Thirteen and a half hours is a serious commitment for an 18th-century adventure novel, and the narrator nearly made me drive off I-35 twice. Not because the story was boringâDefoe actually delivers some solid adventure hereâbut because Denny Sayers reads like he's dictating a will to someone hard of hearing.
Ranger and I were on a long haul to Houston for a client meeting, perfect time for some classic adventure fiction. Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe, right? I figured Captain Singleton would scratch that same itch. And the premise hooked me immediately: first half is an overland trek across Africa (uncharted territory in Defoe's era), second half is full-on piracy in the Indian Ocean. Two adventures for the price of one.
The Africa Crossing Actually Delivers
Here's where I need to give Defoe credit. The man clearly did his homeworkâor at least, remarkable homework for someone writing in 1720 who'd never set foot on the continent. The travel journal style works. Singleton and his crew are essentially conducting an overland expedition with no maps, no resupply, no extraction plan. As someone who's planned plenty of operations in hostile territory, I appreciated the logistics. How do you feed thirty men crossing a desert? What do you do when the local population isn't friendly? These aren't abstract problems in the book.
The piracy section shifts gears completelyâsuddenly we're talking ship tactics, prize-taking, and the economics of being a sea-borne criminal enterprise. Defoe treats piracy almost like a business operation, which honestly tracks with what I've read about actual historical pirates. Less swashbuckling romance, more profit margins and crew management.
The Narration Problem (And It's a Real Problem)
Here's where I have to level with you. Sayers has this halting, overly deliberate delivery that sounds like he's reading to kindergarteners. Loud. Slow. Every. Single. Sentence. Feels. Like. This.
At 1.25x speedâmy standardâit was barely tolerable. I bumped it to 1.5x and things improved, but then I was essentially listening to a chipmunk narrator. Pick your poison.
Some listeners apparently found this "anecdotal" style warming and appropriate for the material. I can see the argumentâit does feel like an old sailor telling you his life story at a bar. But for me, the pacing killed the tension in scenes that should've been gripping. When Singleton's crew is fighting off hostile forces or capturing a ship, I don't need the narrator sounding like he's reading IKEA assembly instructions.
No distinct character voices that I could detect. When you've got pirates, African traders, and various crew members, some vocal differentiation would help. Instead, everyone sounds like the same measured, deliberate voice. It's not incompetent narrationâthe man can clearly readâit's just flat.
What Defoe Got Right (And Wrong)
The travel journal format is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it creates this "you are there" immediacy that I genuinely enjoyed. Dragon Teeth uses that same expedition-journal approach but with better pacingâCrichton knew how to keep the catalog from becoming a slog. Singleton catalogs everything: terrain, wildlife, encounters with locals, internal crew politics. For a history buff, it's fascinating to see what an early 18th-century Englishman imagined Africa to be like.
On the other hand, Defoe's era shows. The attitudes toward non-European peoples are... period-appropriate, let's say. If you're expecting modern sensibilities, you're in the wrong century. I've worked with locals in plenty of countries, and Defoe's portrayals made me wince more than once. But that's the deal with historical fiction from the actual historical periodâyou take it as a document of its time or you don't take it at all.
The piracy sections move faster and have more action, but they also get repetitive. Capture ship, divide loot, sail to next hunting ground, repeat. Defoe was clearly more interested in the mechanics of piracy than the drama of individual encounters.
Who Should Saddle Up (And Who Should Retreat)
If you're a Defoe completist or a fan of early English novels, this is essential listeningâjust budget extra patience for the narration. History buffs interested in 18th-century views of Africa and maritime piracy will find genuine value here.
If you want swashbuckling action with a dynamic narrator? Hard pass. Count of Monte Cristo delivers that kind of energyârevenge, adventure, and a narrator who actually knows how to build tension. Try Patrick O'Brian instead.
If you're considering this for a road trip, know that the pacing is slow even by 18th-century standards. I'd recommend 1.5x speed minimum, and even then, have a backup book ready.
Boots on the Ground Assessment
Captain Singleton is a genuinely interesting historical artifact wrapped in frustrating narration. The story itselfâa 3.5 star adventure with some real moments of brillianceâgets dragged down by delivery that sucks the energy out of every scene. I finished it, which says something. But Ranger fell asleep during hour three and didn't wake up until we hit Austin city limits. Can't say I blamed him.
