
The Historian
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Narrated by:
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Justine Eyre
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Paul Michael
About this listen
Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor", and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.
The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known - and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself - to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.
What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed - and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign - and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages.
Parsing obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions - and evading the unknown adversaries who will go to any lengths to conceal and protect Vlad's ancient powers - one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful - and utterly unforgettable.
©2008 Elizabeth Kostova (P)2016 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- Narrated by: James Cosmo
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Victorian Edinburgh. Captain Edward Henry Hyde is chief detective for the City of Edinburgh Police; as such, he is responsible for investigating all murders and serious crimes in the city. Hyde is a striking but severe-looking man who provokes unease, and often fear, in those who encounter him. Nevertheless, Edward Hyde is truly a good man...though he wrestles fiercely with his own unique demons.
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Very like The Devil Aspect
- By MamaBear on 06-01-22
By: Craig Russell
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Crossings
- A Novel
- By: Alex Landragin
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 24 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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On the brink of the Nazi occupation of Paris, a German-Jewish bookbinder stumbles across a manuscript called Crossings. It has three narratives, each as unlikely as the next. And the narratives can be listened to one of two ways: either straight through or according to an alternate chapter sequence. The first story in Crossings is a never-before-seen ghost story by the poet Charles Baudelaire, penned for an illiterate girl.
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Worst is book I ever bought
- By Diane on 08-20-21
By: Alex Landragin
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Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula
- By: Dr. Kurt Treptow
- Narrated by: Doug Greene
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The 15th century Romanian Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, is one of the most fascinating personalities of medieval history. Already during his own lifetime, his true story became obscured by a veil of myths. As a result, he has been portrayed both as a bloody tyrant - who degenerated down throughout the centuries into the fictional vampire of the same name created by Bram Stoker at the end of the 19th century - and as a national and Christian hero who bravely fought to defend his native land and all of Europe against the invading Turkish infidels.
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The Definitive Biography of the Historical Dracula
- By Professor on 08-26-21
By: Dr. Kurt Treptow
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Those Who Hunt the Night
- A James Asher Novel, Book 1
- By: Barbara Hambly
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Once a spy for Queen Victoria, James Asher has fought for Britain on every continent, using his quick wits to protect the Empire at all costs. After years of grueling service, he marries and retires to a simple academic’s life at Oxford. But his peace is shattered one night with the arrival of a Spanish vampire named Don Simon. Don Simon can disappear into fog, move faster than the eye can see, and immobilize Asher - and his young bride - with a wave of his hand. Asher is at his mercy, and has no choice but to give his help.
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Creepy, historical vampire fun!
- By bluestatereader on 03-11-14
By: Barbara Hambly
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The Thirteenth Tale
- A Novel
- By: Diane Setterfield
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Jill Tanner
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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All children mythologize their birth... So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.
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Simply Amazing Story--2 missing chapters
- By JE on 01-28-10
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The Demonologist
- A Novel
- By: Andrew Pyper
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Professor David Ullman's expertise in the literature of the demonic - notably Milton's Paradise Lost - has won him wide acclaim. But David is not a believer. One afternoon he receives a visitor at his campus office, a strikingly thin woman who offers him an invitation: travel to Venice, Italy, witness a "phenomenon", and offer his professional opinion, in return for an extravagant sum of money. Needing a fresh start, David accepts and heads to Italy with his beloved 12-year-old daughter, Tess. What happens in Venice will send David on an unimaginable journey from skeptic to true believer....
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I Beg to Differ (and before you spend your credit)
- By Mel on 03-05-13
By: Andrew Pyper
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Lady of the English
- By: Elizabeth Chadwick
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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1135, England: Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival, and cousin, Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her. She will win her inheritance against all odds, and despite all men. Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who is fighting to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza knows that Britain's crown belongs to a woman this time. Both women will stand and fight for what they know is right for England's royalty.
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A tale most wonderful on the life of Empress Matilda. Remarkable writing and narration
- By Eva SA on 04-16-25
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The Cement Garden
- By: Ian McEwan
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the world's most acclaimed novelists, New York Times best-selling author Ian McEwan has earned the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. After their parents die, four children are left alone in the family house. They are free to live however they choose, but they must preserve their terrible secret.
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One of his best
- By Yennta on 04-03-10
By: Ian McEwan
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Necroscope
- By: Brian Lumley
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Harry Keogh is the man who can talk to the dead, the man for whom every grave willingly gives up its secrets, the one man who knows how to travel effortlessly through time and space to destroy the vampires that threaten all of humanity.
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ONE MUST NOT CURSE THE DEAD
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-08-16
By: Brian Lumley
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The Eight
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Neville
- Narrated by: Susan Denaker
- Length: 25 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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New York City, 1972: A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune-teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer: He has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring the pieces back, there will be a generous reward.
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Best Plot-Driven Novel I've Ever Read
- By Tango on 09-08-13
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The Bloody Chamber
- By: Angela Carter
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Emilia Fox
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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A collection of short stories, The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories was first published in 1979 and awarded the Cheltenham Festival Literary Prize. This Audible exclusive adaptation is narrated by legendary actors, Richard Armitage and Emilia Fox, who take on different chapters of the audiobook. Among these are 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon', 'The Tiger's Bride', 'Puss in Boots', 'The Erl-King', 'The Snow Child', 'The Lady of the House of Love', 'The Werewolf' and 'Wolf-Alice'.
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Surprised myself
- By Nora on 04-05-18
By: Angela Carter
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The Fifth Heart
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 23 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1893 Sherlock Holmes and Henry James come to America together to solve the mystery of the 1885 death of Clover Adams, wife of the esteemed historian Henry Adams--a member of the Adams family that has given the United States two Presidents. Clover's suicide appears to be more than it at first seemed; the suspected foul play may involve matters of national importance.
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Who Wrote 'the Fifth Heart?'
- By Bette on 04-16-15
By: Dan Simmons
Historical fiction about Vampires
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Absolutely enthralling.
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Amazing book, fantastic characters, rushed ending
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Spectacular historical journey with a slightly
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Such a different angel and existing!
Thank you
Brilliant existing!!
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The second reason is that simply reading it, while wonderful, doesn't do it justice....this audiobook narration brought this stunning story to life so perfectly that I am at a loss for what to listen to next because I never wanted Kostova's story to end nor the voices of the narrator's. Justine Eyre and Paul Michael are two of the best audiobook narrators I've ever heard and I'm looking forward to seeking out more of their works. But honestly, listen to or physically read this book, it's an absolutely stunning, heartbreaking, funny, thriller-ish, and worldly adventure and I'll definitely be going back for multiple reads & listens ❤️.
NEVER WANTED IT TO END!!!
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A hidden treasure
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Really good
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read the book
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A fantastic, new look at Dracula.
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