-
The King Must Die
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Series: Theseus, Book 1
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $23.75
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Bull from The Sea
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second instalment in the story of the legendary hero begins with Theseus' triumphant return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur. Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: He still must confront the Amazons; capture their queen, Hippolyta; and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage.
-
-
Vintage Mary Renault
- By DPD on 08-30-19
By: Mary Renault
-
Fire from Heaven
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Renewed Pleasure
- By James on 01-28-15
By: Mary Renault
-
Funeral Games
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Postmortem of an Empire and the Dream that United
- By James on 02-26-15
By: Mary Renault
-
The Last of the Wine
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexias, a young Athenian of good family, grows up just as the Peloponnesian War is drawing to a close. The adult world he enters is one in which the power and influence of his class have been undermined by the forces of war, and more and more Alexias finds himself drawn to the controversial teachings of Sokrates.
-
-
Portrayal Unbridled Lust of a Bacchanalian? NOT!
- By James on 04-14-15
By: Mary Renault
-
Julian
- A Novel
- By: Gore Vidal
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner, George Newbern, David de Vries, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian the Apostate, nephew of Constantine the Great, was one of the brightest yet briefest lights in the history of the Roman Empire. A military genius on the level of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, a graceful and persuasive essayist, and a philosopher devoted to worshipping the gods of Hellenism, he became embroiled in a fierce intellectual war with Christianity that provoked his murder at the age of thirty-two, only four years into his brilliantly humane and compassionate reign.
-
-
Brilliant narration!
- By Abhishek Deepak on 10-23-19
By: Gore Vidal
-
The Persian Boy
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.
-
-
History Brought to Vivid Life
- By Carol on 02-08-15
By: Mary Renault
-
The Bull from The Sea
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second instalment in the story of the legendary hero begins with Theseus' triumphant return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur. Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: He still must confront the Amazons; capture their queen, Hippolyta; and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage.
-
-
Vintage Mary Renault
- By DPD on 08-30-19
By: Mary Renault
-
Fire from Heaven
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Renewed Pleasure
- By James on 01-28-15
By: Mary Renault
-
Funeral Games
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Postmortem of an Empire and the Dream that United
- By James on 02-26-15
By: Mary Renault
-
The Last of the Wine
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexias, a young Athenian of good family, grows up just as the Peloponnesian War is drawing to a close. The adult world he enters is one in which the power and influence of his class have been undermined by the forces of war, and more and more Alexias finds himself drawn to the controversial teachings of Sokrates.
-
-
Portrayal Unbridled Lust of a Bacchanalian? NOT!
- By James on 04-14-15
By: Mary Renault
-
Julian
- A Novel
- By: Gore Vidal
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner, George Newbern, David de Vries, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian the Apostate, nephew of Constantine the Great, was one of the brightest yet briefest lights in the history of the Roman Empire. A military genius on the level of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, a graceful and persuasive essayist, and a philosopher devoted to worshipping the gods of Hellenism, he became embroiled in a fierce intellectual war with Christianity that provoked his murder at the age of thirty-two, only four years into his brilliantly humane and compassionate reign.
-
-
Brilliant narration!
- By Abhishek Deepak on 10-23-19
By: Gore Vidal
-
The Persian Boy
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.
-
-
History Brought to Vivid Life
- By Carol on 02-08-15
By: Mary Renault
-
The Mask of Apollo
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a vivid depiction of Ancient Greece and its legendary heroes, The Mask of Apollo tells the story of Nikeratos, the gifted tragic actor at the centre of political and cultural activity in Athens, 400 B. C. Wherever he goes, Nikeratos carries a golden mask of Apollo, a relic and reminder of an age when the theatre was at the height of its greatness and talent. Only a mascot at first, the mask gradually turns into Nikeratos' conscience as he encounters famous thinkers, actors, and philosophers, including the famous Plato himself.
-
-
Mesmerizing
- By P. Toscano on 08-29-17
By: Mary Renault
-
The Charioteer
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After surviving the Dunkirk retreat, Laurie Odell, a young homosexual, critically examines his unorthodox lifestyle and personal relationships, as he falls in love with a young conscientious objector and becomes involved with a circle of world-weary gay men.
-
-
A Gay Classic!
- By Christopher on 02-05-16
By: Mary Renault
-
The Praise Singer
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Tim Bentinck
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in sixth-century Greece at the time of the Tyrants, the Persian Wars, and a great flowering of the arts, this novel takes the form of Simonides' memoirs, written in retirement in Sicily. The author was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and she also wrote "The King Must Die".
-
-
enter a past reminiscent of the 30s and now
- By c. Baerenstein bear on 09-01-19
By: Mary Renault
-
House of Names
- By: Colm Tóibín
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson, Charlie Anson, Pippa Nixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"I have been acquainted with the smell of death." So begins Clytemnestra's tale of her own life in ancient Mycenae, the legendary Greek city from which her husband, King Agamemnon, left when he set sail with his army for Troy. Clytemnestra rules Mycenae now, along with her new lover, Aegisthus, and together they plot the bloody murder of Agamemnon on the day of his return after nine years at war.
-
-
Power. Control. Restraint.
- By David on 06-27-17
By: Colm Tóibín
-
Troy
- The Greek Myths Reimagined
- By: Stephen Fry
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full of tragic heroes, intoxicating love stories, and the unstoppable force of fate, there is no conflict more iconic than the Trojan War. Troy is the story of the epic battle retold by Fry with drama, humor, and vivid emotion. Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Helen, their lovers, and their mortal enemies all burn bright in Fry's compelling prose. This volume invites you to explore a captivating world with a brilliant storyteller as your guide.
-
-
Thank the gods
- By Stefan Filipovits on 06-22-21
By: Stephen Fry
-
Lavinia
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Highly acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin lends a resonant voice to a pivotal yet often overlooked character of Vergil's The Aeneid. Born into peace and freedom, Lavinia is stunned to learn that she will be the cause of a great war - or so the prophecies and omens claim. Her fate is sealed, however, when she meets a man from Troy.
-
-
totally gripping!
- By J. Puttgen on 07-26-09
-
Claudius the God
- By: Robert Graves
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 19 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Graves continues Claudius' story with the epic adulteries of Messalina, King Herod Agrippa's betrayal of his old friend, and the final arrival of that bloodthirsty teenager, Nero.
-
-
Don't Stop With I Claudius
- By Wolfpacker on 07-21-08
By: Robert Graves
-
A Thousand Ships
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen. From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.
-
-
A new Golden Age
- By Stefan Filipovits on 01-26-21
By: Natalie Haynes
-
Ariadne
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Saint
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape.
-
-
We've been spoiled for choice
- By Stefan Filipovits on 05-04-21
By: Jennifer Saint
-
Circe
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child - not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring, like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
-
-
Not worth the hype but still good
- By Yvonne den Besten on 06-21-19
By: Madeline Miller
-
Helen of Troy
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.
-
-
A Very Different Take Than Homer
- By Troy on 08-31-12
By: Margaret George
-
Norse Mythology
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people.
-
-
Great book
- By Amazon Customer on 12-05-19
By: Neil Gaiman
Publisher's Summary
The epic of Thesus, the boy king of Eleusis, ritually preordained to die after one year of marriage to the sacred queen but who defies God's decree and claims his inheritance - the throne of Athens. This re-creation of a Greek myth is written by the author of The Last of the Wine.
Critic Reviews
"Takes the raw material of myth and makes it credible - I am spellbound by Miss Renault's art." ( Observer)
"Vivid and convincing...it brims with feeling." ( Sunday Times)
More from the same
What listeners say about The King Must Die
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lori
- 03-25-15
Finally! An unabridged old favorite
I've loved this book since I first read it 25 years ago as assigned reading for a university course. Mary Renault makes the story of Theseus so plausible. I thoroughly enjoyed the unabridged audio version.
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Brinkman
- 07-15-15
Astounding
Any additional comments?
This is the rare book that functions as a great story regardless of how much of the background material you are familiar with. As a retelling of a classic myth, it reads as a coming-of-age story set in antiquity. But, the more familiar one is with the source material, the more astounding the book becomes. There is a ton of historical referencing done, but the genius of it is that it doesn't stand out from the story, it only serves it. The more you know about the mystery cults of Hellenic and pre-Hellenic Greece, the more fascinating the story goes. A little background reading on the Eleusinian and Bacchic/Dionysus mystery cults, as well as the Minoan culture and Palatial periods and even the volcanic eruption on Thera/Kalliste ca 1500BCE open up an entirely different perspective on Renault's talent. For me, this is the finest historical novel I've read. Kris Dyer's narration here is spot-on as well.
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- =A
- 08-22-18
ever a favorite
When i was a child my mom told me all myths have a kernel of truth behind them, and I have always wondered at the events that might have inspired the legends. This was always my favorite retelling of a myth. Now I am old enough to recognize the research she put into it I am even more impressed.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- j. brown
- 05-11-20
Astonishingly Good!
This is the first book I’ve listened to by Mary Renault and I’m utterly amazed! I joined Audible to listen to the current offer by Margaret George and was very disappointed by a writer I’ve loved for years. So glad I did listen to Ms George because it led me to Ms Renault. Incredible writing and the narration is flawless! I absolutely couldn’t put it down.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wolfe
- 09-02-18
Extremely well written and narrated.
I wanted a little more closure at the ending, But it did make me hungry to learn much more about ancient Greece.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Madeleine Grover
- 12-23-21
Hard to ignore misogyny
I love Greek myth novels and did listen to this entire thing but it’s definitely a bummer the way women are talked about and treated. The narrative voice very much treats women as unthinking and un-human in a way that feels super uncomfortable at times. At other times enjoyable fantasy!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cameron Preston Kruger
- 02-18-21
Archeological Fiction
Enjoy this archeologically based fictional account of Theseus's adventures. Renault has done a great job crafting a plausible history from the myths.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rena Alisa
- 03-16-22
Ancient Greece Brought to Life
Just as wonderful, magical and entertaining as when I first read this 65 years ago.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sharon K Carrell
- 01-17-22
returning home
it's a pleasure to know what I enjoyed reading at 16 sounds just as good listening at 80. if you haven't met Mary Renault see that you do because she is still beautiful Rider. we have Homer only in memory she will do as a substitute a little more could he said in appreciation
-
Overall
- Benjamin Bandy
- 05-21-21
Top tier
This is worth the credit. A treasure to be sure. Godly and human in turn.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Elizabeth Gaylard
- 08-09-20
A magical tale brought to life
I always loved this story, retelling the legend of Theseus. Renault is a cracking story teller. I liked the narrator too, but found the character voices he assumed annoying, affected and stereotypical - a simpler approach on the whole would have sufficed. But it was such a pleasure brought to life I will forgive him!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Bijoux
- 07-13-19
Brilliant Evocation
Such a brilliant story and recreation of Ancient Greece and the hero Theseus. The reader is good but sometimes clunky and his accents for characters are often clumsy. None the less, a wonderful listen.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Pat G
- 03-09-19
Myth brought to life
I would recommend this book to anyone intending to visit Knossos, or anyone who has enjoyed knowing the myths and legends of ancient Greece.
Mary Renault is a scholarly writer with great imagination.
The performance of Kris Dyer enhances the text.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall

- nicolette king
- 07-15-18
Vivid reconstruction of ancient times
Excellently written . I expected it to be dated as the book was written in 1958 but it reads true as all classics do. Excellent plot and reconstruction of the atmosphere and superstitions of those early times. Quite well read by a young voice as Theseus but some terrible pronunciations e.g. Feeb for Phoebe amongst some others but at least he was consistent, so I'm giving the 5 stars for the book itself and 3 for the reader. This has not put me off ordering the sequel however.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- :)
- 01-05-22
Mysogenistic rubbish
Gave up half way though, can't bring myself to actually care what happens to the main character.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anomalous Monist
- 08-06-21
Wonderful, thrilling book, very unsuitable reader
There must have been some reason why this and The Bull from the Sea were given to Kris Dyer to record, but it wasn’t a good one. His voice is light & high & has a tentative quality. This undercuts the emerging characterisation - Theseus is anything but plaintive & indecisive - & Dyer’s range is very limited & quite repetitive.
The book itself is marvellous. I needed an audiobook & listened. But now I’ll re-read the book, because even in the most thrilling passages, I missed so much. These books are crying out to be recorded properly.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kate Legum
- 05-20-21
narrated like a Famous Five story
couldn't finish narration too annoying. Theseus was not a 12 year old prefect. Could have been so much better. Disappointing.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Victoria Corby
- 04-26-21
Didn't like the narrator
I couldn't get on with the narrator at all, he made Theseus sound wet. Book returned.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kilian
- 07-30-20
torture
this is the second book by this author that I have read. it was such a chore to get through it. I couldn't wait for the end.
-
Overall

- Prospecta
- 06-12-16
Limited by misogyny
Mary Renault was a good writer but, like so many of her generation, she was afflicted by a downer on women. Unsurprising, then, that this novel has a downer on Minoan culture. If she had been ahead of her time in that respect, her writing would have been great. She was not, and this constrains her work. Sad, and must have caused her pain in her personal life, she living as a woman and furthermore one whose only lifelong romantic relationship was with another woman.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kenneth
- 12-28-16
Evocation of a forgotten civilisation
The world of the Minatour and the bull dancers is brought from ancient frescoes into the immediacy of our present-day imagination. A wonderful re-telling and reading of the classic legend. All honour to both author and reader.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anthony Collins
- 02-15-21
disappointing
I read The Persian Boy many years ago and loved it. I found this book not to be particularly engaging. I was vaguely familiar with the Theseus story. I found the narrator to be quite off-putting, due to what seemed to me s rather light or effete and too cultured reading style. Others may disagree, but it was just not to my taste.