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A Ship of the Line

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A Ship of the Line

By: C. S. Forester
Narrated by: Christian Rodska
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About this listen

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.

©1938 Cassette Productions SA (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Classics Fiction Historical Fiction Sea Adventures War & Military Transportation Adventure
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What listeners say about A Ship of the Line

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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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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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Great

The detail and description are amazing. I really enjoyed this book and was sad for it to end

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Great books, recommended reading chronologically

Great books, recommended reading chronologically. This is one of the most dramatic of the series

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excellent listen

well read and brought the story alive
look forward to the next installment
captain hornblower at his best

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Brilliant, stirring and historical

True Forrester. Well read with understanding and emotion. It leaves you wanting to know what happens next.

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Unfinished story

A very well narrated story, exciting but unfortunately it’s end was treated as a serial. Disappointed. I think audio books should be a complete or reader’s should be warned that it is only part one of the book.

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Adventure after adventure

Hornblower fights on land and sea in this dramatic and beatifully narated series of adventures

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Just briliant.

Excellent narration, really brings the story to life, especially the tempo of action.

A truly excellent cliff hanger of a naval thriller.

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Outstanding

Best one yet, totally gripping, amusing and heroically tragic all at the same time. Listen and enjoy!!

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