The Face in the Frost
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Narrated by:
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Eric Michael Summerer
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By:
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John Bellairs
About this listen
A fantasy classic by the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls - basis for the Jack Black movie - and "a writer who knows what wizardry is all about" (Ursula K. Le Guin).
A richly imaginative story of wizards stymied by a power beyond their control, A Face in the Frost combines the thrills of a horror novel with the inventiveness of fairy-tale-inspired fantasy.
Prospero, a tall, skinny misfit of a wizard, lives in the South Kingdom - a patchwork of feuding duchies and small manors, all loosely loyal to one figurehead king. Along with his necromancer friend Roger Bacon, who has been on a quest to find a mysterious book, Prospero must flee his home to escape ominous pursuers. Thus begins an adventure that will lead him to a grove where his old rival, Melichus, is falsely rumored to be buried and to a less-than-hospitable inn in the town of Five Dials - and ultimately into a dangerous battle with origins in a magical glass paperweight.
With a unique blend of humor and darkness, it remains one of the most beloved tales by the Edgar Award-nominated author also known for the long-running Lewis Barnavelt series.
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Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois's acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf... and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda... and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore... and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped - or misshaped - by the potent magic they seek to wield.
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some stinkers mostly good
- By M.T. on 12-11-18
By: Gardner Dozois - editor, and others
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Fear
- By: L. Ron Hubbard
- Narrated by: Roddy McDowall
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Abridged
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Professor James Lowry didn’t believe in spirits, or witches, or demons. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn’t remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember.
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The Best of Hubbard
- By JJ on 01-31-15
By: L. Ron Hubbard
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The Anubis Gates
- By: Tim Powers
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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When Brendan Doyle is flown from America to London to give a lecture on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, little does he expect that he will soon be traveling through time and meeting the poet himself. But Brendan could do without being stranded penniless in the teeming, thieving London of 1810.
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Yesterday… All My Troubles Seemed So Far Away
- By Doug D. Eigsti on 06-21-16
By: Tim Powers
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The Magic Thief
- By: Sarah Prineas
- Narrated by: Greg Steinbruner
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Nevery finds that interesting, and he takes Conn as his apprentice on the provision that the boy find a locus stone of his own.
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Spectacular middle grade fantasy!
- By Karissa Eckert on 11-13-14
By: Sarah Prineas
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The Spirit Thief
- The Legend of Eli Monpress, Book 1
- By: Rachel Aaron
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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He's not just any thief. He’s the greatest thief of the age - and he’s also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he’s going to put his plan into effect. The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he’ll need to steal some big things. But he’ll start with somethingsmall. Something like a king....
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Entertaining light fantasy
- By Kindle Customer on 02-16-12
By: Rachel Aaron
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Liesl & Po
- By: Kei Acedera, Lauren Oliver
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice - until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone. That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable. Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po....
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Great story made better by a great narrator
- By Marie on 09-16-12
By: Kei Acedera, and others
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Other Voices, Other Rooms
- By: Truman Capote
- Narrated by: Cody Roberts
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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At the age of 12, Joel Knox is summoned to meet the father who abandoned him at birth. But when Joel arrives at the decaying mansion in Skully's Landing, his father is nowhere in sight. What he finds instead is a sullen stepmother who delights in killing birds; an uncle with the face - and heart - of a debauched child; and a fearsome little girl named Idabel who may offer him the closest thing he has ever known to love.
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Capote’s coming of age story
- By Daniel Diffin on 11-08-23
By: Truman Capote
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Chasing the North Star
- By: Robert Morgan
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free, Carra Patterson
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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On a moonless night in the spring of 1851, a young slave makes a bid for freedom with only the North Star to guide him. Best-selling novelist and historian Robert Morgan returns with a stunning new work of historical fiction.
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Not what we thought
- By bds on 05-07-19
By: Robert Morgan
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The Saturdays
- By: Elizabeth Enright
- Narrated by: Pamela Dillman
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The four Melendy children live with their father and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in a worn but comfortable brownstone in New York City. There's thirteen-year-old Mona, who has decided to become an actress; twelve-year-old mischievous Rush; ten-year-old Randy who loves to dance and paint; and thoughtful Oliver, who is just six-years-old.
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Excellent for children and adults
- By Dale on 05-15-04
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The Orchard Keeper
- By: Cormac McCarthy
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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One of America’s most celebrated novelists, Cormac McCarthy announced his towering presence on the literary stage with his first novel, The Orchard Keeper. Within the pages of this classic work, John Wesley Rattner, his uncle Ather, and bootlegger Marion Sylder find their lives dangerously entwined in pre-World War II Tennessee. There, the men’s tragedies and struggles are mirrored by the looming specter of industrialization.
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Contains the embryo of McCarthy's future greatness
- By Darwin8u on 06-12-13
By: Cormac McCarthy
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Castle Hangnail
- By: Ursula Vernon
- Narrated by: Tara Sands
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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When Molly shows up on Castle Hangnail's doorstep to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the castle's minions are understandably dubious. After all, she is 12 years old, barely five feet tall, and quite polite. (The minions are used to tall, demanding evil sorceresses with razor-sharp cheekbones.) But the castle desperately needs a master, or else the Board of Magic will decommission it, leaving all the minions without the home they love.
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A great romp you shouldn't leave to just the kids
- By Elisabeth Carey on 02-08-16
By: Ursula Vernon
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The Ninth Rain
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jen Williams
- Narrated by: Jot Davies
- Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
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Couldn’t put it down!
- By Renae on 09-09-22
By: Jen Williams
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It’s the 1950s when Johnny Dixon’s mother dies, his father goes to fight in the Korean War, and he goes to live with his grandparents. Although life in a new house is strange, Johnny’s “Grampa” listens to his favorite ballgames, takes him on long walks, and tells him stories of the strange mysteries that lurk in the shadows. Best of all, he’s friends with Professor Childermass, an eccentric academic who’s about to take Johnny on the adventure of a lifetime.
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So happy to see this book here!
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Rose Rita wishes she could go to camp like her best friend, Lewis. She's sure that boys get to have all the fun - until Mrs. Zimmermann offers her an adventure of her own. Mrs. Zimmermann's cousin Oley has left her his farm as well as a ring that he thinks is magic. But when the two arrive at the deserted farm, the ring has mysteriously vanished. What power does it have? And will the person who took it use the ring to do evil?
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A swell tale wonderfully told by George Guidall
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Lewis is sure that Grandpa Barnavelt's 1859 lucky coin is really a magic talisman in disguise. With its power, he could do anything he wanted - like get back at bully Woody Mingo. But as soon as he begins wearing the coin around his neck, strange things start to happen. Mysterious letters arrive in the dead of night. A strange, shadowy figure seems to be tracking him. And when Lewis finally gets his revenge on Woody, he feels as if someone else is inside his body, urging him to go even further. Has Lewis awakened a force beyond his control?
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Lewis Barnavelt returns for another adventure
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Not my cup of tea
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So happy to see this book here!
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Rose Rita wishes she could go to camp like her best friend, Lewis. She's sure that boys get to have all the fun - until Mrs. Zimmermann offers her an adventure of her own. Mrs. Zimmermann's cousin Oley has left her his farm as well as a ring that he thinks is magic. But when the two arrive at the deserted farm, the ring has mysteriously vanished. What power does it have? And will the person who took it use the ring to do evil?
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Something evil has taken over. Lewis Barnavelt and his uncle are in England, visiting a cousin at Barnavelt Manor. Lewis quickly becomes friends with the housekeeper's son, and as the two boys explore a garden maze, Lewis accidentally unleashes demonic forces that summon the ghost of an evil wizard bent on destroying his entire family. Can Lewis fight the maniacal wizard, or will all the Barnavelts perish?
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This series gets better with each volume
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When Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger explore an abandoned theater, they discover an unpublished opera score entitled "The Day of Doom". Ignoring a strange omen, they show it to their music teacher, who heralds "The Day of Doom" as a masterpiece. Little do they know that the eerie Henry Vanderhelm, the composer's grandson, arrives - with a plan. A plan to awaken the dead and enslave the world!
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Good story and even better storytelling
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The gathering forces of the Dark Powers threaten the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons, and the Wild Hunt itself, are poised to overthrow the Realms of Light. Holger Carlsen, a bemused and puzzled twentieth-century man mysteriously snatched out of time, finds himself the key figure in the conflict. Arrayed against him are the dragons, giants, and elfin warriors of the armies of Chaos and the beautiful sorceress Morgan le Fay.
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I FEEL ALL AT SEA
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This absorbing tale of time travel is a fascinating way for young adults to learn about the culture and history of Wales. After Peter Morgan's family moves from a New England college town to a Welsh village, he discovers a mysterious, ancient object that whisks him back in time to sixth-century Wales.
By: Nancy Bond
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Uncertain of the past, Aerin-sol, daughter of King Arlbeth, decides to forge her own future by challenging the lashing tongues of the dragon’s fire. Aerin’s proficiency as "the Dragon-slayer" sets her on a quest for the stolen Crown of Damar, believed to be in the hands of rebellious northerners who threaten to destroy the Damarian people and their home forever.
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Second only to Blue Sword
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The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
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With Conan the Cimmerian, Robert E. Howard created more than the greatest action hero of the twentieth century---he also launched a genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery. But Conan was not the first archetypal adventurer to spring from Howard's fertile imagination.
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Just as real and absorbing as I remember.
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What listeners say about The Face in the Frost
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Michael J. Burnett
- 03-06-21
An Old Favorite, Revisited
One of my favorite books from my childhood. A lovely mix of whimsy and chills. The performance is very good. I would strongly recommend this for an audience of all ages.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Aerieforgeandpipe
- 10-13-19
One of my favorite stories.
I love this story. Classic pipe smoking, beer drinking wizards in a fun little story.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Bruce
- 04-09-19
Subtleness abounds
I had to listen to this twice to get the fuller appreciation of this work. By the end, I realized that what I needed was the assurance that the story would eventually go somewhere beyond, presumably in a sequel. Hopefully some day I can look at The Dolphin Cross. While reading, I imagined Gandolf in his off moments, Diana Wynn Jones whispering authorial advice from off-stage. As with Bellairs YA works, the story is mellow and enjoyable. The story's brevity makes it a risk-free investment for the listener/reader.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Dee
- 09-28-22
second time listening
the first time I listened to this book I didn't love it, I loved parts of it but it has some strange parts and I wasn't sure how I felt about the end. As the years went by I could not get out of my head.
the world and magic is so interesting. I don't think of this as a scary book more of a fantasy adventure but it has some wonderfully creepy parts that i have thought about so much.
I think this is a hidden gem, sure there are some slow parts and a few parts that stated the obvious while others left it so vague I wasn't sure what to think. overall it's so worth a listen.
it's short too so it's not like you have to dedicate much of your life to it.
highlights for me: world, magic, creepiness, faster paced and the author's ability to create tension.
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- Landon
- 05-05-22
Images of fantastical scenes that will always stick with me
A fantastical whimsical story mixed with moments of horror and humor. Two wizards who, despite their supernatural abilities, are all too relatable with real fears and foibles, go on a journey to free themselves from a magical enemy who haunts them.
The story includes delightful anachronisms that make it difficult to pin down the exact time the story takes place in. This creates a sense of timelessness that adds to the fairy tale like nature of the book.
This book makes it onto my favorites list and I look forward to both reading it again and reading other works by the author.
It felt like lighthearted fun with lovable characters and the descriptions created mental images of fantastical scenes that will always stick with me. When the story veered into horror the mood was perfectly handled like a well done scary story told at a campfire. The mixture of humor and horror blends well creating a story that is never too slapstick or too heavy.
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- H. Letzring
- 09-23-23
Has been my favorite children’s story since I was young
This story has the right mix of interesting characters and whimsy to make it an amazing book. The narration of the story is well done and even though I have read the book every year for as long as I can remember, having someone read it allows me to pick out new details that I tend to read over. Great overall. Can’t go wrong!
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- Elisabeth Carey
- 03-16-19
Funny, delightful, fantasy for adults
Bellairs is best known for his children's books, with an added boost recently from The House With a Clock in Its Walls being released as a movie.
This isn't a kids' book. Not that it contains any inappropriate content, and there are undoubtedly kids who would enjoy it.
This book, though, is aimed at adults who will enjoy the wordplay, the humor that rests on familiarity with things kids the age of Bellairs' usual readers haven't read yet, being aware of who the "other" Prospero is and recognizing the name of Roger Bacon, and...but no. Wait. Kids would enjoy the transition from the comic beginnings to the terrifying opponent.
The basic story isn't remarkable. Two good wizards discover evidence of an evil wizard at work with dark intentions, and set out to stop him. What is remarkable is graceful, elegant, and extremely funny use of language and familiar literary imagery to create a delightfully original and absorbing story for adult readers.
I have a deep and abiding love for this story, and its author, and, weirdly, for the discovery that the women's Catholic college he taught English at for a year, and was deeply unhappy at, was in fact my own alma mater--and that he was fondly remembered there as a good, likable, interesting guy--not by the English department, but by the history department. And specifically, the chair of the history department, who was my adviser.
It's the sort of whimsy that's entirely appropriate for John Bellairs. Who, yes, really was a good, likable, interesting guy.
This story is highly recommended and a lot of fun.
I bought this audiobook.
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- Patrick S.
- 03-18-19
I'm so happy that Audible released this!
This classic short fantasy work is celebrating the 50th anniversary of it's publication this year and I couldn't be happier that it has been re-released as an Audible Audiobook. The narrator does a great job at bringing the story to life, and the words feel as fresh as the day that Bellairs first wrote them down. Highly recommended!
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- Martin L. Shoemaker
- 05-10-21
A favorite book becomes s favorite audiobook
This has been one of my favorite books (in any genre) since middle school. Now it's one of my favorite audiobooks, one of the few I've listened to multiple times. The only thing that the audiobook loses is the delightful line art in my original hardcover, and a line of text that actually references one of the drawings.
If I could only have one fantasy book in my life, this book would narrowly edge out The Lord of the Rings -- and I've read The Lord of the Rings over 20 times! That's how much I love The Face in the Frost. It's not just shorter, it's funnier AND scarier. It lacks the epic battles of Tolkien and the deep world building; but in place of those it has more magic, from practical jokes to world-ending spells. And many more magicians. As the introduction says (paraphrased), this is a book full of wizards, including the main characters, Prospero and Roger Bacon. Because this is a story of a month-long wizard duel, one in which Prospero and Roger first must discover who they're dueling, and what the enemy really wants.
Scenes from this book have never left me since my first reading. They echo in scenes in my own work. In a seemingly light, humorous fantasy, there are harrowing, frightening moments. Prospero and Roger's humor becomes a way for them to keep their spirits up in the face of horrific danger.
The narration nicely supports the story, without calling attention to itself and without any glitches. The narrator varies the voices well for each character.
Highly recommended. As always.
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