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The Privilege of the Sword
- Narrated by: Ellen Kushner, Barbara Rosenblat, Felicia Day, Joe Hurley, Katherine Kellgren, Nick Sullivan, Neil Gaiman
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
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Publisher's summary
Audie Award Nominee, Multi-voiced Performance, 2013
Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), cast the narrators and produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.
The Privilege of the Sword tells the tale of a young girl who risks everything to go live with her eccentric, litigious - and extremely rich – uncle Alec in the colorful city Kushner has created, a city where elegant nobles can mingle with raffish actors one moment and deadly swordsmen the next. Fans of Kushner's first book, Swordspoint, will already be familiar with Alec as the angry young scholar with mysterious origins, living in the city’s Riverside district with a notorious killer swordsman. Now, in The Privilege of the Sword, some years later, Alec is the Mad Duke Tremontaine, living in a mansion on the Hill, still tortured by his past….
But you don’t need to have read Swordspoint to enjoy The Privilege of the Sword. This is the story of Katherine herself, a girl who starts out imagining her life will be a sort of Jane Austen-style romance, full of dances and dresses and parties - but finds that her iconoclastic uncle has other plans. When she gets to his house in the city, the Mad Duke dresses Lady Katherine in men's clothes, gets her a first-rate tutor in swordplay, and sets her loose on a traditional world that is not really ready for her…. Nor, at first, is she ready for it.
A few words from Neil on Privilege of the Sword: "Life hands us so many moments when we hover between who we were raised to be, who the people around us are trying to make us, and who we are trying to become. In Katherine's case, that means encountering a range of people and behaviors her mother never prepared her for - including some shocking acts of violence, both physical and emotional. As one of Kushner’s most charming characters, an actress known as 'The Black Rose', sighs, 'It's all so very difficult, until you get the hang of it.'"
In this exciting new "illuminated production", the author herself reads her own work, supported by a full cast. Author Ellen Kushner is also a popular performer and National Public Radio host (Sound & Spirit). As with her previous audiobooks, the award-winning Witches of Lublin and Swordspoint, Ellen teamed up with Sue Zizza of SueMedia Productions to illuminate certain key scenes with some truly stunning sound elements, including original music commissioned just for this book (!) by composer Nathaniel Tronerud. Ellen Kushner reads all of the first-person narration from Katherine’s own point of view. In scenes where an omniscient narrator takes over, we’ve called on the amazing talents of the award-winning actor Barbara Rosenblat, a woman who's been called "the Meryl Streep of audiodrama". The cast also features Joe Hurley (Alec Campion: the Mad Duke Tremontaine), Felicia Day (Katherine Talbert), Nick Sullivan (Lord Ferris; Arthur Ghent), Katherine Kellgren (Lady Artemesia Fitz-Levi; Teresa Grey; Flavia "the Ugly Girl"), and Neil Gaiman himself (Rogues' Ball Artist)! The artwork used here is an original painting and design by Thomas Canty created exclusively for the Neil Gaiman Presents audiobook edition of The Privilege of the Sword.
Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).
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One of the most beloved authors in the field of historical romance, the remarkable Loretta Chase proves that Silk Is for Seduction. The acclaimed New York Times best-selling author brings listeners the first in a very sexy, emotionally rich new series in which sisters from a rather scandalous aristocratic family - the purveyors of the most fashionable shop in Regency London - discover passion and love as sumptuous as the exquisite gowns they create.
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Pefect Loretta Chase novel!
- By Anne on 12-27-19
By: Loretta Chase
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The Will of the Empress
- By: Tamora Pierce
- Narrated by: Tamora Pierce
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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For years, the Empress of Namorn has pressed her young cousin, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, to visit her vast lands within the Empire's borders. Sandry has avoided the invitation for as long as it was possible. Now, Sandry has agreed to pay that overdue visit. Sandry's uncle promises guards to accompany her. But they're hardly a group of warriors! They're her old friends from Winding Circle: Daja, Tris, and Briar. Sandry hardly knows them now. They've grown up and grown apart.
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from a writer's perspective
- By daniel orzechowski on 05-24-08
By: Tamora Pierce
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You May Kiss the Bride
- The Penhallow Dynasty, Book 1
- By: Lisa Berne
- Narrated by: Carolyn Morris
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Wealthy and arrogant, Gabriel Penhallow knows it's time to fulfill his dynastic duty. All he must do is follow "The Penhallow way" - find a biddable bride, produce an heir and a spare, and then live separate lives. It's worked so well for generations, certainly one kiss with the delectable Livia Stuart isn't going to change things. Society dictates he marry her, and one chit is as good as another as long as she's from a decent family.
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Slow Story. EXCELLENT SUPERB NARRATION!
- By Tracy T on 03-30-17
By: Lisa Berne
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A Duke in Shining Armor
- A Difficult Dukes Novel
- By: Loretta Chase
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley, will never win prizes for virtue. But even he draws the line at running off with his best friend's bride. All he's trying to do is recapture the slightly inebriated Lady Olympia Hightower and return her to her intended bridegroom. For reasons that elude her, bookish, bespectacled Olympia is supposed to marry a gorgeous rake of a duke. The ton is flabbergasted. Her family's ecstatic. And Olympia? She's climbing out of a window, bent on a getaway.
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Wonderfully humorous and entertaining!
- By Millie Hill on 12-13-17
By: Loretta Chase
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The River of No Return
- By: Bee Ridgway
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Bee Ridgway’s wildly inventive debut novel, The River of No Return, blends romance, conspiracy, and time travel for a tale sure to intrigue listeners. When soldier and aristocrat Nick Falcott is sent from a Napoleonic battlefield in 1815 to modern-day London, he never expects to go back - until the Guild calls for him. Returning home as if from the dead, Nick reunites with his lost love, Julia Percy, and enlists her help in finding a mysterious object known as the Talisman.
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great book, but sudden ending ruined the good will
- By Shelly on 04-27-14
By: Bee Ridgway
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Closer to Home
- Valdemar: The Herald Spy, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Mags was once an enslaved orphan living a harsh life in the mines, until the King's Own Herald discovered his talent and trained him as a spy. Now a Herald in his own right, at the newly established Heralds' Collegium, Mags has found a supportive family, including his Companion Dallen.Although normally a Herald in his first year of Whites would be sent off on circuit, Mags is needed close to home for his abilities as a spy and his powerful Mindspeech gift.
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Great story !!
- By T on 10-19-14
By: Mercedes Lackey
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Florence Grace
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Florrie Buckley is an orphan living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence, but Florrie is content; she runs wild in the mysterious landscape. She thinks her destiny is set in stone. But when Florrie is 14, she inherits a never-imagined secret. She is related to a wealthy and notorious London family: the Graces.
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Utterly brilliant!!!
- By Maria on 07-04-16
By: Tracy Rees
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The Sisters of Versailles
- Mistresses of Versailles Series # 1
- By: Sally Christie
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters - Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne - four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail.Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife.
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Best book I've listened to in ages
- By Dr. A. on 01-09-16
By: Sally Christie
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The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
- Mackenzies Series, Book 1
- By: Jennifer Ashley
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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It was whispered all through London Society that Ian Mackenzie was mad, that he’d spent his youth in an asylum, and was not to be trusted - especially with a lady. For the reputation of any woman caught in his presence was instantly ruined. Yet Beth found herself inexorably drawn to the Scottish lord, whose hint of a brogue wrapped around her like silk and whose touch could draw her into a world of ecstasy.
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Perfect
- By Pookie_Plans on 03-09-21
By: Jennifer Ashley
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My Lady Notorious
- Malloren Series, Book 1
- By: Jo Beverley
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Desperate to help her widowed sister and baby escape a deadly pursuer, Lady Chastity Ware dresses as a highwayman and captures the first coach to travel down the road. Coming face-to-face with its occupant, the arrogant aristocrat Cyn Malloren, she orders him to drive her to a remote cottage. Little does Chastity realize that after long months of recovering from his war wounds, the handsome Cyn is looking for adventure, and being abducted by a cocky highwayman - obviously a lovely woman in disguise - is even more than he had hoped for.
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At Last!
- By Bee on 03-23-14
By: Jo Beverley
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Ace of Hearts
- By: Barbara Metzger
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Ace Endicott, the Earl of Carde, needs a woman who will give him an heir, but he never expects to be engaged to three different women, or to become the laughingstock of the gossip columnists. Escaping this London nightmare, he takes a chance and comes up with a winning hand in the game of love.
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Fun Read, but cliffhanger ending
- By Julia Aryeh on 08-09-09
By: Barbara Metzger
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The Wild Baron
- Baron, Book 1
- By: Catherine Coulter
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Catherine Coulter introduces the dashing Carrington brothers with the story of Rohan, a man with a rakish reputation but a heart of pure gold.
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Super
- By Glenda Begnoche on 09-14-18
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Quatrain
- Twelve Houses, Book 0.5
- By: Sharon Shinn
- Narrated by: Eva Wilhelm
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses books have fascinated fans and critics alike with their irresistible blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure. Now in Quatrain, she weaves compelling stories in four of the worlds that fans love in "Flight", "Blood", "Gold", and "Flame".
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Lovely set of novellas, description needs updated
- By Lindsay C. on 09-25-20
By: Sharon Shinn
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Steam and Sorcery
- By: Cindy Spencer Pape
- Narrated by: Helen Stern
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess....
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light read
- By Marcelina on 02-07-13
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Luck in the Shadows
- Nightrunner, Book 1
- By: Lynn Flewelling
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things, none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec's new mentor.
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Fantastic Series! Homophobes, shut up!
- By Ted on 09-23-11
By: Lynn Flewelling
What listeners say about The Privilege of the Sword
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Damaris
- 09-23-12
Surprising and Refreshing!
Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?
I think Neil Gaiman is a fabulous narrator no matter which roles he takes on. Otherwise, i truly love the character of Katherine who is so naive and lovable and heroic all in one go and she was brought to life really well too.
Any additional comments?
I can't remember the last time i've read a book which doesn't fit into one of the main trends out there: dystopian, supernatural / vampires / angels etc and was really captivating. Watching the young katherine grown and take on substance in a world of men was fun. The story line is so well written it feels light and bubbly and quirky and charming whilst bringing up tough subjects such as sexual abuse, equal rights, power and responsibility. I'm impressed!
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2 people found this helpful
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- David Fitzpatrick
- 09-02-15
Volume issues
The voice acting is great, but many moments I had to replay as it was far too quiet. Shortly following by yelling that was too loud!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Okara
- 07-30-16
Thank you so much Ellen Kushner
What made the experience of listening to The Privilege of the Sword the most enjoyable?
I CAN NOT express how exceedingly happy i was to experience it with a full cast, sound effects, and music. it was like being at a small showing of a play, performed right into my mind.
What did you like best about this story?
Just about one of the most interesting, unpredictable, endearing, and adventurous novels I've come across in a long time. I found it absolutely delightful, delectable, and devoid of any ill-fitting character choices or plot developments.
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I pretty much squealed with joy at the effect it created and sense of immersion it gave me...multiple times.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
the bit of sensible romance that did occur was so unexpected and hardly necessary to keep my attention, but was introduced and handled swimmingly and naturally....i just loved it so much.
Any additional comments?
Thank you SO MUCH Ellen Kushner.
I'm honored to have experienced this these characters and this story.
Thank you so much Neil Gaiman.
I've never been so thrilled by an audio book as to feel i was plopped into the middle of a play.
I'm currently attempting to refrain from giving Audible all my money, just to devour ALL of this series as soon as possible.
You. Must. Read.
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- Dustin
- 07-11-13
NOT AS GOOD AS THE FIRST ONE
Any additional comments?
THIS STORY I HAD HIGH HOPES FOR WITH NEW GREAT SWORDSMEN AND IT SEEM TO BE A LOT OF TALK NO REAL ACTION.
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- Patrick T hughes
- 12-04-19
Needs better editing for the readers
The audio was not up to the standard that I’ve grown accustomed to bad engineering I guess a good story and I’m going to listen to another book by this author...a bit over the top by some of the readers...would like to hear it again with a different cast ...Patrick Hughes
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-26-12
This is how to do a multi-voice production!
I would recommend both books in this series. They are fairy tales with adult themes, a vividly drawn world and the absolute best audio production ever. Neil Gaiman has put together the most outstanding team to produce this book which is actually read by the author and former radio host, Ellen Kushner.
The audio production uses multiple voices and sound effects. The various voices slide into the narration without interrupting the flow of the story adding a rich, vibrant texture to the story. The sound effects are not as seamless but that is as it should be since they are used to show the transitions in the narrative. This production is the gold standard by which I will judge all future multi-voice narrations. I am afraid most will fall far short.
Ellen Kushner knows her archetypes and plays with them beautifully. Although set in a time of swords, carriages and masked balls, her heroine meets challenges and grows in very modern ways. Her guide through this process is her uncle, the Mad Duke. With benign neglect, he offers her an unorthodox upbringing in his chaotic world.
Her themes are too adult for kids or I would have shared this with my granddaughter on a recent road trip. I would have loved to introduce her to the heroine. I will recommend this to my friends who love an off beat fairy tale and an outstanding audio experience.
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19 people found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 09-27-12
Thanks, Neil Gaiman!
Where does The Privilege of the Sword rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I've not listened to very many audiobooks, but it is definitely a great one.
What did you like best about this story?
The story is great - strong female character defying gender stereotypes - not entirely genre, but alt-universe. Swordfighting, political intrigue and great romance.
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Fantastic narration all around - made that much better during party scenes when additional voices were added to the mix. The author is fantastic, but the breadth of emotion and the different speaking styles of the additional actors really created a deeper world. Barbara Rosenblatt was terrific.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed out loud a few times and got misty eyed as well. It's touching and amusing.
Any additional comments?
Definitely a treat. Have to thank Neil Gaiman Presents for turning me on to a new author - and with such panache.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Jessica
- 09-01-13
It was ok ... I guess
I guess I went into this expecting to be blown away (Neil Gaimon clearly adores it, after all), but it was rather underwhelming. The protagonist's utter mastery of the sword after what appears to be only a few weeks worth of lessons was odd to say the least, and some other characters seemed rather underdeveloped, particularly as relates to a love-story subplot that just seemed to be based on convenience and proximity of the lovers rather than true passion. It all felt pretty 'meh'.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Carolyn
- 08-20-12
Fun listen
Fun listen, it has great music, a good cast, and an even better story than the first book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Sarra
- 08-04-13
Unusual fantasy, and an unusual audiobook
I enjoyed the story, without having read the previous book. The characters were complex, and I enjoyed how my understanding of them evolved over the course of the story. The main character was relatable, and I enjoyed her passion and strength. The Duke was mysterious, and well voiced.
The audiobook did something unusual by adding some sound effects in, with very mixed results. Some of them were useful in setting the scene, like the party sounds, but I HATED the metal clashing sound that they used at the opening of the sword practice sessions. That sound is what pulled my performance rating down to three stars, since it almost made me stop listening.
However, I did keep up with it and I enjoyed it in the end.
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1 person found this helpful