mispronounciations make the book unlistenable

I've enjoyed Eddings' Belgariad and Malorean, so I thought I'd like this trilogy. So far, it's typical Eddings, with a bit more convoluted politics, and a fairly slow leadup to the main quest part of the story. The narrator, however, ruins whatever enjoyment I'd have, however. He's limited, and recognizes his limitations, doesn't try to voices, for example. But his mispronunciations are making the book unlistenable. One word, in particular, is "hierarchy" - it's used a lot in the book, and the narrator consistently massacres it, which jerks me out of the story every time he hits the word. I'm not sure I'm going to continue on with the trilogy because of this.

38 people found this helpful

Quirky pronunciations but overall a worthy job.

I read the Elenium and Tamuli serieses back in 1996 when I was sixteen. I'd just finished reading the Belgariad and Malloreon novels earlier that spring, so I was slightly disappointed that the Elenium and its sequel series took a different turn. But the humor found in what has become one of if not my absolute favorite fantasy serieses continues in the Elenium universe. The Elenium tells the story of Sir Sparhawk, a member of an order of knights known as the Pandions, soldiers of the church of the Elene God, a deity similar in many ways to the Christian god. His worshippers often behave in similar ways as well, right down to the inflexibility and intolerance of other religions that some Christian fundamentalists display. The Pandion Knights, however, as well as the three other Militant Orders of the Church, are exempt from certain restrictions of Church law, such as the prohibition against the practice of magic.
Sparhawk, having just returned from a ten-year exile from Elenia, comes home to a much-changed kingdom. King Aldreas is dead, seemingly killed by the Falling Sickness, and his daughter, the strong-willed Queen Ehlana, is suffering from a fatal disease and being sustained by powerful Styric magic while the search for a cure is undertaken. But now the kingdom is being run by the corrupt Primate Annias, who seeks dominion of the Elene church. It soon becomes apparent, however, that something far more sinister than ordinary politics is at work.
Greg Abby's narration is very well-done, although I did notice that he tended to mispronounce some fairly common words such as Impudent or Hexagonal. His voice, however, reminds me of a combination of those of actors Neil Dickson and Lex Lang. In short, very well-done aside from the quirky pronunciations. He does manage to give life to the many characters in the story. When humor is called for he manages to pull it off quite nicely. In short I'm glad I bought the series.

28 people found this helpful

Could have been

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not. The story line is pretty good, but it was hard listening because of the reader. I think it could have been good, with a good reader.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrators timing, emphasis and inflection were all wrong. I found it so irritating to listen to that I had to stop listening several times. I wouldn't normally bother finishing a book with a reader like this, but the story had potential and then, I had already listened to all of my downloaded books and had to wait for my new credits. I won't be listening to the rest of the series!

24 people found this helpful

Love the book, not the narrator

I love these books. They are great, classic fantasy. I red them years ago and was thrilled to see the audio release. But the narrator leaves a lot to be desired. He mispronounces many words, like impudent and hexagonal, and unfortunately those words and others he butchers, are in the story a lot. He seems only to have a few voices, and his street slang american accent just did not work for me. The stories are worth it, but I hope the next series has a different narrator.

21 people found this helpful

Surprise book

The first part was slow and I thought for sure this book was a dud, but when Sparhawk's friends enter the story they liven it up. I am very picky about my fantasy stories and this is one that has made my list. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good book.

16 people found this helpful

My favorite Eddings Series

Opinions varied on David Eddings throughout his life, but I really like this series. Yes, his work is derivative but he is good at following the formula he developed. This serues was more gritty and mature than the Belgariad and Mallorean. I read this series as a young adult and was pleased to find that it holds up just as well in audio format.

Maybe I am in the minority but I had no problems with the narrarator and really liked this novel . Eddings did tend to write more for young adults (basically the J.K. rowling of my childhood) which is good because I was able to listen to a book I loved as a child with my daughter who is about the same age. After listening to the series with me she made me buy them in print and she read them repeatedly until the books fell apart. That is a pretty major endorsement.

This one is definitely worth a credit.

13 people found this helpful

Tough Talking. do nothings

This is my third and last Eddings book.

We almost need a new Fantasy sub genre. Books should be listed as "All Talk, but do Nothing Books.

12 people found this helpful

Love the story but the narrator needed work!

Any additional comments?

I have have enjoyed this series for years but this is my first listen on audiobook. I have to say I am so disappointed that the narrator didn't bother to learn the correct pronunciation of words and names. It seems so elementary an idea to get the basics right. Each time he mangles a name or word it jars you from the story. Additionally, his voice portrayal of several of the characters are so incongruous to the story. There was so much potential to bring this story to life but it fell short. The narrator is not without talent but was apparently lacking in direction. Still love the books but I'm unsure if I can continue to listen to the audio version.

10 people found this helpful

Not good

The plot, characters, and dialog are all written as if this were a children's book (ages 10 to 12) and I was going to pass it on to my daughters, but the whore-houses, pederastics, and incestual relationships prevent that. The dialog is so banal as to be painful and the narrator exacerbates this trait.

10 people found this helpful

amazing book, terrible narrator ...

If you could sum up The Diamond Throne in three words, what would they be?

enjoyable, fun, memorable

Who was your favorite character and why?

sparhawk ... i've always felt an affinity for him growing up as a kid ... i wanted to be a hero just like sparhawk and i think some of that fascination with him has held up over the years ...

How did the narrator detract from the book?

the narrator made the main character, sparhawk--whom i've always assumed was gruff and swarthy--sound like a bad impression of keanu reeves from "point break" ... i kept waiting for sparhawk to whip out a surfboard halfway through the story ...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

sometimes i groaned loudly in dismay when the narrator made one of my favorite characters growing up sound like a braindead & weak surfer dude ...

Any additional comments?

perhaps the narrators should read the book first themselves to get an idea of what type of person certain characters are (at the VERY least the main character) ... the narrator made sparhawk sound weak and unintelligent ... *gameshow buzzer*

8 people found this helpful