THE UNKNOWN SHORE

O'Brian, who's known for his historical novels of the sea, here tells the story of a British crew shipwrecked off the coast of Chile near Tierra del Fuego in 1740. Seafaring life in the eighteenth century is described in great detail as two characters, a midshipman and a surgeon's mate, struggle for survival. Case's reading is good--he moves the story along at a steady rate in a voice that's easy to understand. Also, each character is given an individual and realistic voice. However, the abridgment makes the action very disjointed and hard to follow. Unfortunately, Case's reading, good as it is, doesn't quite redeem this recording. Maybe die-hard "salts" will like it. M.T.F. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JAN 97]