The Spirit Lens
A Novel of the Collegia Magica
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 $11.90
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David DeVries
-
By:
-
Carol Berg
About this listen
In a kingdom on the verge of a grand renaissance, where natural science has supplanted failing sorcery, someone aims to revive a savage rivalry...
For Portier de Savin-Duplais, failed student of magic, sorcery's decline into ambiguity and cheap illusion is but a culmination of life's bitter disappointments. Reduced to tending the library at Sabria's last collegia magica, he fights off despair with scholarship. But when the king of Sabria charges him to investigate an attempted murder that has disturbing magical resonances, Portier believes his dreams of a greater destiny might at last be fulfilled. As the king's new agente confide, Portier - much to his dismay - is partnered with the popinjay Ilario de Sylvae, the laughingstock of Sabria's court. Then the need to infiltrate a magical cabal leads Portier to Dante, a brooding, brilliant young sorcerer whose heretical ideas and penchant for violence threaten to expose the investigation before it's begun. But in an ever-shifting landscape of murders, betrayals, old secrets, and unholy sorcery, the three agentes will be forced to test the boundaries of magic, nature, and the divine...
©2010 Carol Berg (P)2011 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Flesh and Spirit
- Lighthouse, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Allen O'Reilly
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rebellious son of a long line of pureblood cartographers and diviners, Valen has spent most of his life trying to escape what society - and his family - have ordained for him. His own mother has predicted that he will meet his doom in water, blood, and ice. Her divination seems fulfilled when a comrade abandons Valen in a rainy wilderness half-dead, addicted to an enchantment that converts pain to pleasure, and possessing only a stolen book of maps.
-
-
FIGHTING TO ADD MORE WORDS TO THIS COLLECTION
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-13-14
By: Carol Berg
-
Dust and Light
- Sanctuary, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much must one pay for an hour of youthful folly? The Pureblood Registry accused Lucian de Remeni-Masson of "unseemly involvement with ordinaries", which meant only that he spoke with a young woman not of his own kind, allowed her to see his face unmasked, worked a bit of magic for her.... After that one mistake, Lucian’s grandsire excised half his magic and savage Harrowers massacred his family.
-
-
A 'JUST GET ON WITH IT' Book
- By Trip Williams on 01-13-16
By: Carol Berg
-
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
-
Song of the Beast
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Claire Christie, Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brutal imprisonment has broken Aidan McAllister. His music is destroyed, and with it the visions he once gave a kingdom ravaged by dragon war. Now, he risks his hard-bought freedom to uncover the truth behind his incarceration - and to meet his enemy face-to-face....
-
-
Dragons rock!
- By MarilynArms on 08-15-13
By: Carol Berg
-
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
-
Sufficiently Advanced Magic
- Arcane Ascension, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
-
-
Very good book
- By Jason N. on 07-20-17
By: Andrew Rowe
-
Flesh and Spirit
- Lighthouse, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Allen O'Reilly
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rebellious son of a long line of pureblood cartographers and diviners, Valen has spent most of his life trying to escape what society - and his family - have ordained for him. His own mother has predicted that he will meet his doom in water, blood, and ice. Her divination seems fulfilled when a comrade abandons Valen in a rainy wilderness half-dead, addicted to an enchantment that converts pain to pleasure, and possessing only a stolen book of maps.
-
-
FIGHTING TO ADD MORE WORDS TO THIS COLLECTION
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-13-14
By: Carol Berg
-
Dust and Light
- Sanctuary, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much must one pay for an hour of youthful folly? The Pureblood Registry accused Lucian de Remeni-Masson of "unseemly involvement with ordinaries", which meant only that he spoke with a young woman not of his own kind, allowed her to see his face unmasked, worked a bit of magic for her.... After that one mistake, Lucian’s grandsire excised half his magic and savage Harrowers massacred his family.
-
-
A 'JUST GET ON WITH IT' Book
- By Trip Williams on 01-13-16
By: Carol Berg
-
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
-
Song of the Beast
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Claire Christie, Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brutal imprisonment has broken Aidan McAllister. His music is destroyed, and with it the visions he once gave a kingdom ravaged by dragon war. Now, he risks his hard-bought freedom to uncover the truth behind his incarceration - and to meet his enemy face-to-face....
-
-
Dragons rock!
- By MarilynArms on 08-15-13
By: Carol Berg
-
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
-
Sufficiently Advanced Magic
- Arcane Ascension, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
-
-
Very good book
- By Jason N. on 07-20-17
By: Andrew Rowe
-
Nice Dragons Finish Last
- Heartstrikers, Book 1
- By: Rachel Aaron
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audie Award, Fantasy, 2016. As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don't cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.
-
-
A Solid 4 ½ Stars
- By Marcela G on 01-06-15
By: Rachel Aaron
-
Best Served Cold
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There have been 19 years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, and behind the scenes bankers, priests, and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.
-
-
Who Cares?
- By Shark Likes on 02-17-18
By: Joe Abercrombie
-
The Wizard's Butler
- The Wizard's Butler, Book 1
- By: Nathan Lowell
- Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For five grand a month and a million-dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn't care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year. But they didn't tell him about the pixies.
-
-
I LOVED this book!
- By Kristin Butner on 04-24-21
By: Nathan Lowell
-
Storm Front
- The Dresden Files, Book 1
- By: Jim Butcher
- Narrated by: James Marsters
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt. Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters to vampires....
-
-
Excellent Story, Distracting Sound Engineering
- By Tom on 05-20-10
By: Jim Butcher
-
Quarter Share
- A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 1
- By: Nathan Lowell
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a universe run by corporations, where profit matters more than life, how can an orphan with no skills, no money, and no prospects survive? When Ishmael Wang's mother dies in a senseless accident, he's given a choice: leave the planet on his own, or the company will remove him. To avoid deportation Ishmael finds work as a mess deck attendant on an interstellar freighter.
-
-
Excellent Narration / Fantastic Book!!!
- By bluestatereader on 01-23-17
By: Nathan Lowell
-
The Way of Kings
- The Stormlight Archive, Book 1
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 45 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the 10 consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor.
-
-
It doesn't get any better than this!
- By Robert on 10-26-12
-
Clean Sweep
- By: Ilona Andrews
- Narrated by: Renee Raudman
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast.
-
-
Story was good, narrator did not fit.
- By Letitia on 11-18-15
By: Ilona Andrews
-
14
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.
-
-
Super solid listen!!
- By Magpie on 06-24-12
By: Peter Clines
-
New Spring
- The Wheel of Time Prequel
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.
-
-
Read it after reading others in the series
- By Stacy Fair on 12-13-07
By: Robert Jordan
-
The Spare Man
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tesla Crane, one of the richest women in the world, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between Earth and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and her husband is named as the prime suspect. To save him from the frame-up, Tesla will risk exposure and face demons from her past. Even though doing so might make her the next victim.
-
-
Classic mystery, forward worldbuilding
- By Deana on 10-16-22
-
Angels and Demons
- By: Dan Brown
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.
-
-
A must for fans of The Da Vinci Code
- By Geoffrey on 04-14-04
By: Dan Brown
-
The Shadow of What Was Lost
- The Licanius Trilogy, Book 1
- By: James Islington
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 25 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs, once thought of almost as gods, were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets.
-
-
Atrocious. Almost abusive.
- By Captain Spanky Of Nazareth on 06-10-20
By: James Islington
Related to this topic
-
Dust and Light
- Sanctuary, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much must one pay for an hour of youthful folly? The Pureblood Registry accused Lucian de Remeni-Masson of "unseemly involvement with ordinaries", which meant only that he spoke with a young woman not of his own kind, allowed her to see his face unmasked, worked a bit of magic for her.... After that one mistake, Lucian’s grandsire excised half his magic and savage Harrowers massacred his family.
-
-
A 'JUST GET ON WITH IT' Book
- By Trip Williams on 01-13-16
By: Carol Berg
-
Descendant of the Crane
- By: Joan He
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception must rule over an unstable kingdom and find her father's killer.
-
-
Sexy
- By Alyssa on 08-03-20
By: Joan He
-
The Halls of Stormweather
- Forgotten Realms: Sembia, Book 1
- By: Philip Athans
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Halls of Stormweather, a novel in seven parts, is the first book in a series that explores the mean streets of a city where everything has its price and even the wealthiest families will do anything to survive! Ed Greenwood - the creator of the Forgotten Realms begins the tale with the capable but embattled patriarch of the Uskevren family. Clayton Emery - the heir to the family fortune is brought to life by the author of Star of Cursrah and the Netheril Trilogy.
-
-
Great book!
- By Anonymous User on 11-04-24
By: Philip Athans
-
What Remains of Heroes
- A Requiem for Heroes Volume 1
- By: David Benem
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lannick deVeers used to be somebody. A hero, even. Then, he ran afoul of the kingdom's most powerful general and the cost he paid was nearly too much to bear. In the years that followed, his grief turned him into a shadow of his former self, and he spent his days drowning his regrets in tankards of ale. But now an unexpected encounter casts Lannick upon an unlikely path to revenge. If he can just find the strength to overcome the many mistakes of his past, he can seize the chance to become a hero once more.
-
-
Fantasy with many lives in the balance...
- By MelHay on 12-23-15
By: David Benem
-
Black Wolves
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He lost his honor long ago. Captain Kellas was lauded as the king's most faithful servant until the day he failed in his duty. Dismissed from service, his elite regiment disbanded, he left the royal palace and took up another life. Now a battle brews within the palace that threatens to reveal deadly secrets and spill over into open war. The king needs a loyal soldier to protect him. Can a disgraced man ever be trusted?"
-
-
Very engaging. Can't wait for book 2
- By Claudia Alderman on 01-15-16
By: Kate Elliott
-
Cold Magic
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming the cities. But the old ways do not die easy. Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust?
-
-
Absolutely Brilliant Fantasy!
- By bluestatereader on 08-14-13
By: Kate Elliott
-
Dust and Light
- Sanctuary, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much must one pay for an hour of youthful folly? The Pureblood Registry accused Lucian de Remeni-Masson of "unseemly involvement with ordinaries", which meant only that he spoke with a young woman not of his own kind, allowed her to see his face unmasked, worked a bit of magic for her.... After that one mistake, Lucian’s grandsire excised half his magic and savage Harrowers massacred his family.
-
-
A 'JUST GET ON WITH IT' Book
- By Trip Williams on 01-13-16
By: Carol Berg
-
Descendant of the Crane
- By: Joan He
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception must rule over an unstable kingdom and find her father's killer.
-
-
Sexy
- By Alyssa on 08-03-20
By: Joan He
-
The Halls of Stormweather
- Forgotten Realms: Sembia, Book 1
- By: Philip Athans
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Halls of Stormweather, a novel in seven parts, is the first book in a series that explores the mean streets of a city where everything has its price and even the wealthiest families will do anything to survive! Ed Greenwood - the creator of the Forgotten Realms begins the tale with the capable but embattled patriarch of the Uskevren family. Clayton Emery - the heir to the family fortune is brought to life by the author of Star of Cursrah and the Netheril Trilogy.
-
-
Great book!
- By Anonymous User on 11-04-24
By: Philip Athans
-
What Remains of Heroes
- A Requiem for Heroes Volume 1
- By: David Benem
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lannick deVeers used to be somebody. A hero, even. Then, he ran afoul of the kingdom's most powerful general and the cost he paid was nearly too much to bear. In the years that followed, his grief turned him into a shadow of his former self, and he spent his days drowning his regrets in tankards of ale. But now an unexpected encounter casts Lannick upon an unlikely path to revenge. If he can just find the strength to overcome the many mistakes of his past, he can seize the chance to become a hero once more.
-
-
Fantasy with many lives in the balance...
- By MelHay on 12-23-15
By: David Benem
-
Black Wolves
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He lost his honor long ago. Captain Kellas was lauded as the king's most faithful servant until the day he failed in his duty. Dismissed from service, his elite regiment disbanded, he left the royal palace and took up another life. Now a battle brews within the palace that threatens to reveal deadly secrets and spill over into open war. The king needs a loyal soldier to protect him. Can a disgraced man ever be trusted?"
-
-
Very engaging. Can't wait for book 2
- By Claudia Alderman on 01-15-16
By: Kate Elliott
-
Cold Magic
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming the cities. But the old ways do not die easy. Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust?
-
-
Absolutely Brilliant Fantasy!
- By bluestatereader on 08-14-13
By: Kate Elliott
-
Green Rider
- By: Kristen Britain
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Karigan G’ladheon, running away from school, is traveling through a deep forest when a galloping horse pounds up to her, its rider impaled by two black-shafted arrows. With his dying breath, he tells her he is a Green Rider, one of the magical messengers of the King. Before he dies, he makes Karigan swear to deliver the message he’s carrying, and gives her his green coat, with the symbolic brooch of his office.
-
-
What a fantastic discovery!
- By GLENNO on 11-27-14
By: Kristen Britain
-
Cephrael's Hand
- A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 1
- By: Melissa McPhail
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 32 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Alorin...300 years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor's brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D'Lacourte's mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he'll have to find him....
-
-
This is a great book!!!
- By Dason on 07-30-16
By: Melissa McPhail
-
Bloodleaf
- By: Crystal Smith
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her.
-
-
Not Understanding All the Praise
- By GPChlorine on 08-23-19
By: Crystal Smith
-
Grave Mercy
- His Fair Assassin, Book 1
- By: Robin LaFevers
- Narrated by: Erin Moon
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Escaping an arranged marriage, 17-year-old Ismae finds sanctuary in the St. Mortain convent, where the sisters worship the gods of old. There, Ismae learns that the God of Death has special plans for her—a destiny that will one day compel her to betray the man she loves.
-
-
Slow Start but Finished Strong
- By The Mankers on 10-12-12
By: Robin LaFevers
-
Barrowlands
- Iconoclasts, Book 0
- By: Mike Shel
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one enters the doom-haunted Barrowlands without royal sanction. But Hesk Atterley has. Accompanied by seedy companions and a hunger for riches, what he finds may change his life forever...if it doesn't kill him first.
-
-
Short but Interesting
- By Michael on 02-01-21
By: Mike Shel
-
I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire
- Ravenloft: Strahd, Book 1
- By: P. N. Elrod
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for 300 years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.
-
-
Love it...just one complaint....
- By Ryan Conrad on 03-15-14
By: P. N. Elrod
-
Prince of Thorns
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
It sticks in your head.
- By Door on 09-07-13
By: Mark Lawrence
-
Curse of Shadows and Thorns
- The Broken Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: LJ Andrews
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As niece of the king, Elise Lysander cares about two things: sneaking into gambling dens, and avoiding an advantageous marriage at all costs. When her uncle holds the life of her deathly ill father over her head, reluctantly, Elise puts her fate into the hands of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore.
-
-
Great concept, poor execution on the writing side
- By Kel on 11-24-22
By: LJ Andrews
-
Starless
- By: Jacqueline Carey
- Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
- Length: 21 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Destined from birth to serve as protector of the princess Zariya, Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect in the deep desert; yet there is one profound truth that has been withheld from him. In the court of the Sun-Blessed, Khai must learn to navigate deadly intrigue and his own conflicted identity…but in the far reaches of the western seas, the dark god Miasmus is rising, intent on nothing less than wholesale destruction.
-
-
The most beautiful thing I've enjoyed this year!
- By DabOfDarkness on 08-06-18
By: Jacqueline Carey
-
Kushiel's Dart
- By: Jacqueline Carey
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 31 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.
-
-
The Kushiel series in order
- By Glen Gaines on 10-27-09
By: Jacqueline Carey
-
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
- The Lost Chronicles, Volume 1
- By: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The companions believe they have slain the evil Dragon Highlord Verminaard. They have rescued the refugees from Pax Tharkas and taken them to a valley in the Kharolis mountains.
-
-
Loved the book. Loathed the narrator.
- By Customer on 06-02-15
By: Margaret Weis, and others
-
The Bone Doll's Twin
- Tamir Triad, Book 1
- By: Lynn Flewelling
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine, Lynn Flewelling
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As people start to recall the Oracle's prophecy, Erius begins to quietly kill off his female relatives who pose the only threat to his monarchy. Constantly in fear for her life, Princess Ariani the King's sister, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. But Ariani is married to Lord Rhius, the patron of the powerful wizard Iya, and Iya has sinister plans for the babes.
-
-
Not a bad beginning, but . . .
- By bluestatereader on 12-29-10
By: Lynn Flewelling
What listeners say about The Spirit Lens
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barbara S
- 11-02-22
A Complicated and Enthralling tale
A mystery, full of magic and hope. I loved this book. the narrator was perfect.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-26-11
Slow start but strong story
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Yes time well spent, Enjoyed this book.
Would you recommend The Spirit Lens to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes recomend
What about David DeVries???s performance did you like?
Nice permformance, easy to listen to.
Do you think The Spirit Lens needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Good setup to the next phase in the trio's relationship.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leah Petersen
- 10-24-18
Wonderful story. First two narrated beautifully
I had already read this trilogy before I purchased the audiobooks and it's as good as I remembered. Not Berg's best work, but still worth the read. The narrators of the first two books are superb. The narrator for Dante in the third book is so appallingly bad I almost gave up on it. Only the fact that I was engrossed in the story already, and the occasional reprieve of the POV changing back to one of the first two narrators, kept me going.
I had to turn up his chapters to 1.2 speed and it's still rather slow. He reads as if each sentence is the only one he's aware of and he over-enunciates the odd word and is overdramatic with it because it's the only chance to impress you. It's loathsome. I've learned to put up with bad writing or narration if the goal is worth it but it's really bad.
Honesty, just get the first two and content yourself that the lingering plot issues are resolved in the third book. Better yet, buy the book and read it. The story good. I'm simply shocked at how awful this last narrator is.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ShySusan
- 02-05-14
This trilogy is very fresh and original.
Many fantasy series are very predictable. There is the sword and sorcery type typified by Tolkien. There is the paranormal detective typified by Jim Butcher, etc. I found this trilogy to be quite different from any I had read before.
I liked it.... with some reservations.
Each of the three books in the trilogy is quite long (17, 18, and 21 hours), and in the early parts of each book, the story dragged a little for me. But each book comes to an exciting and unusual ending which very definitely justifies the long buildup.
I didn't always understand everything that happened. I suspect that this arose from lapses in my attention. If I had been reading rather than listening to this, I suspect I would have gone back from time to time to skim a few pages and figure out what I had missed. But you can't really skim in an audiobook, so I just plowed on and eventually I'd figure things out. However, if you are into the possibility of getting the Kindle book along with the Audible book, this trilogy would probably be a good one to do it with. (Or check out the book from your local library and have it on hand while you are listening.)
The cast of characters is about the same over the three books, but each book is narrated from a different point of view. The characters are complex and interesting and I didn't find any of them to be ripoffs of any other characters I have ever known.
Each of the first two books comes to a satisfactory end, but the third book is a triumph. It will be well worth your trouble to complete the trilogy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kellie R.
- 07-13-17
gripping, surprizing and absorbing! get hooked!
outstanding summer read. I was plugged in at wvery opportunity. Charming and vivid characters, superb mystery and a few twits that were unexpected.
read this one!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ambagious
- 02-09-17
A hint of history in a genuinely new world
Carol Berg's earlier work is highly enjoyable pulp, emotionally gratifying and eminently fun to read. The Spirit Lens is also emotionally satisfying and fun to read, but it is deeper and richer. The world-building is especially enjoyable, reminiscent of France poised on the cusp of the Enlightenment (where magic plays the role of faith) but with varied original cosmologies and histories having brought it to that point. The narrator is not only likable, he contains all the struggles and contradictions, beliefs, hopes, and frustrations of a truly believable character - and the explicit plot line, of unraveling a mysterious tangle of sorcerous crimes, is paralleled by an inner plot line that is also one of truth-seeking, this time of a fairly conventional and unhappy young man forced to understand his own history and change many of his most profound beliefs about his world and himself before he can succeed in his task.
The short version of that is, this book is not just fun, it's satisfying in a more literary, well-crafted way than some of Berg's early work. For someone like me who notices that consciously, it means the story can be enjoyed on multiple levels simultaneously. For someone who doesn't notice these things consciously, it still shapes a much more solid, powerful book. It's always nice to find a writer who just keeps getting better and better (especially when there are so many others who use up all their skills and good ideas in the first book and then devolve). Berg is, almost startlingly, aging well.
I will note, the ending is an odd one, in terms of resolution. While not a cliff-hanger in the traditional sense, the story ends just as the world takes a sudden sharp turn into a much darker and stranger reality.
David Devries is a very entertaining reader and handles the narrator's voice very well. Some of his voices for other characters are a little jarring at first, but they do work. From time to time - not often, but often enough that I found it noticeable - he obscures or inverts the meaning of a sentence by putting the emphasis on entirely the wrong word, suggesting to me that he may have done the reading without quite as much preparation as would have been best. It doesn't make the reading bad and I think that many people who 'surf' a little might not even notice, but it is a touch distracting to a listener who is following along very attentively. I'd still happily buy another book with his reading.
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
- mike
- 01-27-12
First Rate
This is basically a police procedural placed in a world - filled with magic - that somewhat resembles Renaissance France. It does take a bit to get to the main plot line, but Berg's world building is as good as it gets. This is a literate and finely crafted tale, peopled with intriguing characters who are as fully realized as any I've come across.
To top it off, Mr. DeVries offers us an excellent narration. Bravo!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cliff
- 02-06-14
Something different
This book is something different than most books in the fantasy genre. Think, epic fantasy police novel. It sounds strange but it does work. The world and characters are rich and well-developed. The narrator took some getting used to at first, but grew on me as the story progressed.
The story is good, but be warned that it starts off pretty slow. Be prepared to sink some time into it before it really starts getting good. If you do you will find it worth the wait. In a way it kind of reminds me of Mike Carrey's Felix castor series in the way it builds very slow but by the end you don't want to put it down.
This isn't my usual type of read, but I did enjoy it.
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
- D. Hahn
- 12-31-20
Enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed this book in the audio format. Interesting premise, great narration and interesting characters. I was on a 3 day road trip and this book kept me interested all the way.
As others have said, it is a little different combining magic and a detective story, but I like that!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. J. Melton
- 01-12-12
This is Book One of the Series
Starts slow but does pick up as you go, Book 2 is terrific. I couldn't put it down. Book Three takes the long way round and there are many characters that changed physical descriptions between the three, Dante changes into a whiney character for most of three even as his powers continue to manifest. These books are definitely new and fresh, worth a listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful