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The Emperor's Knife

Book One of the Tower and Knife Trilogy

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The Emperor's Knife

Auteur(s): Mazarkis Williams
Narrateur(s): Paul Boehmer
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À propos de cet audio

There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that marks each victim with a fragment of a greater design. Geometric patterns spread across the skin, until the victim dies in agony or becomes a Carrier, doing the bidding of an evil intelligence. The lost prince Sarmin, the emperor's only surviving brother, lies locked in a hidden room. As the pattern draws closer to the palace he is at last remembered: now he awaits a bride, Mesema, a Windreader from the northern plains.

She is accustomed to riding free across the grasslands and finds the Imperial Court stifling, but she soon realizes the politicking is not a game. It is deadly earnest. Eyul, the imperial assassin, is burdened by the atrocities he has committed. As commanded, he bears the emperor's Knife to the desert in search of a cure for the pattern-markings.

As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence, the enemy moves towards victory. Now only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who saw a path in a pattern once, among the waving grasses.

©2011 Mazarkis Williams (P)2013 Audible Inc. Fantastique Fantastique épique Fiction Épique Redevances
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Good story. I am a fan of the narrator but with this reading it was hard to separate the scenes and characters at first. Character voice differences aren’t obvious unless switching between male and female, and scene changes often happen with barely a break. I re-listened a lot at first. I almost gave up but glad that I didn’t because after I mapped the characters I really enjoyed the story. I will get the next book.

Really liked the story but difficult beginning

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I wanted to like this but I found it hard to follow the story especially the "Pattern" magic system. The characters were ok but I didn't feel drawn to any of them. The writing was too expository and not enough action and very slow in many spots. This was made worse by the narrator. It appears he narrates a lot of non-fiction and he read this book as such, like a documentary instead of a tale of fantasy.

Struggled

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I got this book specifically because I enjoy Paul Boehmer’s narrative style: he does a great job but this story didn’t hit on all cylinders. An interesting world but too many characters for me to keep track off. I did enjoy the political intrigue and the effects of “the marks.”

Not sure I’ll continue the series…

Boehmer rocks!

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The collaborative writing tandem known as "Mazarkis Williams" (yes, this author isn't an individual person) provides a thought-provoking reality where Viziers, Princesses, Nomadic Tribeswomen, Assassins, and Evil Sorcerers (the mysterious "Pattern Master" in this story) dwell.. living in harems or defying emperors & royal families as they ride about in camel caravans across the desert.
The plot is imaginative & cerebral, but mired in political themes, slowly paced, and notably light on action (and that which is there is unimaginatively-choreographed). My mind wandered annoyingly frequently while listening to this one.

Fortuitously for audiobook consumers, the reading performance from Paul Boehmer is well above average. True, he occasonally exhibits an odd staccato cadence, but his spot-on diction, comfortable timbre, and obviously interested tone are accompanied by realistic, distinctive voice-acting and exemplary technical support from Audible Studios Inc.

'The Emperor's Knife' rates 6 stars out of 10. It was a serviceable distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons, but it didn't impress me enough to prompt reading further in the 'Tower and Knife' series. If you can get this book as a 'Plus' selection, feel free to give it a try - it could very well work better for you than it did for me - but save your Credit for something else should they ask for one.

Acceptable 'Arabian Nights'-like Fantasy

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