Night’s Master

Tales from the Flat Earth, Book One

By: Tanith Lee

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Night's Master is the first book of the stunning arabesque high-fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales.

Long ago when the Earth was flat, beautiful, indifferent Gods lived in the airy Upperearth realm above; curious, passionate demons lived in the exotic Underearth realm below; and mortals were relegated to exist in the middle. Azhrarn, Lord of the Demons and the Darkness, was the one who ruled the night, and many mortal lives were changed because of his cruel whimsy. And yet, Azhrarn held inside his demon heart a profound mystery which would change the very fabric of the Flat Earth forever.

Come within this ancient world of brilliant darkness and beauty, of glittering palaces and wondrous elegant beings, of cruel passions and undying love. Discover the exotic wonder that is the Flat Earth.

©1978 Tanith Lee (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Narration ruins the book

This book is so good! But the narrator speaks like a BBC news castor reading a teleprompter. It’s just… unbearable.

A Master of her craft

Tanith Lee weaves a Dark World of great wonder and awe. Flat is the world where demons and man coexist teasing and tormenting the inner reaches of the soul. A tapestry of tales to enchant and entertain your dark dreams.

A beautifully told mythology

Lee does not disappoint. This book is a masterfully-written mythos. The world and characters a rich and memorable. Enjoyed the book and found a new author to love. Excellent narration; perfect tone, rhythm and pronunciation. Thank you!

Had to return because of narrator

I love Tanith Lee, and this is a great book, but I could not deal with the horrible, sing-song narration. The narrator is fine when reading character dialog, but when not she uses the exact same tone pattern on every line of text regardless of whether it fits that line of text or not. It completely pulled me out of the story every time.

Disappointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Whilst I love a dark story that ventures into realms seldom explored by novelists, this isn't narrative that maintained my attention. Broken into mini-narratives that read like fables, the reader is frustrated by the lack of flow and cohesion.

What could Tanith Lee have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

A reader needs to be engaged by a narrative that draws them into the characters psyche and coerces them to read the next chapter anticipating how the protagonist will be thwarted, loved, endangered or become the victor. Tanith took too long between chapters to draw her threads together and failed to develop her characters.

Which character – as performed by Susan Duerden – was your favorite?

The concept of a Demon Lord who plagues the world with his mischief is not new, but begs to be told and re-told. Oh to hear more about his origins, motives and relationships.

I think it's worth reading, and being affected by.

I think the narrator did as well as anyone Audible could find, though perhaps this particular story is better enjoyed as more of a half-formed idea taking shape inside the reader's head. Putting a knowing voice to it seems to Harden the smoke a little, like trying to enjoy a dancing flame in the brightening sunlight. I listened to it and enjoyed it very much because I have difficulties with reading, but I think ultimately this story is not well suited to narration.

this narrator's cadence kills me

love this book, adore Tanith Lee. was excited about this audiobook, but narrator is infuriating. the cadence of her spoken word is predictable, so I found myself distracted by the way she speaks, vs paying attention to the story. thankfully, audible accepts audiobook returns.

Forgotten great of her time.

Tanith Lee, is one of the great authors of her time. while her subjects are not something I would normally enjoy reading, she uses her craft to make it engaging, amazing and awesome. I member back in the eighties I picked one of her books to read between semester. I was struck that her writing made time seem to flow like molasses. I guess it was serendipity that I was sitting in my parents garden on a blustery rainy day. looking up from her book and saw the wysteriea bush weep the petals from its first bloom. this is the perfect book for such a day.

Masterful

If you could sum up Night’s Master in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing, Unique, Clever

What was one of the most memorable moments of Night’s Master?

I think there are quite a few. I find the behavior of the characters so unexpected, it completely captures my attention.

What about Susan Duerden’s performance did you like?

I love all of Susan's performances. I chose to listen to this series because of her performances in other books. Her voice can go from sweet, innocent, sultry, sexy, gruff masculine to downright mean.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't necessarily have an extreme reaction to this book; however, I did look forward to the next one. And I thought a lot about this world the author created and how much fun it was to visit.

Any additional comments?

Tanith Lee is so very talented and her choice of reader for her books makes the series a perfect combination. This would be so much fun to listen to with a group of friends on a cold night by the fire with hot apple cider.

While not for everyone....

Any additional comments?

Tanith Lee is to fantasy what Siouxsie Sioux is to punk. A darker beauty.

My first experience of Tanith Lee was finding a copy of Red As Blood back in the early 80's at Forbidden Planet in NYC. I remember sitting on the floor and scouring the shelves for a special book...money was tight and I wanted to pick just the right book and that was it! It began a life long love of this amazing writer...

Tanith's work is dark and sensual. It has a grace and beauty that is purely imaginative. Her writing is like poetry...strong on imagery and ideas. She creates moods and dreams.

I was happy to revisit this world and I thought Susan Duerden's narration was good for this particular series, but I understand why others didn't quite get it - I think they are more familiar and comfortable with modern narration, but this it more like classical myth story telling, so I do believe strongly she is what this piece requires for the proper tone. This series has the feel of old myths and legends and the point of view from the darker side has a fascinating appeal.

Tanith Lee's books are hard to find in the USA, so I hope this helps bring her to a wider audience...she writes so beautifully.

Really looking forward to the rest of the series and anything else by her that Audible adds in the future.