-
The Buried Giant
- A Novel
- Narrated by: David Horovitch
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
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 $18.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
An extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day.
"You've long set your heart against it, Axl, I know. But it's time now to think on it anew. There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay..."
The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.
Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in nearly a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge, and war.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Piranesi
- By: Susanna Clarke
- Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.
-
-
Fascinating Social Study
- By Henry V on 02-26-21
By: Susanna Clarke
-
When We Were Orphans
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christopher Banks, an English boy born in early-20th-century Shanghai, is orphaned at age nine when both his mother and father disappear under suspicious circumstances. He grows up to become a renowned detective, and more than 20 years later, returns to Shanghai to solve the mystery of the disappearances.
-
-
Just short of 5 stars
- By Everett Leiter on 05-26-06
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Remains of the Day
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.
-
-
Beautiful and ever relevant
- By bbots on 07-04-20
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Klara and the Sun
- A Novel
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Sura Siu
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
-
-
Well Worth Having Waited For!
- By otherdeb on 03-04-21
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Nocturnes
- Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exploration of love, need, and the ineluctable force of the past, Nocturnes reveals these individuals to us with extraordinary precision and subtlety, and with the arresting psychological and emotional detail that has marked all of Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed works of fiction.
-
-
Wow!
- By Rebecca Lindroos on 11-29-09
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Never Let Me Go
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.
-
-
Be patient; it will pay off
- By Kc on 05-23-05
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Piranesi
- By: Susanna Clarke
- Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.
-
-
Fascinating Social Study
- By Henry V on 02-26-21
By: Susanna Clarke
-
When We Were Orphans
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christopher Banks, an English boy born in early-20th-century Shanghai, is orphaned at age nine when both his mother and father disappear under suspicious circumstances. He grows up to become a renowned detective, and more than 20 years later, returns to Shanghai to solve the mystery of the disappearances.
-
-
Just short of 5 stars
- By Everett Leiter on 05-26-06
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Remains of the Day
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.
-
-
Beautiful and ever relevant
- By bbots on 07-04-20
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Klara and the Sun
- A Novel
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Sura Siu
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
-
-
Well Worth Having Waited For!
- By otherdeb on 03-04-21
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Nocturnes
- Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exploration of love, need, and the ineluctable force of the past, Nocturnes reveals these individuals to us with extraordinary precision and subtlety, and with the arresting psychological and emotional detail that has marked all of Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed works of fiction.
-
-
Wow!
- By Rebecca Lindroos on 11-29-09
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Never Let Me Go
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.
-
-
Be patient; it will pay off
- By Kc on 05-23-05
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
An Artist of the Floating World
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of an artist as an aging man, struggling through the wreckage of Japan's World War II experience. Ishiguro's first novel.
-
-
An incongruous reader
- By Emeritus on 11-03-17
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Lincoln in the Bardo
- A Novel
- By: George Saunders
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.”
-
-
"Where might God stand?"
- By Mel on 02-17-17
By: George Saunders
-
The Extra
- By: Kathryn Lasky
- Narrated by: Arielle DeLisle
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Next stop Hollywood!" Django yelled as the bus transporting the Nazis' Gypsy prisoners turned west. Django and fifteen-year-old Lilo are picked out of a lineup by Hitler's favorite filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, to work as extras in her new movie. The route to the filming location seems to lead away from the labor camps being built in Eastern Europe, but does it really offer anything more than a bizarre detour? Lilo, her mother, and her new friend Django soon find themselves in the alternate reality of a film set. Amid glamorous surroundings, the Gypsy extras are barely fed, closely guarded, and kept locked in a barn when they're not working.
-
-
this book makes me so sad, but I lobe it doo much!
- By Abanob on 08-04-20
By: Kathryn Lasky
-
Crusade for Justice
- The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
- By: Ida B. Wells, Alfreda M. Duster - editor
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ida B. Wells is an American icon of truth telling. Born to slaves, she was a pioneer of investigative journalism, a crusader against lynching, and a tireless advocate for suffrage, both for women and for African Americans. She cofounded the NAACP, started the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago, and was a leader in the early civil rights movement. This engaging memoir relates Wells’ private life as a mother as well as her public activities as a teacher, lecturer, and journalist in her fight for equality and justice.
-
-
Important person, sing-song narration
- By Judith Evans on 03-05-22
By: Ida B. Wells, and others
-
Don Quixote
- Translated by Edith Grossman
- By: Edith Grossman - translator, Miguel de Cervantes
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 39 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteenth-century Spanish gentleman Don Quixote, fed by his own delusional fantasies, takes to the road in search of chivalrous adventures. But his quest leads to more trouble than triumph. At once humorous, romantic, and sad, Don Quixote is a literary landmark. This fresh edition, by award-winning translator Edith Grossman, brings the tale to life as never before.
-
-
My Fourth Try at an Audible Quixote
- By James on 12-24-12
By: Edith Grossman - translator, and others
-
One Hundred Years of Solitude
- By: Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa - translator
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize-winning career. The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Rich and brilliant, it is a chronicle of life, death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the beautiful, ridiculous, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.
-
-
What in the heck happened?????
- By Melinda on 02-05-14
By: Gabriel García Márquez, and others
-
The Iliad & The Odyssey
- By: Homer
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
-
-
Worth the price, worth the time
- By Sam on 12-31-04
By: Homer
-
Taliesin
- The Pendragon Cycle, Book 1
- By: Stephen R. Lawhead
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 19 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was a time of legend, as the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. Meanwhile, across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for 2,000 years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis. This is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the courageous princess from Atlantis who escapes the terrible devastation of her land, and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. It is a story of an incomparable love that joins two astonishing worlds....
-
-
A Classic interpretation of a Classic tale
- By John on 08-11-03
-
For Whom the Bell Tolls
- By: Ernest Hemingway
- Narrated by: Campbell Scott
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1937, Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from "the good fight", For Whom the Bell Tolls.
-
-
Don't "Clean Up" Hemingway
- By John W. Aldis, MD on 08-13-09
By: Ernest Hemingway
-
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 Children of Hurin
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Christopher Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings. The story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.
-
-
Powerful and Disturbing
- By Catherine Dalzell on 12-19-09
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
Beowulf
- By: Seamus Heaney
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney
- Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best seller and Whitebread Book of the Year, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.
-
-
Why, oh, why is it abridged?
- By Tad Davis on 09-25-08
By: Seamus Heaney
Editorial reviews
Featured Article: The top 100 fantasy listens of all time
When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.
Editor's Pick
The mists of memory
"Buried Giant is a languid, masterful study of characterization, language, and memory. There’s lots of walking and talking in this listen, but I never found myself bored because the characters—oh, my word, the characters—resound with personality, desires, and mysterious motivations. The listening experience feels like a chess match being played in the fog, where the board itself has hills and valleys which may or may not conceal a slumbering monster from another age. This is patient, literary fiction at its finest."
—Sean T., Audible Editor
Related to this topic
-
Shardik
- By: Richard Adams
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 23 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shardik is a fantasy of tragic character, centered on the long-awaited reincarnation of the gigantic bear Shardik and his appearance among the half-barbaric Ortelgan people. Mighty, ferocious, and unpredictable, Shardik changes the life of every person in the story. His advent commences a momentous chain of events.
-
-
Overlooked, underappreciated and forgotten epic
- By "sharp31" on 08-06-18
By: Richard Adams
-
The Dark Mirror
- Bridei Trilogy #1
- By: Juliet Marillier
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 24 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One bitter Midwinter's Eve, everything changes when Bridei finds a child on their doorstep - a child abandoned by the Fair Folk. It is the height of ill fortune to have truck with the Fair Folk, and all in the area counsel the babe's death. But Bridei sees an old and precious magic at work and, heedless of the danger, fights to save the child. Broichan is wary but relents, for Bridei must grow to be his own man and make his own decisions.
-
-
disappointing
- By Binia on 11-18-08
By: Juliet Marillier
-
Daughter of the Forest
- Sevenwaters, Book 1
- By: Juliet Marillier
- Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
- Length: 26 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives and they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift - by staying silent.
-
-
Compelling story--but only at 1.5x
- By barefoot rabbit on 09-09-13
By: Juliet Marillier
-
The Dreaming Tree
- By: C. J. Cherryh
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was that transitional time of the world when man first brought the clang of iron and the reek of smoke to the lands which before had echoed only with fairy voices. In that dawn of man and death of magic, there yet remained one last untouched place - the small forest of Ealdwood - which kept the magic intact and protected the old ways. And there was one who dwelt there, Arafel the Sidhe, who had more pride and love of the world as it used to be than any of her kind.
-
-
mysterious, authentic, beautiful
- By B. Mertz on 12-09-18
By: C. J. Cherryh
-
Transformation
- Rai-Kirah, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for 16 years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone.
-
-
Seriously Excellent
- By Sharon on 09-25-13
By: Carol Berg
-
Woundhealer's Story
- The First Book of Lost Swords
- By: Fred Saberhagen
- Narrated by: Cynthia Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Returning to the milieu of his Swords trilogy, Saberhagen offers a new scenario. The gods have withdrawn from the human world and the 12 Swords of Power they had forged are now scattered, lost and hidden. The weapons are still coveted, though, by men like Baron Amintor, who has lost one kingdom and now sees them as the means to another. No scruples stop him from stealing the sword Woundhealer from the White Temple, where its powers were offered to cure all pilgrims.
-
-
Choose Your Sword, And Step Forward Into Destiny!
- By Michael on 03-08-13
By: Fred Saberhagen
-
Shardik
- By: Richard Adams
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 23 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shardik is a fantasy of tragic character, centered on the long-awaited reincarnation of the gigantic bear Shardik and his appearance among the half-barbaric Ortelgan people. Mighty, ferocious, and unpredictable, Shardik changes the life of every person in the story. His advent commences a momentous chain of events.
-
-
Overlooked, underappreciated and forgotten epic
- By "sharp31" on 08-06-18
By: Richard Adams
-
The Dark Mirror
- Bridei Trilogy #1
- By: Juliet Marillier
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 24 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One bitter Midwinter's Eve, everything changes when Bridei finds a child on their doorstep - a child abandoned by the Fair Folk. It is the height of ill fortune to have truck with the Fair Folk, and all in the area counsel the babe's death. But Bridei sees an old and precious magic at work and, heedless of the danger, fights to save the child. Broichan is wary but relents, for Bridei must grow to be his own man and make his own decisions.
-
-
disappointing
- By Binia on 11-18-08
By: Juliet Marillier
-
Daughter of the Forest
- Sevenwaters, Book 1
- By: Juliet Marillier
- Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
- Length: 26 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives and they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift - by staying silent.
-
-
Compelling story--but only at 1.5x
- By barefoot rabbit on 09-09-13
By: Juliet Marillier
-
The Dreaming Tree
- By: C. J. Cherryh
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 17 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was that transitional time of the world when man first brought the clang of iron and the reek of smoke to the lands which before had echoed only with fairy voices. In that dawn of man and death of magic, there yet remained one last untouched place - the small forest of Ealdwood - which kept the magic intact and protected the old ways. And there was one who dwelt there, Arafel the Sidhe, who had more pride and love of the world as it used to be than any of her kind.
-
-
mysterious, authentic, beautiful
- By B. Mertz on 12-09-18
By: C. J. Cherryh
-
Transformation
- Rai-Kirah, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for 16 years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone.
-
-
Seriously Excellent
- By Sharon on 09-25-13
By: Carol Berg
-
Woundhealer's Story
- The First Book of Lost Swords
- By: Fred Saberhagen
- Narrated by: Cynthia Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Returning to the milieu of his Swords trilogy, Saberhagen offers a new scenario. The gods have withdrawn from the human world and the 12 Swords of Power they had forged are now scattered, lost and hidden. The weapons are still coveted, though, by men like Baron Amintor, who has lost one kingdom and now sees them as the means to another. No scruples stop him from stealing the sword Woundhealer from the White Temple, where its powers were offered to cure all pilgrims.
-
-
Choose Your Sword, And Step Forward Into Destiny!
- By Michael on 03-08-13
By: Fred Saberhagen
-
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
-
The Skystone
- Camulod Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Jack Whyte
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone knows the story-how Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, how Camelot came to be, and about the power struggles that ultimately destroyed Arthur's dreams. But what of the time before Arthur and the forces that created him?
-
-
Fascinating new series
- By Jim R. Whitt Jr. on 08-27-13
By: Jack Whyte
-
The Shore of Women
- By: Pamela Sargent
- Narrated by: Stephen Largay, Sarah Ellis
- Length: 21 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Women rule the world in this suspenseful love story set in a post-nuclear future. Having expelled men from their vast walled cities to a lower-class wilderness, the women in this futuristic universe dictate policy and chart the future through control of scientific and technological advances. Among their laws are the rules for reproductive engagement, an act now viewed as a means of procreation rather than an act of love.
-
-
Gripping narration in Audible format
- By Fergus on 05-07-13
By: Pamela Sargent
-
The Legend of Huma
- Dragonlance: Heroes, Book 1
- By: Richard A. Knaak
- Narrated by: Richard Topol
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only fragments of the account of Huma survived the Cataclysm that broke the world of Krynn. The fullness of his tale has never been told – until now. One man took up the call to defend the world against the Queen of Darkness. He was the first Hero of the Lance, driven by his devotion to the Oath and the Measure and his love for a silver dragon. His life made him a hero. Here is the tale that made him a legend….
-
-
poor performance, good story
- By Tim & Michelle on 10-25-16
By: Richard A. Knaak
-
The Serpent Sword
- The Bernicia Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Amazing story, needs a warning in the description.
- By Lisa Schilling on 04-12-17
By: Matthew Harffy
-
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
-
The Silmarillion
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
- Narrated by: Andy Serkis
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor. Included on the recording are several shorter works. The Ainulindalë is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabêth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age, and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age.
-
-
TIPS when reading this book:
- By Anonymous User on 06-29-23
By: J. R. R. Tolkien, and others
-
A Morbid Taste for Bones
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cadfael's return to his Welsh homeland for a visit proves a rather discomfiting homecoming when an honorable nobleman turns up in a patch of forest with an arrow embedded in his chest. There are questions about the arrow, the man's daughter needs Cadfael's help, and a very odd burial takes place.
-
-
Very pleasant if not much of a mystery.
- By Zenjen on 04-15-10
By: Ellis Peters
-
Son of Avonar
- Bridge of D'Arnath, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Magic is forbidden throughout the Four Realms. For decades, sorcerers and those associating with them were hunted to near extinction.But Seri, a Leiran noblewoman living in exile, is no stranger to defying the unjust laws of her land. She is sheltering a wanted fugitive who possesses unusual abilities-a fugitive with the fate of the realms in his hands...
-
-
Great Series!
- By Bob-o on 08-30-16
By: Carol Berg
-
The Eagle of the Ninth
- By: Rosemary Sutcliff
- Narrated by: Charlie Simpson
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young centurion in Roman Britain, is forced into retirement after receiving a wound in his first major engagement against a rebel British tribe. It allows him the freedom to embark upon a dangerous mission to find out what happened to the Ninth Legion, which, years before, disappeared in the savage lands of the Picts. Will he find out what happened to the men, led by his father, who never returned? And will he recover the Eagle, the symbol of Roman dominance and power?
-
-
Give it to us unabridged!
- By C. Liddiard on 01-12-11
-
Only the Stones Survive
- By: Morgan Llywelyn
- Narrated by: Michael Healy
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries the Túatha Dé Danann lived in peace on an island where time flowed more slowly and the seasons were gentle - until that peace was shattered by the arrival of invaders. The Gaels, the Children of Milesios, came looking for easy riches and conquest, following the story of an island to the west where their every desire could be granted. They had not anticipated that it would already be home to others, and against the advice of their druids, they began to exterminate the Túatha Dé Danann.
-
-
Preferred audio to print
- By Heather Cooper on 02-09-17
By: Morgan Llywelyn
-
Forge of Darkness
- Kharkanas Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Steven Erikson
- Narrated by: Daniel Philpott
- Length: 31 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forge of Darkness takes listeners to Kurald Galain, the warren of Darkness, and tells of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire and surrounds one of the Malazan world’s most fascinating and powerful characters, Anomander Rake. It’s a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, where Mother Dark reigns above the Tiste people. But this ancient land was once home to many a power...and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners’ great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark’s hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus.
-
-
A Precursor Epic Fantasy - A Rewarding Beginning!
- By Michael on 11-08-12
By: Steven Erikson
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
An Artist of the Floating World
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of an artist as an aging man, struggling through the wreckage of Japan's World War II experience. Ishiguro's first novel.
-
-
An incongruous reader
- By Emeritus on 11-03-17
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
A Pale View of Hills
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Roe Kendall
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a story where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.
-
-
Narration vs performance
- By Marisabel on 10-30-17
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
When We Were Orphans
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1930s. Christopher Banks has become the country's most celebrated detective, his cases the talk of London society. Yet one unsolved crime has always haunted him: the mysterious disappearance of his parents, in old Shanghai, when he was a small boy. Moving between London and Shanghai of the interwar years, When We Were Orphans is a remarkable story of memory, intrigue and the need to return.
-
-
performance!
- By Don's Love on 09-06-24
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Unconsoled
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Remains of the Day, here is a novel that is at once a gripping psychological mystery, a wicked satire of the cult of art, and a poignant character study of a man whose public life has accelerated beyond his control. The setting is a nameless Central European city where Ryder, a renowned pianist, has come to give the most important performance of his life. Instead, he finds himself diverted on a series of cryptic and infuriating errands that nevertheless provide him with vital clues to his own past.
-
-
Torturous trip to nowhere
- By Deborah on 06-30-18
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
When We Were Orphans
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christopher Banks, an English boy born in early-20th-century Shanghai, is orphaned at age nine when both his mother and father disappear under suspicious circumstances. He grows up to become a renowned detective, and more than 20 years later, returns to Shanghai to solve the mystery of the disappearances.
-
-
Just short of 5 stars
- By Everett Leiter on 05-26-06
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Nocturnes
- Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exploration of love, need, and the ineluctable force of the past, Nocturnes reveals these individuals to us with extraordinary precision and subtlety, and with the arresting psychological and emotional detail that has marked all of Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed works of fiction.
-
-
Wow!
- By Rebecca Lindroos on 11-29-09
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
An Artist of the Floating World
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of an artist as an aging man, struggling through the wreckage of Japan's World War II experience. Ishiguro's first novel.
-
-
An incongruous reader
- By Emeritus on 11-03-17
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
A Pale View of Hills
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Roe Kendall
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a story where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.
-
-
Narration vs performance
- By Marisabel on 10-30-17
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
When We Were Orphans
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1930s. Christopher Banks has become the country's most celebrated detective, his cases the talk of London society. Yet one unsolved crime has always haunted him: the mysterious disappearance of his parents, in old Shanghai, when he was a small boy. Moving between London and Shanghai of the interwar years, When We Were Orphans is a remarkable story of memory, intrigue and the need to return.
-
-
performance!
- By Don's Love on 09-06-24
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Unconsoled
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Remains of the Day, here is a novel that is at once a gripping psychological mystery, a wicked satire of the cult of art, and a poignant character study of a man whose public life has accelerated beyond his control. The setting is a nameless Central European city where Ryder, a renowned pianist, has come to give the most important performance of his life. Instead, he finds himself diverted on a series of cryptic and infuriating errands that nevertheless provide him with vital clues to his own past.
-
-
Torturous trip to nowhere
- By Deborah on 06-30-18
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
When We Were Orphans
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christopher Banks, an English boy born in early-20th-century Shanghai, is orphaned at age nine when both his mother and father disappear under suspicious circumstances. He grows up to become a renowned detective, and more than 20 years later, returns to Shanghai to solve the mystery of the disappearances.
-
-
Just short of 5 stars
- By Everett Leiter on 05-26-06
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Nocturnes
- Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exploration of love, need, and the ineluctable force of the past, Nocturnes reveals these individuals to us with extraordinary precision and subtlety, and with the arresting psychological and emotional detail that has marked all of Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed works of fiction.
-
-
Wow!
- By Rebecca Lindroos on 11-29-09
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
An Artist of the Floating World
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1948, Japan. The celebrated painter Masuji Ono fills his days attending to his garden, his house repairs, his two grown daughters and his grandson; his evenings drinking with old associates in quiet lantern-lit bars. His should be a tranquil retirement. But as his memories continually return to the past - to a life and a career deeply touched by the rise of Japanese militarism - a dark shadow begins to grow over his serenity.
-
-
Reader
- By Luphiwo on 02-03-24
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Remains of the Day
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.
-
-
Beautiful and ever relevant
- By bbots on 07-04-20
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Klara and the Sun
- A Novel
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Sura Siu
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
-
-
Well Worth Having Waited For!
- By otherdeb on 03-04-21
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
Never Let Me Go
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.
-
-
Be patient; it will pay off
- By Kc on 05-23-05
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
On Such a Full Sea
- A Novel
- By: Chang-rae Lee
- Narrated by: B. D. Wong
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Such a Full Sea takes Chang-rae Lee’s elegance of prose, his masterly storytelling, and his long-standing interests in identity, culture, work, and love, and lifts them to a new plane. Stepping from the realistic and historical territories of his previous work, Lee brings us into a world created from scratch. Against a vividly imagined future America, Lee tells a stunning, surprising, and riveting story that will change the way listeners think about the world they live in. In a future, long-declining America, society is strictly stratified by class.
-
-
Literary dystopian fiction
- By David on 03-18-17
By: Chang-rae Lee
-
My Twentieth Century Evening and Other Small Breakthroughs
- The Nobel Lecture
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Nobel Lecture in Literature, delivered by Kazuo Ishiguro ( The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans) at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 7, 2017. In the eloquent and candid lecture he delivered upon accepting the award, Ishiguro reflects on the way he was shaped by his upbringing, and on the turning points in his career.
-
-
A Japanese Englishman
- By Pamela Totoro on 05-05-18
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Lord Is My Shepherd
- The Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-Third Psalm
- By: Harold Kushner
- Narrated by: Harold Kushner
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." So begins the psalm that, for millennia, has been a source of comfort in grief and of courage in fear. Now Harold Kushner discovers what it has to teach us about living our day-to-day lives. Each chapter discusses one line of the psalm in the context of both the time when it was written and the present day, and illuminates the life lessons it contains.
-
-
Sensational Masterpiece of Explanation
- By Robert on 09-04-03
By: Harold Kushner
-
The Blue Fox
- By: Sjón
- Narrated by: Linda Jones
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set against the stark backdrop of the Icelandic winter, an elusive, enigmatic fox leads a hunter on a transformative quest. At the edge of the hunter's territory, a naturalist struggles to build a life for his charge, a young woman with Down syndrome whom he had rescued from a shipwreck years before. By the end of Sjon's spellbinding fable of a novel, none of their lives will be the same.
By: Sjón
-
Mrs. Caliban
- By: Rachel Ingalls
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It all starts with the radio. Dorothy's husband has left for work, and she is at the kitchen sink washing the dishes, listening to classical music. Suddenly, the music fades out and a soft, close, dreamy voice says, "Don't worry, Dorothy." A couple weeks later, there is a special interruption in regular programming. The announcer warns all listeners of an escaped sea monster. That afternoon, the seven-foot-tall lizard man walks through Dorothy's kitchen door. She is frightened at first, but there is something attractive about the monster, and the two begin a tender, clandestine affair.
-
-
Great story
- By no name on 07-16-24
By: Rachel Ingalls
-
Summary of Kazuo Ishiguro's When We Were Orphans
- A Full Interpretation of the Nobel Prize Winner Kazuo Ishiguro's Only Detective Novel
- By: Bell Young
- Narrated by: Andrew D. Street
- Length: 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1930s London, young and promising detective Banks returns to Shanghai in order to find his missing parents. The once-bustling Shanghai of his happy childhood has since transformed into an unrecognizable city rife with danger and mystery. What awaits him there is a dark secret, a cruel truth, and the revelation that his memories may not be as reliable as they seem.
By: Bell Young
-
BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Six Tragedies
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Bill Wallis, Corin Redgrave, full cast, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of BBC Radio 3's iconic Shakespeare productions: six tragedies with all star casts including Michael Sheen, Juliet Stevenson, Kenneth Cranham, Corin Redgrave, Ken Stott, Geraldine James, Bill Wallis, Siân Phillips and Sophie Dahl.
-
-
missing important parts
- By raphael turra sprenger on 11-10-21
-
Last Stories
- By: William Trevor
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a career that spanned more than half a century, William Trevor is regarded as one of the best writers of short stories in the English language. Now, in Last Stories, the master storyteller delivers ten exquisitely rendered tales - nine of which have never been published in book form - that illuminate the human condition and will surely linger in the listener's mind. This final and special collection is a gift to lovers of literature and Trevor's many admirers, and affirms his place as one of the world's greatest storytellers.
-
-
William Trevor's Last Literary Gems
- By W Perry Hall on 07-01-18
By: William Trevor
What listeners say about The Buried Giant
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dumbfounded consumer
- 07-07-15
Fiercely sublime
Would you listen to The Buried Giant again? Why?
Definitely. Partly to revisit the characters and get some of the nuance of the story that I'm sure I missed the first go around - mostly for Horovitch.
What did you like best about this story?
It's constant pace. It's doesn't have to hit you in the face. Axl and Beatrice are on a journey, the subtext of the journey is delivered subtly and on the way. It's not flight butressed by essays, but a nice walk; a full and satisfying walk.
What about David Horovitch’s performance did you like?
He's a master. If you want to learn about yourself if you're the kind of person who'd like audiobooks, start with this; If you don't, you won't. It doesn't get better than this. The character changes are effortless and real. I've started to search for books to try not by author, but by clicking on this narrator.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Every ounce of dialog from Axl. Start to finish.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Moe
- 03-10-15
Heartfelt and enchanting.
The narrator was on point. The tale met my expectations as an Ishiguro classic. A world of good old fashioned ogres, dragons, pixies and the like. A world filled with chivalry and hostility. Wonderfully setting off the characters. I feel like was the haunting ending. Very much recommended. A world I will be happy to return to many times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
18 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bonny
- 03-28-15
Not particularly successful
This book is often referred to as a fantasy novel, but in my opinion it bears very little resemblance to fantasy. I'd describe it as a philosophical novel with a few fantastic and mythical elements. The concept is good, the questions asked are valuable, but the execution, while often beautifully written, is so labored and dialogue-heavy that it only occasionally gets off the ground.
So much of the book is in dialogue, and there is so much repetition, that although events are happening to the characters, it feels as though nothing is happening. The fantastic elements have little weight and are almost beside the point. The book's truth could have been discovered as well if it had concerned an elderly couple living today, experiencing the memory loss that frequently comes with advanced age.
The author asks good questions: is the love between two people still valid if they can't remember their past? Is peace between peoples desirable or meaningful if it is based on their inability to remember their arguments and their wars? They are excellent questions, but this is a long, labored, roundabout way of exploring them.
The narration is excellent.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joan D. Wray
- 04-18-15
I missed the meaning of the ending.
Amazing story and performance. What happened at the end? Am I just lame? Help me out here, someone. Appreciate it.
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
- Christopher Juliano
- 04-04-18
sad but beautiful story.
the ending is rather dark which leaves me appreciative and yet saddened. I loved it, even as it has depressed me. well acted by the narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Orca
- 03-30-15
Chaucerian allegory to summon in the Saxon Age
This is an intriguing novel, lyrical and repetitive in the telling. I can understand the comparisons to Tolkein's intentions. Old England and its lore is a deep study and there's fascinating aspects and allegories throughout the book. But as a whole it also suffers from its repetitive style and placing vagueness intentionally at the core of its plot.
A sad, evocative and faulty work, at the same time an endearing and sentimental journey. A road trip that's in some ways reminiscent of the Canterbury Tales.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 6ftSophia
- 12-11-19
An average fairy tale
An old style fairy tale, with dark twists.
All a bit average, in writing and narration.
Didn't like the end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kathryne
- 06-24-20
Good narration, OK story.
Narrator Review: I'm an American, so, any time a guy with a British accent reads something, I think it's top notch. Mr. Horovitch's accent did not disappoint. His cadence and varied voices (without using a falsetto to read the women's parts) made the story easy to follow. The performance and reading itself was unassailable. However, Mr. Horovitch was born in 1945, which means he is probably *just* a bit younger than our very forgetful main characters. Since I struggled with the characters and the plot already (see below), for me, the voice added a layer on top of it like when your grandpa is telling a story with EXTRA. irrelevant background. Again - not his fault, he can only read the words on the paper. But, it just contributed to my overall dissatisfaction.
Spoiler free story review: The problem with writing a story about folks who have lost their memory is that it is very difficult to craft a narrative wherein those people have anything to say. Our main characters are an elderly couple struggling in a nation where everyone is affected by some bizarre memory loss. The plot meanders (since all the characters are suffering from some degree of memory loss), words and phrases are repeated, and much of the book is spent with the characters explaining things to other characters. A lot of the time, these things are things the reader already understands - unless he or she also suffers from magical memory loss.
It makes for a dreary story that feels stilted, unsettled, and, well, unfinished. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end to this story and, for that, I will give it two stars. But, I found myself checking for how much was left of this book quite a bit.
Last point: Does anyone have a count of how many times Axl says "Princess"? I get that we have pet names for our loved ones, but, this felt over the top.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mimijo
- 12-27-17
Enigmatic fable of ancient England
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
David Horovitch's performance is wonderful, really brings the story to life. I am not a fan of fantasy, but was enthralled by immersion in this world of dragons, pixies, knights and strange mists that cause memory loss. I have been bingeing on Ishiguro lately -- loved The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, didn't much like When We Were Orphans. This I would put in the "like" category. It is vividly described and the characters are well-drawn and sympathetic (though, as other readers have noted, Axl's incessant use of "Princess" every time he addresses his wife Beatrice gets very tiresome).
If you’ve listened to books by Kazuo Ishiguro before, how does this one compare?
It is beautifully narrated, as were The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, though by different performers.
What about David Horovitch’s performance did you like?
I liked his different accents for the Britons and the Saxons (Wistan sounds Swedish, as befits the Nordic Saxons). And his different vocal qualities for the various characters, male and female, were well done.
If you could rename The Buried Giant, what would you call it?
The Mist of Forgetting
Any additional comments?
I am pondering the ending. It dropped off a cliff and left me dangling. There is a great and building sense of melancholy as the novel moves into its last phase. At the end I was not sure whether to trust the boatman's promises, his reassurances. Clearly Axl seems to profoundly doubt. I think this is one I will reread in print, to study the clues to its overall meaning that I'm sure Ishiguro has carefully planted.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ReaderReader
- 04-25-15
Not what I expected
This reads like an allegory rather than a fantasy. There's a lot of exposition and telling of what the characters are doing. And the man in the book calls his wife "princess" so often that it becomes
annoying and overdone and a little bit off putting. Not my favorite of his books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!