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The Grace of Kings
- The Dandelion Dynasty
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins
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Interview: Ken Liu on The Dandelion Dynasty series
Publisher's summary
Two men rebel together against tyranny - and then become rivals - in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards.
Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they both find themselves the leaders of separate factions - two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.
Fans of intrigue, intimate plots, and action will find a new series to embrace in the Dandelion Dynasty.
About the Creator
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When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.
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Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India.After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt.
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Postmortem of an Empire and the Dream that United
- By James on 02-26-15
By: Mary Renault
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Battle of Kings
- By: M. K. Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In the town of Segontium a wild storm washes a fugitive ashore. He brutally rapes the granddaughter of the ruler of the Deceangli tribe, leaving her to bear his son, Myrddion Merlinus (Merlin). Spurned as a demon seed, the child is raised by his grandmother and, as soon as he turns nine, he is apprenticed to a skilled alchemist who hones the boy’s remarkable gift of prophecy. Meanwhile, the High King of the Britons, Vortigern, is rebuilding the ancient fortress at Dinas Emrys.
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Underrated book author and narrator!
- By Zachary on 04-15-22
By: M. K. Hume
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The Thief
- By: Megan Whalen Turner
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Eugenides, the queen's thief, can steal anything - or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king's magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he's in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own.
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Great book, wrong narrator
- By andrew on 06-03-17
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Ramses
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- By: Christian Jacq
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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An epic re-creation of the exhilarating and mysterious time when the Sun King ruled Egypt, Ramses, the Son of Light, has become the rage in France. With over two million copies sold, it is the greatest publishing phenomenon to hit the shelves there in 20 years. Rameses is only 14 when his father, the Pharaoh Seti, begins testing his true mettle. Being the younger of two sons, the proud Ramses has a problem with being relegated to second place.
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Teenager drama with little insight into Egyptian culture
- By Consuelo on 10-24-17
By: Christian Jacq
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Shadowmarch
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- By: Tad Williams
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For generations the misty Shadowline has marked the boundary between the lands of men and the lost northern lands that are the lair of their inhuman enemies, the ageless Qar. But now that boundary line is moving outward, threatening to engulf the northernmost land in which humans still live - the kingdom of Southmarch.
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It's the characters that matter...
- By JC on 11-09-10
By: Tad Williams
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Fire from Heaven
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- By: Mary Renault
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Performance
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Alexander's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations.
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Renewed Pleasure
- By James on 01-28-15
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Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet
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Born into the factious world of war-torn Arabia, Muhammad's life is a gripping and inspiring story of one man's tireless fight for unity and peace. In a world where greed and injustice ruled, Muhammad created change by affecting hearts and minds. Just as the story of Jesus embodies the message of Christianity, Muhammad's life reveals the core of Islam. Deepak Chopra shares the life of Muhammad as never before, putting his teachings in a new light.
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Poorly written and poorly narrated
- By Shahrad Milanfar on 10-21-10
By: Deepak Chopra MD
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Black Wolves
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
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Overall
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Performance
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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?"
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Very engaging. Can't wait for book 2
- By Claudia Alderman on 01-15-16
By: Kate Elliott
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I, the Sun
- By: Janet Morris
- Narrated by: Chistopher Crosby Morris
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This is the saga of the Hittite King Suppiluliumas, and rings with authenticity and the passion of a world that existed 1400 years before the birth of Christ. They called him Great King, Favorite of the Storm God, the Valiant. He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of 18th Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.
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Wonderfully Researched and Fantastic Performance.
- By Rev. Zombie on 07-08-15
By: Janet Morris
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Magdalen Rising
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- By: Elizabeth Cunningham
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Young Magdalen and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Their pleasure is overshadowed by a brilliant but unbalanced druid who knows a perilous secret about Maeve's past. The prequel to The Passion of Mary Magdalen.
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The Story as Maeve meant you to hear it!
- By Elizabeth Cunningham on 07-27-15
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Dragon's Child
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- By: M. K. Hume
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The future of Britain is at stake. In the turbulent times of the Dark Ages, the despotic Uther Pendragon, High King of Celtic Britain, is nearing death, and his kingdom is being torn apart by the squabbling of minor kings. But only one man can bring the Celts together as a nation and restore peace - King Arthur. Artorex (Arthur) doesn't yet seem like the great man he will grow into. We meet him as a shy, subservient twelve-year-old living in the foster home of Lord Ector, who took in Artorex as a babe to protect him from murderous kin.
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A Dry, Dull Tale, Marred in "Realism"
- By Steven on 09-21-15
By: M. K. Hume
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Atrocious. Almost abusive.
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What listeners say about The Grace of Kings
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Soprano
- 09-29-17
meh
only listened because I'm a fan of kramer. books okay I couldn't really get into it till the last nit, so I'm going to give the 2nd book a try.
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- Austin
- 05-21-15
Should have been several books
Wonderful story. Left me wanting more. Some books are 800 pages and should have been 300. This book was 800 pages and should have been three or four books of 800 pages. If they were I would have listened to them all.
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- E
- 01-23-23
Beautiful story telling
The structure and flow of this book is a treat to immerse yourself in. I listened to the entire book while working on my embroidery and it kept me inspired and working for the entire length. I broke my heart when the story ended even though the story had run it’s full corse. I can’t wait to start the next book in the series.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-16-20
...
Painful middle. Kramer couldn't save this one. Would not rec. war descriptions were the best part.
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- zacket
- 06-14-15
A Wonderfully Imaginative Tale of Sweeping Scope
What did you love best about The Grace of Kings?
The world building, and mixture of cultures is wonderfully imaginative. Adding Airships to a story might give you the impression that the book will lean on all the tired old steampunk tropes, but nothing could be further from the truth. Ken Liu has managed to create something entirely fresh and new.
The novel leans heavily on backstory and expository passages, interspersed with brief dialog. However, due to the style and the light touch with which this is done, it never bogs the story down or detracts from the action. Generally I don't like when writers employ this style, but I think it works in this case.
From a plot perspective, the plot primarily moves forward due to a series of incredible luck on the part of the main character, Kuni Garu. The solutions to the problems he encounters are often the fortunate combination of finding someone with just the right preternatural skill, while his opponents adopt a weakness of thought and strategy they have never shown previously. I still enjoyed Kuni Garu's successes, the solutions just seemed a bit too convenient.
The only thing I found somewhat disappointing was the transformation of the secondary character, Mata Zindu. In the opening acts he is an admirable and believable character, but gradually transforms into a more one dimensional fool. The events that precipitate this fall are well defined and well told, but I just thought it would have been more interesting if we had any reason to continue to root for Mata as well as Kuni, and we never do.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I didn't really have a favorite character, although I really liked all of Kuni's advisors and compatriots. If I had to pick, I would say Tazu, because Michael Kramer's performance of the Trickster God was particularly fantastic.
Have you listened to any of Michael Kramer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Michael Kramer was excellent as always. I particularly enjoyed his performance as the Trickster God, Tazu. He really lent the character a sense of menacing bravado, and desire to have fun at the expense of others.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I had several extreme reactions during specific scenes. There moments where I laughed out loud, and moments that caused me to catch my breath in horror.
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- Christopher
- 12-09-19
Froth with surprising depth
What fun! This book is elegant, passionate, and just plain fun to listen to, both because of Ken Liu's magnificent writing, and because Michael Kramer is a master of his art of narration. This book is the sketch of a master, where deft strokes draw the reader into completing a picture that is full of emotional depth, moral complexity, and deeply realized characters, all of whom one ends up rooting for, knowing all the while that it's impossible for all of them to find their happy ending.
A tour de force!
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- Tkinsey3
- 07-26-22
An Interesting Choice From Liu - Hard To Put Down!
By all accounts, this book should not work. It's not really a novel, in the conventional sense.
Rather, it is a (fictional) historical account of the rise and fall of many different powers over decades in the island nation of Daru, and it reads almost like a mythological retelling. It actually reminded me the most of Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, though this story is based on Chinese history instead of Norse.
The story bounces around between many different characters and stories, and can at times be difficult to keep up with. Eventually, though it settles on two specific characters - Kuni and Mata - and their friendship, eventual falling out, and their ultimate battle for the heart of Dara.
I initially was unsure if I would like it, and I still don't view it as a 5 Star read, but it did eventually hook me pretty hard, and I enjoyed myself. I really like the character of Kuni (feels like an Asian Matrim Cauthon), and the story got very good.
Even though this is essentially one large Prologue/Backstory for the rest of the series, I enjoyed it much more than expected. Michael Kramer's narration is great, as always.
I recommend the book, but with the caveat of knowing what you are in for - this book is different!
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- Tanner Boone
- 08-10-18
Michael Kramer can bring even this story to life.
Even if the story isn't that great Michael Kramer can tell it like it is.
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- JakeTheSnake
- 10-23-21
Epic History Meets Contemporary Fantasy
I think some of the reason that people don't like this book as much is that they don't seem to know what the author was going for. This book reads something like a mix between a ancient historical epic with elements of modern fantasy storytelling mixed in. As someone who loves each of those things on its own, I was fascinated and enthralled by Liu's mix of the two kinds of stories. It is different than most fantasy books these days, but I loved it. maybe it is because I am also a history nut and love reading the old epics too, but this was one of my favorite books I've read in a long time.
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- Shandra McClanahan
- 05-29-21
like reading a fictional history textbook
the world is beautifully built, and the description is vivid, but there is not solid characters to experience the story through. it's not an enjoyable read.
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