Customer Reviews (11)

Unquestionable one of the best audio dramas
This audio drama is one of the best that I have ever had the joy listen to (and I have heard a lot). The story is engaging and the excellent film with Errol Flynn only covers a very small part of the overall story and this audio drama goes into much more depth of the original story by Rafael Sabatini. Be prepared for excellent actors playing complex characters, great swashbuckling action, fascinating music (great score) and good effects. That combined with the great story from Rafael Sabatini makes this an absolut winner. Several great adventure scenes include sea battles, capturing of Cartagena, and many other unforgetable scenes.

I especially liked the character development of Captain Blood from naive at the beginning, then bitter, then enthusiastic and then thoughtful and concerned. Excellent playing ability by actor and director Jerry Robbins. Not only a lot of fun adventures, but also very deep and thoughtful story. The criticism of slavery is here much stronger than in the movie and closer to the book. The Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air has done a great winner and in my view this is their best production yet and I enjoyed it much more than any of their other audio dramas.

Please note that this is not a reading. That is a play, in which each character is played by a different actor, supported by music and effects. A movie for the ears.

NOTE: I have bought the 6CD edition and not the 1 MP3 CD edition.

Treasurable!
Take it from someone who loves this story so much that, as a kid, I used to watch an 8mm reel of scenes from the old Errol Flynn film -- this dramatization is terrific! The Peter Blood, who's also the producer, may remind you of young Paul Scofield, the voice full of dash, urbanity and a glint of steel. As for the rest of the actors -- to paraphrase Blood, "Faith, it is an uncertain cast entirely." As uncertain as their accents. But the Arabella is pert, like young Olivia de Havilland, and many others in the large company are good, too; don't be put off by the first words you hear from the narrator. The full symphonic score, if not quite up to Korngold -- what is? -- has wonderful sweep, altogether remarkable (as are the sound effects) for what is after all not a Hollywood movie. Most important, the script is true to the letter and spirit of Sabatini. Yo ho!

An exciting story very well produced!
I bought this having never seen the movie or read the book, so all I can do is judge this production by itself.Put simply: A truly enjoyable experience.The story is fantastic, the music fits in perfectly, and the voice acting is great as well.

Some of the voices seemed a bit...melodramatic, but I think that with such a large cast of characters, the different accents serve to distinguish the characters in your mind.

The only complaint I might have is that I found myself turning the volume up for the dialog and down for the battles and scene transition music.It is a fairly minor complaint since it could be argued that a cannon battle is supposed to be loud!

Captain Blood is an exciting story excellently produced by the Colonial Radio Theatre.It is easily worth the $15 Amazon is charging.

Captain Blook Wins Again!
I was listening to Colonial Radio Theatre's production of Rafael Sabatini's CAPTAIN BLOOD when my brother's "Irish triplets" (2 girls & a boy) came to visit for a week.Upon hearing a few moments of CRT's production, they wanted... no, begged...for more ~ in my car whenever we drove anywhere and every night after teethbrushing, showers and books read, they pled for one last adventure.These are children of the "cable tv" generation, who recently "discovered" STAR WARS, so it was nice toexpose them to some of the literature that formed the basis for adventures like STAR WARS, and in a way they don't often encounter, the audio play format. Since they are all emerging readers, I was happy to expose them to such engaging literature that requires something from them, listening skills and using their imaginations to form the "pictures in their heads."Such a swashbuckling adventure with moral integrity and only a couple of very mild language encounters of the "quarter in the swear-jar" variety (their phrase!) is a great way to rev up those facile imaginations, and let me tell you, our Lego pirates got quite a workout that week! Keep up the great work, CRT.Our kids need all the exposure to good literature they can get and this was perfectly timed for these kids.We'll be looking for more adventures in the future!
Oh, by the way, I loved it too!

Great story, horrendous acting/directing
I just finished this 6-disc set from CRT.Sabatini's story is great, with good plot and character development by the CRT.I have not read the original work so cannot comment on the script editing as compared to the book.However, this set does claim to be unabridged, so I assume it is a good reflection of Sabatini's original work.The sounds used throughout are exciting.The creaking of the ship on the seas, horses galloping, sword fights, cannon brigades, mob scenes, I thought were all well done.The sound engineer gets A+ for this one.The Director, on the other hand, and the CRT actors, frankly they get in the way of the story.The Director gets a C+ for trying and the actors, maybe a C+ for effort.Some acting is passable, for instance Captain Blood at times sounds sincere and reflects actual feelings.The supporting actors on the other hand could be described as flat, forced, dull, and at times even incomprehensible as they rush through the dialogue (it almost seemed as if the Director was standing by with a stopwatch in hand ...).The accents are really painful and it is difficult at times to understand whether the actor is attempting a French or Spanish accent.Really, it seems as if they grabbed someone off the street, shoved a manuscript in front of them and said, "read this quick and pretend you are Spanish/English/French."It was almost as if they were just mumbling through it in a rush in an attempt to get to the next coffee break as soon as possible.But, in the end, the story prevails and the sound effects are cool.I would recommend purchasing this cheaper version (no idea why there is a $90 version also listed - gold plated?).Its worth the cost and I'm sure the CRT will do better in future stories. ... Read more

Product Description
A short story by from Rafael Sabatini from The Ludgate, December, 1898. ... Read more

Product Description
Andrea himself showed scant concern, however, and was luckily content with my hurriedly invented explanations; his thoughts had suddenly found occupation in another and a gentler theme than the ill-humour of men, and presently his tongue betrayed them when he drew the conversation to the ladies to whom he had resigned his apartments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Impressive as a first novel
This is an impressive effort as a first novel, with much (though not all) of the complexity, craftsmanship, and attention to honor of Sabatini's later and better-known works.It also, sadly, has some of his common weaknesses, such as implausible but convenient reticence on the part of the main characters, and conveniently-timed coincidences.The novel is set in France during the time of Cardinal Mazarin, and has Sabatini's customary swordplay, gallant hero, and treacherous villains. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Sabatini's first novel
In his maturity Rafael Sabatini looked back at his early works with much chagrin, calling them the "sins of my literary nonage." Surprisingly, however, there is very little for him to regret in this, his first novel (1902). The Suitors of Yvonne (also called The Lovers of Yvonne) is tight in plot, robust in characterization, and immensely entertaining for lovers of swashbuckling romance. It is generally difficult to work with a first person narrator, but the 27-year-old Sabatini shows great skill and carries it off.There is quite a bit of suspense and swordplay, more action perhaps than some of his other works, and it is in this that the author shines brightly. On the whole, a nice piece of work and surprisingly good for a first novel. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Outlaws of Falkensteig" contains seven stories about the Outlaws of the Falkensteig mountain region, in a fabulous 17th-Century Germany that lives only in our imagination. And what an imagination Sabatini gave us to play with! Kings and courtiers, bad men and captains of the guard; fops and swordfighters and rustic innkeepers. And women who love, and threaten our hero, and save his life, drive him to the edge of destruction and bring him true happiness. And we haven't even mentioned the plot twists that turn the world inside out and upside down. Sabatini scholar Jesse F. Knight has written an introduction that places these stories in Sabatini's literary history and lets the reader appreciate how they helped form his work. Karen Schaffer has created a cover based on one of the original magazine illustrations, hand-colored in the style of an engraving of the period. This is the first new story collection by Sabatini in ten years, and the first time these stories have been available to the public since their original appearance a hundred years ago.This book is a Hidden Knowledge exclusive!  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Earliest available Sabatini: weak but entertaining
This collection contains the earliest available stories by Rafael Sabatini, but they're not a good starting point for anyone but completists.(_The Camisade & Other Stories of the French Revolution_ has a slightly earlier story, "The Coward," published in May 1900, but is no longer available.)The stories are set in a Ruritania-like country between 1638 and 1643, and follow the fortunes of two outlaw leaders.
If you've read all the conventionally available Sabatini, and are interested in his development as an author, the stories in this book may amuse you.They show both hints of his later strengths, and excessive instances of his later flaws, such as plots that rely on coincidence and villains acting against their own interests.(And would a master outlaw such as Felsheim really have no better means of intelligence gathering than inadvertent eavesdropping?)They do demonstrate, however, Sabatini's later originality.The later Sabatini, or anyone who's ever read the late Sabatini, could improve the plot of some of this with a few minutes' work:What seems obvious to us now, is obvious only after exposure to his mature work. ... Read more

Product Description
1926. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. It took Sabatini roughly a quarter of century of hard work before he attained success with Scaramouche in 1921. This brilliant novel of the French Revolution became an international bestseller. It was followed by the equally successful Captain Blood in 1922. A prolific writer, he produced about a book a year. The Lion's Skin begins: Mr. Caryll, lately from Rome, stood by the window, looking out over the rain-swept, steaming quays to Notre-Dame on the island yonder. Overhead rolled and crackled the artillery of an April thunderstorm, and Mr. Caryll, looking out upon Paris in her shroud of rain under her pall of thundercloud, felt himself at harmony with nature. Over his heart, too, the gloom of storm was lowering, just as in his heart it was still little more than April-time. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Renaissance; Biography ... Read more

Product Description
Captain Blood, the physician turned pirate returns for more thrilling adventures at sea. Time and again, he falls headlong into deep peril, each time emerging victorious. Yet when everything is stacked against him, can he keep his honour until the bitter end? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Buckle Your Swash
This is the good stuff! If you've ever sailed with Conan of Cimmmeria, been in a tavern brawl with the Musketeers or swung over to the deck of a hostile ship with Errol Flynn, Rafael Sabatini is the mother lode. Here are pirates of the brave, capable and eloquent variety, and women worth risking life and limb over.

If you're new to Captain Peter Blood, here's a once-over: the core and original book is "Captain Blood His Odyssey" and read that first if you can. Sabatini subsequently wrote "The Chronicles of Captain Blood" which is also sometimes titled "Captain Blood Returns" and this one, "The Fortunes of Captain Blood" but both subsequent volumes take place between the chapters of the original novel, deepening it, but not changing Peter Blood's happy ending.

"Fortunes" is effectively a short story collection set in the Caribbean c. 1687--the great era of doubloons and buccaneering. Sabatini knows the period, understands naval warfare at this level to his fingertips and is the best dialogue writer ever to also describe swordfights--and no, I do not exclude Dumas. Buy this book. Buy all the Captain Blood books, and while you're at it, order "The Black Swan."

3rd Best Book in the Universe!
The Best Book is Captain Blood. That 2nd Best Book is The Chronicles of Captain Blood. And this, The Fortunes of Captain Blood, is the 3rd Best Book! Order it and you will agree!

The stories are so entertaining, refreshingly unromantic, and hugely adventurous! But do make sure you read Captain Blood and the Chronicles of Captain Blood (also known as Captain Blood Returns).

There are six main adventures, each divided up into several segments. Read a chapter at night, and in your subsequent slumber dream of swashbuckling, buccaneering, forty-gun frigates, and a highly moral, greatly-to-be-admired, sardonic physician-turned-pirate!

Your life is not complete if you haven't read the Captain Blood series!

If Only
Great novel if only I could get it delivered.I have ordered this and other Sabatini books from Amazon and have yet to ever receive one. The last one was perpetually backordered.For months and months I received messages asking if I still wanted the book.Then it was cancelled.Then mpnths latter I ordered another again and that was backordered as well.

Serial Blood
Raphael Sabatini apparently knew a good thing when he wrote it.The original Captain Blood was a runaway best seller.So Sabatini began cranking out further adventures of Captain Blood that were essentially collections of unrelated stories.Each chapter of "Fortunes" relates a complete stand-alone vignette, not related to the other chapters of the book.

You won't find a continuous narrative, and not much in the way of Blood's pining for the unreachable Arabella Bishop.But if you are interested in a rock-em, sock-em collection of great, salty short stories starring Sabatini's sympathetic hero Peter Blood, then "Fortunes" is for you.

Be sure that you first read the original "Captain Blood, His Odyssey", also sometimes sold simply as "Captain Blood".Then, once you are hooked on the main story, get a copy of "Fortunes" and enjoy even more piratical high-seas hijinks from everyone's favorite soldier of fortune.

As a delightful little "bonus", see if you are a careful enough reader to pick out the error in Sabatini's time-line.You'll have to remember the original Captain Blood story, and then in "Fortunes", read the story of The Eloping Hidalga.Something between the two doesn't add up.See if you can spot the mistake.

And Still More Peter Blood!
This is another collection of Sabatini's short stories featuring Peter Blood presented in serial order so the book can be read cover to cover or one story at a time. The plots center around Captain Blood's clever outwitting of his many opponents and incidents brought about by his fame in the Caribbean, including an imposter besmirching his reputation and a clever adversary who sees through one of the Captain's many alternate personas. Highly readable and very enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
Life in Dauphiny. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Weak, odd early Sabatini
This book is much weaker, though less predictable, than Sabatini's preceding novel, _The Shame of Motley_.The plotting is tedious enough (much of it pointless) that I couldn't get through it.On the other hand, it's not in his usual mode with his usual stock characters and incidents.

St. Matin's Summer
I like this best of all the early works of Sabatini that I have read.Like most of these, this novel is available on-line, but, for me, it is much more enjoyable to read in book format.I, therefore, welcomed this inexpensive edition made available on Amazon.

As other reviewers have noted, this novel lacks the complexity of plot and the depth of character of Sabatini's better known works such as Scaramouche or Bellarion, but, in my opinion, it makes up for it in its rollicking good humor and its robust action and sword play.It is like Dumas at his best without his moral ambiguities.

I loved the ending of the story.It is popular, and must be saisfying, to witness someone with unlimited resources concoct a scheme of absolute, complete revenge.This popularity is clear from the great number of adaptations and new editions of The Count of Monte Cristo.But it is more satisfying, I believe, to see, as we do in this story, someone faced with very limited resources who, nevertheless, is able to concoct a scheme that enables him to execute almost perfect justice tempered by disciplined mercy.I think this story deserves to be better known.

Fairly good
Saint Martin's Summer is one of Sabatini's second-tier books, good but not great. The title refers to what we now call an Indian Summer, and in this novel it has a double meaning.

The soldier Martin de Garnache is dispatched by the Queen Regent of France into Dauphiny to retrieve Mlle. Valérie de La Vauvraye, who managed to write her begging aid and deliverance from the Dowager Duchess of Condillac. The Duchess, her guardian and quite a powerful figure in the province, was prepared to force de La Vauvraye's marriage to her son, even though the girl was betrothed to the Duchess's absent stepson, the new Duke. Valérie views that more as a matter of pledged word than something for enthusiasm, however.

Naturally, the Duchess is not thrilled about the royal intervention, and with the aid of the gross and besotted Seneschal of Dauphiny and some hired troops, she sets out to frustrate Garnache's mission.

The middle-aged (for the era) soldier, meanwhile, wants little to do with feminine nonsense and finds the whole mission humiliating. But for him, duty is duty, and he finds the young lady more endearing as he faces tremendous obstacles in getting her away from Condillac. That feeling is reciprocated, and as matters are resolved Valérie points out that the morrow is Saint Martin's Day and though it is November it is yet warm. She tells Garnache, who understands the allusion, that he is still a long way yet from the November of his life.

Though one of Sabatini's earlier novels, Saint Martin's Summer is pretty well done in terms of writing and story, and if you enjoyed some of his more well-known and more complex books, I would recommend this as well. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
14th impression, March, 1923. b/w stills from the movie. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Scaramouche the King Maker
Poor. Doesn't hold a candle to the original. Characters seem wooden and puposeless. Especially Aline. In the original she had personality and an edge. In this one she seems bland and banal.

Bill Oakey

It ain't Scaramouche, but it's good.
Scaramouche the Kingmaker was written a decade after Scaramouche, and is a sequel that never quite reaches its predecessor's brilliance, but is quite satisfying to the Sabatini completist. The story continues where theoriginal novel left off, with Andre-Louis Moreau now embracing the royalistcause to hasten his marriage to Aline.It's a good, rousing, adventurestory, but it's no Scaramouche.

A sequel worth reading, but...
This book was worth the two-decade-long search it took me to find it, but more for completeness's sake than for the book itself.The story picks up where Scaramouche left off: Andre-Louis Moreau and Aline de Kercadiou have escaped from the Terror, and Moreau has renounced his revolutionary ways. Even more, his love for Aline has made him espouse the royalist cause, and he goes back into danger and adventure to help it.But will he be betrayed by the less-than-worthy nobles he seeks to help?The story is pure Sabatini, but doesn't come near the brilliance of the original _Scaramouche_.But you find out what happens.

Classic swordfighting adventure
Scaramouche an overlooked classic. The story is better than The Three Musketeers! Get a copy and read it to your kids. ... Read more

Product Description
A short story by Rafael Sabatini. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Anglo-French espionage in the twilight of the Venetian Republic.
The Anglo-French Vicomte Marc-Antoine de Saulx arrives in Venice on secret mission from the British Prime Minister to save the Venetian Republic from being annexed by Napoleon. In order to accomplish his task, he must play a dangerous game of double agent, while at the same time attempting to save his former betrothed from being sacrificed on the altar of international politics.

Although seldom read or discussed, Venetian Masque (1934) is nevertheless a fine example of Sabatini's later works.The writing style is mature and even (despite a somewhat abrupt beginning); the plot and dialogue are sophisticated, with plenty of action, twists of fate and international intrigue. Like most of the author's works, it is difficult to put down.
A lesser known novel, but still showing Sabatini at the height of his powers. A must-read for fans of the author. ... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics ebook contains thirty-four short stories by Rafael Sabatini, author of 'Scaramouche.'In addition to Casanova stories this collection includes a number of Sabatini's occult works.Includes an active table of contents for easy navigation.


Contents:

Casanova's Alibi (1914)
The Augmentation of Mercury (1918)
The Priest of Mars (1918)
The Oracle (1918)
Under the Leads(1918)
The Night of Escape (1917)
The Rooks and the Hawk (1918)
The Polish Duel (1918)
Casanova in Madrid (1921)
The Red Mask (1898)
The Curate and the Actress (1899)
The Fool's Love Story (1899)
Mr. Dewbury's Consent (1906)
The Baker of Rousillon (1906)
Wirgman's Theory (1906)
The Abduction (1908)
Monsieur Delamort (1909)
The Foster Lover (1910)
The Blackmailer (1912)
The Justice of the Duke (1912)
The Ordeal (1913)
The Tapestried Room (1913)
The Wedding Gift (1913)
The Sword of Islam (1914)
In Destiny's Clutch (1921)
The Risen Dead (1907)
The Bargain (1908)
The Opportunist (1920)
The Plague of Ghosts (1907)
The Poachers (1915)
The Sentimentalist (1919)
Duroc (1915)
Kynaston's Reckoning (1914)
The Spiritualist (1905)
... Read more

Product Description
Most people consider Cesare Borgia one of history? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting Viewpoint
Being a Borgia buff, it was interesting to read a book that focused mostly on Cesare's life.I learned quite a bit more than I already knew and it also reinforced some of my ideas about the family and general politics of the time.A fascinating read in general. ... Read more

Product Description
The essential works of Rafael Sabatini in one collection with an active table of contents.

Works include:
Bardelys the Magnificent
Captain Blood
The Fool's Love Story
The Lion's Skin
Love-at-Arms
Mistress Wilding
St. Martin's Summer
Scaramouche
The Sea-Hawk
The Tavern Knight
The Curate and the Actress
The Historical Nights' Entertainment: First Series
The Historical Nights' Entertainment: Second Series
The Life of Cesare Borgia
The Shame of Motley
The Strolling Saint
The Suitors of Yvonne
The Trampling of the Lilies ... Read more