BEAT TO QUARTERS

This is the fifth novel in the eleven-volume Horatio Hornblower series. "Beat to quarters" is a nautical term given by a ship captain instructing his men to row in quarter-time, to cause a frigate to turn sharply into the wind during a sea battle. In this instance, Hornblower must "take, sink, burn, or destroy" the Spanish frigate NATIVIDAD. Geoffrey Howard reads this story in a distracting singsong rhythm that almost causes auditory seasickness. In an effort to be scrupulously articulate, he pronounces each syllable of each word separately so that the cadence is jerky and distracting. M.D.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]