God Stalk

By: P. C. Hodgell

Narrated by: Jennifer O'Donnell

Jame is a Kencyr. Kencyrs are not native to the planet where they now live. For 30 centuries they have been the weapon that their Three-Faced God has used against the power of the Perimal Darkling. And though they have fought well, the Darkling has come to planet after planet, and the Kencyrs have moved on.

Jame knows this as she stumbles out of the hilly, barren Haunted Lands into the city of Tai-tastigon. But she knows little else. She does not remember where she has been or what she has done for the last 10 years of her life. Her memory goes back only a week or two - to finding her home destroyed and all her family dead.

In Tai-tastigon Jame begins a new life that seems to be at odds with all that the Kencyrs stand for. Kencyrs are honest and just, but Jame becomes an apprentice to the most renowned thief in the powerful Thieves' Guild. Kencyrs are confirmed monotheists, yet Jame explores the rituals and activities of the thousands of gods, templed and untempled, in this religious center; she even kills a god and then resurrects him. And at the inn, the Res aB'tyrr, where she lives, she finds herself using the most sacred dances of her people, dances she does not even remember learning, for the entertainment and sometimes the destruction of the inn's patrons.

Within herself Jame finds power she does not want and doubts she defies her heredity to harbor. She moves through the rich and bloody stew of Tai-tastigon like a hot spice. Her probings, to find herself and to discover what her powers mean to her and her people, combined with influences already at work, very nearly destroy the city. And yet, they bring her face to face with a destiny she must accept.

This is the first of several books.

©1983 P.C. Hodgell (P)2019 Recorded Books

Great story & world building

I first read this years ago as a teenager and loved it then. Listening to it again as an adult I was to still enjoy it. I'm looking forward to Listening to the others in this series as well. The narration was also good.

Entertaining

Well-narrated introductory story of a vivid fantasy world. There were some creepy parts and some detailed scenes involving wounds and decaying flesh.

Truly a gem!

Rich tapestry and a fantastic story. Tremendous effort spent describing scenes and people. A very human story of discovery of one's past.

Story carries over marginal narration

Bad news: Narrator didn't prepare for the work - consistently substitutes the wrong words
Good news: Story is so good that it carries through even the marginal narration.
I would give this seven stars ******* overall if I had the option.

glad to find this

i enjoyed both the book and the performance. i reccomend it.

jane finds a city and a home . but her home has problems and jane is chosen to solve many of them

Love this series

This is an involved series with mysteries tucked in each book. The author does a great job of unraveling these mysteries. I own the books and have enjoyed the audio version but some of the pronunciations irritated me. I was able to overlook that and still enjoyed listening. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. I look forward to listening to the next book.

Vivid, impactful writing

P.C. Hodgell's writing seems original to me. The only writer I would compare her to is Tolkien. Not because I feel her writing is very much like Tolkien's, but she can create atmosphere and eerieness that reminds me of Tolkien. When I listen to her story, I can imagine her world vividly. She can really capture the mysterious.

One of my all time favorites!

Sets up story progression wonderfully while still leaving you surprised. The world building is amazing. My father introduced this to me when I was twelve or thirteen. I in my late fifties now and I’ve read it many times.

Wonderful

One of my all time favorites and the performance is top-notch. If you aren’t familiar with P. C. Hodgell or just want to revisit this classic I highly recommend.

Best setting for a fantasy novel and excellent story

Hesitated to revisit because I loved it so much when it came out but a rare instance of an old story holding up and seeming not only well written but somehow, decades later, still original. Complete package,