Shadows of Athens
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Narrated by:
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Gavin Osborne
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By:
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JM Alvey
About this listen
443 BC and after decades of war with Persia, peace has finally come to Athens. The city is being rebuilt, and commerce and culture are flourishing.
Aspiring playwright Philocles has come home to find a man with his throat cut slumped against his front gate. Is it just a robbery gone wrong? But, if so, why didn't the thieves take the dead man's valuables? With the play that could make his name just days away, he must find out who this man is, why he has been murdered - and why the corpse was left in his doorway.
But Philocles soon realises he has been caught up in something far bigger, and there are those who don't want him looking any further....
©2019 JM Alvey (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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- By Rinogirl on 10-23-19
By: Juliet Marillier
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Echo in Onyx
- Uncommon Echoes, Book 1
- By: Sharon Shinn
- Narrated by: Emily Bauer
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Brianna loves her new job as maid to Lady Marguerite. Like many high nobles, Marguerite is attended by echoes, silent creatures who look exactly like her and move in perfect synchronicity. News soon comes that Marguerite has been invited to the royal city as a potential bride for the crown prince. Brianna is delighted to accompany Marguerite to the city - and perhaps get a chance to continue her own flirtation with Nico, one of the king’s inquisitors. Then, disaster strikes on the road when they come under attack.
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Skipped ahead
- By Scarlettleigh on 03-24-19
By: Sharon Shinn
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The Outlaws of Sherwood
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King's Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father's small tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian - and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester. Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian.
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A great story paired with the wrong narrator
- By Gail N. on 11-01-19
By: Robin McKinley
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Daughter of the Gods
- A Novel of Ancient Egypt
- By: Stephanie Marie Thornton
- Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Great story
- By Anonymous User on 01-30-21
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The Silent Blade
- The Seven Virtues, Book 0.5
- By: Jacob Peppers
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The Downs, the poor district of the city of Avarest, is home to cutthroats and thieves, pickpockets and prostitutes, all of whom pay tribute to one of two powerful crime bosses. It is also home to Aaron Envelar, a disillusioned sellsword known as the Silent Blade, who cares nothing for the criminal overlords or their schemes, who only wants to survive and make a little coin. But when a group of thugs steal his mother’s necklace, the only link he has to his murdered parents, Aaron decides that sometimes gold isn’t enough - sometimes, blood is the only payment worth taking.
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Good read and listen..
- By Trish R. on 02-28-20
By: Jacob Peppers
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Rahab's Story
- By: Ann Burton
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Ann Burton, author of the critically acclaimed Abigail's Story, traces Rahab's incredible journey from harlot to heroine. Shorn of her hair, stripped of her clothes, and cast out of her father's house, Rahab now scavenges the streets. Desperate for food, she's soon welcomed by the sisterhood of the House of Palms, a bordello. But after encountering two Israelite spies, Rahab makes a risky, life-altering choice.
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great story. great narrator
- By Kristen on 06-02-15
By: Ann Burton
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The Course of Honour
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Diana Bishop
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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He has no money, no reputation and no famous ancestors.' The love story of the Emperor Vespasian, who brought peace to Rome after years of strife, and his mistress, the freed slave woman Caenis, this book recreates Ancient Rome's most turbulent period - the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero and Vespasian's rise to power. As their forbidden romance blossoms, Caenis is embroiled in political intrigue, while Vespasian embarks on a glorious career.
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Great love story
- By Julie on 05-04-20
By: Lindsey Davis
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The Lotus Palace
- By: Jeannie Lin
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang li, where imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the most exquisite courtesans in China. aidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical, she's content to live in the shadow of her infamous mistress - until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang.
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always an excellent story.
- By Rdow on 11-14-22
By: Jeannie Lin
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Jester Leaps In
- A Medieval Mystery
- By: Alan Gordon
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In 13th century Europe, political turmoil is the order of the day and the Fool's Guild and its agents - jesters, jugglers, and knaves to a man - works behind the scenes to manipulate events, trying to maintain a balance of power. Theophilos, a member of the Guild known by many names, is still recovering from his last mission during which he was severely wounded and nearly lost his life but, in the person of Viola, found himself an apprentice and a wife. But there is no rest for the wicked.
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further entertainment
- By wylie smith on 09-16-24
By: Alan Gordon
What listeners say about Shadows of Athens
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gail N.
- 11-14-19
Thoroughly enjoyable mystery set in ancient Athens
I thoroughly enjoyed this superbly narrated novel set in ancient Athens. The plot is clever, playing as it does on the well documented tensions between Athens and the members of the Delian league who paid in effect protection money to Athens whose navy offered some defense against potential attacks on the Ionian cities by the Persian empire. Athens collected tribute from over 300 city-states creating in effect an Athenian empire. These funds not only supported the navy but also paid for much of the building in Athens under the leadership of Pericles.
The character development is also engaging. I cared about the characters and found their intelligence and bravery commendable. In this regard, the ending was very satisfying too.
I also loved the descriptions of the theater, including the hilarious comedy written by the protagonist Philocles, and its references to characters in the Iliad, Meriones and Thersites. Meriones was a Cretan who did not make it home after the Trojan war but, according to later myths, was blown to Sicily. This fits in nicely with the plot of the story. However, Thersites was supposedly killed by Achilles. This was the one gaff which I found in the numerous other historical references both to myth and history. The author clearly knows his Homer and has the most recent information about Athenian history during the classical period.
The writing is first rate and the tale so enjoyable that I listened at 1x so as not to have it end too soon! I did not find the rough language and bawdy jokes objectionable since I know these are historically accurate. The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars was because I do not think a description of the sexual encounters between Philocles and his mistress added anything to the story. These descriptions are in general cringeworthy, not only in this novel but in others, They distract rather than enhance the narrative.
I am now listening to the second novel in the series, "Scorpions in Corinth" and find it equally entertaining. I hope this very agreeable author/narrator team will add more titles to this series.
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