Treasure Island

by Marty Ross (Adapter), Philip Glenister (Narrator), Daniel Mays (Narrator)

Listening Length: 6 hours and 23 minutes

Audible Originals takes to the high seas to bring to life this timeless tale of pirates, lost treasure maps and mutiny, starring BAFTA-nominated Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show, The Office, Doctor Who), Philip Glenister (Outcast, Life On Mars), Owen Teale (Game of Thrones, Pulse, Last Legion) and Daniel Mays (The Adventures of Tintin, Rogue One, Atonement), amongst others.

When weathered old sailor Billy Bones arrives at the inn of young Jim Hawkins' parents, it is the start of an adventure beyond anything he could have imagined. When Bones dies mysteriously, Jim stumbles across a map of a mysterious island in his sea chest, where X marks the spot of a stash of buried pirate gold. Soon after setting sail to recover the treasure, Jim realises that he's not the only one intent on discovering the hoard. Suddenly he is thrown into a world of treachery, mutiny, castaways and murder, and at the centre of it all is the charming but sinister Long John Silver, who will stop at nothing to grab his share of the loot.

One of the best-loved adventure stories ever written, Robert Louis Stevenson's 1881 novel introduced us to characters such as the unforgettable Long John Silver, forever associating peg-legged pirates with 'X marks the spot' in our cultural consciousness. Following the success of the double Audie Award-winning Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories, Audible Originals UK are excited to announce this reimagination of Stevenson's coming-of-age story that will captivate all of the family.

Genres: Classics, Audiobook, Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Pirates

7 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 17, 2017

Reviews

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this audible production of Treasure Island. I thought the cast performance was really good and helped bring the story to life. I love how Jim Hawkins meets Long John Silver and works for him. I also liked the contrast between the pirate and the English Lords chasing them. Who were the real pirates? Great classic story brought to life.

[Sebastien Castell · Rating 5 out of 5]

At six-and-a-half hours, this Audible's adaptation of Treasure Island is longer than most audio dramas. However it's terrifically put together and well worth the time. The performances are excellent and the choices of where to put the listener in each scene were remarkably insightful.

Adapting a classic for a modern audience is always a tricky thing to do, yet Marty Ross provides an accessible retelling that accounts for our current social sensibilities without losing any of the original charm of this pirate adventure tale.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and will look for more from Marty Ross in future.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this audiobook popped up, I suddenly realised that I have never actually read this book!

This is a fantastic production, with some well loved actors, and I really enjoyed it.

The parrot is definitely the best thing in it for me though 😉

[Sonja Arlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was one of the free Audible originals for August and had I not loved Pirates of the Caribbean (just to drool over Johhny Depp….) I would probably never have considered reading this classic.

I must give credit to the audio production. With a full cast of narrators and sound effects it was definitely impressive.

I also liked the fact that I can see how this book was the genesis for so many other pirate stories.

But for a tale full of pirates, gun fights, treasure, talking parrots, one legged strangers and secret maps, the pace was too slow and the story surprisingly bland.

Classics are either a big hit or miss with me and unfortunately I did not love it as much as I hoped I would.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook narrated by a full cast 6hs 23 minutes 57 seconds

An Audible original selection for August.

A dramatization of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1882 novel that tells the tale of young Jim Hawkins and his adventures on the high seas with seasoned sailors and the search for buried gold.

It's been awhile since I have read the original novel, but it certainly amused me as I putterd around the apartment this long weekend.

Goodreads review published 02/09/19

[Joshua Rigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as audio adaptations go this one was pretty good. The voice actors were decent. Marty Ross cleaned up some things in the original. An enjoyable couple of hours.

[Wiebke (1book1review) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to say this was a good adaptation and while I liked how they turned the story into an audiodrama, but as soon as we reached the island it was so hard to distinguish the voices and characters.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew how this ended before. "Treasure Island" has become such a literary cliche', with ally the old Hollywood versions, and the cartoon rip offs, I only really knew the beginning.
This Audible version, staged with a professional cast was the first that took me through to the end, and makes a great listen.
I learned Long John Silver's true motivation for all his piratical deeds, and it is a surprising one.

For fun, though, you can't beat "Muppet Treasure Island." Tim Curry is the best Long John Silver ever.

[Gearóid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really excellent audio book of a classic adventure tale.
More of an audio play with multiple narrators and sound effects
adding to the atmosphere.
Highly recommend on a wintery night to just settle down and
get carried away with this old but brilliant story.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

July 2018 audiobook from Amazon free for streaming to Echo ...

Probably my scattered mental state was more to blame than the recording but I didn't care too much for this full cast "adaptation" (does this mean abridged?? I guess so)

[Chad Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent cast/acting. It was great getting to know the original (as much as a fully casted and produced audio play can really be the original) story that has inspired so many others. Stevenson’s writing definitely shone through.

[TraceyL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread from childhood. This was a radio-style performance which was just OK. It's a classic so there's not much else to say that everyone doesn't already know.

[Tomas Dabašinskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike many, I never read "Treasure Island" as a child or during my school years, and I likely wouldn’t have considered it now. Yet, while exploring the Dolby Atmos selection on Audible, I discovered it was one of the few books offered in this format and decided to give it a try. The original story itself needs little introduction; it’s a classic tale of adventure that remains entertaining. However, experiencing it as my first Dolby Atmos audiobook was truly remarkable. It felt like watching a movie where the visuals were crafted by my imagination, offering a limitless canvas for the story to unfold. This adaptation was an immersive journey, showcasing the power of audio to create vivid, cinematic experiences.

[Elizabeth deWolfe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the free Audible originals this month, and I was excited to get a chance to read a classic I haven't ever read. However, this was really hard to get through. The voice performances were really great, but as this was an audio drama performance rather than a narration with a cast, it was really hard to follow - there was no narrator, the voices were hard to distinguish, and I often had no idea who was talking. Add in poor volume modulation - whispers, voices in the distance, then shouting, it was impossible to hear at times as I was driving. Having to raise and lower the volume every two minutes is about as irritating as it gets. There were good parts, and I forced myself to finish, but I wish I'd just listened to the actual book, rather than this version that I don't even know how abridged it was. Sigh.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this classic a few times, but this is the first time I have listened to it via audiobook. It was really well done, but I actually prefer reading the narrative.

This book has a special spot in my heart-- I read this around the campfire to the kids on a big family camping trip years ago, and my children still love it and still remember listening to me read it out loud. Even when they were old enough to read to themselves, I still read to them-- there is something kind of magical about sitting around the fire sharing a story.

This is a great adventure, and practically invented all of the pirate stereotypes we have today. Plus, it is quite funny-- I chuckled a few times. Robert Louis Stevenson was really witty.

[Scott Kuyken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was way more entertaining than I ever expected. I tend to set the bar lower for older or classic books. Especially with pacing, they tend to be slower. But from first to last, I couldn't stop it. And maybe it was due to the dramatization of it. Perhaps it's just a really solid story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another surprise was the humanity they gave to the pirates. How grey all the characters were, even the good guys. I guess I'm tainted by the Lord of the Rings, where everybody was good or bad for the most part. Maybe I shouldn't let that cloud my judgment of the classics.

[Alexander Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 for content. 4 for abridged radio performance.

Kept me wanting to watch the Muppet version the whole time.

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story that was greatly improved with the addition of Muppets.

[Alyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a classic adventure that even non-fantasy fans can appreciate. 🏴‍☠️

I'll be honest—fantasy books aren't usually my thing. But *Treasure Island* surprised me with its thrilling adventure and captivating storyline. From the moment young Jim Hawkins discovers the treasure map in Billy Bones' sea chest, I was hooked. 📜

The journey to the mysterious island, the treacherous pirates, and the hunt for buried gold kept me on the edge of my seat. Long John Silver, with his charming yet sinister personality, is a character you won't forget. The twists and turns of the plot made it hard to put the book down. 🌊

What really stood out to me was the vivid descriptions and the sense of adventure that permeates the story. It's not just about the treasure—it's about the journey, the friendships, and the courage to face danger head-on. 🗺️

So, even if fantasy isn't your cup of tea, *Treasure Island* offers an exciting escape into a world of pirates and high seas that you might just enjoy. Give it a shot—you might find yourself pleasantly surprised! ⚓

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Audible Original I got free with my membership. I really enjoyed the performance and the story. There are sound effects and multiple actors performing the story. If you enjoy pirates, I highly recommend this!

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Squawk!"
(Update May 2020) Review of the Audible Studios audio dramatization (2017) by Marty Ross of the Treasure Island (1883) original

Probably a [3} but earns a {4} for the expanded role of Long John Silver's parrot Captain Flint.

Actor/producer Marty Ross has done another* excellent audio production in this adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson pirate story which is reasonably faithful to the original. The adaptation requires expanded inner narration and dialogue to carry portions of the plot that previously existed in description only. All voices were well done, but the comedic value of the parrot getting increased lines so that it could play more of a Greek chorus role was a definite bonus. The cast list at the end doesn't identify which roles were played by which actor though, but an extra point for the actor playing Captain Flint!

This dramatization of Treasure Island was originally produced by Audible UK in 2017 and was a free Audible Original for members in August 2019. It was again made an additional free Audible Original for members in May 2020. It is otherwise available for a regular price.

* Marty Ross was the writer/producer for the recent Audible Original [book:The Darkwater Bride|42603122] (original book deleted by Goodreads Not A Bookers (NABers) which had excellent audio production value.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie. This book is boring. I know it's really old, a classic, so naturally, one should keep in mind pacing was different back in the 1800's. Even so, with a full dramatization complete with sound effects and different narrators for different characters, I would have hoped for something more interesting.

The only part I really liked was the relationship between the main character and Silver (aka Barbecue?). That was legitimately the only compelling aspect to this story because I was interested to learn how Silver would balance (spoiler alert for a century's old book) his platonic-familial feelings for Jim with the betrayal he organized to get the treasure for himself. I also thought Silver's exit was beautifully fitting for the character himself.

Everyone else (not the narrators but the characters) was so boring or stupid. There's legitimately only one woman in this entire story, and she's great, but she's only around for a little while. And, as was the time, there's a lot of derisive comments made about women.

This just... wasn't for me.

[Nedelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasure Island is one of my first favourite books and it has stayed a favourite almost 20 years after I first read it. I have such found memories of my original copy of the book and my firs read. This is a book I will always treasure and love.
This is the book that made me fall in love with adventure, pirates, bold characters and redeemable villains. This book thought me that it is okay to be scared and that even if you are, you can still be brave. It also thought me that there isn't just good or evel in a person, everyone has a little bit of both.
I love the characters - Jim and John Silver are one of my all time favourites.
I really liked the Audible original production it really makes you feel like you are there, but I was missing a lot of Jim's internal termoils and the descriptions. It made me want to read the full book again.

[Carol Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Audible dramatized version of this story is fantastic! I'm so glad I can finally say I've "read" this classic. Ships, treasure, mutiny, alliances - Oh, the suspense! Good versus evil, morality versus greed, and characters to love yet never know whether to fully trust. It was very entertaining.

I was surprised to find how much I liked the Pirate Long John Silver . He was a complex character for sure -murderous on one hand yet honorable on the other. It made me think of society, how there are those that lead and those that blindly follow, those that are truly benevolent and caring and those that regard others in a strategic utilitarian manner. This is a wonderful adventure story that begins with a boy longing for life at sea, and ends with a man that will always hear the waves calling to him. I understand now why it's an all-time Classic.

[Carol Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a senior citizen, I'm ashamed to say I had never read this before! Audible did a good job in presenting a dramatic version of the book but I was not able to understand all that was said. It was not enough of a problem to limit my understanding, just a small annoyance from time to time. Classic adventure story.

[Laura Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously, this was terrible. I’m not sure if it was just because of this over the top theatrical version that Audible did or if I just found the story dead boring or both but either way it was complete torture to listen to.

[Wesley Crump · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audible and it was great! The version I listened to was adapted to be more like a play with no cues and background noise (waves, swords, gunshots) It was a great way to listen.

Love the plot of Treasure Island. It’s nice to know where Long John Silver came from too.

[Eddie D. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that this was downright scary. The pirates were frightening. I hate that Long John Silver got away. His character was never redeemed to me. I still wanted him dead for the murder and other things he did in the story.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible was great! I enjoyed listening to this wonderful classic of a great adventure. I personally needed faces, not just voices. Those pirates sounded so much alike., I kept having to rewind to clarify each character.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always wanted to read this and finally got around to it. Great production from Audible, and I can see why this is a classic.