The Incense Game
A Novel of Feudal Japan
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Narrated by:
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Bernadette Dunne
About this listen
In the wake of a terrifying earthquake, Sano Ichiro races to solve a crime that could bring down the shogun's regime. When a massive earthquake devastates Japan in 1703, even the shogun's carefully regulated court is left teetering on the brink of chaos. This is no time for a murder investigation - except when a nobleman's daughters are found dead from incense poisoning and their father threatens to topple the regime unless Sano Ichiro tracks down the killer.
As Sano and his wife strive to solve the case in a world that is crumbling around them, Laura Joh Rowland - author of one of the "five best historical mystery novels" (The Wall Street Journal) - brings us her most powerful and evocative thriller yet.
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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.
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Love it...just one complaint....
- By Ryan Conrad on 03-15-14
By: P. N. Elrod
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The Architect's Apprentice
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Piter Marek
- Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1540, 12-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history.
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I feel like I should like it more than I do
- By nyog on 04-19-17
By: Elif Shafak
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The Moon in the Palace
- The Empress of Bright Moon, Book 1
- By: Weina Dai Randel
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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There is no easy path for a woman aspiring to power. A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the emperor's attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. But young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the emperor a gift he can never forget.
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One of the most annoying narrations
- By Foodiewife on 01-28-17
By: Weina Dai Randel
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Death of a Darklord
- Ravenloft: The Covenant, Book 1
- By: Laurell K. Hamilton
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Death of a Darklord focuses on a young woman who finds that she has a talent for magic in a land and a family unforgiving of such abilities. Her tragic attempts to redeem herself in the eyes of her family involve aiding them on their quest to end the dark magic that has destroyed a neighboring town.
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The nail in the coffin...
- By STEPHEN and REGAN on 03-30-13
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Grave Mercy
- His Fair Assassin, Book 1
- By: Robin LaFevers
- Narrated by: Rachel Frawley
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
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Good premise, poorly executed
- By Vanessa on 06-28-23
By: Robin LaFevers
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A Shadow in Summer
- Long Price Quartet, Book 1
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit Seedless, an and at bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity.
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REALLY Hard to Rate!
- By Trip Williams on 04-27-15
By: Daniel Abraham
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Rosemarked
- By: Livia Blackburne
- Narrated by: Angela Lin, Vikas Adam
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it's only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she's destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art - until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill. Broken by torture at the hands of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he'll do anything to free them from Amparan rule - even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.
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My first book review ever (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
- By Ileana on 11-21-17
By: Livia Blackburne
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Descendant of the Crane
- By: Joan He
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Sexy
- By Alyssa on 08-03-20
By: Joan He
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Transformation
- Rai-Kirah, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Seriously Excellent
- By Sharon on 09-25-13
By: Carol Berg
What listeners say about The Incense Game
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah
- 09-20-13
Brilliant Execution
What made the experience of listening to The Incense Game the most enjoyable?
Bernadette Dunne's voice just somehow fit Rowland's writing style. It fluctuated with energy where it was needed and it legitimately felt like I was listening to the characters dialogue around me. Though I didn't quite imagine some of the characters to sound the way she portrayed them, it still worked and I've very pleased with this. Only listen if you've read/listened to the first fifteen books in the series (you won't regret reading one of her books).
What other book might you compare The Incense Game to and why?
The Sugawara, Akitada series by I.J. Parker. Though the Sano Ichiro series is set and the Edo era circa 1500s - 1800s and Sugawara is set in the Heian era circa 700-1200, I think these two detectives (though very different in social ranking and society, etc.) are very similar in their casework and relationships...though Akitada is a bit more hot-headed (I mean he was born into The Kyoto Nobility of the Heian era, he is bound to be a bit more spoiled than Ichiro who was born into the samurai caste of the edo period before working his way up, he knows how to keep a more level head.)
Which scene was your favorite?
SPOILER ALERT: When Reiko finally tells Sano that's she's pregnant with their third child and Marume finally laughs again! Made me emotional :)
Any additional comments?
I've read this series over the years and I almost feel like I've grown with these characters. It's definitely worth the investment of time if your genuinely enjoy classical Japanese history.
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- Anna
- 10-07-12
Recommended
I have read a few books in the Sano Ichiro series and I would definitely recommend. This series is accessible to absolutely anyone who loves a good mystery novel despite its exotic (to me) setting. The narrator was excellent and to my ear (although I am no expert) the pronounciation seemed true enough.
However this instalment in the series was a little overly-theatrical, in particular the finale. I would usually never suggest changing up the characters (I'm usually more of a "if it ain't broke don't, don't fix it" kind of reader) but some aspects *cough* Yanagisawa and the Shogun *cough* grow rather tiresome after a few readings - if you aren't going to add any extra dimensions to the character (especially villains/adversaries) they become clichés! Also I don't like the idea of throwing too many roadblocks in the main characters way, after a while you stop admiring them as underdogs and start wondering when he/she is going to be revealed as a superhuman being.
But despite these qualms it was an interesting mystery, albeit a little overplayed.
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- Alexander Riley
- 04-15-24
The Drama
This was well written and presented. The authors drama in this story was excellent and the narration pulls you into the vivid moments of the drama as unfolds.
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- Debra
- 03-25-13
Good if know series
What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?
I like her -- she fits for this series.
Any additional comments?
This book is good but not a stand out in the series. It is contrived that he must start all over again. I like the series very much it just seems too caught up in the back story now and not enough about the mysteries themselves.
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1 person found this helpful