Does what it says on the tin

If, like me, this is what you like, you will love it. Fans of Tom Clancy, John Buchan, Gerald Seymour and the like form an orderly queue.

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Another tremendous tale of daring do

This book does not help you to sleep it is far to gripping. Contains appropriate service language :-)

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A Tremendous Tale

A Tremendous Tale of courage suspense and excitement. couldn't put it down. It stirs great pride in the Royal Navy

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best book I've listened to for ages

excellent couldn't stop listening
if you like Patrick Robinson this books for you helps if you know some navy abbreviations but not a deal breaker

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Frantic!

Exhausted from the pace of the final chapters! Crash boom bang Lunnon-Wood masterpiece. Great read.

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This book took me there

Words are hard to find when trying to describe this Authors books. This is the third book I have read and I am not looking forward to finishing the final one as I have been spoiled enhanced and completely captivated by the writers skills.

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Good, but needed…

A military adviser, I don’t know how it was written in print ie 45, four five or forty five, but everyone who served knows it’s pronounced four five Commando not forty five Commando as read by the narrator. It’s a minor point, and one that not many people will pick up on but an important one to some of us. Pusser is pronounced as looks as well, not poosa as is read by the narrator. Other than that it’s a pretty decent listen.

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Boys' Own stuff - brill !

I really enjoyed this book. If, like me, you grew up on a rich diet of black & white British war films, then you will find much to enjoy in this updated version of such classics as "We dive at dawn", "In which we serve" and "The Yangtze Incident". It's a British crew, up against it and coming through with flying colours.

Unlike the standard "techno-thriller", there is much less focus on the technology and more on the story and the characters. Equally, whilst Tom Clancy or Stephen Coontz would have a single, all-conquering hero, this is an ensemble piece, but with just as much flag-waving as either could muster.

I draw the comparison with old war movies advisedly, however. Both in the writing and the narration, this really is a 1940's war movie transplanted to 1996. We may have WRENs and female officers, but the classic components of a '40s film are all, splendidly, here. We have understated officers, cheeky matelots who do something terribly brave and then exclaim that they could "murder a cup o' tea"; only to be scolded by some grizzled, salty Petty Officer who keeps it all together. As an aside for the more sensitive listener, the one allowance to "modernism" is that there is quite a lot of strong language, with the "C" word much in evidence. Nevertheless, if this were a film, Laurence Olivier would be the captain, Richard Todd would lead the shore party and John Mills would pop up to be cheery in the face of danger; "Cripes, we are going to be for it now !".

If I am honest, the narration is a bit much; it really is voiced straight out of the 1940s. Naval officers have not had accents like this since Suez. But that really is me being churlish. This is great fun, and if you are not left a bit moved by the deeply predictable ending, then I would be amazed that you had got as far as that.

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8 people found this helpful

Enjoyable

An enjoyable easy listen, again a bit boys own and a bit far fetched but that's what action adventure is all about. Another brilliant performance by John Telfer whose characterisations are varied and believable.

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3 people found this helpful

Excellent adventure story

Thoroughly enjoyed this talking book. Couldn't stop once started listening. Highly recommended. Great action and just the right level of gritty realism

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1 person found this helpful