Treasure Island

by Barnaby Edwards (Adapted By), Robert Louis Stevenson

Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!

When young Jim Hawkins unexpectedly inherits a treasure map, he little knows what adventures await him. Pursued by pirates, betrayed by friends and beset by skulduggery, Jim must brave high seas and low cunning before he reaches the shores of Treasure Island.

His fellow treasure-hunters include the inflexible Captain Smollett, the indefatigable Doctor Livesey and the irrepressible Squire Trelawney. And then there's the ship's cook: a seafaring man with one leg who goes by the name of Long John Silver...

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure is brought thrillingly to life in this brand new full-cast audiobook adaptation.

Genres: Classic Literature, Historical Fiction, Adventure

Audio CD

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good adaptation of Stevenson's classic tale of pirates and adventure. Tom Baker makes for a very charismatic John Silver even if his bristlolan accent isn't quite there. It's not as over the top as Robert Newton's but you can tell Tom is having fun in the role. I'm not so sure about him voicing the parrot but it's a very minor quibble. Edward Holton makes an OK Jim Hawkins. As a young actor he doesn't quite have the range but he is the right age for the part and tackles it with enthusiasm. Like I say only a few minor niggles but not enough to spoil an otherwise great audio adventure.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful production from Big Finish. This a solid adaptation of the novel, it’s a bit of an abridgment, but that’s to be expected. Good performances and great musical score.

The edition I have also includes the usual extensive interviews with members of the cast and crew and a gorgeous suite of the Music from the production’s score.

[Faith Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Big Finish audio: "Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure is brought thrillingly to life in this brand new full-cast audiobook adaptation. Cast: Tom Baker (Long John Silver/Captain Flint), Nicholas Farrell (Narrator), Edward Holtom (Jim Hawkins/Young James), Tony Millan (Dr Livesey/Blind Pew/First Mate), Tony Haygarth (Billy Bones/Morgan), Nicholas Pegg (Captain Smollett/Black Dog/Redruth/Dick), Gareth Armstrong (Ben Gunn/Israel Hands), Nicholas Briggs (George Merry/Arrow/Lookout/The Real Flint), Barnaby Edwards (Squire Trelawney)"

We listened to this audio play on a family car trip and thoroughly enjoyed it. It got us through several traffic jams around Washington D.C. without tearing each other apart. The production values are top of the line and the actors are great. Made me want to go back and re-read the original.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, but there were too main drawbacks. The production quality, whilst top notch, had too much whispering, which just means that in audio form you really struggle to hear what is being said, yes you could adjust the volume, but then when the shouting starts up again you're deafened, there are ways to make audio a consistent volume and keep the tone of a voice, needs to be better. Secondly too much was omitted from the story for time constraints. This could have had a third part I think to really capture the story.
I did enjoy it though, and all the cast were superb, you could really tell how much fun Tom Baker was having reading this!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read Treasure Island, but this felt pretty straightforward. Tom Baker was great as Long John Silver. And it's kinda funny to think about how another Doctor, Patrick Troughton, was in the 1950 Disney version.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting rendition of the classic...probably closer to the author's intentions, rather than the more traditional audio version. Some of the sound effects are cringe-worthy, but it kept my attention on a long car ride.
Recommended, with some reservations.

[Roxie Klinksiek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this classic performed by a group. Well done.