Black Ships
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Gigi Shane
-
By:
-
Jo Graham
About this listen
The world is ending. One by one the mighty cities are falling to earthquakes, to floods, to raiders on both land and sea.
In a time of war and doubt, Gull is an oracle. Daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, chosen at the age of seven to be the voice of the Lady of the Dead, it is her destiny to counsel kings.
When nine black ships appear, captained by an exiled Trojan prince, Gull must decide between the life she has been destined for and the most perilous adventure--to join the remnant of her mother's people in their desperate flight. From the doomed bastions of the City of Pirates to the temples of Byblos, from the intrigues of the Egyptian court to the haunted caves beneath Mount Vesuvius, only Gull can guide Prince Aeneas on his quest, and only she can dare the gates of the Underworld itself to lead him to his destiny.
In the last shadowed days of the Age of Bronze, one woman dreams of the world beginning anew. This is her story.
©2008 Joanne Wyrick (P)2015 David N. WilsonListeners also enjoyed...
-
Elektra
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Beth Eyre, Jane Collingwood, Julie Teal
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon, she ignores the insidious whispers about his family line, the House of Atreus. But when, on the eve of the Trojan War, Agamemnon betrays Clytemnestra in the most unimaginable way, she must confront the curse that has long ravaged their family. In Troy, Princess Cassandra has the gift of prophecy, but carries a curse of her own: No one will ever believe what she sees. When she is shown what will happen to her beloved city when Agamemnon and his army arrives, she is powerless to stop the tragedy from unfolding.
-
-
The Fall Of The House Of Atreus
- By Stefan Filipovits on 05-04-22
By: Jennifer Saint
-
Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
-
-
Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
-
Daughter of the Gods
- A Novel of Ancient Egypt
- By: Stephanie Marie Thornton
- Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh's pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile's marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut's games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course.
-
-
Great story
- By Anonymous User on 01-30-21
-
Pandora's Jar
- Women in the Greek Myths
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tellers of Greek myths—historically men—have routinely sidelined the female characters. When they do take a larger role, women are often portrayed as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil—like Pandora, the woman of eternal scorn and damnation whose curiosity is tasked with causing all the world’s suffering and wickedness when she opened that forbidden box. But, as Natalie Haynes reveals, in ancient Greek myths there was no box. It was a jar . . . which is far more likely to tip over.
-
-
The Golden Age Continues
- By Stefan Filipovits on 03-29-22
By: Natalie Haynes
-
A Thousand Ships
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen. From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.
-
-
A new Golden Age
- By Stefan Filipovits on 01-26-21
By: Natalie Haynes
-
Eragon
- Inheritance, Book 1
- By: Christopher Paolini
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes he is merely a poor farm boy - until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now, his choices could save - or destroy - the empire.
-
-
Utterly Awesome!
- By Sandra on 11-07-03
-
Elektra
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Beth Eyre, Jane Collingwood, Julie Teal
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon, she ignores the insidious whispers about his family line, the House of Atreus. But when, on the eve of the Trojan War, Agamemnon betrays Clytemnestra in the most unimaginable way, she must confront the curse that has long ravaged their family. In Troy, Princess Cassandra has the gift of prophecy, but carries a curse of her own: No one will ever believe what she sees. When she is shown what will happen to her beloved city when Agamemnon and his army arrives, she is powerless to stop the tragedy from unfolding.
-
-
The Fall Of The House Of Atreus
- By Stefan Filipovits on 05-04-22
By: Jennifer Saint
-
Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
-
-
Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
-
Daughter of the Gods
- A Novel of Ancient Egypt
- By: Stephanie Marie Thornton
- Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh's pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile's marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut's games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course.
-
-
Great story
- By Anonymous User on 01-30-21
-
Pandora's Jar
- Women in the Greek Myths
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tellers of Greek myths—historically men—have routinely sidelined the female characters. When they do take a larger role, women are often portrayed as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil—like Pandora, the woman of eternal scorn and damnation whose curiosity is tasked with causing all the world’s suffering and wickedness when she opened that forbidden box. But, as Natalie Haynes reveals, in ancient Greek myths there was no box. It was a jar . . . which is far more likely to tip over.
-
-
The Golden Age Continues
- By Stefan Filipovits on 03-29-22
By: Natalie Haynes
-
A Thousand Ships
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen. From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.
-
-
A new Golden Age
- By Stefan Filipovits on 01-26-21
By: Natalie Haynes
-
Eragon
- Inheritance, Book 1
- By: Christopher Paolini
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes he is merely a poor farm boy - until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now, his choices could save - or destroy - the empire.
-
-
Utterly Awesome!
- By Sandra on 11-07-03
-
Nefertiti
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods.
-
-
Boring! Not even close to the synopsis.
- By The Louligan on 09-18-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
The King Must Die
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the young Theseus: Prince of Troizen, King of Eleusis and Athens, and slayer of the Minotaur. Acclaimed novelist Mary Renault weaves myth, legend, history, and fiction into the story of a young hero's search for his destiny and the countless challenges he faces. From Theseus's early life as a prince, to his leadership of a captive team of bulldancers in Crete—not to mention his thrilling encounters with Poseidon—The King Must Die captures the full force of adventure, battle, and an epic quest.
-
-
Poetic and short
- By Ben on 04-07-24
By: Mary Renault
-
Atalanta
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Beth Eyre
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Princess Atalanta is born, a daughter rather than the son her parents hoped for, she is left on a mountainside to die. But even then, she is a survivor. Raised by a mother bear under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis, Atalanta grows up wild and free, with just one condition: if she marries, Artemis warns, it will be her undoing. Although she loves her beautiful forest home, Atalanta yearns for adventure. When Artemis offers her the chance to fight in her name alongside the Argonauts, the fiercest band of warriors the world has ever seen, Atalanta seizes it.
-
-
Action and intrigues
- By Stefan Filipovits on 05-10-23
By: Jennifer Saint
-
Stone Blind
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.
-
-
Don’t Look Away
- By Stefan Filipovits on 02-07-23
By: Natalie Haynes
-
Lavinia
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Highly acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin lends a resonant voice to a pivotal yet often overlooked character of Vergil's The Aeneid. Born into peace and freedom, Lavinia is stunned to learn that she will be the cause of a great war - or so the prophecies and omens claim. Her fate is sealed, however, when she meets a man from Troy.
-
-
Fascinatingly well written
- By Kennet on 03-11-09
-
Circe
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
-
-
Refined writing with an intimate performance
- By Michael - Audible Editor on 04-11-18
By: Madeline Miller
-
The Song of Achilles
- A Novel
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
-
-
Wasn't Expecting to Like It- BOY! was I wrong!!
- By susan on 06-11-14
By: Madeline Miller
-
Helen of Troy
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.
-
-
A Very Different Take Than Homer
- By Troy on 08-31-12
By: Margaret George
-
Daughter of Sparta
- By: Claire Andrews
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemis - who holds Daphne's brother's fate in her hands - upends the life she's worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus, and if Daphne cannot find them, the gods' waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother's life will be forfeit.
-
-
A book full of love, loss, betrayal & redemption
- By Jessica Elopre on 09-14-21
By: Claire Andrews
-
The Mists of Avalon
- By: Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 50 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A posthumous recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, Marion Zimmer Bradley reinvented - and rejuvenated - the King Arthur mythos with her extraordinary Mists of Avalon series. In this epic work, Bradley follows the arc of the timeless tale from the perspective of its previously marginalized female characters: Celtic priestess Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, and High Priestess Viviane.
-
-
Davina Porter brings an old favorite back to life!
- By Carolina on 07-13-12
-
The Midwife's Revolt
- The Midwife, Book 1
- By: Jodi Daynard
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a dark night in 1775, Lizzie Boylston is awakened by the sound of cannons. From a hill south of Boston, she watches as fires burn in Charlestown, in a battle that she soon discovers has claimed her husband's life.
-
-
Bravo
- By Angela on 11-20-15
By: Jodi Daynard
-
War Brides
- By: Helen Bryan
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As war moves ever closer, the sleepy English village of Crowmarsh Priors settles into a new sort of normal: Evacuees from London are billeted in local homes. The nightly German air raids become grimly mundane. Rationing curtails every comfort. Men leave to fight and die. And five women forge a bond of friendship that will change their lives forever in this engrossing novel of loyalty, loss, and love in the shadow of World War II.With the hardships of war intensifying every day, the women band together to defeat formidable enemies and find remarkable strength within themselves to help one another. It is a war-forged loyalty certain to endure years and distance. When four of the women return for a celebration fifty years later, their mission is not simply to commemorate or remember. They’ve returned to confront a traitor whose actions cost countless lives — and to avenge one of their own at last.
-
-
Ruined by Narration
- By Sara on 08-28-14
By: Helen Bryan
Critic reviews
Related to this topic
-
Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
-
-
Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
-
Goddess of Yesterday
- By: Caroline B. Cooney
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spirited and pretty, Anaxandra is playmate to King Nicandor’s crippled daughter, Callisto, until pirates attack Nicandor’s small Greek island kingdom and slay everyone except Anaxandra. When Sparta’s King Menalaus comes to investigate, Anaxandra assumes the identity of Princess Callisto to avoid becoming a slave. But Menalaus’ beautiful half-goddess wife, Helen, doubts the girl’s story. Worse, Helen is about to join forces with Trojan prince Paris. Now Anaxandra must reinvent herself in a desperate attempt to prevent war.
-
-
An Exploration of Greek Legends
- By Rebekah Marie on 11-03-24
-
The King Must Die
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the young Theseus: Prince of Troizen, King of Eleusis and Athens, and slayer of the Minotaur. Acclaimed novelist Mary Renault weaves myth, legend, history, and fiction into the story of a young hero's search for his destiny and the countless challenges he faces. From Theseus's early life as a prince, to his leadership of a captive team of bulldancers in Crete—not to mention his thrilling encounters with Poseidon—The King Must Die captures the full force of adventure, battle, and an epic quest.
-
-
Poetic and short
- By Ben on 04-07-24
By: Mary Renault
-
The Bull from The Sea
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second instalment in the story of the legendary hero begins with Theseus' triumphant return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur. Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: He still must confront the Amazons; capture their queen, Hippolyta; and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage.
-
-
Vintage Mary Renault
- By DPD on 08-30-19
By: Mary Renault
-
The Sekhmet Bed
- The She-King, #1
- By: L.M. Ironside
- Narrated by: Amanda C. Miller
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The second daughter of the Pharaoh, Ahmose has always dreamed of a quiet life as a priestess, serving Egypt's gods, ministering to the people of the Two Lands. But when the Pharaoh dies without an heir, she is given instead as Great Royal Wife to the new king - a soldier of common birth. For Ahmose is god-chosen, gifted with the ability to read dreams, and it is her connection to the gods which ensures the new Pharaoh his right to rule.
-
-
Never listened to a story about Egypt before...
- By E. M. on 12-14-13
By: L.M. Ironside
-
Orion
- Orion Series, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John O'Ryan is not a god...not exactly. He is an eternal warrior destined to combat the Dark Lord through all time for dominion of the Earth. Follow him, servant of a great race, as he battles his enemy down the halls of time, from the caves of our ancestors to the final confrontation under the hammer of nuclear annihilation.
-
-
Cornucopia of Genre's
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-10-12
By: Ben Bova
-
Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
-
-
Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
-
Goddess of Yesterday
- By: Caroline B. Cooney
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spirited and pretty, Anaxandra is playmate to King Nicandor’s crippled daughter, Callisto, until pirates attack Nicandor’s small Greek island kingdom and slay everyone except Anaxandra. When Sparta’s King Menalaus comes to investigate, Anaxandra assumes the identity of Princess Callisto to avoid becoming a slave. But Menalaus’ beautiful half-goddess wife, Helen, doubts the girl’s story. Worse, Helen is about to join forces with Trojan prince Paris. Now Anaxandra must reinvent herself in a desperate attempt to prevent war.
-
-
An Exploration of Greek Legends
- By Rebekah Marie on 11-03-24
-
The King Must Die
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the young Theseus: Prince of Troizen, King of Eleusis and Athens, and slayer of the Minotaur. Acclaimed novelist Mary Renault weaves myth, legend, history, and fiction into the story of a young hero's search for his destiny and the countless challenges he faces. From Theseus's early life as a prince, to his leadership of a captive team of bulldancers in Crete—not to mention his thrilling encounters with Poseidon—The King Must Die captures the full force of adventure, battle, and an epic quest.
-
-
Poetic and short
- By Ben on 04-07-24
By: Mary Renault
-
The Bull from The Sea
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second instalment in the story of the legendary hero begins with Theseus' triumphant return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur. Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: He still must confront the Amazons; capture their queen, Hippolyta; and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage.
-
-
Vintage Mary Renault
- By DPD on 08-30-19
By: Mary Renault
-
The Sekhmet Bed
- The She-King, #1
- By: L.M. Ironside
- Narrated by: Amanda C. Miller
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The second daughter of the Pharaoh, Ahmose has always dreamed of a quiet life as a priestess, serving Egypt's gods, ministering to the people of the Two Lands. But when the Pharaoh dies without an heir, she is given instead as Great Royal Wife to the new king - a soldier of common birth. For Ahmose is god-chosen, gifted with the ability to read dreams, and it is her connection to the gods which ensures the new Pharaoh his right to rule.
-
-
Never listened to a story about Egypt before...
- By E. M. on 12-14-13
By: L.M. Ironside
-
Orion
- Orion Series, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John O'Ryan is not a god...not exactly. He is an eternal warrior destined to combat the Dark Lord through all time for dominion of the Earth. Follow him, servant of a great race, as he battles his enemy down the halls of time, from the caves of our ancestors to the final confrontation under the hammer of nuclear annihilation.
-
-
Cornucopia of Genre's
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-10-12
By: Ben Bova
-
Kushiel's Dart
- By: Jacqueline Carey
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 31 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.
-
-
The Kushiel series in order
- By Glen Gaines on 10-27-09
By: Jacqueline Carey
-
Lavinia
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Highly acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin lends a resonant voice to a pivotal yet often overlooked character of Vergil's The Aeneid. Born into peace and freedom, Lavinia is stunned to learn that she will be the cause of a great war - or so the prophecies and omens claim. Her fate is sealed, however, when she meets a man from Troy.
-
-
Fascinatingly well written
- By Kennet on 03-11-09
-
The Mists of Avalon
- By: Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 50 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A posthumous recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, Marion Zimmer Bradley reinvented - and rejuvenated - the King Arthur mythos with her extraordinary Mists of Avalon series. In this epic work, Bradley follows the arc of the timeless tale from the perspective of its previously marginalized female characters: Celtic priestess Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, and High Priestess Viviane.
-
-
Davina Porter brings an old favorite back to life!
- By Carolina on 07-13-12
-
Ben-Hur
- A Tale of the Christ
- By: Carol Wallace
- Narrated by: Firdous Bamji
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now a major motion picture from MGM and Paramount studios, the story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman whose childhood friend, Messala, betrays him. Accused of trying to murder the new Roman governor in Jerusalem, Judah is sentenced to the galley ships and vows to seek revenge against the Romans and Messala. But a chance encounter with a carpenter from Nazareth sets Judah on a different path.
-
-
Maginificient remake
- By Amazon Customer on 07-23-16
By: Carol Wallace
-
The Shadow Women
- By: Angela Elwell Hunt
- Narrated by: various
- Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Angela Elwell Hunt traces the life of Moses as seen through the eyes of three women: his adoptive mother, his sister, and his wife. This is a stunning recreation of a Biblical era and a faithful servant of God.
-
-
The Shadow Women
- By Sandi on 12-01-07
-
A Shadow in Summer
- Long Price Quartet, Book 1
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit Seedless, an and at bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity.
-
-
REALLY Hard to Rate!
- By Trip Williams on 04-27-15
By: Daniel Abraham
-
Shadowmarch
- Shadowmarch, Volume I
- By: Tad Williams
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 29 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For generations the misty Shadowline has marked the boundary between the lands of men and the lost northern lands that are the lair of their inhuman enemies, the ageless Qar. But now that boundary line is moving outward, threatening to engulf the northernmost land in which humans still live - the kingdom of Southmarch.
-
-
It's the characters that matter...
- By JC on 11-09-10
By: Tad Williams
-
Magdalen Rising
- The Beginning
- By: Elizabeth Cunningham
- Narrated by: Heather O'Neill
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young Magdalen and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Their pleasure is overshadowed by a brilliant but unbalanced druid who knows a perilous secret about Maeve's past. The prequel to The Passion of Mary Magdalen.
-
-
The Story as Maeve meant you to hear it!
- By Elizabeth Cunningham on 07-27-15
-
Season of the Sun
- Viking Era, Book 1
- By: Catherine Coulter
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dear Listener: Season of the Sun first appeared in 1991. Zarabeth, with hair as red as an Irish sunset, is chosen by Magnus Haraldsson, a Viking on a trading visit to York, to be his wife. She is both stunned and fascinated by this man’s bluntness, his arrogance, his absolute belief that she is meant to belong to him. He also makes her laugh and ultimately she gives him her trust, not only with her future but with that of her little sister, Lotti. But Zarabeth’s stepfather, Olav the Vain, has no intention of setting a bride price on Zarabeth.
-
-
Sad, violent, depressing, abusive
- By MaineOne on 05-08-14
-
The Bone Doll's Twin
- Tamir Triad, Book 1
- By: Lynn Flewelling
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine, Lynn Flewelling
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As people start to recall the Oracle's prophecy, Erius begins to quietly kill off his female relatives who pose the only threat to his monarchy. Constantly in fear for her life, Princess Ariani the King's sister, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. But Ariani is married to Lord Rhius, the patron of the powerful wizard Iya, and Iya has sinister plans for the babes.
-
-
Not a bad beginning, but . . .
- By bluestatereader on 12-29-10
By: Lynn Flewelling
-
The Emperor's Knife
- Book One of the Tower and Knife Trilogy
- By: Mazarkis Williams
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that marks each victim with a fragment of a greater design. Geometric patterns spread across the skin, until the victim dies in agony or becomes a Carrier, doing the bidding of an evil intelligence. The lost prince Sarmin, the emperor's only surviving brother, lies locked in a hidden room. As the pattern draws closer to the palace he is at last remembered: now he awaits a bride, Mesema, a Windreader from the northern plains.
-
-
Unable to listen
- By T Rao on 09-28-15
-
The Gates of Athens
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World - the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae - The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.
-
-
One of Iggulden’s best ever!
- By Bud R on 01-15-21
By: Conn Iggulden
What listeners say about Black Ships
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christine N. Ethier
- 04-12-15
Thoughtful
If you could sum up Black Ships in three words, what would they be?
Graham starts her story with the daughter of one of the Trojan women taken by King Nestor at the end of the Trojan War. Gull starts life as the daughter of newly made slave, eventually becoming a priestess in training. Her life radically changes when what remains of her mother’s people come to rescue their women. From there, the story is that of Aeneas’ and the founding of the Roman race. This journey takes the small group across the Mediterranean.
What did you like best about this story?
Graham’s changes to Virgil and Homer make sense in terms of history, though perhaps not the Romans for Carthage does not make an appearance. Graham explains the reason for this in her afterword and her adaptation of Dido and Carthage into an Egyptian sequence does work very well. Graham does seem aware that she is pushing Gull’s role a bit too much to the forefront, and there are varying reactions from male characters to showcase that Gull is different (and Gull is not an early feminist by any means). It would have been nice if one of Gull’s close friends had been another woman, at least in the latter half of the book, for once Gull joins her people, all her equals are men. Still Gull makes for interesting center to the story. Graham’s use of Gull as a Sybil allows her to bring in fantasy elements, but with a light touch. Additionally, these elements allow Graham to explore the different faiths that were swirling around – and it makes for rather interesting and apt references.
What does Gigi Shane bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
At first, I thought she sounded too much like Siri, but as the book went along I realize that her inflection was intentional to try and capture Gull. It actually worked quite well and upon reflection, seems to be close to that of an actual oracle.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Epic
Any additional comments?
Disclaimer: The publisher of this audio book gave me a free copy in return for a fair and honest review.
Black Ships is one of those books that are going to set some people’s teeth on edge. If you are a purist when it comes to Virgil’s Aeneid or Homer’s Iliad, the chances of you enjoying this book are low. If you don’t mind changes, not only in perspective but in plot sequence, you should enjoy it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Deedra
- 04-10-15
Black Ships
Any additional comments?
This is a sweeping tale of a family.It starts with a childhood injury leading to an oracle ,cities lost and found and loss.It is full of historical and mythical themes.A good read!
Gigi Shane did a great job with the narration.
I was gifted a copy of this audiobook for an honest review.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gail N.
- 08-04-19
Lyrical prose and compelling mythic story line
I enjoyed the story because I can never have enough good fiction based on the ancient Greek and Roman periods. The author fully realized the religious life of these ancient peoples and her characters, especially the women, are compelling, strong and powerful. Based on Virgil's "Aeneid", and told through the role of the Sybil, held my interest, even though the author does not portray the scenes with Dido in Carthage but instead with an Egyptian princess because this was more historically plausible.
I highly recommend this book.
The narration however was not very good although not bad enough to destroy the experience. The main issue is the narrator does not properly pronounce common English words, saying Kway instead of Key for "quay" and SHE-ton instead of ky-ton for chiton. These mistakes would have been caught by an even marginally interested publisher.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- SAM
- 02-01-20
Interesting historical fiction
You can tell that the author did her research. This is an engaging story about the life of a young woman born to a slave and given to an Oracle of Delphi. She does what most oracles don't get the chance to. Travel the world as a priestess. This story is beautifully written. Full of joy and sorrows.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DabOfDarkness
- 03-01-15
Full of adventure, deities, and war!
This is the story of Gull, a slave born of a slave. Her mother and many people like her were taken from fallen Troy. Gull was allowed to stay with her mother, working the flax that grew along the irrigation ditches until the day an accident left her crippled. Her mother found her another role in life, that as acolyte at the temple of Pythia, she who speaks for the Lady of the Dead. Gull grows up learning the inner mysteries of the Underworld and prophecy. Her life takes her places she could hardly foresee.
Several years ago, back before I became a book reviewer, I read several Jo Graham novels and loved each and every one of them. Having this book rendered as an audiobook does not diminish my enjoyment of her work one bit. This is a beautiful story full of deities who meddle in human affairs, rulers who may care little for the common folk, and ill luck rained down on those already beaten low. Through all these obstacles, our heroes must endure and over come.
Gull, who becomes Pythia, isn’t just some unthinking priestess that reacts to the whims of her goddess. No, quite often she must apply her own knowledge and thoughts to the situation. And yet this balanced by the hand of the Lady occasionally laying heavily upon her handmaiden. I really enjoy this aspect of the book. These ancient peoples were not separate and free of their deities – no! They lived side by side with them, each complimenting the other. However, the writing is clever in that if you don’t have a bend toward the supernatural, you can read all the events and decisions as acts of nature (weather) and/or man-made (hallucinogenic drugs). It is great that the author left it up to the reader’s interpretation.
For those that have studied the fall of Troy and what followed after, there will be touchstones for you to recognize in this book. While my own knowledge is only passing, even I caught a few of these. So often we look at ancient history as rather dry and happening so long ago that it doesn’t touch us personally. This book brings that ancient history alive and puts face and heart to the tale.
Gull’s people are a people without a home. Her wisdom and visions help guide the people as they search for a safe harbor, and later for a more permanent solution. Throughout much of the tale, she gives counsel to Prince Aeneas, the lost prince of Troy. Their travels take them all around the Mediterranean. This allowed our main characters to compare various great cities of the time such as the main cities of Egypt, Byblos, and others.
Gull is far from the only plot-important woman in this story. The author did a good job of realistically portraying women of the time without diminishing their roles in society or in the shaping of history. Also, because Gull’s people are traveling so much, we get a comparison of women’s roles from culture to culture.
This was an excellent book the first time I explored it and it remains an excellent book now. The characters were intriguing and the plot gripping. The ending was very satisfying.
Narration: Gigi Shane was the perfect voice for the Lady of the Dead’s handmaiden, Pythia. Her voice was both smooth and a little smokey, making me think of black veils and secrets. She also had a very nice array of other women’s voices, men’s voices, the young, and the old.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. R.
- 04-20-15
Retelling of Virgil and Homer stories.
Would you listen to Black Ships again? Why?
Yes. I'm going to continue on in the series. I think it would be kind of fun to read Virgil and Homer then this again.
If you’ve listened to books by Jo Graham before, how does this one compare?
This is my first time.
Have you listened to any of Gigi Shane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This is my first time.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
There were a few parts that did make me laugh. I found the little argument while some were sleeping funny. I didn't cry.
Any additional comments?
I liked it. It's mainly from the POV of Gull, an oracle. It's also a great deal of being on ships on the sea and trying to survive and having freedom. There is a romance in this. There are a few humorous scenes. I'll put it on the TRL for in case I'd like to
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Phillip
- 03-16-15
Excellent historical novel
Black ships really intrigued me and it was the first story of Jo Graham's that I had purchased. The period of time in this story has long been an interest of mine, but I was not aware of the historical background Graham had completed relevant to this story. Names and places sounded almost right, but it was not until after I had listened to the entire story and then listened to Graham's explanation, that the dots were connected for me. After hearing the author's comments, I will go back and listen again. An engaging story with a most interesting main character.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mark Mackey
- 02-27-15
Black Ships review
If you could sum up Black Ships in three words, what would they be?
Interesting and entertaining.
What did you like best about this story?
The main character.
What does Gigi Shane bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
A unique narrative voice for the main character.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, but enthralled.
Any additional comments?
A favorite.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-18-15
Incredible history brought to life
A Very interesting period brought to life with a unique tone and flavor all it's own.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MeDi
- 02-15-15
Black ships
What did you like best about this story?
Another great novel byJo Graham including a lot of historical detail in her books. This one did not disappoint! If you love historical fictions, this is surely one to buy. Narrator is good too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful