A Conspiracy of Truths

By: Alexandra Rowland

Narrated by: James Langton

A wrongfully imprisoned storyteller spins stories from his jail cell that just might have the power to save him - and take down his jailers too.

Arrested on accusations of witchcraft and treason, Chant finds himself trapped in a cold, filthy jail cell in a foreign land. With only his advocate, the unhelpful and uninterested Consanza, he quickly finds himself cast as a bargaining chip in a brewing battle between the five rulers of this small, backwards, and petty nation.

Or, at least, that's how he would tell the story.

In truth, Chant has little idea of what is happening outside the walls of his cell, but he must quickly start to unravel the puzzle of his imprisonment before they execute him for his alleged crimes. But Chant is no witch - he is a member of a rare and obscure order of wandering storytellers. With no country to call his home, and no people to claim as his own, all Chant has is his wits and his apprentice, a lad more interested in wooing handsome shepherds than learning the ways of the world.

And yet, he has one great power: his stories in the ears of the rulers determined to prosecute him for betraying a nation he knows next to nothing about. The tales he tells will topple the Queens of Nuryevet and just maybe, save his life.

©2018 Alexandra Rowland (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

A surprisingly entertaining read.

Never heard of the author. Picked this book up in a whim and boy am I happy I did. Thanks for a wonderful read!

Okay expected more

After all the rave review I expected more but it’s okay I generally prefer my fantasy novels to be Terry Pratchett

A story about the power of stories

A great listen. The characters are enjoyable, the story is epic, but not overly so considering it’s from a single perspective, and the narrator handles the various voices effortlessly. My only complaint is some of the character names blurred together for me, which I suspect is casualty of having fantasy names, most chosen to sound like they’re coming from the same place. But even with that, I could follow along easily enough. If you like the works of Neil Gaiman, I think this is worth checking out.

I’d give this a million stars if I could

I LOVED this book. If you like a book to sweep you away into a different world, then this is absolutely for you, the world is built so deeply and beautifully and in a way that feels completely organic and satisfying. There are myths and folktales from this fictional world built into the story and that’s such a difficult thing to pull off and Rowland absolutely sticks the landing. And if you like a compelling plot that’s twisty and keeps escalating, this book is also for you! Characters that are complex and occasionally terrible but also feel completely real and that you still want to keep hanging out with after the book is over (real talk, I would read a twenty book series set in this world)? This book has you covered. And James Langton does such a wonderful job with this performance, he fully inhabits not only the main character/narrator but all other characters encountered

Smart and Relentlessly Charming

The narrator and principal character in A Conspiracy of Truths is a storyteller. A “Chant,” to be precise, for whom storytelling is literally a religious endeavor. So you might think that author Alexandra Rowland has made things easy on herself - who better to introduce a reader to a fascinating new world than someone with a deep devotion to the task?

But Rowland’s mischief kicks in and subverts this advantage - to our great benefit. The events of this uncompromisingly witty tale serve to undermine the storyteller at every turn, and the resulting lens through which we see this world full of intrigue, ambition, love, and duty is hilariously skewed by narrator’s experiences. This proudly unreliable but wholly lovable voice helps us come to know a whole cast of endearing characters who will work their way into your good graces even while mercilessly plotting against one another.

James Langton is up to the task - portraying layers of narrative in an immersive performance that I can’t wait to listen to again.

It’s a thoughtful, involved story told in whimsical, clever tones - and the result is a really delightful novel that I’m very happy to have discovered.

Long ago and half a world away...

This was a delightful listen, a very enjoyable story and a great performance. No spoilers here.

James Langton as performer was an absolute treat for me, as he's the performer for a favourite (and wonderfully prolific) author I've spent m9re than 30 books and hundreds of hours with. I could listen to him read a phone book and be pleased, but books like this really let him shine. Between a 17-year-old and a 70-year-old, a reluctant attorney and a bitter revolutionary, he gives everyone a very distinct voice, and they're wonderful.

Chant is a delightful narrator as well as storyteller, although he is also wonderfully unreliable. The best part, truly, is that it doesn't really matter what's true and what's truer-than-true, because it's all just stories.

This is one of the best looks I've ever gotten at a bard/spy/Chant/etc and how they operate, with and without an agenda (or seven). This is a tale of tales, of the power of storytelling and reading audiences and how desperately we long for belonging, even if it's just finding something to resonate with in a story set long ago and so very far away. About universal truths and universal untruths and even a glimpse into why trickster gods are so darned powerful and people keep listening to them over and over. Some of the best manipulation and misdirection I've ever seen from a character happens in this book, and it is 100% a case of showing vs telling... even when they're 'telling' a story.

Chant might have a few "annoying heart attacks or something that are definitely NOT emotions", but marshmallow-hearted Aelfe (spelling unknown, audiobook!), and grumpy Constanza really steal the show, both on-page and off. I'll admit to several guffaws listening to master and apprentice howl at one another over pretty shepherd boys with long eyelashes, but Constanza the reluctant legal advocate is truly glorious. I'd read books with her and her wives and husband as the main characters for days.

(Delightfully, Chant's issue with his apprentice is not THAT he falls in love with other men, it's the FREQUENCY he objects to, heh. Chant is also a grumpy old man, or at least tries to play one).

I believe Aelfe has his own book that takes place just after this one and I'll be picking that up next, because he's a really lovely character and stops the whole mess from becoming entirely too cynical or depressing. He is precious and must be protected at all costs.

It was indeed half the world away from the other book of Rowland's I have read, but it was nice to have a few points of reference and to indeed be in this world again. Completely different tone and type of story, but wonderful nonetheless.

Content Notes: Chant swears imaginatively and prolifically, which is personally funny as I don't think I've heard Langton curse as much in 30 books combined as he does in this one. There is somewhat bloody murder and combat both off-page and on, as well as the things you expect around a revolution off-page like hunger and disease and rioting and oppression. There is no torture (I can't recall if the threat was implied or explicit), no sexual harassment or assault at all, no children or animals harmed. Well, a twice-fictional rabbit does experience some discomfort.

Gushing with embarrassment; I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

I literally couldn't stop listening to this book. I loved the plot. I loved the flow. I loved the active and passive voices. The philosophical self-disparaging intellectual hand-wringing was perfect and awesome. I became that annoying person that went around asking people to go read/buy this book. OMG, I almost emailed the author... More please!??

Journey not the destination situation

The story turns were mostly interesting (annoyed it took 8 chapters to learn the cause of the charges against him), but ultimately lead in a direction of no consequence for the leads personally.

UNREQUESTED TITLE

THIS BOOK AND ITS AUDIO WERE "PUSHED" TO MY ACCOUNT WITHOUT PERMISSION . CURRENTLY ATTEMPTING TO PURSUE RECOURSE.