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A Ship of the Line
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
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A Ship of the Line
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Summary
Exclusively from Audible
The sixth instalment in the eleven-part Horatio Hornblower series, A Ship of the Line sees the return of 39-year-old Captain Hornblower as he embarks upon a new adventure on the Catalonian coast.
Having successfully defeated the Natividad Ship in battle, Horatio is awarded command of HMS Sutherland. Estimated to be the 'the ugliest and least desirable two-decker in the Navy List,' Hornblower's first ship of the line is far from becoming the vessel of his dreams, and being 250 men short of a full crew, the captain is forced to enlist and train a rabble of 'poachers, bigamists and sheep stealers.'
Seventeen years into the Napoleonic wars, Hornblower cannot afford to pause or make mistakes and the pressure soon mounts as the French approach the Catalonian shores.
Winner of the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction, A Ship of the Line delivers an action-packed seafaring adventure as one of the nation's favourite captains takes the lead once again.
Hugely celebrated for his Napoleonic naval warfare series, and later for the publication of The African Queen, C. S. Forester came to writing much later than expected. Having originally studied medicine at Guy's Hospital, Forester first developed a love of story-telling after being inspired by his travels with the Royal Navy.
Sadly stricken with arteriosclerosis whilst voyaging to the Bering Sea, C.S. Forester was crippled in his later life, but his imagination and his skill with a pen survived for years to come.
Narrator Biography
Christian Rodska is an English television and voice actor best known for his role in the 1970s series Follyfoot.
From The Monuments Men and The Eagle of the Ninth to The Likely Lads, Z Cars, The Tomorrow People, Coronation Street, Bergerac and Casualty, his extensive and diverse acting career has led him to become a highly solicited radio and audiobook narrator.
He has now voiced over 150 unabridged audiobooks including Winston Churchill's biographies, Evelyn Waugh's Men at Arms and Sebastian Faulks' A Possible Life. He has been praised for his ability to vary in vocal pace and style and as such, Christian boasts 12 Earphone Awards from Audiofile Magazine.
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What listeners say about A Ship of the Line
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kevan
- 30-01-19
excellent listen
well read and brought the story alive
look forward to the next installment
captain hornblower at his best
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wayne Doman
- 19-12-23
Great
The detail and description are amazing. I really enjoyed this book and was sad for it to end
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-08-19
Great books, recommended reading chronologically
Great books, recommended reading chronologically. This is one of the most dramatic of the series
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- kittimacfab
- 11-10-21
Just Keeps Getting Better
Ok, so I don’t particularly like the character of Hornblower. Written as a product of the times my feelings towards him are complex shall we say But what a fantastic story Forester writes with full 5 star credit to Rodska for pitch perfect narration. Especially good if you are into everything maritime.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mo Bass
- 15-01-23
Cliffhanger
Despite the frustration of an ending it's still a marvellous story, wonderfully narrated. Every Hornblower is an emotional rollercoaster and this is no exception.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K MARTIN
- 17-05-22
Marvellous. First rate narrator. Thrilling story.
The best of Hornblower is in the actions described and this one has plenty of adventure and fortunately less domestic description, which I find wearisome. What a superb narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Anthony D. Bateman
- 07-08-18
loss of a love
the lost love is a ship, to a captain she is his love and his sailors his children. betrayal of an allie, a fool of an admiral, 3 days independence causing mayhem, and a battle against incredible odds. and within it all Forester's insight into a captain's mind brilliantly catches the calculations for wind, manoeuverability, his own doubts, women at home, the admiralty, stores and provisions, a never ending demand on his time energy and soul.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- T D D
- 06-10-20
Outstanding
Best one yet, totally gripping, amusing and heroically tragic all at the same time. Listen and enjoy!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sir Bazile
- 11-12-20
Shiva me Timbers... Ship Shaped & Bristol Fashion.
My hope that the others are as good, has in fact, proved certain. I have been looking F'ard to the series as I have amassed this treasure trove, with the movie popping it's head above the poopdeck every leeward. I have to say that I am more surprised than I thought I was going to be. I assumed it was going to be good, and I am very glad to be proved wrong Sir.
It is very GOOD Indeed Sir.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew
- 01-09-20
Cracking story
Fast paced, full of story and adventure. The best of the Hornblower books I have yet listened to. I've been listening to the series in chronological order and have enjoyed getting to know the characters so wouldn't listen to this one first. it's great though.
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