salt air, name every scrap of rigging and feel the roll of wooden decks. B.H.C. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]