Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

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Title: A Lion Among Men

Subtitle: The Wicked Years, Volume 3

Author: Gregory Maguire

Narrator: John McDonough

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 10-14-08

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 760 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

While civil war looms in Oz, a tetchy oracle named Yackle prepares for death. Before her final hour, a figure known as Brrr - the Cowardly Lion - arrives searching for information about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Abandoned as a cub, his path from infancy is no Yellow Brick Road. In the wake of laws that oppress talking animals, he avoids a jail sentence by agreeing to serve as a lackey to the warmongering Emperor of Oz.

A Lion Among Men chronicles a battle of wits hastened by the Emerald City's approaching armies. Can those tarnished by infamy escape their sobriquets to claim their own histories, to live honorably within their own skins before they're skinned alive?

Gregory Maguire's new novel is written with the sympathy and power that have made his books contemporary classics.

Members Reviews:

Gregory and John Together Again

I have to agree with the outstanding reviews of the novel. For those who didn't receive closure in this book, it's very important to understand that not everything has closure and that's what I appreciate about Gregory Maguire's Wicked novels. They always leave me wanting more of the story (which for me seems like a very smart thing to do from an author's stand point).

This book is from another viewpoint of a character from Baum's original creation of characters. He opens another world for us as insight on a more feasible less childlike version of the original with "real" problems and "real" characters.

Further, I love that John McDonough is narrating this 3rd installment. He narrated the Wicked and it was fantastic. Son of a Witch was narrated by Gregory Maguire himself, and while I think this was a great novelty, I much prefer the development that McDonough has put into the characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for Wicked or it's predecessors.

Fantastic

This is the third book in the "Wicked Cycle" series by Gregory Maguire, and it is fantastic. The story is entertaining and the narrator (also narrated Wicked) does an excellent job.

A very BIG story...

It's funny, but for such simply told stories (in many ways) ...the depth of detail accumulates very quietly. The story is BIG and it is ushered forwards from a different characters perspective in each book in the series. It's not simply a re-visiting of the neighborhood of a previously told story... it's a forwarding of a much bigger story. And before I knew it, ...the story had acquired a LOT of very rich details along the way. It's Elpheba's story, and Leer's too, and Ozma's ...and the Cumberland Witch's, ...and... Yackel, and Brrrrr.... , and.... Nor, ...and ...Shell, ...and... (Note: since this is all "audible" ...I really don't know how to spell these names correctly ).

Love this continuation of Wicked!

Great story & narration-- but PLEASE -- NO MUSIC!!!! It's so distracting it really messes up the flow of the story. It is unnecessary and even disturbing. The story is great, well written, typical McGuire brilliance, nuance and humor. Narrator very very good! The music interspersed is the only downside to this audio book.

very touching

Can't quite relate to the bad reviews. I was very touched by this story. I want to scratch him under the chin.

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Title: Victory of Eagles

Subtitle: Temeraire, Book 5

Author: Naomi Novik

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-02-08

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1227 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service - and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon's resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon's prime objective: the occupation of London.

Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon's forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon's foothold on England's shores can become a stranglehold.

If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain's scattered forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before - for king and country, and for their own liberty. But can the French aggressors be well and truly routed, or will a treacherous alliance deliver Britain into the hands of her would-be conquerors?

Members Reviews:

Excellent story, but the audio files are truncated

Excellent installment in Novik's alterate-history account of the Napoleonic Wars if dragons had existed and been used by the European and British military forces, as well as a fascinating development of the dragon suffrage and abolitionist themes hinted at in earlier volumes.

The narration is very good, but the end of each audio part was slightly truncated, so that the last sentence was cut off. Luckily, I had a hard copy of the book, and could read the bits I missed, but the gaps were very disappointing in an audiobook.

Good action, but the formula is starting to show

This book, the fifth of the series, marks an improvement over the rather confused action of the last novel. The story returns to Britain, and to a Napoleonic invasion that must be fought off with the help of the disgraced main character. Where it retains the "Patrick O'Brien meets Jane Austin meets Tolkein" style, this is a more conventional narrative focused much more on warfare, with only brief (and not too convincing) diversions on the politics of England and the nature of honor. Fortunately, the battle scenes are fascinating, and occasionally wrenching, and there is plenty of action to go around.

But even as the action swells, the main drivers of the series, the characters of Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, become less dynamic. Will, especially, spends much of the book moping over his "treason" of the previous novel, and generally being cut off from friends and compatriots that have driven the relationships in previous novels.

If you liked the previous novels, this one is also a good read. But, in the end, this book continues the strangely unsatisfying approach the author has adopted - it ends on a cliffhanger, with few of the major issues resolved, and the series promising that the next novel will again take us to another, seemingly randomly decided-upon, far away land in the alternate universe of Temeraire, and thus further from whatever resolution Ms. Novik eventually hopes to achieve.

The voices changed

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It's an entertaining story, more so than the previous book.

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Title: The Tangle Box

Subtitle: Magic Kingdom of Landover, Book 4

Author: Terry Brooks

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 436 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Everything should have been quiet and pleasant for Ben Holiday, former Chicago lawyer become sovereign of the Magic Kingdom of Landover. But it wasn't.

Horris Kew, conjurer, confidence-man, and trickster, had returned to Landover from Ben's own world. Alas, Horris had not returned of his own volition - he had been sent by the Gorse, a sorcerer of great evil, whom Horris had unwittingly freed from the magic Tangle Box, where it had long ago been imprisoned by the fairy folk.

Now it had returned to enslave those who had once dared to condemn it. But first, it would rid Landover of all who could stand in its way.

Soon Ben found himself imprisoned within the gloom of the Tangle Box, lost in the mists and its labyrinthine ways. The only one who could free Ben was the lady Willow. But she had disappeared, gone from Landover on a mysterious mission of her own.

Members Reviews:

you just can't get enough

This was a twist on the whole series of books. You expect one thing and get another. Don't try to do anything else while listening to this book you will want to catch every detail.

This proves why Brooks is one of my favorites.

Two years after the events of Wizard at Large, Ben Holiday, former Chicago lawyer turned High Lord of Landover, was looking forward to the birth of his first child, which the Earth Mother long ago foresaw. But in the meantime there is the small matter of Horris Kew, a Landoverian con man exiled from the realm by the old king after one of his schemes nearly brought about the realm's destruction. Kew, accompanied by Biggar, a disagreeable talking bird, seems to want only to return to his homeland. But Kew is a pawn of a powerful being known as the Gorse, a dark fairy whom he inadvertently freed from its eons-long imprisonment. Lured from the safety of Stirling Silver by a mysterious letter, Ben finds himself suddenly imprisoned within the Tangle Box, the former prison of the Gorse. His only companions are a despairing, hateful lady that might once have been the witch Nightshade, and a synical Gargoyle that might just once have beenStrabo the dragon. With Ben out of the way, Horris and the Gorse have free reign in Landover, while Questor Thews and Abernathy seek desperately for a way to bring Ben back before all is lost. On top of that, Willow, Ben's wife and Queen of Landover, has left the kingdom on a mysterious mission of her own that could prove crucial to the safe birth of the child she carries. Will they be able to thwart the plans of the Gorse before all is lost?

Once again narrator Dick Hill brings this tale excellently to life. I never once had trouble understanding him or differentiating between which character was speaking. Just one more title to add to the list of favorites.

LOVE IT!

As always Dick Hill brings the world of Landover to life! Excellent show once again.

I LOVE LANDOVER!!!!!

more Landover!!!!!!!!!? is amazing. 12335reproput886r44 55thesame5IMccoyy7uhb uinBBCuhbvunuTVyhmmI'monminin am the first 9thofmyfriends88togetto 6677uuhgbbookUKlinguini bhiuveitisTVTVfRdexRex'sth nkopOhioiciclesIsuzuother b b

good book

I like that the reader is the same in all 3 books, the familiarity with each characters voice is nice and shows some very good talent.

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Title: Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold!

Subtitle: Magic Kingdom of Landover, Book 1

Author: Terry Brooks

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1560 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Landover was a genuine magic kingdom, with fairy folk and wizardry, just as the advertisement promised. But after he purchased it, Ben Holiday learned that there were a few details the ad had failed to mention.

The kingdom was in ruin. The Barons refused to recognize the king, and the peasants were without hope. A dragon was laying waste the countryside, while an evil witch plotted to destroy everything.

Ben's only followers were the incompetent Court Magician; Abernathy, the talking dog who served as Court Scribe; and the lovely Willow - but she had a habit of putting down roots in the moonlight and turning into a tree. The Paladin, legendary champion of the Kings of Landover, seemed to be only a myth and an empty suit of armor.

To put a final touch on the whole affair, Ben soon learned that the Iron Mark, terrible lord of the demons, had challenged all prospective Kings of Landover to a duel to the death - a duel which no human could hope to win.

The task of proving his right to be King seemed hopeless. But Ben Holiday was stubborn.

Members Reviews:

If you're looking for Tolkein....

This is not it! This is light hearted, easy to follow, and will still suck you in.... if you let it. I wanted something that wasn't mired in so much detail it would put me to sleep (Tolkein) while I drove! I got exactly what I wanted with this book.

I listen in a car and occasionally get distracted, this did not impact the enjoyment I had listening to this book. I will continue to listen to the rest of the series.

At first listen, I wasn't sure I was going to like the narrator, but now... surprisingly, I am a fan as others have also written.

A great start to a great series.

I read the first two books of this series back in Junior High and picked the rest up over the next few years. Then I discovered the Brilliance Audio versions, though at the time they only had abridged versions available. Fortunately they had and still have an excellent narrator. Dick Hill narrates both the abridged and unabridged versions and does an excellent job on both. His deep, rich baritone lends itself well to narration, although I agree with those who say his characterization of Abernathy sounds disturbingly like the Geico Gecko. One thing I do wish he'd kept up with from the abridged versions was how when a character was talking on the telephone, the enginneers would add an appropriate effect to one side of the conversation so that it sounded as though it were in fact coming through a phone receiver.

The story opens as Ben Holiday, a trial lawyer from Chicago, receives a Christmas catalog from a New York department store where his wife Annie, dead two years, loved to shop. While thumbing through the catalog, Ben discovers that a fantasy kingdom called Landover is being offered for sale, and that the byer will rule the realm as king. Having become disillusioned with his life since the death of Annie, Ben takes a leap of faith and makes the purchase. Upon arrival in Landover however,Ben discovers the kingdom in shambles. Taxes have not been collected in years, the monarchy has fallen apart and the people refuse to recognize him as king, and a dragon, Strabo, has been ravaging the countryside unchecked for twenty years. There is also the threat of the evil sorceress Nightshade to contend with.

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Title: Throne of Jade

Subtitle: Temeraire, Book 2

Author: Naomi Novik

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-03-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1811 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands, and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East, a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

Critic Reviews:

"Throne of Jade is a solid second entry in what is shaping up to be an intriguing series." (Bookmarks Magazine)

Members Reviews:

fast forward part 2

Loved the book, just thought I'd point out an issue with the recording. Part 2 of the download for me started about 40 minutes from the end of the book! by trial and error I discovered that the part 'begins' about 1 hour and 9 minutes after hitting play. So, if you have no idea what's going on when you start part 2, fast forward and give it another try as this is an excellent series.

Tedious

Not a lot to say, this is nothing like book one. This is slow and tedious. Naomi does not make me care about any of the characters.

Not as good as the first one

This book continues where the first one left off. The relationship between the dragon and the sailor explored further, and to the point where It start become cumbersome. This book is pedestrian and repetitive compare to the first book. There is some intrigue in the story line, but that does not take place till last few chapters of the book. If I have to read this book over again, I probably will skip few chapters in the middle and not lose much in the story line.

Narration is great as Simon does a great job and because of his work, I was able to complete the book. If you have some time to waste go for this book, but it is as good as the first one.

Less exciting, more interesting...

The series greatest strength, it's world, is still intact here. Set in China, this expands the world to include a fake-historical look at China that feels quite well researched and believable. The weakness of the series, character depth, is not patched up very well, unfortunately. Characters are still woefully one-dimensional. Also, there is far less battle in the book, and one of these sorely strains credulity. However, the setting is so enhanced by the anglo-sino culture clash, that this book stands on equal footing with me as the first novel. Again, I'm not sorry I listened, but wouldn't highly recommend either.

Skip Fixed

I verified with Audible's folks that the stream had been fixed before downloading the files. They assured me it was but I remained skeptical. I just finished listening and all is well. Thank you Audible!

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Title: Empire of Ivory

Subtitle: Temeraire, Book 4

Author: Naomi Novik

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-13-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1331 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Bonaparte's dragons are already harrowing Britain's ships at sea. Only one recourse remains: Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, must take wing to Africa, whose shores may hold the cure to the mysterious and deadly contagion. On this mission, there is no time to waste - and no telling what lies in store beyond the horizon or for those left behind to wait, hope, and hold the line.

Critic Reviews:

"Engrossing." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Great Series

I stumbled on the first book, His Majestys Dragon, and was somewhat skeptical about the premise of the series. After finishing the first book I quickly devoured the next three books and I cant wait for the next. These books are well written and a joy to listen too. If you enjoy well written fantasy book, I guarantee youll enjoy this series.

So you've made it to book four...

The Empire of Ivory picks off right from the cliffhanger at the end of the last book, and, unsurprisingly, ends with a cliffhanger of its own*. Between these sections, you get to visit another part of the subtly altered world of Novik's 19th century: Africa, where colonial ambitions meet the undiscovered powers of the continent. The pace is often leisurely, echoing the Patrick O'Brien meets Jane Austin meets Tolkein style that you have come to expect by now. Additionally, for much of the book, the pacing of the series seems to be slowing further, though that eventually changes. The social interaction between high society and the aviators receives more attention, as does the domestic politics of England, with the deft addition of real political figures of the time. Thus, if you don't mind a relative lack of action for much of the novel, this is a very solid book, with well-developed characters, a sense of history, and some great plot developments later in the audiobook. Though not the delight that the first novel was, this remains a worthwhile and interesting addition to the continuing series.

* So if you haven't read the series in order, you really should start with the first novel, His Majesty's Dragon. It is quite good, and about dragons to boot.

Slow start, then gets awesome

I have to say, I figured out what the McGuffin was really early, and then had to wait and wait for Laurence to figure it out, too. That was annoying.

But, once they got going, Africa is her best world yet, and their desperate search for said McGuffin is exciting, their plight afterwards is cool, the British Government thoroughly despicable and Laurence's patriotism and Christianity conflict in a way that is totally in line with his character, creating very real tension and no sense of "manufacture" that most series have by this point.

A Worthy Addition to the Series

This story seemed to drag on at some points, especially during the African expedition that takes up most of the book. The story seems to actually progress the storyline development in the final few chapters.

Overall, it left a slightly bad taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure I like the direction the series is headed at the end of the story.

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Title: Making Money: Discworld #36

Author: Terry Pratchett

Narrator: Stephen Briggs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-07

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2235 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Vetinari isn't talking about wages, of course. He's referring, rather, to the Royal Mint of Ankh-Morpork, a venerable institution that has run for centuries on the hereditary employment of the Men of the Sheds and their loyal outworkers, who do make money in their spare time. Unfortunately, it costs more than a penny to make a penny, so the whole process seems somewhat counterintuitive.

Next door, at the Royal Bank, the Glooper, an "analogy machine", has scientifically established that one never has quite as much money at the end of the week as one thinks one should, and the bank's chairman, one elderly Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish, keeps two loaded crossbows at her desk. Oh, and the chief clerk is probably a vampire.

But before Moist has time to fully consider Vetinari's question, fate answers it for him. Now he's not only making money, but enemies too; he's got to spring a prisoner from jail, break into his own bank vault, stop the new manager from licking his face, and, above all, find out where all the gold has gone: otherwise, his life in banking, while very exciting, is going to be really, really short.

Critic Reviews:

"An educational and entertaining mirror of human squabbles and flaws." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A must for Discworld fans

This latest edition in the discworld series is a must read for all fans. While not the best of Pratchett's work, it is certainly an entertaining read. Continuing the Moist von Lipwig characters from Going Postal, the author turns the unique von Lipwig loose on the Royal Bank and the money system. While not as humorous or as original as the post office book - which should be read before this book - the story of the new Bank Master is still a delight. The plot is more predictable as the characters are already fleshed out from Going Postal and a veteran of the series can see where the book is headed quite quickly. Nevertheless, Pratchett's unique sense of humor and social commentary makes you want to get to the end while also dreading the termination of the tale. For those of you seeking to relish every minute of the recording be prepared for the fact that the last two minutes or so of "the book" are really a public service announcement for getting kids to listen to audiobooks. Alas, not one written by Terry Pratchett.

Not the best of Pratchett's books, but it will not disappoint.

Terry Pratchett for Economists

Like all Discworld books, this is a terrific read, entertaining and funny and at the same time, great at relating a lot of fundamentally true things. If you're a banking and economics fan, you'll particularly enjoy this one.

The reader is excellent, too.

Another Lipwig Winner

Thou I am only about a half dozen books into the Disc "World" ( All by the way good listens) I have to say I was very happy to hear more about Mr. Moist VanLipwig. This was a very fast pased and funny story. With more twist and Toppsy Turvy moments than I had hope. Thank you Miss. Pratchett and Audible for the laughs in my day.

The master storyteller strikes again

Pratchett plays with words the way a bird plays with the air, it is a pleasure to watch. And all the while he is spinning ideas as effortlessly as soaring. This is the 30th, or so, Discworld novel, and rather than getting tired, he just keeps getting better.

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Title: Black Powder War

Subtitle: Temeraire, Book 3

Author: Naomi Novik

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-20-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1461 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn, thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master's death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte's implacable army?

Critic Reviews:

"Novik's magical 18th century, peopled with sympathetic characters, induces avid reading. Long may she write!" (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Enthralling, but unusually paced for a series.

Novik has created a truly wonderful story. The cast is marvelous, the scenery is rich, and the premise is both captivating and refreshing.

However, the pacing feels more like a slightly episodic long form fantasy than it does a series. "His Majesty's Dragon", the first book, was a bit more conventional. It had a fairly symmetrical plot arc and a thoroughly rousing conclusion battle.

However, "Throne of Jade" was rather more ponderous (as it no doubt would have been for Laurence and Temeraire, sailing to the other side of the world and becoming embroiled in lengthy diplomatic tangles). It also didn't have nearly as cinematic an ending, though still a good one.

"Black Powder War" is similar. They spend a lot of time traveling over vast tracts of fairly barren land, and it doesn't happen very fast. There are several great aerial battles, but what could properly be called the climax is actually not a fight at all. Some might find this disappointing, but I feel that she is taking the time truly do the story the justice it deserves. And that is more exciting than a bit of token action.

I have recently become more accustomed to books like "Wheel of Time" and "The Way of Kings", than to short form fiction. And when the Temeraire series is viewed as a single story of multiple volumes rather than a set of connected, but independent, stories, the arc and pacing feel more natural. Certainly the two books following "His Majesty's Dragon" are slower. However, they are also deeper. Novik takes the time to really delve into the world she is giving us, as well as into the characters with which she has populated it so wonderfully.

As always, Simon Vance is brilliant. His narration is at once subtle and captivating.

really enjoyed the book

It gets a bit long in the descriptions, but I really enjoyed the story. Makes me want a dragon of my own.

Silk Road: Macau to Istanbul to Danzig, via Dragon

Simon Vance brought Naomi Novik's fantasy to life. I'm learning more about the Napoleonic War from this series, despite the fictional dragons. It's an entertaining alternate history, close enough to the "truth" in some scenes to trigger my interest (so I look things up, comparing the historic account with the fictional).

I liked this 3-part plot, even if the pacing got bogged down in Prussian campaigning (by committee, with outdated strategies). Loved the characters. Here be dragons! Huzzah for the beast-baby Iskierka and for shrewd, swaggering Arkady! We also get a close encounter with Napoleon and threats from Lien, set on avenging her dead captain.

And here we meet the inscrutable Tharkay, half-Nepalese, half-British, fully ostracized.

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Title: The Colour of Magic

Subtitle: Discworld 1

Author: Terry Pratchett

Narrator: Nigel Planer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-11-07

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 500 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

Members Reviews:

poorest audio quality ever

Would you try another book from Terry Pratchett and/or Nigel Planer?

I want the whole series.

What other book might you compare The Colour of Magic to and why?

Terry Pratchett doesn't need any comparisions.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Nigel Planer?

I actually can't really evaluate the narrator due to poor audio quality.

What character would you cut from The Colour of Magic?

none

Any additional comments?

Audible must be pretty desperate to even consider selling this audio book. The audio quality is the worst I have ever experienced.

Horrible audio quality

This was very difficult to listen to, and I couldn't take more than ten minutes of the recording.

if you don't know pratchett this is where to start

What did you love best about The Colour of Magic?

and wonderful rich story, with wellrounded characters and a humor that you can only appriciate and wonder at anyone ever thinking up

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Colour of Magic?

i will not ruin the moment for you, just remember when i say

Have you listened to any of Nigel Planers other performances before? How does this one compare?

Nigel is a wellrounded reader and his performance is always stellar...

i've listened to more than one book simply because he was the one reading it

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

there already IS a movie based on this book...

As good as expected :)

Would you listen to The Colour of Magic again? Why?

I'm just getting started on the Discworld books, and I suspect it will be quite a while before I return to this first book in the series. I have a lot of listening ahead of me...

Any additional comments?

For me, the concern about audio quality turned out to be unfounded. One of the characters, and in fact the opening narration use an echo to create a particular soundscape. That can make it a little tricky to hear, given the age of the recording. The bulk of the recording is completely normal spoken word, with no problems.

Horrible audio quality!

I could not listen to this book for more than 10 minutes without getting a headache. The audio quality is VERY poor, and it sounds like it was recorded in a public bathroom with tiled walls.....

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Title: Son of a Witch

Author: Gregory Maguire

Narrator: Gregory Maguire

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-22-05

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 1489 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba's son? He has her broom and her cape, but what of her powers? Can he find his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs? Can he fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up?

For the countless fans who have been dazzled and entranced by Maguire's Oz, Son of a Witch is the rich reward they have awaited so long.

Critic Reviews:

"Masterfully imaginative....Ten years after Wicked (which is still on Broadway), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment." (Publishers Weekly)

"A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

A veritable trainwreck of narration

Like others, I kept waiting for the story to get better. It didn't. Like others, I kept waiting for the narrating to improve. It didn't.

Okay, to be honest, I made it to where Liir gets into Southstairs and just couldn't listen any more. At first I thought, how nice to hear the author's interpretation of the characters. That lasted about two minutes. (And I'm being generous here.) Maguire would have done much better not to even try to do character voices than the inconsistent and intolerably annoying voices he used. Like Shell's vaguely southern accent. Ugh.

I think that John McDonough did a stupendous job on Wicked and I might actually have been able to listen to the whole story if he had been narrating this somewhat weak sequel. If you're really interested in the story, read the book.

A good writer does not a good reader make

The underlying story was good - although it lacked much of the creativity of Wicked - spending a inordinate amount of text belaboring the same issues, sometimes verbatim, rather than letting the storytelling bring the points to life for the author. The most unfortuante aspect of this Audiobook was reader's (author's) inadequate character voices and tendency to emphasize the wrong place in sentences. It frequently made it difficult to follow the story, and I'm still not sure I followed it.

good writer. narrator? yeah, not such much...

i agree with an earlier review: although i loved wicked, and am enjoying son of a witch so far, the author does not make a good narrator at all. i don't know how to explain it exactly, but his narration voice makes it sound like he is reading the book to a 5 year-old. things only get worse when he tries to go into character and change his voice to match some of the characters' genders, ages, and accents -- it's just downright annoying. this audiobook is taking me twice as long to go through than usual, because every time i think about listening to it, i have second thoughts when i remember how distracting the narrations is. too bad. :o(

Don't do the Audio

As a bookseller I listen to books so I can pass information on to my customers. After listening to this one I will recommend the book to the customer, but have told them not to waste their money on buying the audio version. It was all I could do to eekk through this one.