The Castle of Kings
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Kate Reading
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By:
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Oliver Pötzsch
About this listen
In 1524, in what is now Germany, hundreds of thousands of peasants revolt against the harsh treatment by their aristocratic overlords. Agnes, the daughter of one of these overlords, is not a typical 16th-century girl. She refuses to wear dresses and spends more time with her pet falcon than she does trying to attract potential suitors. In fact there is only one man who interests her: Mathis, a childhood friend, whom she can never marry because of his lowly birth. But the situation changes dramatically when a rogue knight attacks Agnes, Mathis shoots the knight to save her life, and the two are forced to go on the run together, into the midst of the raging peasants' war.
Over the next two years, as Agnes and Mathis travel the countryside, are captured by and escape from various factions of the war, participate in massive battles, and make new friends both noble and peasant, they also, of course, fall in love. Meanwhile, Agnes' falcon finds a mysterious ring, and Agnes begins having strange dreams that lead the two lovers to revelations about their place in the world and in the emerging German states.
With The Castle of Kings, Oliver Pötzsch has written a historical epic that calls to mind Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth and Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt.
©2016 Oliver Pötzsch. English translation © 2016 by Anthea Bell (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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A goddess in the making... or a demon reborn? In the remote mountain village where she was born, Mariarta dil Alicg lives the untroubled life of a peasant girl...until, soon after a mysterious stranger's arrival, she starts to hear voices in the wind. The voices whisper strange secrets in Mariarta's ears -- promising her the power to command the stormwind, hinting at an unknown, magical heritage, and prophesying a fate marvelous past all Mariarta's imaginings. Then a curse falls on Mariarta's village, shattering the lives of her family and friends.
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This was a suprise!
- By Yvonne on 03-11-12
By: Diane Duane
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Shadow Prowler
- Chronicles of Siala, Book 1
- By: Alexey Pehov
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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An army is gathering; thousands of giants, ogres, and other creatures are joining forces from all across the Desolate Lands, united, for the first time in history, under one, black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom.
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This Thief will steal your time away
- By Joshua on 03-29-10
By: Alexey Pehov
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Prince of Thorns
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Author Mark Lawrence has won over audiences everywhere with Prince of Thorns, his exciting debut novel. Nine-year-old Prince Jorg is forced to watch as his mother and brother are slaughtered. Fleeing the palace, Jorg joins a bloodthirsty band of thugs. But he’s determined to take back what’s rightfully his, so he returns to the castle a few years later - unaware of the dark and powerful magic that awaits.
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It sticks in your head.
- By Door on 09-07-13
By: Mark Lawrence
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The Legend of Huma
- Dragonlance: Heroes, Book 1
- By: Richard A. Knaak
- Narrated by: Richard Topol
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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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….
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poor performance, good story
- By Tim & Michelle on 10-25-16
By: Richard A. Knaak
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Deverry: Books 1-4
- By: Katharine Kerr
- Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
- Length: 58 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
This boxed set includes books 1-4 in the the Deverry series: Daggerspell, Darkspell, The Bristling Wood, and The Dragon Revenant.
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Masterpiece
- By Luke on 09-05-22
By: Katharine Kerr
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Wolf's Head
- The Forest Lord
- By: Steven A. McKay
- Narrated by: Nick Ellsworth
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
After viciously assaulting a corrupt but powerful clergyman Robin Hood flees the only home he has ever known in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Becoming a member of a notorious band of outlaws, Hood and his new companions - including John Little and Will Scaflock - hide out in the great forests of Barnsdale, fighting for their very existence as the law hunts them down like animals. When they are betrayed, and their harsh lives become even more unbearable, the band of friends seeks bloody vengeance.
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I JUST WANT TO KILL NOBLES
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-07-14
By: Steven A. McKay
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The Queen's Lady
- By: Barbara Kyle
- Narrated by: Barbara Kyle
- Length: 21 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Abducted as a child-heiress, Honor Larke escapes to London seeking justice from the only lawyer she knows: the brilliant Sir Thomas More. With More as her affectionate guardian, Honor grows to womanhood, when the glitter of the royal court lures her to attend Her Majesty, Queen Catherine of Aragon. But life at Henry VIII’s court holds more than artifice for an intelligent observer, and Honor knows how to watch - and when to act.
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Very Disappointing
- By elizabeth on 03-27-14
By: Barbara Kyle
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Morningstar
- By: David Gemmell
- Narrated by: David Monteath
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
A country in desperate need of heroes. Angostin invaders surge through the Highlands, laying waste to everything in their path. Darkness follows in their wake as a mad necromancer resurrects the eons-dead Vampyre Kings. Only the bandit Jarek Mace, and the magicker and bard Owen Odell, have the courage to fight the Angostins and the undead. Whispers soon spread that Mace is the legendary Morningstar, a saviour who will protect his country in its hour of need. Yet Mace seems nothing more than a thief and a liar.
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Sheer Magnificence!
- By Carol on 11-29-18
By: David Gemmell
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Altdorf
- The Forest Knights, Book 1
- By: J.K. Swift
- Narrated by: Brad Wills
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A wild land too mountainous to be tamed by plows…A Duke of the Holy Roman Empire, his cunning overshadowed only by his ambition…A young Priestess of the Old Religion, together with a charismatic outlaw, sparking a rebellion from deep within the forests…And an ex-Hospitaller caught between them all. At the end of the thirteenth century, five hundred orphans and second sons are rounded up from villages in the Alpine countryside and sold to the Hospitaller Knights of St John. Trained to serve as Soldiers of Christ, they fight in eastern lands they know nothing about, for a cause they do not understand.
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Life's Trials.
- By Gary Carter on 04-05-18
By: J.K. Swift
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The Scar
- By: Sergey Dyachenko, Marina Dyachenko, Elinor Huntington - translator
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Sergey and Marina Dyachenko mix dramatic scenes with romance, action and wit, in a style both direct and lyrical. Written with a sure artistic hand, The Scar is the story of a man driven by his own feverish demons to find redemption and the woman who just might save him. Egert is a brash, confident member of the elite guards and an egotistical philanderer. But after he kills an innocent student in a duel, a mysterious man known as “The Wanderer” challenges Egert and slashes his face with his sword, leaving Egert with a scar that comes to symbolize his cowardice.
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Highly, highly, Highly Recommended
- By Robert on 08-13-12
By: Sergey Dyachenko, and others
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Lens of the World
- Lens of the World, Book 1
- By: R. A. MacAvoy
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Lens of the World is the story of a prodigious life. It recounts the coming of age of Nazhuret, an outcast and orphan who rises from his lowly estate as a ward of the Sordaling military school to become a mighty warrior, philosopher, and confidant of the King of Vestinglon. As he grows, the young man receives outlandish knowledge and is prepared for an entirely exceptional destiny far beyond the narrow confines of his kingdom.
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Beautifully told coming of age story
- By KH on 12-13-12
By: R. A. MacAvoy
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The Ludwig Conspiracy
- By: Oliver Pötzsch
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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While putting away books from an estate sale purchase, rare book-dealer Steven Lukas finds a box he's never seen before wedged between books on a high shelf. In it he discovers what looks to be a small diary written entirely in code, a lock of hair, and old photographs of the Fairytale King. It isn't long however, before his excitement turns to fear as he realizes that mysterious others want the diary too - and will apparently kill to get it. Suspecting that his find may contain the secret truth behind Ludwig's death, Steven consults with art historian Sara Lengfeld. Soon they find themselves on the run together, investigating each of Ludwig's three castles for clues....
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For Dreamers and Fairy Tale Lovers Everywhere
- By Debbie on 03-16-15
By: Oliver Pötzsch
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Germany, 1660: When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play in his small Bavarian town. Whispers and dark memories of witch trials and the women burned at the stake just seventy years earlier still haunt the streets of Schongau.
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It’s the fifteenth century and only heretics are curious about the universe. Germany, 1494. Born under a rare alignment of the stars, Johann Georg Gerlach, "the lucky one" to his mother - is fated for greatness. But Johann’s studies and wonder at the sky have made him suspect. Especially in wake of the child disappearances that have left the God-fearing locals trembling and his one true love trapped in terrified catatonia. Her only words: "I have seen the devil..."
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well researched, well told retelling of a classic
- By Joseph Capell on 08-29-20
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The Ludwig Conspiracy
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While putting away books from an estate sale purchase, rare book-dealer Steven Lukas finds a box he's never seen before wedged between books on a high shelf. In it he discovers what looks to be a small diary written entirely in code, a lock of hair, and old photographs of the Fairytale King. It isn't long however, before his excitement turns to fear as he realizes that mysterious others want the diary too - and will apparently kill to get it. Suspecting that his find may contain the secret truth behind Ludwig's death, Steven consults with art historian Sara Lengfeld. Soon they find themselves on the run together, investigating each of Ludwig's three castles for clues....
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In this thrilling adventure by bestselling author Oliver Pötzsch, thirteen-year-old Lukas has been trained as a swordsman by his father, a nobleman who was once a famed Musketeer. When the threat of war and accusations of witchcraft spread across the land, Lukas's life is forever changed. He flees his home and vows to find his missing sister.
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June 16, 1692. Relic dealer Georg Ayndorfer is found slain in the Chapel of St. Quirinus of Tegernsee. Was it the holy rage of St. Quirinus himself, or was Ayndorfer murdered by jealous colleagues? Georg Asam, a famous artist commissioned to paint a fresco in the chapel, feels compelled to investigate.
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Germany, 1660: When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play in his small Bavarian town. Whispers and dark memories of witch trials and the women burned at the stake just seventy years earlier still haunt the streets of Schongau.
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It’s the fifteenth century and only heretics are curious about the universe. Germany, 1494. Born under a rare alignment of the stars, Johann Georg Gerlach, "the lucky one" to his mother - is fated for greatness. But Johann’s studies and wonder at the sky have made him suspect. Especially in wake of the child disappearances that have left the God-fearing locals trembling and his one true love trapped in terrified catatonia. Her only words: "I have seen the devil..."
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In this thrilling adventure by bestselling author Oliver Pötzsch, thirteen-year-old Lukas has been trained as a swordsman by his father, a nobleman who was once a famed Musketeer. When the threat of war and accusations of witchcraft spread across the land, Lukas's life is forever changed. He flees his home and vows to find his missing sister.
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Narration great for children
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What listeners say about The Castle of Kings
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dede
- 09-03-19
Historical Fiction Blended with Fantasy
Gabaldon is my exception, but I'm not usually a fan of the supernatural, especially when it contributes substantially to plot resolution. Character development and growth are interesting as are historic events and places.
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- Roy Sachleben
- 03-15-17
Another Excellent Book by Pötzsch
This author has rekindled by love of historical fiction. Great story. Great characters. Great read.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amy
- 02-02-18
I love this guy’s stories!
The afterword talks about how German history is not just castles and knights and damsels in distress (making reference to the use of the castle by the Nazis). For me the novels of this author are a chance to recognize a German history obscured in my mind by the horrors of the Nazis. Though they are a reminder of the horribly cril that repeats itself over and over in the past
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2 people found this helpful
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- John
- 08-02-16
Very well done Hitorical Novel.
Almost as good as the Hangman's Daughter series. Worth one credit and a bit more.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Richard Radgoski
- 09-12-16
Charming
Set in the Palatinate of 1520s, this Historical Fuction novel propels our Heroine, Agnes, theough many adventures as she seeks to understand her dreams and the mysterious signet ring she has found. Intertwined with her story is that of the local blacksmiths son Mathis (pron Matese), her childhood friend and love deapite her high birth and his low. Theoughout the story we see through their eyes the devastation of the real war of the time and it felt strangly timely as it was the.peasants risng up to wrest control from the nobels There us a degree of the fantastic here... Some remarkable events and luck but nothing of fantasy. I really enjoyed this novel and the unabridged audible presentation
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kenny
- 07-25-16
Something is lacking.
What did you love best about The Castle of Kings?
I'm almost finished this book, and I was sucked in at the beginning--I couldn't wait to listen to the next chapter! However, as the book goes on it gets quite dull, and the characters get very mundane. One big pet peeve I have so far with this book is Agnes and M--they're very immature and their "arguments" drive me insane. It's starting to feel like the characters were written by a thirteen year old who has never experienced a real relationship with real arguments.
Would you recommend The Castle of Kings to your friends? Why or why not?
I'm unsure at this point.
Did Kate Reading do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Not really. In fact, I have been wondering if I might have enjoyed the story more if I had simply read it, instead of listening to it. Ms Reading does not do that well of a job with this reading--either the characters sound too whiny or too similar; I'm not sure how to explain it but the reading makes the characters feel like they're lacking even more depth and growth.
Any additional comments?
It's an OK story--not grand, not memorable, just OK.
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4 people found this helpful
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- E. Howland
- 02-27-17
loved it as much as the hangman's daughter series
loved it as much as the hangman's daughter books, which were also superb. have enjoyed all of this authors books that have been translated
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4 people found this helpful
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- Lara Hulon
- 06-16-24
Great storyline
I’m selective and not always easy to please and I loved this book. It was the escape I needed. Well written and the narrator does a great job.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ichiji
- 11-29-16
When will this nightmare end?
I have enjoyed this authors earlier works. In general, I like historical novels that do not attempt to update the sensibilities of the characters to modern-day morals, and in this respect, this book is just as good as his other works. But this one is too long, and the main character – Agnes – is too much of a damsel in distress. Over and over she falls into the hands of an evil man and must be rescued. It gets old pretty fast, particularly given that the character of the hangman's daughter in his earlier works was much more spunky and interesting. The narration is articulate but lugubrious. The dourness of the narration fits the narrative, but that's the problem. This book is a hard slog, with long passages about the venality and brutality of various characters, and should have been edited down to about half as long as it is. Overall, I would say, listen to all of the hangman's daughter tales first, and invest the time in this one only if you are thirsting for more by this author.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Tractorman
- 10-04-16
Kind of enjoyed
Is there anything you would change about this book?
the ending was not worth the wait
What three words best describe Kate Reading’s performance?
at times annoying
Was The Castle of Kings worth the listening time?
no
Any additional comments?
this book was long to get into, but i finally did and then followed the story quite easily.
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1 person found this helpful