
The Great Ordeal
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Orton
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By:
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R. Scott Bakker
About this listen
The much-anticipated third installment of R. Scott Bakker's acclaimed series, The Aspect-Emperor.
Praised by fans and critics worldwide, R. Scott Bakker has become one of the most celebrated voices in fantasy literature. With The Great Ordeal, Bakker presents the long-anticipated third volume of The Aspect-Emperor, a series that stands with the finest in the genre for its grandiose scope, rich detail, and thrilling story.
As Fanim war drums beat just outside the city, Empress Anasurimbor Esmenet searches frantically throughout the palace for her missing son, Kelmomas. Meanwhile, and many miles away, Esmenet's husband's Great Ordeal continues its epic march farther north. But in light of dwindling supplies, the Aspect-Emperor's decision to allow his men to consume the flesh of fallen Sranc could have consequences even he couldn't have foreseen. And deep in Ishual, the wizard Achamian grapples with his fear that his unspeakably long journey might be ending in emptiness, no closer to the truth than when he set out.
The Aspect-Emperor series follows Bakker's Prince of Nothing saga, returning to the same world 20 years later. The Great Ordeal follows The Judging Eye and The White-Luck Warrior and delivers the first half of the conclusion to this epic story. Returning to Bakker's richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery, The Aspect-Emperor continues to set the bar for the fantasy genre, reaching new heights of intricacy and meaning.
©2016 R. Scott Bakker (P)2016 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
An engaging tale full of warmth and wisdom, The Quilter’s Apprentice is the first novel in best-selling author Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Creek Quilts series. Sarah McClure takes a job helping elderly Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate for sale. Sylvia, a master quilter, agrees to share the tricks of the trade with Sarah. As the two women grow close, Sylvia shares her family’s tragic past, compelling Sarah to look at her own life more closely.
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A Mixed Bag
- By Potato Potato on 09-19-13
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A Man at Arms
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Jerusalem and the Sinai desert, AD 55. In the turbulent aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus, agents of the Roman Empire receive information about a pilgrim bearing an incendiary letter from a religious fanatic calling himself Paul the Apostle to insurrectionists in Corinth. What's in the letter could bring down an empire. The Romans hire a former legionary, a solitary man-at-arms named Telamon to intercept the letter and destroy the courier. But once he meets the courier, Telamon experiences an extraordinary conversion.
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Christian Perspective
- By Scott Sengbush on 04-16-21
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When Christ and His Saints Slept
- Plantagenets, Book 1
- By: Sharon Kay Penman
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 36 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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In When Christ and His Saints Slept, the first of a trilogy that will tell the story of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, master storyteller and historian Sharon Kay Penman illuminates one of the less known but fascinating periods of English history. It begins with the death of King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror and father of Maude, his only living legitimate offspring.
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Please release Pt 2!
- By BVerité on 06-08-19
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The Written
- Emaneska, Book 1
- By: Ben Galley
- Narrated by: Steven Cree
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Five scholars of Arfell have been assassinated. A spellbook has gone missing – a powerful summoning manual from the time of elves and fire-born daemons. The Arkmages are running out of time and options, and the world is once again on the brink of war with the Siren dragon-riders. It falls to Farden – one of the Arka's most powerful yet troubled Written mages – to keep Emaneska from falling into chaos.
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Am I being punked right now? Yikes.
- By DarkHorseMcPhee on 11-28-22
By: Ben Galley
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Under Heaven
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Under Heaven takes listeners to Tang dynasty China, where the son of an honored general has received an unheard of gift: 250 Sardian horses. But this is a prize men would, and will, kill for.
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One of my favorite by my favorite historical fantasy author
- By KBergin on 10-03-20
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
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The Forgetting Moon
- By: Brian Lee Durfee
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 30 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the Five Isles, where war has come in the name of the invading army of Sor Sevier, a merciless host driven by the prophetic fervor of the Angel Prince, Aeros, toward the last unconquered kingdom of Gul Kana. Yet Gault, one of the elite Knights Archaic of Sor Sevier, is growing disillusioned by the crusade he is at the vanguard of just as it embarks on his Lord Aeros' greatest triumph. While the eldest son of the fallen king of Gul Kana now reigns in ever increasing paranoid isolationism, his two sisters seek their own paths.
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alright-ish
- By Matthew on 05-10-19
By: Brian Lee Durfee
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The Mists of Avalon
- By: Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 50 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Davina Porter brings an old favorite back to life!
- By Carolina on 07-13-12
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Tigana
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 24 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Eight of the nine Palm provinces of the Peninsula have been overcome by warrior sorcerers Brandin and Alberico. But the sorcerers don't know that a small band of survivors is plotting their removal. With tensions mounting, the sorcerers become increasingly at odds as each decides where his own path - and that of the land - should truly lie.
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A little self-indulgent
- By Diana M. on 05-31-20
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
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Theft of Swords
- Riyria Revelations, Volume 1
- By: Michael J. Sullivan
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 22 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed author Michael J. Sullivan created instant best sellers with his spellbinding Riyria Revelations series. This first volume introduces Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, two enterprising thieves who end up running for their lives when they’re framed for the death of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy bigger than they can imagine, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery - before it’s too late.
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Two books in one - keep listening!!
- By Magpie on 08-21-12
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Of Blood and Fire
- The Bound and the Broken, Book 1
- By: Ryan Cahill
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North. In the remote villages of Southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving - a test of courage and skill that not all survive. But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war.
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Didn’t expect a “grow up power fantasy”
- By Mike Thomas on 07-23-22
By: Ryan Cahill
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Secrets of a Charmed Life
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.
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Rare 5-Star Across the Board!
- By Imamomof4 on 06-14-15
By: Susan Meissner
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The Devils
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 25 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends. Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.
By: Joe Abercrombie
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Jade Shards
- Stories
- By: Fonda Lee
- Narrated by: Andrew Kishino
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Fonda Lee returns to the acclaimed Green Bone Saga with four prequel short stories that delve into the personal histories of the Kaul and Ayt families.
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Listen to these prequels only after the series
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 07-13-24
By: Fonda Lee
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The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
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Not a waste of 83 hours...just the 60 I spent.
- By Sean on 01-07-13
By: Robin Hobb
What listeners say about The Great Ordeal
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- Ernest P
- 09-17-16
Narrator sucks
Bakker's series is out of this world. But this new narrator isn't even trying. Shame.
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- Agusta Jacoba
- 01-15-22
Pronunciation is all over the place.
I love these books but please find someone who will at least stay consistent with how they pronounce the names, places etc. this guy changes how he says things between books and even between chapters. Just weird. Other than that good series.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Audible Customer
- 07-22-16
Meh
If you have read the others, read on. Cliffhanger finish. I will read on. Meh.
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- Keith
- 01-25-17
Changing pronunciation!
Kevin Orton is a decent narrator, not as good as David DeVries, but after two book (40+ hours) suddenly many names are being pronounced differently. Not only are they different from the other two books he read but he changes during the book. It's super frustrating. Pick a thing!
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- ryan werling
- 09-11-18
Enthralling
an absolute adventure with phenomenal voice acting if you have read the previous books you wont be able to put this down
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- Reviews by L
- 08-03-16
Great book, lackluster narration
Would you listen to The Great Ordeal again? Why?
I think Bakker fairly demands it. This is not a book you will be able to absorb in one sitting.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Great Ordeal?
Sorweel's descent through Ishteribenth, the final confrontations, just everything with Dagliash... good stuff.
Did Kevin Orton do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
I suppose so. He obviously has an expressive voice and can bring real drama to the characters, but his inconsistent pronunciation of names was distracting. He definitely phoned this one in, which is odd, because he's narrated other books in the series. I certainly think the book would benefit from a better narrator, someone along the quality lines of Simon Vance or Michael Page.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
I would not. I mean, there's not a theater one that would touch it.
Any additional comments?
It's better if you read it, just because Kevin Orton cannot decide how he wants to pronounce names, sometimes within the same sentence.
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- Kat
- 10-28-24
Bakker's Storytelling On Full Display
Some of the most impactful moments in any series are in this book with moments that will require you take a break from your day to day life to consider existence. Don't miss out on this masterpiece of the fantasy (or any) genre.
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- TimB
- 10-10-20
Narrator is not that bad
Many reviews cite poor pronunciation by the reader. This is a issue, but it isn't terrible. I could still easily follow the story.
This was my favorite in the series since the original trilogy. The "slog" sections of Books 4 and 5 started to feel like a slog. Here the story picks up rapidly. If you enjoyed the Prince of Nothing series, and the other Aspect Emperor books, you will like this. if you're like me and almost stopped at the White Luck Warrior due to the second series not being as good, and poor reviews of the narration, I would say go on. Once you adjust to the new pronunciations it flows fine and this boom has a lot of great moments. Baller's battle scenes are great and you get many. The disperate plots begin to unify. You get some cool philosophical issues.
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- Chester
- 09-11-21
Kevin Orton just keeps getting worse.
Orton is by far the worst narrator attached to such a great series. I've grown to love his voice, but his constant mispronunciation of basic English is grating to say the least. In this title, the third in this series (sixth in the grand scheme), he's also taken to mispronouncing character names he got right in the first two books, which makes it even more irritating. The mistakes in the opening credits alone were enough to make me stop listening and come vent about the professional reader being terrible at reading (this isn't my first time surviving the second apocalypse, but I'm not sure I can survive this narration again)
His voice is a gift, but he's bad at his job. I can't recall if it is this specific book, but as an example of how terrible Orton is: within the span of three sentences he pronounces a beloved main character's name two different ways.Consistency would be nice, as this is the third book and he's been familiarized with the names by now. I'm not sure if he's lazy, jaded, or just bad at reading. Perhaps he's a troll. I could probably suffer through him getting Bakker names wrong though, as Bakker writes some pretty wild names, but the addition of hearing Orton say words that are actual English words and thinking "I think he meant..." is just bloody aggravating. .
Bakker is great though. If you made it this far you don't need a review of the book itself. Listening to Orton butcher it is the slog of slogs though. Better off reading it yourself and pretending you're David DeVries.
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- Ryan
- 04-29-19
good book ruined by a terrible performance
Kevin Orton continually changes pronunciations and it's infuriating. The lack of diversity between the voices of the characters also takes away from the experience.
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2 people found this helpful