Suldrun’s Garden cover art

Suldrun’s Garden

Lyonesse: Book 1

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Suldrun’s Garden

By: Jack Vance
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
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About this listen

The Elder Isles, located in what is now the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Old Gaul, are made up of 10 contending kingdoms, all vying with each other for control. At the centre of much of the intrigue is Casmir, the ruthless and ambitious king of Lyonnesse. His beautiful but otherworldly daughter, Suldrun, is part of his plans. He intends to cement an alliance or two by marrying her well. But Suldrun is as determined as he and defies him. Casmir coldly confines her to the overgrown garden that she loves to frequent, and it is here that meets her love and her tragedy unfolds. Political intrigue, magic, war, adventure and romance are interwoven in a rich and sweeping tale set in a brilliantly realized fabled land.

©1983 Jack Vance (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Fantasy

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Critic reviews

“(Vance) gives you glimpses of entire worlds with just perfectly turned language. If he’d been born south of the border, he’d be up for a Nobel Prize.” (Dan Simmons)
“Vance has the narrative force, the willingness to look very coldly at violence and cruelty, to not shy away…. He has an amazing ear and writes a beautiful sentence.” (Michael Chabon)
All stars
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I read this many years ago and revisiting it in audio has lost none of the magic,
fabulous fantasy book and the narrator is very good as well.

Tolkien,Vance,Martin in that order

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An absolute must listen. I wish I could erase my memory of the book so I could listen to it again.

Slow to start, fantastical to finish!

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Inspired by Irish legends and medieval sources, Vance weaves a fabulous world of fantastic fairy tales. His picaresque tale-telling is poignant, funny, and often cruel. A rush of interweaving stories and characters all driven by their own desires and obligations.

fabulous world of fantastic fairy tales

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Great story, appalling narration. They could at least have found someone whose pronunciation matched a known language.

Ruined by the narrator

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As per above- an very entertaining and inventive fantasy tale. Already looking forward to hearing the sequel.

Wonderfully inventive and delightfully narrated

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the book feels a little aged now but modern storytelling pales by comparison.
the American narrator does a fair job of a British accent, but it still jars at times.
Hugo and nebula awards under his belt, Jack Vance casts a long Shadow for modern authors. whilst his style is a touch impersonal by modern standards the world he creates is just brilliant.

masterful fantasy.

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It's wonderful to listen to this story when driving for a long time. The speaker is really good for a while you are in the Jack Vance' universe...

Impressive

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Great characters, a wonderful world, would recommend to any who care to listen! Jack Vance is always a good read.

Great book

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Really enjoyed this story. Better than GOT. The narrator is excellent and does well with different voices for the characters. A most wonderful production. Jack Vance at his fantastical best.

Amazing start to a great epic.

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I enjoyed the tales within the book, however it was a series of scenes set in Lyonesse that felt interleaved rather than fully connected. When you get to the end it makes sense but it is hard work. Still love the books by JV though and it was great to listen to this one after reading it so many years ago. Great narration.

Slightly disjointed

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