Download the Top 100 Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical

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Title: Einstein's Dreams

Author: Alan Lightman

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-21-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 98 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A modern classic, Einstein's Dreams is a fictional collage of stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905, when he worked in a patent office in Switzerland. As the defiant but sensitive young genius is creating his theory of relativity, a new conception of time, he imagines many possible worlds. In one, time is circular, and people are fated to repeat their triumphs and failures over and over. In another, there is a place where time stands still, visited by lovers and parents clinging to their children. In another, time is a nightingale, sometimes trapped by a bell jar.

Translated into 30 languages, Einstein's Dreams has inspired playwrights, dancers, musicians, and painters all over the world. In poetic vignettes it explores the connections between science and art, the process of creativity, and ultimately the fragility of human existence.

Members Reviews:

Inspirational

A story that brought about deep thoughts and new perspectives that I never would have thought of.

Bore...

Droning repetitive hysterianically narrated story. Going into infinitesimal details of unimportant sceneries and events and emotions. Very disappointed. This covers it.

Spectacular

These ideas and the way they are written, is a spectacular dance of literary brilliance.

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Title: Wounds of Honour

Subtitle: Empire I

Author: Anthony Riches

Narrator: Saul Reichlin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-15

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 147 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Thrilling, authentic, and action packed, this novel introduces soldier hero Marcus Valerius: a centurion stationed on Hadrian's Wall in the second century during a revolt against the Roman Empire.

Marcus Valerius Aquila has scarcely landed in Britannia when he has to run for his life - condemned to dishonorable death by power-crazed emperor Commodus. The plan is to take a new name, serve in an obscure regiment on Hadrian's Wall, and lie low until he can hope for justice. Then a rebel army sweeps down from the wastes north of the wall, and Marcus has to prove he's hard enough to lead a century in the front line of a brutal, violent war.

Members Reviews:

Great story but ...

Here's the thing. I love books about the Roman empire and this is a pretty good one. I just wish I had read it in book form. The narrator sounds like an older man and the hero is only 19 years old. The voice of the main character was just wrong to my ear and it ruined the story for me. If, like me the narrator is important to you I suggest listening to the sample clip before you spend your credit.

NOT BAD FOR SOMETHING I STUMBLED UPON

If he had Pebbles narrate this I think we would have a real winning series. Plenty of fast passed action with a good storyline. Worth a listen.

great historical fiction read!

this audiobook have strong character development as well as a good story. The performance was well done and entertaining.

I enjoyed it. I'll read the next one.

Fans of Roman Legions in Britannia will like this story. Nicely detailed descriptions of battles and the carnage they inflict. It's a well researched and written book. I was warned about the voice of Marcus...eh...top notch voice work though.

Well researched and a treat for the Roman History fan

If you like swords and sandals and well thought out historical fiction...this is a great series

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Title: Mademoiselle Chanel

Author: C. W. Gortner

Narrator: Rebecca Gibel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-17-15

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 286 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

For readers of The Paris Wife and Z comes this vivid novel full of drama, passion, tragedy, and beauty that stunningly imagines the life of iconic fashion designer Coco Chanel - the ambitious, gifted laundrywoman's daughter who revolutionized fashion, built an international empire, and became one of the most influential and controversial figures of the twentieth century.

Born into rural poverty, Gabrielle Chanel and her siblings are sent to an orphanage after their mother's death. The sisters nurture Gabrielle's exceptional sewing skills, a talent that will propel the willful young woman into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood.

Transforming herself into Coco, a seamstress and sometime torch singer, the petite brunette burns with ambition, an incandescence that draws a wealthy gentleman who will become the love of her life. She immerses herself in his world of money and luxury, discovering a freedom that sparks her creativity. But it is only when her lover takes her to Paris that Coco discovers her destiny.

Rejecting the frilly, corseted silhouette of the past, her sleek, minimalist styles reflect the youthful ease and confidence of the 1920s modern woman. As Coco's reputation spreads, her couturier business explodes, taking her into rarefied society circles and bohemian salons. But her fame and fortune cannot save her from heartbreak as the years pass. And when Paris falls to the Nazis, Coco is forced to make choices that will haunt her.

An enthralling novel of an extraordinary woman who created the life she desired, Mademoiselle Chanel explores the inner world of a woman of staggering ambition whose strength, passion, and artistic vision would become her trademarks.

Members Reviews:

Fiction Not Biography

I love a good biography and was so pleased when I found this title about Coco Chanel. I started listening and realized too late that I had made a mistake--this was not a biography. It is instead a fictionalized novel based on the life of Chanel. The story felt overly romanticized and too clean and neat to be the actual telling of a real life. I was left wondering--as I tried to progress with the book--what was true and what was fiction.

I am trying not to review books that I hate and award only one or two stars because it seems so negative and not always helpful. However, in this case I thought it best to point out that this is a work of fiction. To me, reality, history and facts all matter a great deal. What's more, truth is often far more engaging and compelling than fiction. So, if you are looking for the "real" Coco Chanel I would keep searching. Can't recommend.

Felt too much like chick-lit for my liking

Overall, I can't say I was very excited by Mademoiselle Chanel: A Novel. Unlike another reviewer, I was indeed entirely clear when I got this book that it was a work of fiction and could expect plenty of free interpretation, but there could have been many ways to tell her story without making it sound like a Hollywood Romance. Only taking part in France, with French people, who are presumably speaking French to each other. I bring that part up because I am not American and found it very difficult to get into the spirit of things with a narrator who was so emphatically American in her delivery that it made the whole thing slightly surreal to me.

I think in retrospect I would have been better served with a straight biography of Gabrielle aka Coco Chanel.

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Title: Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule

Author: Jennifer Chiaverini

Narrator: Christina Moore

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-15

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 251 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1844, Missouri belle Julia Dent met dazzling horseman Lieutenant Ulysses S Grant. Four years passed before their parents permitted them to wed, and the groom's abolitionist family refused to attend the ceremony. Since childhood, Julia owned as a slave another Julia, known as Jule. Jule guarded her mistress' closely held twin secrets: She had perilously poor vision but was gifted with prophetic sight. So it was that Jule became Julia's eyes to the world. And what a world it was, marked by gathering clouds of war.

The Grants vowed never to be separated, but as Ulysses rose through the ranks - becoming general in chief of the Union Army - so did the stakes of their pact. During the war, Julia would travel, often in the company of Jule and the four Grant children, facing unreliable transportation and certain danger to be at her husband's side. Yet Julia and Jule saw two different wars. While Julia spoke out for women - Union and Confederate - she continued to hold Jule as a slave behind Union lines. Upon the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Jule claimed her freedom and rose to prominence as a businesswoman in her own right, taking the honorary title Madame. The two women's paths continued to cross throughout the Grants' White House years in Washington, DC, and later in New York City, the site of Grants Tomb.

Members Reviews:

Stellar

A historical fiction by one of my favorite authors, this book was one of the best books I've ever read. It was not only a tender story of General and Mrs. Grant's love and affection for each other, but a biography of their lives and a description of the times. Madame Jule was Julia Dent's maid from childhood, a slave belonging to her father, meaning Julia couldn't free her...but did she ever ask her father to free Jule? Ask to buy her so she could free her herself? Julia Dent went on to marry Ulysses S. Grant, an abolitionist, who went on to be one of the people without whom we might lost the Civil War, as well as a 2-term President of the United States. You can see why neither sets of their parents approved their union. Nevertheless, their love flourished and endured. Julia wasn't perfect, but she loved the man she called "Uliss".

No spoilers here, so I will not dwell upon Jule except to say she very much wanted her freedom and so did her husband, from whom she got separated because of the damnable institution of slavery.

I love Civil War era novels. They fill in my memory lapses of what I've learned about that terrible period of our nation's history. I highly recommend this book. 5 stars out of 5!

Skips emotion for history.

I generally enjoyed the book but I felt like the author skimmed too fast. I don't feel like I got deeply invested in the story at any one place because it jumps forward in time before the reader can invest. It was fiction but many areas of the narrative sounded like spitting back historical facts. While that's necessary with novels like this, it seemed like the history and fiction didn't blend as well as I would have liked.

slight disappointment

I liked it, but toward the end, it started falling apart. I was very disappointed in the ending. There was no resolution between Julia and Jule

Excellent

This book was published March 3, 2015. The book follows the lives of two girls: Julia Dent and her slave Jule.

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Title: Harlequin

Subtitle: The Grail Quest, Book 1

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: Andrew Cullum

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-25-14

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 719 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The first book in Bernard Cornwell's best-selling Grail Quest series, in a bright and bold repackage.

The year is 1342. The English, led by Edward III, are laying waste to the French countryside. The army may be led by the King, but it is the archers, the common men, who are England's secret weapon. The French know them as Harlequins.

Thomas of Hookton is one of these archers. But he is also on a personal mission: To avenge his father's death and retrieve a stolen relic. Thomas begins a quest that will lead him through fields smeared with the smoke of fires set by the rampaging English, until at last the two armies face each other on a hillside near the village of Crécy.

Members Reviews:

A Masterful Tale Told by a Truly Gifted Narrator

Where does The Archer's Tale rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I love Bernard Cornwell and have read this story a few times before, although it has been some years. I needed a book for a road trip and was delighted to find this title in unabridged form for the first time. It is magnificent. Cornwell is unequaled in medieval historical fiction, and this narrator pays it the honor it deserves with an amazing performance. I rate this as one of the top five audio books I've ever listened to.

What other book might you compare The Archer's Tale to and why?

Agincourt and 1356 by Bernard Cornwell. One of the greatest pleasures as a book lover is listening to a great book performed by an able narrator who can convey nuance and feeling, and through whom the listener can differentiate characters simply from the unique, consistent voices affected by the performer. All of these books are of this sort.

I would also compare to The Martian by Andy Weir or Daemon by Daniel Suarez. Each is a great story, great adventure, great narrator.

Which character as performed by Andrew Cullum was your favorite?

Too many to say. All are good, but a few that stand out because they are such fun characters are Will Skeet, Sam, Jake, Father Hobb, Jeanette, the Earl and, of course, Thomas of Hookton.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Grail. A Quest. And a War.

Simply outstanding

Occasionally I come across a book that is so good that I have a hard time deciding if I want to continue reading it or put it down to extend the pleasure of reading it for another day. Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt was such a book and so is this.

The Archer's Tale tells the story of Thomas of Hookton, an Englishman who is driven from his small town by its destruction by a group of men looking for some hidden religious relics. He ends up as an archer in the Army of King Edward and most of the story tells the tale of the army's fight in what is now France trying to recover the English King's lands during what we know as the Hundred Years War. Thomas loves his life as an archer and must wrestle with his love of the army and his vow to recover The Lance of Saint George which was stolen from Hooton during the raid that drove him from the village.

Mr Cornwell is a master at character and story development and I found all of the main characters, both good and evil, to be interesting and believable and his description of life during the 1300s fascinating. The story leads to the battle of Crecy and the description of the battle, one of the most famous battles in history, is outstanding, even if a bit bloody.

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Title: Some Luck

Subtitle: A novel

Author: Jane Smiley

Narrator: Lorelei King

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-07-14

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 434 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize: a powerful, engrossing new novel - the life and times of a remarkable family over three transformative decades in America.

On their farm in Denby, Iowa, Rosanna and Walter Langdon abide by time-honored values that they pass on to their five wildly different children: from Frank, the handsome, willful first born, and Joe, whose love of animals and the land sustains him, to Claire, who earns a special place in her fathers heart.

Each chapter in Some Luck covers a single year, beginning in 1920, as American soldiers like Walter return home from World War I, and going up through the early 1950s, with the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change. As the Langdons branch out from Iowa to both coasts of America, the personal and the historical merge seamlessly: one moment electricity is just beginning to power the farm, and the next a son is volunteering to fight the Nazis; later still, a girl youd seen growing up now has a little girl of her own, and you discover that your laughter and your admiration for all these lives are mixing with tears.

Some Luck delivers on everything we look for in a work of fiction. Taking us through cycles of births and deaths, passions and betrayals, among characters we come to know inside and out, it is a tour de force that stands wholly on its own. But it is also the first part of a dazzling epic trilogy - a literary adventure that will span a century in America: an astonishing feat of storytelling by a beloved writer at the height of her powers.

Critic Reviews:

"The expansive American epic is Smileys métier, and shes in top form with this multigenerational story of an Iowa farming family - sturdy sons, passionate daughters, a tough but tender existence - across the first half of the 20th century." (Time)

"Pulitzer Prize-winning Smiley moves from the 1920s to the 1950s as she unfolds the life of Iowa farmers Rosanna and Walter Langdon and their five children. As the children grow up and sometimes move away, we get a wide-angle view of mid-century America. Told in beautiful, you-are-there language, the narrative lets ordinary events accumulate to give us a significant feel of life at the time, with the importance and dangers of farming particularly well portrayed. In the end, though, this is the story of parents and children, of hope and disappointment... Highly recommended; a lush and grounded reading experience." (Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal)

"Tremendous... Smiley is a seductive writer in perfect command of every element of language. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for A Thousand Acres, a novel about a farming family in Iowa, and she returns to that fertile ground to tell the stories of the Langdons, a clan deeply in accord with the land... As barbed in her wit as ever, Smiley is also munificently tender. The Langdons endure the Depression, Walter agonizes over giving up his horses for a tractor, and Joe tries the new synthetic fertilizers. Then, as Frank serves in WWII and, covertly, the Cold War, the novels velocity, intensity, and wonder redouble. This [is a] saga of the vicissitudes of luck, and our futile efforts to control it. Smileys grand, assured, quietly heroic, and affecting novel is a supremely nuanced portrait of a family spanning three pivotal American decades.

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Title: An Unseemly Wife

Author: E. B. Moore

Narrator: Natalie Gold

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-07-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Not all journeys come to an end....

1867: Ruth Holtz has more blessings than she can count - a loving husband, an abundant farm, beautiful children, and the warm embrace of the Amish community. Then, the English arrive, spreading incredible stories of free land in the West and inspiring her husband to dream of a new life in Idaho. Breaking the rules of their Order, Ruths husband packs up his pregnant wife and their four children and joins a wagon train heading west. Though Ruth is determined to keep separate from the English, as stricture demands, the harrowing journey soon compels her to accept help from two unlikely allies: Hortence, the preachers wife, and the tomboyish, teasing Sadie. But as these new friendships lead to betrayal, what started as a quest for a brighter future ends with Ruth making unthinkable sacrifices, risking faith and family, and transforming into a woman she never imagined shed become.

Members Reviews:

good book

Loved it just wondering if there is a follow-up book that continues the story.

Beautifully written

Absolutely beautiful book. I could listen to Natalie Gold read all day. The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is because the ending fell short for me. It left me wishing there were a sequel or at the very least a few more chapters.

This book is a gift, wrapped up with a story inside.

Mysteries are often rated as page turners but this story captures your heart with phrases that open worlds different from my own. Ruth is an amazingly strong woman, "Simple" like steel.

I will listen to this book again and share it with as many people as I can find. It is a story of hope and love, dedication and guidance. Life is not fair and we make of it as best we can. The words of this author draw you into a worldof complexity and ultimately simplicity. The narration is exquisite and enhances the words of the author in many ways. I will find her again. I have a strong need to find other works of this author.

Treat yourself and listen.

I love Natalie Gold

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The first part up until the ending is all right. I cared about these folks like I'd care about my own siblings. Too much time was spend reminiscing for Ruth-- I understand that the past made her the person she was and it was the only way she could make sense of the world, but still... I would gift it to a woman on bedrest if I knew she could handle the complications that happen...

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I want to banish whomever came up with the ending to an island.

Have you listened to any of Natalie Golds other performances before? How does this one compare?

Natalie Gold is a phenomenal speaker and reader. I listened to her read the Magnus Flyte books-- she was great then, too, but I liked the Magnus Flyte books better.

Did An Unseemly Wife inspire you to do anything?

I wanted to hop in a covered wagon and tour the country. No, I wanted to become Amish... not really. It gave me greater compassion for a lady in my church who left the Amish. I didn't realize what she did when she left the fold, leaving her family, getting shunned, and perhaps treated poorly. I'm going to make sure to send one of my kids over when she gives birth to take care of her garden for her as her own family is actively shunning her.

Any additional comments?

The ending annoyed me. The author had me until the end. I was hoping that there would be more.

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Title: In the Field of Grace

Author: Tessa Afshar

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-02-14

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 354 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Love resurrected from lifeless arms happens in the arms of a loving God. Without wealth or family, the widow Ruth left her people and followed Naomi, her beloved Hebrew mother-in-law, to rebuild Naomis home in Israel. Provisions gone and starvation at the door, Ruth used all that she had left - a strong back and a willing heart - to gather grain in a field, abandoned after the harvest. Tormented by others, Ruth is shocked to find the owner of the field watching her. Talking to her. Bringing food to her and Naomi. Boaz tells himself his kindness toward Ruth is repayment for the love she has shown to his cousin Naomi. But his heart knows better.

Members Reviews:

New insights about Old Testament Ruth

Have you ever wondered why Ruth, from the Old Testament story, left her homeland of Moab to go to a new home in Israel? Did she know what was in store for her there? The scriptures imply that Ruth's decision came from her virtuous character; her loyalty to Naomi. After listening to this book, I would add that it is likely Ruth's decision also came from courage that rested on a foundation of faith in God.

This book extended and enhanced my understanding of Ruth, adding fictional details that helped me consider all that she really would have had to face... including the challenges that could have come her way. In watching Ruth face those fictional challenges, this book emphasizes a truth, and gives a strong message of hope to the listener: that God can transform tragedy into triumph! Also, He can use any one of us to bless the lives of others. All He requires is a willing and trusting heart.

I very much enjoyed the author's take on the story; it is very much in keeping with the impression I get about Ruth when I read the Bible.

Absolutely Totally Beautiful

What made the experience of listening to In the Field of Grace the most enjoyable?

Everything. A book worthy of its title, for it is full of grace and beauty.

What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Field of Grace?

There were many such moments. The wisdom and the prayers are seamlessly woven into the reality of every day life in a way that felt like blessings my soul soaked up like parched soil.

Which character as performed by Laural Merlington was your favorite?

Ruth, of course, but she did a wonderful job with all of them.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I wept. I was there. I feel like I truly met Ruth, and Boaz, and Naomi, they felt like kin, and I miss them.

Any additional comments?

This is an absolutely beautiful novel. As a novelist myself, I feel humbled, at a loss for words. At first I felt the Epilogue was an intrusion, but I came to love Ruth so much, it all fell into place and I cried, again, this time because the Book of Ruth, so passionately and gracefully told by Tessa Afshar, had ended.

Field of Grace

Would you listen to In the Field of Grace again? Why?

I really enjoyed the book, however there were placed in the story that was to long and drawn out.

What other book might you compare In the Field of Grace to and why?

It was similar to the story Rahab, but the book on Rahab was far better.

What does Laural Merlington bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

She's an excellent narrator.

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

The care that Boaz took to keep Ruth safe all the way through his marriage to her.

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Title: Tucker

Author: Louis L'Amour

Narrator: Michael Crouch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-02-14

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 296 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

If a man won't fight for what is rightly his, then he ain't much account.

With this challenge from his dying father, young Shell Tucker rode out after three men who had stolen the 20,000 dollars his father was carrying. Two of the men he hunted, Doc Sites and Kid Reese, were his friends. Dreaming of adventure, Tucker had wanted to join their gang. But now, with his father gone and the people back home desperately in need of the proceeds from the cattle drive, Shell was determined to uphold his father's reputation and recover their money. He knew the odds were against him. Finding his friends would be difficult. Getting the money back would be nearly impossible.

Members Reviews:

Tucker on the hunt

What did you love best about Tucker?

Great character who fought hard to keep the promise his father made

What other book might you compare Tucker to and why?

Louis L'Amour books are all good westerns.

Which scene was your favorite?

Tuckers settling of the score with the thief who stole the money (when you listen, you will understand).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Tucker was a strong-willed, Who wanted to do what was right to those who trust in his father with the cattle. I enjoyed Tuckers difficult adventures that drove him to make right that was wronged.

another life lesson, from Louis L'amour

Louis Glamour, read by Michael Crouch is again another fine way to spend your hours in traffic. To escape the present day city and travle in your mind horseback from Texas to Colorado to Nevada and Los Angeles in the 1870s it's always a great ride ,when you have Louis L'Amour at your side

A fun read

The narrator has a suitably youthful voice. Here reads well and the story itself is quite gripping.

Outstanding Read

As with any of L' Amour's books there in a solid story that captures your imagination and makes you feel you are living it with the characters. I highly recommend it T anyone that enjoys adventure and the western genre.

Vintage L'Amour

Any additional comments?

This is another good L'Amour story, done in his normal style. Loving L'Amour like I do, it was very enjoyable. The narration was excellent at well.

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Title: Tabula Rasa

Subtitle: Roman Empire Series, Book 6

Author: Ruth Downie

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-05-14

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 393 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The medicus Ruso and his wife, Tilla, are back in the borderlands of Britannia, this time helping to tend the builders of Hadrian's Great Wall. Having been forced to move off their land, the Britons are distinctly on edge. Then Ruso's recently arrived clerk, Candidus, goes missing. A native boy thinks he sees a body being hidden inside the wall's half-finished stonework, and a worrying rumor begins to spread. When soldiers ransack the nearby farms looking for Candidus, Tilla's tentative friendship with a local family turns to anger and disappointment. Tensions only increase when Branan, the family's youngest son, also vanishes. As Ruso and Tilla try to solve the mystery of the two disappearances - while at the same time struggling to keep the peace between the Britons and the Romans - an intricate scheme involving slavery, changed identities, and fur trappers emerges, and it becomes imperative that Ruso find Branan before it's too late.

Critic Reviews:

"Like the other titles in the series, Downie's latest mixes an engaging story line, provocative characters, and a satisfying evocation of time and place." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

A Pleasure to Read

This is book six in the Gaius Ruso series. This historical fiction series is best if it is read in order.

Ruso is a medical officer in the Roman Legion stationed in Briton. He married a native Briton, Tila. In this story Ruso and Tila are caught in a conflict between the Romans and Britons. There is a rumor a body is buried in the Hadrians Wall. Rusos medical clerk is missing. A Briton boy is missing and the family is related to Tila. With the Britons teetering on the edge of rebellion, Ruso and Tila attempt to discover who took the boy.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. The plot spirals and bends enough to keep the readers attention. Downie continues to develop the key characters. Russos relationship with Tila matures. Russo evolves with each installment rather than remaining a static character. I appreciate Downies attention to detail both historical and human. I also enjoyed the dry British humor.

Simon Vance does a superb job narrating the book. Vance is a stage, film and TV actor who is also an award winning audiobook narrator. I always enjoy a book narrated by Vance.

Not my favorite book in the series

I have really enjoyed this series, but this one lacked the medical aspect that in enjoy.

Love Downie as usual, but ANGRY with Vance

What did you love best about Tabula Rasa?

Ruth Downie hasn't lost her touch.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I've loved the entire series, but for some reason Simon Vance apparently decided not to review what his character voices sounded like before doing this book. 2/3 of the way through the book, Albanus (a recurring character in all of the books) shows up and suddenly has a heavy accent?! It is the most distracting thing I've ever heard, and I actually stopped listening to write this complaint. Albanus is one of my favorite characters, and I've been waiting most of the book for him to arrive, and now I just want to throw something every time he talks. Seriously, Simon Vance is generally better than this, and I don't understand it.