Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon

By: Nancy Atherton

Narrated by: Teri Clark Linden

Everyone's favorite supernatural detective steps in to thwart unchivalrous deeds at a Renaissance fair.

With Penguin's Fall 2009 publication of Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective certain to attract new listeners to the popular cozy series, Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon is poised as the perfectly irresistible gem that will leave them eager for more. After living in the small English village of Finch for eight years, Lori Shepherd longs for some excitement to spice up her all-too-familiar routine. So when a Renaissance festival complete with wizards, wenches, knights, and jesters sets up in town for the summer, Lori gets her wish - and more. She soon discovers a sinister stalker, a jealous saboteur, and an evil assassin behind the scenes of King Wilfred's Faire, and it's up to Lori - with Aunt Dimity's otherworldly guidance - to prevent the medieval revelry from ending in modern-day tragedy.

©2009 Nancy T. Atherton (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Poor reader

The narrator reads like she is a first grader. Sadly, she ruins the story for me.

Listen to sample first

Story was cute but performance distracted and detracted. I found the narration to be mechanical and robotic. I listened alternately between 1.25 and 1.50, the cadence was so slow. Listen to a sample first and decide if you’re ok with it. It’s somewhat painful if you’re not.

Not the Best Aunt Dimity Story

What did you like best about Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon? What did you like least?

The best thing about the story is the character development. The author does an excellent job of describing the new characters that are introduced in each book. This particular venue - a Renaissance festival - just did not appeal to me.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

There's nothing that I would change, it just did not appeal to me personally.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Most people struggle with Nancy Atherton's narration. I have grown accustomed to her enunciation of every word and it does not bother me. Otherwise, the narration is fine.

Did Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon inspire you to do anything?

No.

Always Wonderful Stories, But…

The stories are always very gentile and never quite what you expect. I read a lot of murder mysteries, so I tend to expect a little more violence. However, these are an excellent venture into more subtle story telling. Finch and it’s inhabitants are a village that is worth your time.

But, and it’s a big one—the narrator needs to hone her skills a bit more. She is unable to provide any variation in emotion and tends to read as if she needs to over pronounce every word. I gave up listening to the earlier editions several times until I forced myself to power through. The narrator for the later books is lovely.

Is Teri Clark Lindon for real or a mere computer voice emulator?

I dare say, the perfection and unchanging pronunciation throughout the book makes one wonder. Whatever the case, the book is incredibly difficult to listen to because of the unreal delivery. I don't dare call it a performance; especially in a time when narrators are sought after for their performance skills. Is Penguin too cheap to hire a decent narrator? It wouldn't be a surprise.

The story? Oh yeah, the story. I become so distracted by the delivery it's hard to get into the story. I guess it's okay. You might do better to read it with eyes if you are fortunate enough to have eyesight. If not, Penguin Books will continue to punish those who are unable to see with eyes, with poorly narrated books that would otherwise be a joy to listen to. Good luck!

Narration was awful

What disappointed you about Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon?

The narration.... It was very slow and robotic. I had to play it on 1.5 speed.

Would you be willing to try another one of Teri Clark Linden’s performances?

Possibly, but only because I really like audio books.