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    Victory
    Victory
    Victory
    Audiobook10 hours

    Victory

    Written by Julian Stockwin

    Narrated by Christian Rodska

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Commander Thomas Kydd is eager to play his part in thwarting Bonaparte's plans for the invasion of England.
    Joining Admiral Nelson's command, Kydd and his ship soon find themselves at the heart of the action of Trafalgar. Kydd's journey takes him from false sightings of the enemy and dramatic chases across the Atlantic, to the bloody annihilation of the enemy during the actual battle, and the heroic aftermath. This is Kydd's most important adventure so far, and the most thrilling.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateFeb 5, 2015
    ISBN9781471293382
    Author

    Julian Stockwin

    Julian Stockwin is the internationally bestselling author of Kydd, Artemis, Seaflower, and Mutiny, the first four novels in the Kydd adventure series. Having joined the Royal Navy at age fifteen, he retired from the Royal Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander and was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE). He and his wife live in Devon, England. Visit the author's website at JulianStockwin.com.

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    Reviews for Victory

    4/5

    43 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      In some ways Joseph Conrad makes SInclair Lewis look like Theodore Drieser
    • 4/5

      As far as Conrad novels go, this was... well, pretty standard. The big difference is that it's not narrated by 'Marlowe,' so the prose is a little more readable. It's pretty pessimistic, of course. If you're into memorable characters, Lena/Alma's right up there. And I suppose Heyst is meant to be up there, but it's just difficult for me to take seriously a character with such a prominent mustache.
    • 5/5
      Victory (sometimes published as Victory: An Island Tale) is a psychological novel by Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924), first published in 1915. Through its publication, Conrad achieved popular success. The novel is seen as a highly complex allegorical work, with a narrative structure and psychological development laying the basis for the modern novel. Victory is initially somewhat difficult to follow because of the shifting narrative and temporal perspective. Part 1 of the book is written from the viewpoint of a sailor, Part 2 an omniscient perspective ofthe main character, Part 3 from an interior perspective of the main character, and Part 4 from the perspective of an omniscient narrator. The novel is very rich in literary allusions, and an annotated edition, such as by the Oxford University Press is recommended.Like many of Conrad's novels, Victory is set in the Indonesian archipelago, then the Dutch Indies. The story is fairly straight forward, although the narrative develops slowly. Axel Heyst, a Swede, resides on the virtually uninhabited island where a business venture failed. During a holiday trip visiting another island, he meets and unhappy young English woman, who is attached to a music band. They steal away together. This angers and frustrates the owner of the hotel, Mr Schomberg, whose wife is a hovering presence in the background. Out of spite, Schomberg puts three desperados, Mr Jones, Ricardo and their servant on Heyst's trail, suggesting that Heyst guards a hoard of money. The three men, ruthless, sail to the island, but Mr Jones idea of finding Heyst alone, and an easy prey, runs completely awry. On the island, Jones meets his nemesis.The novel is beautifully written, and each character fits perfectly into the plot. The psychology of each character is very convincing, despite a slight sense og exaggeration. The plot and the outcome of the story are very compelling. Various elements and characters of the story suggest a strong relation between the book and Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
    • 5/5
      After what I'd felt were a couple of less exciting books in the series, where with the Frech Fleet blockaded there had been less action to be had on the seas, we finally get back to it with the battle we've been waiting for. The story builds steadily towards its climax, and the battle does it credit! The use of Bowden to tell the parts of the story that Kydd cannot take part in is a masterstroke, and I hope we'll see more of him in future books, as Renzis sidekick role feels a bit exhausted at this point. This was my favourite book in the series for a long while, and I even feel like relistening to the battle it was that good!
    • 5/5
      The love story is tender and delightful and the suspense at the end when the robbers have invaded the island really keep the reader involved.
    • 4/5
      I like Conrad, and this was no exception. The story is typically Conradian in pondering big moral issues. It examines if we are able to escape the society and live far away from the evils of this world. And then, how we deal with evil when confronted by it. The question of what makes one a hero, as pondered by Conrad in other novels, and probably most famously in Lord Jim, surfaces here again as well. The main character is an idealistic gentleman who lives by himself on a small island somewhere in the tropics. Life doesn’t leave him alone though, and through a chain of events he has to confront a situation of life and death.
    • 5/5
      In the first part we get an outsider's view of Axel Heyst's character, actions and motives without being certain who he is or what actually drives him. I found this off-putting until the second part shared Heyst's perspective and we discover he's oblivious to being the centre of so much attention. In retrospect the first seems a case study foreshadowing what will come: Axel finds happiness through distance, but succumbs to connecting with the world through bouts of empathy that reward in the short term but later steer towards disaster. When real danger threatens it remains to be seen what else can stir him to action and whether he will prove to be 'wild' or 'tame'. What happens when the perpetual observer's hand is forced to commit action?The joys of this novel come through in the dialogue, the divulging of character through confession and interplay. Being able to relate personally to Heyst's philosophy didn't hurt my enjoyment any, thrusting me into contemplating how I would react to similar pressures. Heyst lacks self-awareness, not realizing the advantage that he has in his opponents being unable to get a read on him. The disarray this lends to their plans is almost comical as they struggle to answer his supposed moves. The ending was a fitting answer to that comedy, tying everything together.Authors of this period were learning to face the difficult challenge of retaining literary value while appealing to a broader audience and achieving greater sales. I found this to be a wonderful addressing of both objectives, very suspenseful and yet extremely engaging in its character portrayals.
    • 2/5
      "Victory" is a difficult story for Conrad to relate. His principle characters have always been haunted fellows, such as Kurtz in his jungle hide-away, but here the emphasis seems to be on romance more than adventure, and Conrad struggles to make it work. The problem lies at the heart of his lead, and the fact that it is so difficult to involve the reader in a romance when one of the figures in that romance is such a closed book.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this novel from the pen of Joseph Conrad - it may be my favorite of his works although Conrad has the knack for writing consistently good novels that makes it hard to rank them. Victory's most striking formal characteristic is its shifting narrative and temporal perspective with the first section from the viewpoint of a sailor, the second from omniscient perspective of Axel Heyst, the third from an interior perspective from Heyst, and the final section. I found the character of Axel interesting primarily due to his complexity. On a superficial level the novel reads like a melodrama more suited to a muddled opera libretto than a serious work of literature. But upon reflection the allegorical and psychological implications of the action, landscape and narrative structure redeem it as a modern novel worthy to be included with the best of Conrad. I am always more impressed when the author can make a serious work of literature appear on the surface, to be merely a "good story" (eg. Moby-Dick). The story line follows: through a business misadventure, the European Axel Heyst ends up living on an island in what is now Indonesia, with a Chinese assistant Wang. Heyst visits a nearby island when a female band is playing at a hotel owned by Mr. Schomberg. Schomberg attempts to force himself sexually on one of the band members, Alma, later called Lena. She flees with Heyst back to his island and they become lovers. Schomberg seeks revenge by attempting to frame Heyst for the "murder" of a man who had died of natural causes and later by sending three desperadoes (Pedro, Martin Ricardo and Mr. Jones) to Heyst's island with a lie about treasure hidden on the island. The ensuing conflict does not end well and has been compared to the ending of an Elizabethan drama where the stage is littered with corpses. The robust romanticism of Axel and Lena's story continues to haunt the reader long after one puts the novel down.Another of my favorite writers, Joan Didion, had this to say about Victory:"I often reread Victory, which is maybe my favorite book in the world… The story is told thirdhand. It’s not a story the narrator even heard from someone who experienced it. The narrator seems to have heard it from people he runs into around the Malacca Strait. So there’s this fantastic distancing of the narrative, except that when you’re in the middle of it, it remains very immediate. It’s incredibly skillful. I have never started a novel — I mean except the first, when I was starting a novel just to start a novel — I’ve never written one without rereading Victory. It opens up the possibilities of a novel. It makes it seem worth doing.” — From a 2006 interview in The Paris Review
    • 4/5
      I didn't know anything about this book when I started it other than 2 facts: it was written by the author of The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, and it was on the Guardian's list of 1000 novels everyone should read. After I started, I quickly found myself engaged in this somewhat odd story about a very odd man, Heyst. A little farther into the story, I went back to find in which category the Guardian's list had placed this book & was surprised to find it was in the "Love" category rather than the "War and Travel" category I had expected. By the end of the book, I understood the placement! If I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be as a cross between his earlier book Heart of Darkness and Romeo and Juliet. Heyst and Lena are surely just as star-crossed as Romeo and Juliet and their end is just as tragic.
    • 3/5
      Conrad managed to develop characters, imperfect, that all drove themselves forward on their own agendas to the story's conclusion- facilitating and enabling it along the way. He manages to keep the reader interested, but not quite on their toes, and the plot is logical and fluid. The setting and atmosphere of the novel is particularly interesting and the sense of urgency, and willingness to read, moves forward from the second third onward. Overall, not a bad book.3 stars.
    • 5/5
      Again Christian Rodsker delivers a tour de force leaving listeners at least somber, fascinated, and probably in tears. But undaunted the story continues…
    • 4/5
      Victory is the story of the Royal Navy's battle against the Napoleonic Fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar. Essentially the end of the fear the French invading England. I was hoping of an all encompassing story of not only Admiral Nelson's search for the fleet, but of the battle itself.I broke the book into 4 parts:The first part of the book concerned Thomas Kydd becoming a Captain and securing a ship of his own, which was a good beginning story line. In true Kydd fashion, he has unbelievable luck and land smack in the middle of an adventure. In this case a a star frigate in Lord Admiral Nelson's armada.The next two pars flounder and I honestly simply skimmed. There is a new character who is the point person for the story of what was occurring on Victory (Nelson's flag ship). Not truly engaging in what I have come to expect from Stockwin. The chase Nelson undertook throughout the Atlantic for Napoleon's fleet was underwhelming It was written as though only a few weeks went by when in actuality it was several months. Julian Stockwin describes naval warfare very well. His description of what occurred on Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar was on point. But little to nothing was written beyond that one part of the battle. I felt this story, a very important part of English Naval history, was simply phoned in. I hope this is not how future books go.
    • 4/5
      Now captain of a fine frigate albeit with a very unhappy crew caused by their virtual but legal ship napping, Kydd is off to find Nelson. He does and they all chase the French hither and yon until they bring them to bay at tTafalgar. Nelson's unorthodox tactics and British disciplined gunfire defeat the French and their Spanish allies at great cost. Kydd's ship escorts the fallen admirals body home and England prepares to mourn their tragic victory.
    • 4/5
      Stockwin doesn't disappoint, but things are getting long winded for some of his characters.We certainly have exhausted our heroes side kick, Nicholas at this stage. Before he was a guide, but bow he seems as useless as a jellyfish. His classical learning helps at one point, but his angst ridden presence just takes up too much space. Certainly time to either make use of him, or get rid of him.We spend so much time with the secondary sidekick, and Nelson, that we have little development of our hero, despite his getting made Post Captain and a frigate. This should be a great focus on him, as well as his POV of watching Trafalgar unfold.Instead Stockwin is proud of his plot device, putting a former midshipman of Kydd's into Victory and watching some of the main action from there. I am not sure that this works. Kydd is part of the squadron of the great Admiral. That is more than enough, though their are moments portrayed with this plot device that are unique.Still, since we do not see the battle through the eyes of our series hero, the entirety feels as if this is a transition book. A book that Stockwin needed to tackle because Trafalgar is essential to the saving of England. I am not of the belief that everything was as dire as Stockwin builds on, in his private meetings with a dying Pitt, and other vignettes we see. But as a whole, the sense of urgency in which Trafalgar was needed to be fought is conveyed. Just wish we had seen it through more of Kydd's POV.