Download Best Sellers Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical

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Title: Call to Arms

Subtitle: The Corps Series, Book 2

Author: W. E. B. Griffin

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1189 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The attack on Pearl Harbor swept America into the raging heart of the war. The stormy South Pacific presented a daring new challenge, and the men of the Corps were ready to fight. An elite fraternity united by a glorious tradition of courage and honor, the Marine Raiders were bound to a triumphant destiny....

Critic Reviews:

For some of us, reading The Corps series is like eating popcorn at the movies: you can never eat just one kernel, and you can never get enough. Griffin captures the smell of the smoke of battle as vividly as if one were on the beach at Guadalcanal. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

This man has really done his homework.... I confess to impatiently awaiting the appearance of succeeding books in the series. (The Washington Post)

Members Reviews:

Chick Lit

THAT YOU TRUST ME AND LOVE ME

I listened to book one and wrote a glowing review on it. I bought this book, because I liked book one. At the half way point, we still had not gotten into the war. Seven hours of a military book and no action. Instead the book was a love story. Some of it taken directly out of book one, but in book one where it was a side story, here along with another love story, it takes center stage. I wanted to learn about the war, instead I was told that marines are attracted to sluts and attract sluts.

FOR SOME REASON YOU BRING OUT THE BITCH IN ME.

I mentioned in book one that I found it odd that a boy from Pennsylvania, from a poor home, where he was abused and who went no future then high school would speak Chinese. I also mentioned that the Chinese speak many languages with two main languages and the Chinese often have trouble understanding each other. Someone must have pointed this out to Griffin, cause in this book he says the boy speaks two Chinese languages. This seems even more improbable to me. In this book the second main character is a born pilot. In the past he had no interest in planes at all. We are even told that this happens maybe one in one hundred thousand recruits. The instructor had never seen it until our hero shows up. I have two more Griffin books in my library, I sure hope they are as good as book one of this series and that they are believable and not Chick Lit.

An epic story worthy of your time.

Like Semper Fi, this one leaves you longing for more. The characters are well developed and charismatic. The historical backdrop is accurate and Griffin does a masterful job using the reality of war to make the reader feel the impending doom of the lost of loved ones.

Once again Dick Hill is wonderful. Somehow, he is exceptional in the feminine voice.

Did I mention it left me wanting more? I've already purchased books 3 & 4 at the used book store!

The USMC Goes to War against Japan, and Itself

One of the things that stands out in my mind about Griffin's writing, and The Corps in particular, is how he writes about the institution as a sum of its parts, made greater or lesser by the situation and how those parts interact. I did not read this installment until it made its way onto Audible, due to an inability to find it sooner. But nowhere else is the above assertion more clearly seen than in this account about how the USMC struggled to cope with the shock of Pearl Harbor and the need to hit back.

From the moment war is declared, Griffin's characters are witness to the efforts of the marines to prepare for the impending Pacific War.

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Title: The Healing

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Jonathan Odell

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-21-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 180 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The pre-Civil War South comes brilliantly to life in this masterfully written novel about a mysterious and charismatic healer readers wont soon forget....

Mississippi plantation mistress Amanda Satterfield loses her daughter to cholera after her husband refuses to treat her for what he considers to be a slave disease. Insane with grief, Amanda takes a newborn slave child as her own and names her Granada, much to the outrage of her husband and the amusement of their white neighbors. Troubled by his wifes disturbing mental state and concerned about a mysterious plague sweeping through his slave population, Master Satterfield purchases Polly Shine, a slave reputed to be a healer. But Pollys sharp tongue and troubling predictions cause unrest across the plantation. Complicating matters further, Polly recognizes the gift in Granada, the mistresss pet, and a domestic battle of wills ensues.

Seventy-five years later, Granada, now known as Gran Gran, is still living on the plantation and must revive the buried memories of her past in order to heal a young girl abandoned to her care. Together they learn the power of story to heal the body, the spirit and the soul.

Rich in mood and atmosphere, The Healing is the kind of novel readers cant put down - and cant wait to recommend once theyve finished.

Critic Reviews:

"Engrossing.... Bound to be compared to Kathryn Stocketts best-selling The Help, this historical novel... probes complex issues of freedom and slavery." (Library Journal)

"A terrific novel that will take its place in the distinguished pantheon of Southern fiction. Like The Help, that showstopping work by Kathryn Stockett, The Healing is another Mississippi-born work of art and Odell's Polly Shine is a character for the ages." (Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides and South of Broad)

"Jonathan Odell won me over with his fresh take on an 1860's Mississippi plantation, and the connective power of story to heal body, mind and community. Long after closing the novel's final pages, I'm still marveling about Polly Shine, an inventively subversive slave healer, and a character I won't soon forget." (Lalita Tademy, author of Cane River, an Oprah's Book Club selection, and Red River)

Members Reviews:

I am a HEALER too

I was so amazed by this book and now relistening to this book makes me want to get back to my roots if you understand how to work with your senses/vibes and realize that some people are true HEALERS. The characters in this story are truly unforgettable. The narrator was just perfect and made me feel as if I was truly a part of this story. Overall I think this is one of the best southern old history classics that I needed to hear in order for me to understand myself and where my people come from. I have always been told by people since i was a young child that I just know things and when I start telling people whats gonna happen and it finally happens and they see it but they had already heard the story before it happens people are so amazed and they just cling to you. I would have never expected that this author is white but truth be told color doesn't matter when someone is trying to tell a compelling story. I would recommend this book during Black History month. I never realized that back in slave days OPIUM was just like the crack epidemic today.

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Title: Sharpes Fury

Subtitle: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: Steven Crossley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 299 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Richard Sharpe, the former private in His Majestys army who now commands a company of riflemen, finds himself fighting his old enemies, the French, in 1811.

Sharpe has been sent by Wellington on a mission to Cádiz, now the capital of Spain, to rescue the British ambassador - who happens to be Wellingtons brother - from a spot of undiplomatic trouble. The city has been blockaded by the French but is supported by the British from the sea. It contains a rare mix of pro- and anti-British citizens, diplomats, courtiers, adventurers, and spies. Sharpes mission - complicated, undercover, and political - turns out to be completely different from the one on which he was sent. It brings him through the besieging enemy army to triumph in the Battle of Barrosa, where the British, deserted by their allies, defeat an overwhelmingly stronger French force.

Members Reviews:

An all out adventure on the battlefield and off

Would you consider the audio edition of Sharpes Fury to be better than the print version?

Only have time for audio, it is great book very good read

Which character as performed by Steven Crossley was your favorite?

Mr Crossley did them all very well,a great reader brings each character to life

Any additional comments?

Another great adventure and very informative action supense and mystery

A fun read

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The battle scenes at the end were powerfully written. One can feel the amazing feat of arms and the accomplishment of the British

Worth Skipping

Im unsure if it was the performance or the writing. Im leaning towards a poor performance, though, as the reason I found this one greatly disappointing. On the other hand I wonder if Cornwell had run out of gas by the time he wrote Sharpes Fury, since he shoe-horned this one into the series in 2007 the very last Sharpe novel he wrote.

finished it..

Narator was monotone at times which led me to drift off. As for the story, it seemed to repeat itself a few times.

Sloppy story, unbelievable characters

This book has about three stories in the book and each one wraps up too nicely to make them a classic Sharpe story. Steven Crossley does an excellent job with the characters but he does bring his own style and so are different to previous books narrated.

The battle is superbly described and this is the only saving grace about the book. Bernard Cornwell is becoming sloppy in his writings I believe and pieced this story together to enable Sharpe to be just the right place when something major happens. Of course most bullets just miss him by a foot, well all except one, but that doesn't stop Sharpe, making this a little more than happenstance. If you need to miss a Sharpe book this is the one. I expected good things and got a piecemeal hatch job. Not happy with this Sharpe book.

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Title: Train Dreams and Jesus' Son

Author: Denis Johnson

Narrator: Will Patton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-11

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 130 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Here are two complete audiobooks by Denis Johnson, narrated by Will Patton. Listen to both Train Dreams, and Jesus Son, as well as an excerpt from Denis Johnsons National Book Award-winning Tree of Smoke.

In Train Dreams Robert Grainer is a day laborer in the American West at the start of the 20th centuryan ordinary man in extraordinary times. Buffeted by the loss of his family, Grainer struggles to make sense of this strange new world. As his story unfolds, we witness both his shocking personal defeats and the radical changes that transform America in his lifetime. Suffused with the history and landscapes of the American Westits otherworldly flora and fauna, its rugged loggers and bridge buildersthis new novella by the National Book Award-winning author of Tree of Smoke captures the disappearance of a distinctly American way of life.

Jesus's Son, recently adapted for the screen, is a now-classic collection of 10 stories from the author of Resuscitation of a Hanged Man and Angels. The stories are narrated by a young man, a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, whose dependencies have led him to petty crime, cruelty, betrayal, and various kinds of loss.

Members Reviews:

I Should Have Disliked These Stories

Trains Dreams was a slow, immersive story that artfully unfolds a story of aman's simple life. I thought I would not care for a story of a man who seemed to have no introspection, but as I read more deeply, I began to understand how well this character was wrought. On the surface he and the supporting characters appeared two-dimensional; but now I believe the author was writing with the simplicity of the times and demonstrated how people truly interacted and presented themselves. What is so uncanny about this novella is observing how the character's true self was revealed so subtly, almost to be missed, if the reading was not attended to more closely.

Jesus' Son--why would I care about a manipulative, opportunistic lost soul as the main character? Written in the first person, I felt like this was the author's real-life story and I did not like him. But the writing was mesmerizing, and for every reprehensible action or discussion the character embarked on, I was transported by the poetic narrative. A purely wonderful experience. And somehow as the character, in such simple steps, attempts to redeem himself, he becomes sympathetic and an individual to be cared about.

Both stories so masterfully written. The narration in both instances was spot-on, a beautiful voice that characterized his subjects with a straightforward but empathetic understanding.

Unique American voice

Where does Train Dreams and Jesus' Son rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Both these books reveal a special voice in American literature, a perspective at once recognizable and distinctive.

What did you like best about this story?

Train Dreams explores the mindset of America as seen through a man's trials in developing the country, establishing a partnership, and interacting with the landscape.

Which scene was your favorite?

Jesus' Son similarly explores the mindset of a distinctly contemporary creature, the modern addicted youth with little direction or self-awareness.

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Title: The Wild Rose

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Narrator: Jill Tanner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-02-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 381 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Wild Rose is a part of the sweeping, multigenerational saga that began with The Tea Rose and continued with The Winter Rose.

It is London, 1914. World War I looms on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and explorers are pushing the limits of endurance in the most forbidding corners of the earth. Into this volatile time, Jennifer Donnelly places her vivid and memorable characters: Willa Alden, a passionate mountain climber who lost her leg while summiting Kilimanjaro with Seamus Finnegan and will never forgive him for saving her life; Finnegan, a polar explorer who tries to forget Willa as he marries a beautiful young schoolteacher back home in England; Max von Brandt, a handsome German sophisticate who courts high society women, but has a secret agenda in wartime London. Many other beloved characters from The Winter Rose continue their adventures in The Wild Rose as well.

With myriad twists and turns, thrilling cliffhangers, and fabulous period detail and atmosphere, The Wild Rose provides a highly satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy.

Members Reviews:

So sad that this third in the series is the last.

This third installment in the Tea Rose series was a wonderful addition. Im thoroughly dissapointed that its the last, and can only hope that there will be more based on the next generations.

One thing I really love about these books is how the author brings all the characters from all three books together in each book. Im sure Im not the only one who tends to make friends with characters, and I always am so sad when the book is over and I have to say goodbye. Its nice to see them over and over again.

Feel confident that if you have enjoyed the first two books, you will find that this one, too, is worth the read.

Part Three of Three

I think people need to know that this book is the third book in a series of three. Each of the three books The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and the Wild Rose focus on different characters from the same family so each can stand alone but I think I was more invested in the characters because I had red the two books before this one. The Wild Rose was by far my least favourite of the three but Audible doesn't have the first two books in Audible form. After saying that I really enjoy Jennifer Donnelly's writing style. I found all three books to be unpredictable and character driven which is what I personally look for in a book.

STOP! Don't make the mistake I made

I read "Winter Rose" prior to buying this book. Then I discovered there was another book, "Tea Rose" before "Winter Rose", but of course by then I knew some of what had happened in the first book. I don't like to go backwards.

I'm not much for "family saga" books, but since it was set during the early 20th century and in England, I read "Winter Rose", then this book. Both were really good. But this book kept me riveted. I am ashamed to say, I did not get as much work done as I should have because I found every excuse possible to stop and listen "for just 15 min..."!

I like steam, and this book does not have any, but the characterization and story line more than made up for that.

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Title: The Other Queen

Author: Philippa Gregory

Narrator: Stina Nielsen, Jenny Sterlin, Ron Keith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-20-11

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 782 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Two women competing for a man's heart....

Two queens fighting to the death for dominance...

Here is the untold story of Mary Queen of Scots, in which New York Times best-selling author Philippa Gregory presents a new and unique view of one of history's most intriguing, romantic, and maddening heroines. Biographers often neglect the captive years of Mary Queen of Scots, who trusted Queen Elizabeth's promise of sanctuary when she fled from rebels in Scotland and then found herself imprisoned as the "guest" of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his indomitable wife, Bess of Hardwick.

The newly married couple welcome the doomed queen into their home, certain that serving as her hosts and jailors will bring them an advantage in the cutthroat world of the Elizabethan court. To their horror, they find that the task will bankrupt them, and as their home becomes the epicenter of intrigue and rebellion against Elizabeth, their loyalty to each other and to their sovereign comes into question. If Mary succeeded in seducing the Earl, or if the great spy master William Cecil linked them to the growing conspiracy to free Mary from her illegal imprisonment, they will all face the headsman.

Heralded as "the queen of royal fiction" by USA Today, Philippa Gregory uses new research and her passion for historical accuracy to place a well-known heroine in a completely new story full of suspense, passion, and political intrigue. The Other Queen is the result of her determination to present a story worthy of this extraordinary heroine.

Critic Reviews:

"Mary's hell-bent assuredness combines deliciously with brisk chapters and rich historical detail. Indulge." (People)

Members Reviews:

Nothing to Write Home About

I am a huge Phillipa Gregory fan but sadly this particular title did not live up to the high expectation I had. There were three narrators and of the three I truly only enjoyed one of the three narrators whilst the story, though interesting just lacked something for me.

The Other Queen follows the life of Mary, Queen of Scots during her imprisonment leading up to her death. As much as Mary's storyline is a real focal point, a rather fascinating storyline also includes Bess and her husband George Talbot. The three weaves a rather interesting relationship especially when you add Queen Elizabeth as well as William Cecil.

It's mostly a typical Phillipa Gregory type novel with the intrigue, love and treachery. You find yourself both disliking and liking all of the main characters at one point or another whilst seriously disliking both Queen Elizabeth and William Cecil. Cecil's character was definitely not spared during this conversation and as for the main characters they all seem to have at least one fundamental fault that makes them particularly difficult to like completely.

The narration though was what killed it for me. I found Ron Keith (the voice of George Talbot) so completely infuriating that I honestly wanted to just skip through his sections completely. He truly sounded like a whimpering school boy to me throughout the whole entire book. The voice of Mary was done relatively well while the voice of Bess had it moments for me.... and no all these moments were of a positive nature.

Overall the book is able to serve up what you have mostly come to expect from Phillipa Gregory.

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Title: The Historian

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Narrator: Paul Michael, Justine Eyre

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-30-10

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4111 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known, and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself, to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.

What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed, and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign, and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.

Critic Reviews:

"A bloodthirsty delight....Both literary and scary, this one is guaranteed to keep one reading into the wee hours." (Booklist) "Along with all the fascinating historical information, there's also a mounting casualty count, and the big showdown amps up the drama by pulling at the heartstrings at the same time it revels in the gruesome. Exotic locales, tantalizing history, a family legacy and a love of the bloodthirsty: it's hard to imagine that readers won't be bitten, too." (Publishers Weekly) "The Historian is artfully constructed and atmospheric." (Washington Post Book World)

Members Reviews:

Great immersion entertainment

This is a pretty good story with a wonderful, complex setting and one of the best narrations I've ever heard.

The story begins slow and hokie, with an uninteresting mystery concerning blank books, and while the characters and the mystery develop and become both enchanting and entrancing, the central hokiness of the premise is hard to set aside. That's why I rated four instead of five stars. The story fulfills enough other promises to transcend those flaws, though.

The charming characters and epic mystery drive this book through incredible settings, each recreated with an intimate feel that makes you overlook the unlikely justifications for getting you there. The language and scholarship is stately and impressive, yet you feel the cushions in the Turkish parlor as one character sinks into them with the relish of a homesick traveler. From American university libraries to churches in isolated villages in Cold War Bulgaria, each place, each era, each character feels genuine. You will at times wonder how the author knows something, how long she must have lived, where all she must have traveled.

And the narrators are some of the best I've heard. They recreate a range of accents and character from Scottish to Romanian, yet they master each, almost as actors interpreting a script.

All in all, this is a wonderful listen, and I've been scouring Audible since hearing it trying to find something that comes close.

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Title: The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: C. W. Gortner

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 08-12-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 517 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Catherine de Medici was one of historys most powerful and influential women. To some, she was the ruthless queen who led France into an era of savage violence. To others, she was the passionate savior of the French monarchy. In this brilliantly imagined novel, acclaimed author C. W. Gortner brings Catherine to life in her own voice, allowing us to enter the intimate world of a woman whose determination to protect her familys throne and realm plunged her into a lethal struggle for power.

Critic Reviews:

The notorious Catherine de Medici emerges as a flesh-and-blood woman in this masterful recounting of her life. (Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author)

Remarkably thoughtful in its insight into an unapologetically ruthless queen. (Publishers Weekly)

Gortner breatheslife into his queen. Historical fiction fans will appreciate the vivid details of Renaissance France. (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Great author and fabulous narration

This is narrated by, Cassandra Campbell and as big fan of hers, I was a bit apprehensive because she doesnt have a British accent ( Yes, I have a thing that no matter where it is set all historical fiction should be done in a British accent) that being said she was Fantastic and she has changed my stance on this ! Her slight French just the rolling of some rs and not a full out French accent was absolutely spot on, I was glad she didnt go into a full accent I dont know that it would have been believable but the subtly she showed was wonderful.

A fascinating look at the life of Catherine de Medici, I knew nothing about her before I started this book and have been googling like crazy to see what is fact or fiction. As usual C.W. Gortner has done his homework, of course Im sure some liberties were taken but that is why this is historical fiction not non-fiction. This is my third book by Gortner and I must say I really enjoy his style, his writing has a nice flow and as I said the man has done his research.

The more I read about royals the more I see their lives as something not look up to; these people are the epitome of dysfunction. Daughters, were only born to wed someone who will further their Father, Mother, or Brothers political ambitions. They will kill anyone who gets in their way no matter how closely related. They are so controlled by everyone around them that most of the time they cant make any decisions themselves and if they do well, you went against someone elses ambition so they will make sure you pay for it.

There were times I felt for Catherine, more so before her husband died but afterwards she wasnt near as likable and seemed to get less so as her life went on. Some of Catherines decisions were questionable and so was her relationship with her children but this was really a sign of the times and pretty much how all royals were with their children. By the end of her life she was so hated by the French, but with what I know of French history it seems there are few French Royals that were liked by the people. But she did have some powerful enemies and really her family didnt run France the Guise (*sp audio*) did.

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Title: King of the Vagabonds

Subtitle: Book Two of The Baroque Cycle

Author: Neal Stephenson

Narrator: Kevin Pariseau, Neal Stephenson (introduction), Simon Prebble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-10-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1446 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of Half-Cocked Jack Shaftoe London street urchin turned legendary swashbuckling adventurer risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephensons award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audibles complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Critic Reviews:

Bawdy, learned, hilarious, and utterly compelling, [it] is sprawling to the point of insanity and resoundingly, joyously good. (

Times of London)

Thrillingly clever, suspenseful, and amusing. (

New York Times Book Review)

"Most tales of 'olde' times are replete with castles, robed lords and ladies, and handsome men on horseback. But what about the wretches they pass on the side of the road as they go off to a lively joust? is about those men, the poor, the grifters, whose names are lost to historythe vagabonds. Stephenson's novel tells their story, with the able help of storyteller Simon Prebble. Prebble's witty banter is perfect as the voice of Jack, a knave who is out to prove that even a lowborn can succeed in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. Prebble even does a great job with the historical characters such as Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and others. Equal parts action and adventure, along with a healthy dose of humor, make this a great listen." (

AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Less Math Fiction, More Action

This book, although about Half-Cock Jack (no, that is not "half-cocked"), is really a bridge between Book 1 and 3. Jack finds Eliza at the siege of Vienna, and by the end of the book you start to realize that Eliza is going to be more of a character than Jack will.

Book 1 showed the scientists and mathematicians, and their noble patrons, while this story shifts focus on the poor. So there are vagabonds, soldiers, miners, Satanists, Turks, hareems, the oddities and intrigues of nobles, spies, diplomats, early modern capitalism and more. The action is definitely higher than in book 1. Better yet, Neal Stephenson doesn't shift gears back and forth in time anywhere near as much (or so it seems) as in Book 1, so it is much easier to follow, especially if you are doing something else.

The section on early modern capitalism - focusing mainly on the trading center in Amsterdam - is very interesting. Well worth sitting still and listening to that section. The section in which Jack gets entangled with the Satanists is a bit hard to follow, requiring you slow down and pay attention. All in all a number of "laugh out loud" moments, which makes this yarn a rollicking one.

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Title: Odalisque

Subtitle: Book Three of The Baroque Cycle

Author: Neal Stephenson

Narrator: Simon Prebble, Katherine Kellgren, Kevin Pariseau, Neal Stephenson (introduction)

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-10-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1065 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The trials of Dr. Daniel Waterhouse and the Natural Philosophers increase one hundredfold in an England plagued by the impending war and royal insecurities, as the beautiful and ambitious Eliza plays a most dangerous game as double agent and confidante of enemy kings.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephensons award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audibles complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Critic Reviews:

Rollicking good funHistorical fiction driven by the history of ideas Stephenson is a magnificent chronicler. (Wall Street Journal)

Sprawling, irreverent, and ultimately profound. (Newsweek)

Members Reviews:

Imp of the Perverse Embodied in Brilliant Fiction

This series must be contemplated as a unified whole. This review is for the entire BAROQUE CYCLE.

Sorry Neal, I was wrong. For me Neal Stephenson was a bit of an acquired taste. My first Stephenson exposure was with SNOWCRASH, a zany over-the-top Sci-Fi farce with quirky characters, tight plotting and fascinating ideastry an ancient software virus in the human brain. My next Neal Stephenson encounter was THE DIAMOND AGE and this was for years my last. It was not until revisiting SNOWCRASH now as an audiobook (narrated by the superb Jonathan Davis) that I realized that anyone able to reach such dizzying fictional heights once deserves more than one strike. It was after this that I listened to ANATHEM; strike two. But there was one more title that had received acclaim that I first had to tackle before relegating Stephenson to one-hit-wonder status: CRYPTONOMICON. This was a home run; different from SNOWCRASH in almost every way but still wonderful, and really long. From this I learned three things: (1) Stephenson was not easy to pigeon-hole; and (2) He could handle fictional works in the long form; and (3) If you are not preoccupied with plot advancement, the rabbit trails can be quite scenic. So, once I learned that many of the characters in CRYPTONOMICON had ancestors in THE BAROQUE CYCLE, I determined to tackle the whole lot back-to-back, as if it were one giant novel. QUICKSILVER is the first audio installment of THE BAROQUE CYCLE, which is here divided into seven installments. In print form it is broken into eight books published in three hefty volumes.

I could tell from the comments of other listeners that this huge tome is not for everyone. If you require fast tight plotting, this may not be for you. If you enjoy witty repartee between vagabonds, kings, courtiers and thieves then this may be the mother lode. I liken Neal Stephenson to Gene Wolfe; another writer who can keep my interest just by the brilliance of his prose. It was in the middle of ODALISQUE, book three in the cycle, that I realized I didnt much care that the plot was just creeping along, and that side trips to follow the numerous cast of characters kept taking me away from the one I liked best.