Uncle Bernac
A Memory of The EmpireBy Arthur Conan Doyle
Length6h 11m
About this audiobook
Uncle Bernac is a historical novel of adventure and intrigue, in which Arthur Conan Doyle spins a tale around the court of Napoleon Bonaparte. The story, subtitled A Memory of the Empire, is set in 1805 and follows young Louis de Laval, a French émigré who has grown up in England due to the Revolution. Louis receives a summons to return to France to meet his uncle, Citizen Bernac, who serves as a high-ranking official under Napoleon. Hoping to reclaim his family's estate, Louis braves a clandestine crossing to Normandy, only to discover he's stepped into a viper's nest of plots. At Napoleon's camp at Boulogne (where the Army of England assembles to invade Britain), Uncle Bernac reveals ulterior motives: he expects Louis to act as a spy on behalf of the British, exploiting the nephew's half-English background – effectively making Louis a double agent against his will. Amid this peril, Louis must navigate court politics and survive the machinations of both Bonapartists and royalist conspirators. The novel features richly drawn scenes: Napoleon himself appears as a mercurial genius (Doyle portrays him conversing with Louis and testing his loyalty in a tense interview). Duels in moonlit sand dunes, secret midnight councils, and a thrilling climax during an attempted assassination of the Emperor all keep the pace brisk. Throughout, Louis grapples with divided loyalties – love of France vs. gratitude to England – embodied by a romantic subplot with a spirited French lady-in-waiting who suspects Bernac's treachery. In the denouement, Uncle Bernac's treason is dramatically exposed, perhaps by evidence Louis bravely secures, and Napoleon rewards Louis for his fidelity. Uncle Bernac deftly blends fact and fiction: Doyle's meticulous research on Napoleon's coastal camp gives an authentic backdrop, while the invented intrigue provides suspense and personal stakes. Though not as famous as Doyle's Sherlock or Brigadier Gerard tales, this novel offers an engaging mix of swashbuckling action, espionage, and historical drama. It ultimately stands as Doyle's tribute to the Napoleonic era – a story of honor and adventure under the shadow of one of history's greatest figures.
Audiobook details
GenreHistorical Fiction, Mystery and Thriller
Length6 hrs 11 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 1, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Uncle Bernac
10IX. — THE CAMP OF BOULOGNE
2I. — THE COAST OF FRANCE
11X. — THE ANTE-ROOM
3II. — THE SALT-MARSH
12XI. — THE SECRETARY
4III. — THE RUINED COTTAGE
13XII. — THE MAN OF ACTION
5IV. — MEN OF THE NIGHT
14XIII. — THE MAN OF DREAMS
Show all chaptersShow less
6V. — THE LAW
15XIV. — JOSEPHINE
7VI. — THE SECRET PASSAGE
16XV. — THE RECEPTION OF THE EMPRESS
8VII. — THE OWNER OF GROSBOIS
17XVI. — THE LIBRARY OF GROSBOIS
9VIII. — COUSIN SIBYLLE
18XVII. — THE END
Round the Red Lamp: Being Facts and Fancies of Medical LifeArthur Conan Doyle5h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Stark Munro LettersArthur Conan Doyle7h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Adventure of the Red CircleArthur Conan Doyle1h 59m$1 · $0.00
The Case of the Man Who Was WantedArthur Conan Doyle1h 5m$7 · $0.00
When the World ScreamedArthur Conan Doyle1h 15m$7 · $0.00
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey, and Other Tales of PiratesArthur Conan Doyle7h 35m$1 · $0.00
The Case-Book of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle9h 4m$7 · $0.00
The Edge of the UnknownArthur Conan Doyle8h 46m$7 · $0.00
The Vital MessageArthur Conan Doyle3h 7m$7 · $0.00
The Exploits of Brigadier GerardArthur Conan Doyle7h 43m$7 · $0.00
The Early Christian Church and Modern SpiritualismArthur Conan Doyle39m$7 · $0.00
The Future of Canadian LiteratureArthur Conan Doyle19m$7 · $0.00
SpiritualismArthur Conan Doyle17m$7 · $0.00
A Pot of CaviareArthur Conan Doyle39m$7 · $0.00
Crossing an Alpine Pass on SkiArthur Conan Doyle18m$7 · $0.00
Collected Short Stories, Volume 9Arthur Conan Doyle5h 15m$7 · $0.00
The Cottingley FairiesArthur Conan Doyle10m$7 · $0.00
The Return of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle12h 15m$7 · $0.00
Collected Short Stories, Volume 10Arthur Conan Doyle6h 31m$7 · $0.00
The Things We Cannot SayKelly Rimmer13h 48m$33 · $0.00
Their Castilian OrphanAnna Belfrage14h 45m$27
With Fire and Sword, The Deluge & Pan MichaelHenryk Sienkiewicz113h 5m$1 · $0.00
The Complete 13 Novels & longer fiction: Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Black Arrow, Kidnapped, The Master of Ballantrae, The Wrong Box and more...Robert Louis Stevenson106h 29m$1 · $0.00
Eagles over BritainLee Jackson12h 26m$23
Rilla of InglesideLucy Maud Montgomery11h 44m$2 · $0.00
The Viennese DressmakerKathryn Gauci11h 46m$23 · $0.00
The Man in the Brown Suit & They Came to BaghdadAgatha Christie15h 43m$33 · $0.00
Under the Light of the Italian MoonJennifer Anton12h 28m$23 · $0.00
THE COMPLETE PALLISER NOVELS (All 6 Novels in One Edition)Anthony Trollope172h 46m$2 · $0.00
Jubilee, 50th Anniversary EditionMargaret Walker15h 43m$25 · $0.00
Arch of TriumphErich Maria Remarque15h 51m$28
Serenade for NadiaZülfü Livaneli9h 9m$20
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen14h 44m$2 · $0.00
Zane Grey - Ultimate Collection: 60+ Western Classics, Historical Novels & Baseball StoriesZane Grey568h 56m$1 · $0.00
Les MisérablesVictor Hugo64h 17m$1 · $0.00
Between Two WorldsUpton Sinclair31h 43m$30
Under the Java MoonHeather B. Moore12h 23m$23
FamilyJ. California Cooper4h 43m$15
Rilla of InglesideL. M. Montgomery12h 25m$2 · $0.00
Look TwiceEva Hudson9h 48m$20
The Natchez Burning TrilogyGreg Iles96h 18m$53 · $0.00
The ReunionJana Deleon6h 31m$26 · $0.00
Animal 3K’wan6h 33m$20
The Complete Sherlock Holmes Novels & Stories (4 Novels + 56 Short Stories)Arthur Conan Doyle71h 53m$2 · $0.00
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m$8 · $0.00
The Last StrawSharon Sala9h 1m$29 · $0.00
Savy WisdomPeggy McColl2h 53m$15
Raymond Chandler – Ultimate Mystery CollectionRaymond Chandler82h 8m$2 · $0.00
3 a.m. Premium: Books 1–5Nick Pirog15h 27m$25
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m$53 · $0.00
Sign of the MakerBrian Shea7h 13m$17
Will Trent: Books 5–7Karin Slaughter42h$53 · $0.00
No Sin UnpunishedLynDee Walker7h 43m$17
Sherlock HolmesMade for Success14h 22m$25
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m$25
Murder in the TowerRoy Lewis8h 23m$20
Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Stories and PoemsEdgar Allan Poe60h 1m$68 · $0.00
The Lord Peter Wimsey Collection: Books 1-6Dorothy L. Sayers46h 10m$135 · $0.00
Glen AffricKarine Giebel22h 51m$46 · $0.00
You may also like
The MisfitEllie Thomas3h 11m$4.50 · $0.00
Nemesis and the SwanLindsay K. Bandy9h 53m$20
The Flag of the AdventurerSydney C. Grier14h 25m$2.30
Heart of GoldMay McGoldrick, Jan Coffey13h 5m$6 · $0.00
The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (Unabridged)Mary Shelley21h 19m$2 · $0.00
Three Loving LadiesMrs. Dowdall9h 48m$2 · $0.00
Rob Roy (Unabridged)Walter Scott19h 41m$2 · $0.00
The Wheat PrincessJean Webster10h 57m$2.30
Valperga Volume 1 (of 3)Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley2h 3m$2.30
StrettonHenry Kingsley16h 45m$2 · $0.00
A Woman IntervenesRobert Barr10h 33m$2 · $0.00
Zenobia; or, the Fall of PalmyraWilliam Ware14h 36m$2 · $0.00
The Yellow PoppyD. K. Broster17h 14m$2 · $0.00
Lewis Arundel; Or, The Railroad Of LifeFrank E. Smedley29h 8m$2 · $0.00
Chata and ChinitaLaura Preston18h 46m$2 · $0.00
Mr. Hogarth's WillCatherine Helen Spence14h 26m$1 · $0.00
Red ClayCharles B. Fancher10h 35m$25
The Stolen LadyLaura Morelli13h 8m$33 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Rafael SabatiniRafael Sabatini381h 7m$2 · $0.00
The Strolling Saint -- Being the Confessions of the High & Mighty Agostino D'Anguissola Tyrant of Mondolfo & Lord of Carmina, in the State of Piacenza.Rafael Sabatini12h 58m$2.30