Taro
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Narrated by:
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Steve Marvel
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By:
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Blue Spruell
About this listen
A B.R.A.G. MEDALLION HONOREE. IAN Outstanding Action Adventure Fiction Book of the Year 2021. 1st Place Fantasy Fiction CIPA Book Award 2021. Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner 2021. IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards 2021 Silver Medal Winner for Audiobook Fiction.
To save an empire from the ruthless warlord who killed his parents, a young samurai must summon the courage to face his past and seize his destiny.
Award-winning author Blue Spruell reimagines classic Japanese folklore in an historical fantasy adventure of warlords, swords and mythical beasts from old Japan—an engaging tale for adults young and old—Banzai!
Lost in the mists of Mount Fuji...but no one can escape destiny.
Accompanied by Tanuki, his shape-shifting badger sidekick, Tarō embarks on a quest of self-discovery and revenge, falls for Kamehime, the teenage samurai daughter of a powerful warlord, and ultimately becomes embroiled in the political struggle for the imperial throne. Along the way, Tarō and his allies face fearsome yōkai, the ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of Japanese folklore.
©2020 Blue Spruel (P)2022 Blue SpruellListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Engaging and fun samurai adventures with a captivating cast." (Kirkus Reviews)
"An exciting, magical coming-of-age adventure book that draws from Japanese folklore and history." (Book Life by Publishers Weekly)
"Taro is an extraordinary coming-of-age saga and highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of ancient legends retold. Highly recommended!" (Midwest Book Review)
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In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king.
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Lost no more!
- By Beckersly on 09-13-18
By: Signe Pike
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The Time of the Wolf
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- By: James Wilde
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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A rousing historical novel that rescues one of England’s forgotten heroes from the mists of early medieval history and brings him to brutal and bloody life in 1062. With the English King Edward heirless and ailing, across the grey seas in Normandy the brutal William the Bastard waits for the moment when he can drown England in a tide of blood. The ravens of war are gathering. But as King Edward’s closest advisors scheme and squabble amongst themselves, hopes of resisting the naked ambition of the Norman duke come to rest with just one man: Hereward.
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Compelling Story
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By: James Wilde
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Firstborn
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- By: Paul B. Thompson, Tonya C. Cook
- Narrated by: Steve Coulter
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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When the leader of the Silvanesti elves dies, conflict threatens to drive his sons apart. While Sithas wishes the elves to withdraw more and more from any contact with other races, Kith-Kanan and his Wildrunners forge connections and trade goods with the humans of Ergoth. As the world of Krynn watches, a new elven nation rises from the strife.
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After all this time
- By Jesse on 04-17-13
By: Paul B. Thompson, and others
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The Complete Chronicles of Corin An Fol
- Legends of Ansu
- By: J.W. Webb
- Narrated by: Andrew McDermott
- Length: 68 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Six volumes together in one collection! Follow the adventures of Corin an Fol as he avenges his family, learns the way of the sword, and battles evil across the world of Ansu. Includes: Gray Wolf, Legends of the Longsword, Wolves and Assassins, The Shattered Crown, The Lost Prince, and The Glass Throne.
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Deep, Celtic, Epic Fantasy
- By Armour Bearer on 04-19-21
By: J.W. Webb
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Child of a Mad God
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- By: R. A. Salvatore
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 18 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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From R. A. Salvatore, the legendary creator of Drizzt Do'Urden, comes the start of a brand new epic journey. When Aoleyn loses her parents, she is left to fend for herself among a tribe of vicious barbarians. Bound by rigid traditions, she dreams of escaping to the world beyond her mountain home. The only hope for achieving the kind of freedom she searches for is to learn how to wield the mysterious power used by the tribe's coven known as the Song of Usgar. Thankfully, Aoleyn may be the strongest witch to have ever lived, but magic comes at price.
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A lot of nothing happening over a long time
- By steven brachna on 02-08-18
By: R. A. Salvatore
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The Oremere Chronicles Omnibus
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- By: Helen Scheuerer
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 52 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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At 16, Bleak lost the only person she cared for when her mentor died at sea. Now 19, she still misses him terribly. She needs him more than ever. That’s why Bleak drinks. But the haze of the mead and wine has hidden something from her. Her powers have grown more than she knows. Others have noticed. When the king sends his top commander to take her, Bleak is too hungover to resist. But he isn’t the only one who needs her for their plans. What does he want?
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“Whut?”
- By Anonymous User on 02-08-23
By: Helen Scheuerer
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The Mercenary Code
- The Shattering of Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: Emmet Moss
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Centuries ago, the murder of a beloved king tore apart the Kingdom of Caledun. The land was plunged into chaos and thousands perished. A new order was established in an attempt to return Caledun to its former glory. It failed, but in its place rose the beginnings of the Code. During this same period, the mystical caretakers of the Great Wood retreated from the world of Kal Maran, their disappearance an ominous harbinger of the suffering that was to follow. The Great Wood now grows out of control. Cities, towns, and villages have fallen before the relentless march of the forest.
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Quite Impressed
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By: Emmet Moss
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Knight of the Black Rose
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- By: James Lowder
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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On the fabled world of Krynn, Lord Soth finally learns that there is a price to pay for his long history of evil deeds, a price even an undead warrior might find horrifying. Dark powers transport Soth to Barovia, and there the death knight must face the dread minions of Count Strahn Von Zarovich, the vampire lord of the nightmare land. But with only a captive Vistani woman and an untrustworthy ghost for allies, Lord Soth soon discovers that he may have to join forces with the powerful vampire if he is ever to escape the realm of terror.
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ONLY For Serious Fans Who Have Read the Book!!!
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By: James Lowder
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The Serpent Sword
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- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Beobrand is compelled by his brother's almost-certain murder to embark on a quest for revenge in the war-ravaged kingdoms of Northumbria. The land is rife with danger, as warlords vie for supremacy and dominion. In the battles for control of the region, new oaths are made and broken, and loyalties are tested to the limits. With no patronage and no experience, Beobrand must form his own allegiances and learn to fight with sword and shield. Relentless in pursuit of his enemies, he faces challenges which transform him from a boy to a man.
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Amazing story, needs a warning in the description.
- By Lisa Schilling on 04-12-17
By: Matthew Harffy
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A Gathering of Ravens
- A Novel (The Grimnir Series, Book 1)
- By: Scott Oden
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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To the Danes, he is skraelingr; to the English, he is orcnéas; to the Irish, he is fomóraig. He is Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. He is Grimnir, and he is the last of his kind - the last in a long line of monsters who have plagued humanity since the Elder Days. Drawn from his lair by a thirst for vengeance against the Dane who slew his brother, Grimnir emerges into a world that’s changed. A new faith has arisen. The Old Ways are dying; even still, Grimnir’s vengeance cannot be denied.
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Like The Last Unicorn, Only the Unicorn is an Orc
- By ArcaneBard on 04-22-20
By: Scott Oden
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Raiders from the North: Empire of the Moghul
- By: Alex Rutherford
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Raiders from the North ushers in a bold, panoramic new historical series that tells the unknown story of the Moghul emperors, chronicling the rise and fall of one of the most powerful, opulent, and glittering dynasties in history.
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History Lesson
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 09-08-12
By: Alex Rutherford
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Orion
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- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Cornucopia of Genre's
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-10-12
By: Ben Bova
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The Kagonesti
- Dragonlance: Lost Histories, Book 1
- By: Douglas Niles
- Narrated by: Gregory St. John
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Forests cover Ansalon. Under the legendary Silvanos, the elves of Krynn begin to tame the wilds and raise their crystal cities. But as the Elderwild Kaganos journeys toward a mystical encounter high in the mountains, he knows that, for his tribe, the woodlands must remain their eternal home. As centuries pass and Dragonwars rage, the tribe of Kaganos battles encroaching humans and the minions of the Dark Queen, aided by a potent lgacy guided by revered pathfinders.... Until the wild elves stand upon the brink of the deadliest challenge of all - a challenge that marks a choice between annihilation and survival.
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Solid addition
- By Mr Dangerous on 12-12-22
By: Douglas Niles
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A Time for Swords
- A Time for Swords, Book 1
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Lindisfarne, AD 793. There had been portents - famine, whirlwinds, lightning from clear skies, serpents seen flying through the air. But when the raiders came, no one was prepared. They came from the North, their dragon-prowed longships gliding out of the dawn mist as they descended on the kingdom's most sacred site. It is 8th June AD 793, and with the pillage of the monastery on Lindisfarne, the Viking Age has begun. While his fellow monks flee before the Norse onslaught, one young novice stands his ground.
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Good start to a new series.
- By Scott on 04-17-22
By: Matthew Harffy
What listeners say about Taro
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com
- 09-14-21
Superb coming of age story set in Japan
Award-winning and extremely talented author Blue Spruell invites adults young and older to this historical fantasy adventure of warlords, swords, and mythical beasts from old Japan. Taro is a lovingly written coming-of-age story featuring a lively cast of characters and fantastic adventures.
The author expertly combines and reimagines three old Japanese folk tales into this captivating story about Samurai, life, betrayal, war, bravery, friendship and love.
I am absolutely fascinated by adventures set in Japan, no matter the format. From books like Shogun, Musashi or the more recently released Detective Hiroshi series of mysteries by award-winning author Michael Pronko, or his essays about Tokyo titled Beauty and Chaos, to video games such as the Yakuza series or the PlayStation exclusive Ghost of Tsushima, I’m thrilled by the exotic culture, by the people and by their stories.
4-time Voice Arts Award Finalist, Audible Narration Contest Winner, classically-trained stage actor, fully-equipped producer, and waffle chef Steve Marvel does an absolute fantastic job of bringing to life all the characters and the events in Taro.
He delivers a perfectly balanced performance, reading swiftly, switching seamlessly between the characters and assigning each of them unmistakable voices or accents. The narrative experience is elevated thanks to the great way in which Steve Marvel handles specific Japanese words.
So, I can tell you that I absolutely loved Taro and I hope to see more such novels released by Blue Spruell! Well written, imaginative, easy to follow and immediately immersive, I highly recommend this award winning adventure of epic proportions to anyone and everyone who loves Japan or wants to fall in love with it!
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- James Marsh
- 08-25-21
YA Mythology, Coming of Age and Hero's Journey
Disclaimer: By law I’m required to state I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.
Taro takes inspiration from three japanese myths as well as historical characters and blends them together into a cohesive and enjoyable story. The author includes enough information so that those not familiar with japanese folklore do not feel lost and those that have some familiarity with the characters will see where the inspiration came from while being able to enjoy these interpretations as distinct characters.
Speaking of characters, often and fables the main and side characters cane sometimes feel more like role fillers than actual characters and that was not the case here. The author weaves a powerful heroes journey combined with a magical coming of age story for the ages. I will definitely be re-listening to it in years to come.
Speaking of listening, the narrator Steve Marvel had an engaging voice and never stumbled over pronunciation of japanese words. He was easy to listen to and I could not wait to see how the tale would unfold next.
I would recommend this to YA audiences.
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- AudioBookReviewer
- 09-25-21
New take on folk tales
Taro is a collection of Japanese folk tales combined and mixed with historical information woven carefully into one rich story of betrayal, trust, patience and more. Taro wants to become a Samauri but to do so he must prove himself through several trials and situations. His faith and beliefs are pushed but the outcome is beautifully done.
I enjoyed the section on the mirror and broken promises as it was vividly described. The conversations are smooth and convincing. Blue Spruell, the author, does an excellent job of weaving a story out of several folk tales and blending them seamlessly. The main characters are well-developed and strongly portrayed. Spruell is graphic in his descriptions presenting to the listener a full story.
The narrator, Steve Marvel gives an impressive performance. He is adept at unique voices allowing the listener to follow along easily. Marvel speaks clearly and delivers a steady performance. I have not had the pleasure of hearing him before but look forward to more.
This book is not just for young adults, older adults will enjoy it as well. Taro is well-done and a good listen!
There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.
Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.
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