Carpe Librum

So relatable

Revisado: 03-25-25

If you grew up poor in the Midwest, you will find familiar scenes in Vance’s story. It will be valuable insight for those who didn’t.

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So many characters to dislike

Revisado: 03-03-25

Implausible, boring story with characters I didn’t care about and way too much social issue lecturing. Accents & slow story made listening to the narration a chore.

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Meh…

Revisado: 08-30-22

It’s like listening to someone read Wikipedia entries & sprinkling in their neo-feminist political commentary.

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Brilliant story!

Revisado: 11-12-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This novel is everything historical fiction should be. It successfully transport the listener back in time and makes one wish they could change the course of history. Characterizations are spot on and the prose is gorgeous. If you haven't considered before whether or not Christopher Marlowe wrote the works of Shakespeare, you will after listening to this.

I was impressed throughout this novel at the skill of the author in writing about two exceptional writers. How does one put the thoughts of Marlowe into words, words that sound like they could be his? I confess that I could not. Marley does a beautiful job of it, and Dixon is the ideal narrator for this story.

This is certainly a book that I will return to, either in print or to listen to this wonderful production again.

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Transports the reader to the 7th century

Revisado: 12-20-16

What did you love best about Blood and Blade?

Another great story by Matthew Harffy! If you have read the first two books in the Bernicia Chronicles, you already know that this one is going to be packed with action, perfectly described battle scenes, and the sort of bantering that only takes place between men who risk their lives together. What makes this series stand out is that all that testosterone is balanced by Beobrand's deeper search for love and meaning in his life. His character continues to develop in this story as he serves King Oswald.

When we first met Beobrand in The Serpent Sword, he was young and impetuous, full of righteous indignation, and attempting to discover if he could be a better man than his father had been. Some of that struggle continues, but he has also been through much of the refining fire of life that has formed him into a man who others depend on despite his youth. He is still impetuous, and to some extent still trying to figure out what the future, or the gods, or the One True God, have in store for him. Whatever it is, he will face it head-on with sword in hand.

Besides the ongoing battles for supremacy in the land that would become England, Beobrand has personal demons that make him a more complex character than what one typically finds in this type of story. He misses his wife, isn't sure what to do with his infant son, and has feelings for a woman that leave him feeling confused and guilty. If I have any criticism of this wonderful novel, it would be that I would have loved to see Beobrand with his son more and Reaghan less. It struck me as odd that little Octa, Beobrand's only remaining link to Sunniva, was rarely on his mind, while the girl he barely knew rarely left it. Yet, this is a minor point an is only my personal opinion.

What makes this book - this entire series - amazing is that Harffy transports the reader into the 7th century. The lifestyles, the beliefs, the struggles, the raw reality of it. The reader may not always find themselves agreeing with Beobrand, but they will always be cheering for him.

What other book might you compare Blood and Blade to and why?

Comparable to Cornwell's Saxon Stories but with deeper and more complex characters.

Have you listened to any of Barnaby Edwards’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to this narrator previously but enjoyed the spot-on production of this book. Could only have been better had the author read it himself.

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Time-slip Fantasy

Revisado: 12-06-16

Would you try another book from EM McIntyre and/or Joshua Young?

Maybe. This was more appropriate for younger readers than I was expecting. I would consider it middle grade fiction rather than YA. The main character is about 14, but the writing is a simpler style than most books targeted at readers that age.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The story was read very quickly. While the action is fast-paced, the narrator could have slowed down a bit.

Any additional comments?

This is a unique genre, sort of a time-slip, fantasy, adventure that I would say is appropriate, and would probably be more captivating for, an audience of about 9-12 years old. I believe that readers that age would be eager for the next adventure in the series.

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