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Title: Beyond the Ties of Blood

Author: Florencia Mallon

Narrator: Courtney Patterson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the tradition of Isabel Allende, the debut novel from Chilean-American, Florencia Mallon - a family saga that explores the lives touched by the tragedies of Chiles vibrant history. In the political aftermath of the 1973 Chilean coup, Eugenia Aldunate is imprisoned and tortured. Her lover, Manuel, is savagely killed, one of the countless disappeared that would haunt Chiles collective memory for decades. While still in the torture camp, Eugenia discovers she is pregnant and is exiled to Mexico and then to the United States to raise her daughter alone, forbidden to return. She builds a quiet life for herself as a journalist and professor, but the scars on her arms do not allow her to bury her past. Each night, she aches for her homeland while fighting to suppress the horrific nightmares that still plague her. Nearly twenty years after her exile, Eugenia is called back to Chile to testify in Manuels case and help seek justice for the others who disappeared. A rare living witness to these camps, Eugenia must come to grips with the legacy of violence and traumas left by Pinochets dictatorship and find truth and solace in the stories of those she left behind. In the tradition of Kiran Desais The Inheritance of Loss and Julia Alvarezs In the Time of Butterflies, Beyond the Ties of Blood is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and the transcendence of family.

Editorial Reviews:

Eugenia Aldunate, the heroine of Florencia Mallon's powerful novel, is exiled to Mexico after being imprisoned in one of Augusto Pinochet's horrifying "torture camps" in the 1970s, but her lover Manuel isn't so fortunate. Twenty years later she returns to testify in his murder case, leaving her new life behind and reluctantly plunging back into this ignominious period in Chilean history.

Courtney Patterson's impressive performance spans the full spectrum of emotions as she expertly navigates the complex terrain of despair, outrage, and, ultimately, hope present in Mallon's stirring work.

Members Reviews:

Beyond ......

Where can I start? I am still lost without NOT reading this book any longer. It got more than under my skin. I became part of it. My gut wrenched with each chapter. I felt sucked into a story, a family, a part of history, another country, endearments in an other language which I do not speak but can feel. I felt the bruises, physical and emotional. I even googled the music (?) . The language is fluid and amazingly creative in its need to catch us at our throats, where it hurts and tears wash down. I can only hope this writer will write more and be rewarded with a memorable book prize. Thank you Amazon for making this book available to begin with, and then for the incredibly low hard bound prize. Anyone searching this title: take the courage to go on this journey. If your heart and soul and mind is open, you will be touched, deeply.

A compelling story of people who were profoundly impacted in Chile during the 70's

Having never read much of Chile's history, especially during the Pinochet years and before, this novel gave great insight to the pain and suffering inflicted on those calling for change. So many of the characters, mostly women, show incredible depth and strength. The author does an excellent job of weaving different stories into one larger story of reconciliation!

A DISAPPOINTING READ

The story was written in a very disjointed way.

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Title: The Count of Chanteleine

Subtitle: A Tale of the French Revolution

Author: Jules Verne

Narrator: Fred Frees

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-30-13

Publisher: BearManor Media

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A nobleman, the Count of Chanteleine, leads a rebellion against the revolutionary French government. While he fights for the monarchy and the church, his home is destroyed and his wife murdered by the mob. Now he must save his daughter from the guillotine. This exciting swashbuckler is also a meticulous historical re-creation of a particularly bloody episode in the Reign of Terror.

The Count of Chanteleine is the first English translation of this Jules Verne novel, the fourth volume in the Palik series published under the auspices of the North American Jules Verne Society. Commentary by an international team of experts supports Edward Baxter's translation.

Members Reviews:

Stand back, musketeers, they shall sample MY blade!

This book is full of surprises, but I'll give away one of the nicest ones right now: Jules Verne, generally known as one of the gods of science fiction, also wrote high-class historical adventure stories. "The Count of Chanteleine" has all the trimmings of a classic swashbuckler: last-minute escapes, angry mobs, nobles traveling incognito, a touch of romance, the works. I admit that nobody ever actually says the line I quoted in the title of this review, and it would have been anachronistic if they did (it's from the classic Looney Tunes short "Duck Amuck," in case you were baffled), but it taps right into the spirit of adventure that Verne evokes with gusto throughout the book.

The story itself easily merits four stars, but I bumped my rating up to five because the book's presentation is superb. Edward Baxter's translation is faithful and intensely readable, and a coalition of scholars have contributed an informative introduction, an interesting addendum about Verneâs own travels, a wealth of explanatory notes, a generous supply of double-page map spreads, and reproductions of all the original 19th-century engravings for the story, plus other relevant images from the same period. All things considered, an exuberant celebration not only of good old-fashioned derring-do, but also of a marvelous author whose full depth and breadth are only now beginning to be understood. Vive la Renaissance de Jules Verne!

The Count of Chanteleine

Kindle edition had a good text (not too many spelling errors) and I could find my chapters with the table of contents rather than having to bookmark them. The book was rather short, but had a well designed plot. Jules Verne establishes the story first by outlining the history of the events in the story in the first chapter. It was helpful to have this historical background to make sense of the story with its references to people in various battles. The rest of the story is about the Count and his family in the aftermath of the defeat of the Royalist army. It did have a surprising ending, but even that was in keeping with the time period.

Sombre Historical Fiction

This work is a surprising genre for Verne; the overall mood is very sombre. Of course, the characters are fairly flat, but the story progresses steadily, and has some interesting turns. The Count starts off as the protagonist, but quickly takes a back seat to his trusty servant Kernan. Lots of historical footnotes.

REVOLUTIONARY DERRING-DO

Like other lifelong professional writers, Jules Verne worked in several genres, most famously in science fiction, exotic adventure, mystery, and intrigue.

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Title: The Bloody Country

Author: James Lincoln Collier, Christopher Collier

Narrator: Charlie Thurston

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-13

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Ben Buck and his family spent four years clearing the wilderness to build a new home in Pennsylvania. They fought the Indians and the British, and made sacrifices most people wouldn't have been strong enough to make. All so they could be independent and free. Now someone's trying to take everything away from them...their land, their home, even Ben's best friend, Joe. But the Bucks won't give up without a fight, and Ben knows his family will have to win a war to stay free. But what he doesn't know is that wars sometimes last a very long time. And even if you win in the end, you can lose almost everything along the way.

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Title: Gideon's Call

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Peter Leavell

Narrator: Barrie Buckner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-13

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Peter Leavells award-winning debut novel is a touching and inspiring tale of surprising heroism amid the horrors of the Civil War.

Tad, a slave boy of exceptional hidden gifts, comes of age just as the Civil War erupts in coastal South Carolina. An unlikely deliverer, the young man's hopes remain buried under a crushing weight of abuse and degradation until an extraordinary event thrusts him and 10,000 fellow slaves into an uncharted wilderness of freedom and danger.

Based on true events, Gideons Call immerses listeners in the slave culture of the antebellum South and propels them on a dramatic journey of hope, discovery, faith, and triumph. It is the story of a remarkable young man who, in the face of unimaginable obstacles, overcomes shame and prejudice to emerge a champion of thousands.

Critic Reviews:

"In this sweeping saga of one of the most stirring times in our nations history, Peter Leavell brings alive the stories of unsung American heroes that should never be forgotten. Gideons Call is exactly the kind of historical novel I love." (Donna Fletcher Crow, author of Glastonbury, A Novel of The Holy Grail)

Members Reviews:

Excellent Civil War Historical Fiction!

If you like historical fiction and the Civil War, this book is for you. I really found the story setting to be intriguing, because in all my reading of history, I never even heard of these events. The characters seem like real people, especially the actual historical figures that tie into the story. And, I must admit, I LOVED the way he introduces Abraham Lincoln's "cameo" appearance in the book: You get the sense that you are in the presence of greatness, yet Lincoln comes across like a real man struggling with some very deep and difficult issues. I only wish Lincoln could have been in the story more! In any case, overall this is a good book worth your time to read.

I found the story of Tad to be a compelling one. I never even thought about how difficult things were for the African-Americans who suddenly found themselves free Americans, but many of them were uneducated, illiterate, and poor. I also appreciate how Leavell showed the strengths, weaknesses, and character flaws on both sides of the The War. It was just a story about the Good Guys of the North against The Mustachioed Bad Guys of The South. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

Powerful and unforgettable!

"Gideon's Call" has been sitting on one of my bookshelves for 3 years! When packing for vacation I grabbed the book, looking forward to a good Civil War novel. This is not only a good Civil War novel, it's a powerful and unforgettable one! An in-depth account of the atrocities that slaves endured is agonizing. My heart broke for Tad as he was mistreated because of the color of his skin. An authentic portrayal painted through words gives credibility to a people who suffered like nothing we can begin to imagine.

Civil War details are well researched and documented in this historic telling of a monumental time in our nation's history. The characters portrayed in this epic novel are described in detail, creating personalities that bring them to life. Freedom's advantages evolve into disaster and defeat in a matter of time once slaves were declared freedmen.

The landscape comes alive with trees draped in moss, muddy marshes dark in the canopy of the forest.

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Title: The Dead of Winter

Author: Lee Collins

Narrator: Kaleo Griffith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-12

Publisher: Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When the marshal of Leadville, Colorado, comes across a pair of mysterious, bloody deaths out in the badlands, he turns to Cora to find the creature responsible. But if she is to overcome the unnatural tide threatening to consume the small town, Cora must first confront her own tragic past.

Members Reviews:

The dead of Winter

What would have made The Dead of Winter better?

I did not get thru enough to know what would have made it better. I got thru one chapter and decided this was a waste of my time

What could Lee Collins have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I just did not like the story so it did not catch my interest enough to actually find out what the story was

How could the performance have been better?

This book couldn't have been helped by performer

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Dead of Winter?

Didn't listen long enough to find out

Any additional comments?

A waste of my money

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Title: Flashman and the Dragon

Subtitle: Flashman, Book 10

Author: George MacDonald Fraser, Kati Nicholl (abridged by)

Narrator: Toby Stephens

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-12

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Harry Flashman - the unrepentant bully of Tom Browns schooldays, now with a Victoria Cross - has three main talents: horsemanship, facility with foreign languages, and fornication. A reluctant military hero, Flashman plays a key part in most of the defining military campaigns of the 19th century, despite trying his utmost to escape them all. "When all other trusts fail, turn to Flashman." (Abraham LincoIn)

In China, in 1860, a lot of people mistakenly put their trust in Flashman: the English vicars daughter with her cargo of opium; Lord Elgin in search of an intelligence chief; the Emperors ravishing concubine, seeking a champion in her struggles for power; and Szu-Zhan, the female bandit colossus, as practised in the arts of love as in the arts of war.

They were not to know that behind his Victoria Cross, Harry Flashman was a base coward and a charlatan. They took him at face value. And he took them, for all he could, while China seethed through the bloodiest civil war in history and the British and French armies hacked their way to the heart of the Forbidden City.

Critic Reviews:

"The Flashman Papers do what all great sagas do - winning new admirers along the way but never, ever betraying old ones. It is an immense achievement." (Sunday Telegraph)

"Not only are the Flashman books extremely funny, but they give meticulous care to authenticity. You can, between the guffaws, learn from them." (Washington Post)

Members Reviews:

Good for an Abridged Version

I love the Flashman series and this is one of my favorites. I would have preferred the unabridged version but this abridgment was very well done and I found the book very enjoyable.

Kind of enjoyed it....

What did you like most about Flashman and the Dragon?

It was fun and interesting.

What did you like best about this story?

Flahman's royal lover

Which character as performed by Toby Stephens was your favourite?

Loved them all, he is fab!

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

What a stupid question, the only thing Flashman moves is his groin.

Any additional comments?

It was a bit complicated, for a driver, driving all over the place, but this book besides being a good yarn, had a serious side to it.

Flashman doing what he does best

as usual fun story about how he manages to escape, evade or run away from danger

Get all the flashman titles!! Unabridged

Abridged versions are a travesty.. Make all the flashman papers available in there full form!!

The adventures continue for Flashy

Another wonderful tale of adventure and close calls. Well told keeping my mind picturing the scenery and places.

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Title: Seahawk Burning

Author: Randall Peffer

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-19-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A novel of the Civil War at sea....

This final volume in the Raphael Semmes trilogy of Civil War naval thrillers, Seahawk Burning follows the real-life adventures of Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes and his ship, the C.S.S. Alabama, on the final legs of their reign of terror on the high seas.

The novel chronicles Semmes's rise to mythic stature as he becomes Lincoln's public enemy number one, seizing and burning scores of Yankee ships in the Caribbean Sea, the south Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea before heading to France for sanctuary...all the while dodging scores of federal Navy ships pursuing him.

Enemy vessels, spy games, mutinies, storms, and loneliness stock Semmes's cruise during 1863-64. Meanwhile, back in the Lincoln White House, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles tries to marshal his warships to catch Semmes and simultaneously protect his president from spies and assassins, one of whom is Semmes's mistress.

In addition to the main characters, the cast of Seahawk Burning includes historical figures from the governments and navies of the North and South as well as the Black Moses, Harriet Tubman, John Wilkes Booth, and his fellow conspirators.

All of the threads in this saga come together in a final showdown off Cherbourg, France, when Semmes decides to take the Alabama into battle against the U.S.S. Kearsarge, captained by his old friend John A. Winslow. It is one of the greatest naval battles in history.

Members Reviews:

easy read

historicly fun battle discriptions easy to follow writing I found to be more suited to a high school level student

Last Seahawk

This is a must read. Read the entire Trilogy. All excellent with well researched historical background. Very enjoyable light reading.

Only a low watt bulb when compared to the classic tales of wooden ships and iron men

I love a good sea yarn - fiction, non-fiction, and historical fiction. That's why I jumped at the chance to check out this title and see how Peffer's tale-telling stacks up against the classics in the genre of naval historical fiction.

This the last book in a trilogy of a little known/discussed part of the American Civil War - Confederate raiders and their devastating impact on Union shipping.

The book had great potential; it caught my interest, but, alas, when all was said and done it was only a mediocre read.

The only way I could gauge the quality of this offering was to compare it to the gold standard in this genre of naval historical fiction, e.g., Forester'sHornblower : Beat to Quartersand the rest of the Horatio Hornblower series, or O'Brian's Jack Aubrey series includingBy Patrick O'Brian: Master and Commander.

Compared to the depth, richness, and detail of the tales of Forester and O'Brian, Peffer's effort is, sadly, only a low-watt bulb. I frankly finished "Seahawk Burning" because I'd already read about 80pp to get my feet wet with the story, and it's a fairly short read. I found the lead character, Semmes, to spend too much time pining for his young lover, and too little time feeling remorse for the wife and children he was planning to abandon, and even less time fighting pitched sea battles, etc.

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Title: Streets of Fire

Author: Thomas Cook

Narrator: George Guidall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-12-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is May 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama. As Martin Luther King, Jr.s civil rights demonstrations begin to fill the streets, prejudices awaken and tempers flare. Amid the violence and confusion, a deaf black girl is found raped and murdered. Veteran homicide detective Ben Wellman pursues the murderer through the throngs of protesters, the pool halls of the black district of Bearmatch, the white mansions of Mountain Brook, and, finally, even in his own department. As he did in Sacrificial Ground, Cook has created a novel of uncommon force and resonance.

Members Reviews:

One of my most cherished books.

What made the experience of listening to Streets of Fire the most enjoyable?

The story was utterly compelling, and the narrator superb.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ben Wellman. Because of his unshakable integrity.

Which scene was your favorite?

The end -- when Ben steps off the curb and joins the forward rush of humanity.

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

See above

Good book, great narration

I bought this audiobook mostly on the strength of the narrator -- I've heard many of his other performances and loved them all. He was equally great in this, but the book was not as focused as I would have liked. Good history - 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama - with lots of activity and lots of emotion, but it tended to get lost a little and didn't stay on course as much as I think it needed to in order to keep the tension and interest in a way that would have made it great. Good but not great is the best way I can think to describe it.

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Title: Captain Blackwell's Prize

Author: V. E. Ulett

Narrator: V. E. Ulett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-29-12

Publisher: Old Salt Press

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A romantic adventure from the days of wooden ships and iron men, Captain Blackwell's Prize is a story of honor, duty, social class, and the bond of sexual love. A small audacious British frigate does battle against a large but ungainly Spanish ship.

British Captain Blackwell intercepts the Spanish La Trinidad and outmaneuvers and outguns the treasure ship, then boards her. Fighting alongside the Spanish captain, sword in hand, is a beautiful woman. The battle is quickly over. The Spanish captain is killed in the fray and his ship damaged beyond repair. Its survivors and treasure are taken aboard the British ship Inconstant.

Captain Blackwell's Prize features sword fights and sea battles alongside the manners, ideas, and prejudices of men and women from the time of Nelson and Napoleon.

Members Reviews:

Quite engaging

What made the experience of listening to Captain Blackwell's Prize the most enjoyable?

The narration fit the vocabulary, pace and setting of the story perfectly.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Captain! I found myself lost in the time of yesteryear, going from wanting to pop the Captain in the back of the head to sitting on the edge of my chair during the fighting scenes!

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

Hornblower meets Jane Austen

Bought after reading a Diana Gabaldon preview

Would you be willing to try another one of V. E. Uletts performances?

Oh, god no. I wish I could return the audiobook and purchase an e-book copy of the story. I appreciate the author creating an audiobook but a performer she is not. It being her own work, I really would have expected a less mono-tone and sleep enducing story.The book is great but desperately needs to be recorded by someone with more expression in their voice.Disappointed.

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Title: Spartacus: Rebellion

Subtitle: Spartacus 2

Author: Ben Kane

Narrator: Michael Praed

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-16-12

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The mighty slave army, led by Spartacus, has carried all before it, scattering the legions of Rome. Three praetors, two consuls and one proconsul have been defeated. Spartacus seems invincible as he marches towards the Alps and freedom. But storm clouds are massing on the horizon. Crixus the Gaul defects, taking all his men with him. Crassus, the richest man in Rome, begins to raise a formidable army, tasked specifically with the defeat of Spartacus. And within the slave army itself, there are murmurings of dissent and rebellion. Spartacus, on the brink of glory, must make a crucial decision - to go forward over the Alps to freedom, or back to face the might of Rome and try to break its stranglehold on power forever.

Members Reviews:

Great book spoilt by varying quality of narrative

Would you listen to Spartacus: Rebellion again? Why?

Probably not - the story is complete and once the end has been reached I don't think that re-reading it would extract any "missed" interest

Did Michael Praed do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

The charactors yes but regrettably long stretches of very quiet whispering spoilt it for me.I did experience the same difficulty with the first book but despite that purchased this one to follow.

Fantastic conclusion to the Spartacus story

I have listened to all of Ben Kane's audio books and found them all really well written and immensely interesting.

The conclusion to the Spartacus saga is brilliant. You feel that you get to know Spartacus more intimately. The author leads you through a range of emotions from laughing out loud to quiet contemplation. The story continues from the first Spartacus novel and engrosses you from the moment that you press play. The characters are breathed into life brilliantly by Michael Praedd and you really feel part of the story.

Overall a fantastic read, highly recommended.

Well narrated, great historical characters

Initially I thought Michael Praed was a little monotone however, he soon got in to his narration and by just the change of inflection in his voice made the characters come to life. The story is well known and Ben Kane appears to have researched his subject well, thus giving Spartacus and his followers strong characterization. The mixing of fact and fiction is a good recipe for producing an exciting story, If Hollywood are considering remaking the 1962 movie I think Mr Kane should be considered to write the screen play!