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Labyrinth

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Labyrinth

By: Kate Mosse
Narrated by: Emilia Fox, Anton Lesser
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About this listen

 Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Author of the Year, 2007.
Winner of the British Book Awards, Richard and Judy Best Read of the Year, 2006.
A Richard and Judy Book Club Selection.

July 1209: in Carcassonne a young girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alais cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in protecting it. It will take great sacrifice and faith to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe, a secret that stretches back thousands of years to the deserts of Ancient Egypt.

July 2005: Alice Tanner stumbles upon two skeletons during an archaeological dig in the mountains outside Carcassonne. Inside the hidden tomb where the bones lie crumbling, she experiences an overwhelming sense of malevolence, as well as a creeping understanding that, however impossible it seems, she can somehow understand the mysterious ancient words carved into the rock. Too late, Alice realises she's set in motion a terrifying sequence of events that she cannot control and that her destiny is inextricably tied up with the fate of the Cathars 800 years before.

©2005 Mosse Associates Ltd. (P)2005 Orion Publishing Group Ltd. Action & Adventure Christian Fiction Destiny Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Adventure Women's Fiction Fiction Exciting Middle Ages

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Critic reviews

"A gripping holy grail quest....The story line runs on knowledge and fun, Carcassonne never looked so good." ( Sunday Times)
All stars
Most relevant  

Would you try another book written by Kate Mosse or narrated by Emilia Fox and Anton Lesser ?

Absolutely not. Anton Lesser is the only good thing about it.

What could Kate Mosse have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Learn how to write.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I suppose

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Labyrinth?

The soft porn ones

Any additional comments?

One of the few books that I couldn't finish.

JUVENILE RUBBISH

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This book has been reviewed to death all over the uk and is on sale all over the French city of Carcassonne, where the book is based. I downloaded the unabridged audio book from Audible and I am pleased I did. I found the paperback a little difficult to read as I do not know any French. This audio recording was easy listening, although at times the reader sounds like she is in a cavern. The pace was slow to begin, but once we are introduced to all the characters, the pace picks up and I found myself sitting in my car a little longer just to hear the end of a chapter.

A lot of the reviews on this site are justified, but I believe it is well worth downloading.

France

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Without being in any way disrespectful, this is a story that will appeal more to women (the main character is female).

The storyline jumps to and from the present day to the early 13th century.

The historical aspects and characters are pretty good but the modern day characters are not so good and the narration is below par with some very poor accents.

Like many things that become best sellers, I would guess that this is a result of good marketing and a piggy back effect on to the insatiable appetite for anything holy grailish. Additionally it has appeal to all of us who like to travel to France and especially the South West. I was probably a little drawn in as I have been to Carcassonne and really liked it.

Carcassonne Capers

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story a great deal and I am looking forward to the next two books in the trilogy. However, I think it is a shame that this book was unavailable to buy in an unabridged version. The abridged version lacks the depth and detail it deserves and I felt that in some parts great chunks of story seemed to be missing.

Abridged version lacks depth and detail

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The book is as expected not a great novel, but it is difficult to tell with this abridged version. What was very difficult to deal with was the awful pair of readers. If had not paid for this book I would have stopped listening after the first chapter. I suspect the unabridged version will be an improvement on content and audio character.

No wonder there is another audiobook edition now

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I played this while I cooked or did chores. It was OK. The story was a bit clunky, obvious from the start, but that never stopped anyone making a fortune from this type of novel (think Dan Brown). The performance was clear and expressive (I'm a great fan of Anton Lesser particularly), but Emilia Fox's descent into pure Clouseau was grating. Best keep the verisimiltude light. It was a sort of French Mummerset. I meant to read this years ago but gave the book to an old friend who couldn't afford it. She said much the same. That's ancient librarians for you!

It kept me amused

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I too found this book to be sorely overrated. As has been previously stated it is following in the fad for novels about 'the holy grail' and the repucussions through the ages. To be far its better than most and if you take it for what it is it can be entertaining. The characters are quite 2D and as a woman myself I can see the point previously made about it being aimed at women. It panders and patronizes and instead of identifing with Alice/Alais I just thought she was a waste of space and very feeble.

And yet whilst the plot is a little exhaustive and overblown in some areas it does offer lots of intrigue and keeps you going. Plus the narrators are the best thing about this book. As people will know from my other reviews I think Emilia Fox is fantastic and teaming up with Anton Lesser here makes it much more exciting and intriguing.

Anyone who wants an intense novel with twists and turns but still typical enough to guess whats going to happen then this is the book for you.

An average summer read

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I bought this book because I am visiting Carcassonne in April and wanted to get a flavour of the history of the place before I go. This book gave me a reasonable impression of the bloody battles that occurred in the name of religion and I liked the link between the present day and the past. I did however, get very annoyed with the ancient "french" accent employed by the narrator and was irritated by the far-fetched ending of the novel. The BBC aired a TV dramatisation of the book over Easter and I found myself watching this to see how closely it related to the book and to see if they made a better job of the ending, which, in my opinion, they didn't!

Time travel in France

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A friend recommended this book but i found the story shallow and the accents of the readers dreadful couldnt wait to finish it

Poor

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The story was interesting, with its links between past and present. The brief insight into the world of the Cathars and their alternative religion was fascinating. The one aspect I found difficult was the appalling French accent used on occasions. I felt as though I had been transported to the set of 'Allo Allo'. Generally speaking, if an accent isn't going to sound authentic, it's probably best not to attempt it at all.
Otherwise, very enjoyable.

A Glimpse into Medieval Pays D'Oc

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