The Bear of Byzantium
Wolves of Odin, Book 2
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Narrated by:
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Malk Williams
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By:
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S. J. A. Turney
About this listen
The wolves of Odin sail to the centre of the world: Constantinople.
AD 1041. After successfully avenging the death of his father, Halfdan and the crew of the Sea Wolf seek adventure in strange new lands, far from their Scandinavian home.
They join the fleet of Harald Hardrada, the legendary Viking commander, sailing back to Constantinople from the battlefields of Georgia. There they join the Varangians, the personal bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperors populated almost exclusively by Viking warriors. But Constantinople has changed during Hardrada's long absence.
The Emperor, Michael IV, is ailing visibly, and powerful factions in his court are setting their plans in motion ahead of his inevitable demise. While courtiers scheme, elements even within the Varangian Guard are picking sides.
Gunnhild, the seer among the Sea Wolf crew, has struck out on her own in the big city. Unable to join the all-male Guard alongside her friends, she establishes herself in a small side-street near the port as a healer and soothsayer, offering cures to the sick and glimpses of the future to the desperate, or the conspiratorial. But in all her visions she sees a wolf, a boar and a golden bear fighting together to support the Byzantine throne. The Norns aren't finished with them yet…
The epic second instalment in the Wolves of Odin series, taking us to the heart of power in Constantinople and the desperate machinations of the Byzantine emperors. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Giles Kristian and Angus Donald.
©2022 S.J.A. Turney (P)2022 W. F. Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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Their peace was a fragile thing, but it had endured for seven years, mostly because the people of Darassus and the king of the Naor hordes believed his doom was foretold upon the edge of the great sword hung in the hall of champions. Unruly Naor clans might raid across the border, but the king himself would never lead his people to war so long as the blade remained in the hands of his enemies. But when squire Elenai’s aging uncovers evidence that the sword in their hall is a forgery, she’s forced to flee Darassus for her life, her only ally the reckless, disillusioned Kyrkenall.
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Great Story!
- By Aurora McMillian on 05-15-19
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Mage's Blood
- The Moontide Quartet, Book 1
- By: David Hair
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 26 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Most of the time the Moontide Bridge lies deep below the sea, but every 12 years the tides sink and the bridge is revealed, its gates open for trade. The Magi are hell-bent on ruling this new world, and for the last two Moontides they have led armies across the bridge on "crusades of conquest". Now, the third Moontide is almost here, and this time the people of the East are ready for a fight... but it is three seemingly ordinary people that will decide the fate of the world.
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Nick Podehl
- By Logan on 01-05-15
By: David Hair
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Under the Eagle
- Eagles of the Empire, Book 1
- By: Simon Scarrow
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The first novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Roman series. It is 42 AD, and Quintus Licinius Cato has just arrived in Germany as a new recruit to the Second Legion, the toughest in the Roman army. If adjusting to the rigours of military life isn't difficult enough for the bookish young man, he also has to contend with the disgust of his colleagues when, because of his imperial connections, he is appointed a rank above them.
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Enjoyable Roman Military Mystery
- By Marie on 10-25-13
By: Simon Scarrow
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The Last Swordsman
- The Last Swordsman, Book 1
- By: Benjamin Corman
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Nikolis’ parents are dead - murdered before his eyes. What’s worse, they were traitors to the crown. At least that’s what he hears the village folk saying moments before he is whisked away to the castle of Highkeep. There he finds himself before the aged King Alginor, a man brought to a boil by his very presence.
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This book is horrible
- By Amazon Customer on 09-10-20
By: Benjamin Corman
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The Councillor
- By: E.J. Beaton
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen’s closest friend, is appointed Councillor. Publically, Lysande must choose the next monarch from amongst the city-rulers vying for the throne. Privately, she seeks to discover which ruler murdered the queen, suspecting the use of magic. Resourceful, analytical, and quiet, Lysande appears to embody the motto everything in its place. Yet while she hides her drug addiction from her new associates, she cannot hide her growing interest in power.
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Amazing!
- By Mouktar on 03-19-21
By: E.J. Beaton
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The Silent Blade
- The Seven Virtues, Book 0.5
- By: Jacob Peppers
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Downs, the poor district of the city of Avarest, is home to cutthroats and thieves, pickpockets and prostitutes, all of whom pay tribute to one of two powerful crime bosses. It is also home to Aaron Envelar, a disillusioned sellsword known as the Silent Blade, who cares nothing for the criminal overlords or their schemes, who only wants to survive and make a little coin. But when a group of thugs steal his mother’s necklace, the only link he has to his murdered parents, Aaron decides that sometimes gold isn’t enough - sometimes, blood is the only payment worth taking.
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Good read and listen..
- By Trish R. on 02-28-20
By: Jacob Peppers
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Rise of the Shadow Rogue
- By: Mike Truk
- Narrated by: Ryan West
- Length: 17 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Betrayal cuts deepest when someone you love wields the knife. For Kellik, a once-rising star of Port Gloom's guild of thieves, it also leaves him floating in the bay, bleeding out and without hope or allies. Saved by an urchin and healed by a disgraced saint, Kellick is consumed by a single desire: to find out why his guild master ordered him cut down moments after passing his initiation trial. Burning with injustice, Kellik recruits a number of gorgeous rogues to his side: fallen assassins, dark elf witches, and unnervingly polite necromancers.
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not the harem book I expected, in a good way.
- By Jeffrey on 04-30-19
By: Mike Truk
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The Forging of Dawn
- The Nightfall Wars, Book 0
- By: Jacob Peppers
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The nightwalkers have returned, creatures that roam the darkness searching for anyone foolish or unfortunate enough to find themselves without light to protect them. And the people of Entarna carry lanterns and torches, wielding them as shields against the night's creatures. But sooner or later all lights fade. All flames go out. Torrik and his wife were once soldiers in the war against the Dark. But when their son Alesh was born, they left that life behind them in the hopes of keeping him safe.
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DO NOT before you read book one.
- By kyle humphreys on 02-28-20
By: Jacob Peppers
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Empire of Silence
- Sun Eater, Book 1
- By: Christopher Ruocchio
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 26 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The galaxy remembers Hadrian Marlowe as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives - even the emperor himself - against Imperial orders. But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier. Fleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world.
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A Slow start at best....then the story tapers off
- By paul nordquist on 08-21-19
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Ash and Ambition
- By: Ari Marmell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Trapped in the form of the knight who supposedly slew him, the dragon Tzavalantsaval - with a loathsome goblin steward as his only true ally - struggles to navigate the Kirresci royal court and humanity itself, even as politics and intrigues he scarcely understands push the southern kingdoms ever nearer to open war.
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A story of a dragon being slowly humanized
- By Sailfish on 05-10-20
By: Ari Marmell
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Savage Legion
- Savage Rebellion
- By: Matt Wallace
- Narrated by: Lameece Issaq
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
They call them Savages. Brutal. Efficient. Expendable. The empire relies on them. The Savages are the greatest weapon they ever developed. Culled from the streets of their cities, they take the ones no one will miss and throw them, by the thousands, at the empire’s enemies. Evie is not a Savage. She’s a warrior with a mission: to find the man she once loved, the man who holds the key to exposing the secret of the Savage Legion and ending the mass conscription of the empire’s poor and wretched. But to find him, she must become one of them....
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It could have been good, but wasn't
- By M. Wightman on 09-20-21
By: Matt Wallace
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Child of a Mad God
- The Coven, Book 1
- By: R. A. Salvatore
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 18 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From R. A. Salvatore, the legendary creator of Drizzt Do'Urden, comes the start of a brand new epic journey. When Aoleyn loses her parents, she is left to fend for herself among a tribe of vicious barbarians. Bound by rigid traditions, she dreams of escaping to the world beyond her mountain home. The only hope for achieving the kind of freedom she searches for is to learn how to wield the mysterious power used by the tribe's coven known as the Song of Usgar. Thankfully, Aoleyn may be the strongest witch to have ever lived, but magic comes at price.
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A lot of nothing happening over a long time
- By steven brachna on 02-08-18
By: R. A. Salvatore
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The Tiger at Midnight
- Tiger at Midnight, Book 1
- By: Swati Teerdhala
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Esha lost everything in the royal coup - and as the legendary rebel known as the Viper, she’s made the guilty pay. Now, she’s been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha. Kunal has been a soldier since childhood. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path - even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has only been growing more volatile. When Esha and Kunal’s paths cross one fated night, an impossible chain of events unfolds.
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you're in a book slump
- By Brit T on 09-05-20
By: Swati Teerdhala
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Thrive
- A Post-Apocalyptic Alien Survival Novel
- By: Jonathan Yanez
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett, Suzy Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The citizens enjoy the peace of their perfectly planned city. But when she notices cracks in the facade, Jordan’s waking dreams turn to nightmares. She thought she had received the promotion of a lifetime; she was wrong. The promotion only brings her closer to terrifying truths of the administration. Secrets told to keep the citizens safe turn out to be lies to keep them in line. Those in power manipulate from the shadows behind whispers and fear. Because if Jordan is brave enough to look past the veil, a mad wasteland awaits.
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A "Matrix" social experience
- By SD on 12-31-19
By: Jonathan Yanez
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Plague of Shadows
- By: Howard Andrew Jones
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The race is on to free Lord Stelan from the grip of a wasting curse, and only his old, half-elf mercenary companion Elyana has the wisdom - and swordcraft - to solve the mystery of his tormentor and free her old friend before three days have passed and the illness takes its course.
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Good -- rough recording IMO
- By Nico Ecenarro on 01-23-17
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What listeners say about The Bear of Byzantium
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- Anonymous User
- 04-15-23
great book 😊
it was a great book to read.
characters are good, and story line well thought out.
And the reader, does a great job reading the book.
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- Darren Colvin
- 07-02-23
Well done!!
I liked Turney’s decision to take an eastern route in his telling of the Viking story. There are lots of stories told about Viking exploits in England and France. Not many talk about their expansion down the Dnieper River to the Black and Byzantium. For anyone who likes historical fiction, particularly the Viking era, you will enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment of Hafdan and the crew.
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