The King's Hounds

The King's Hounds

De: Martin Jensen, Tara F. Chace - translator

Narrado por: Napoleon Ryan

The year is 1018 and the war with England is finally over, but the unified kingdom ruled by Cnut of Denmark is far from peaceful. Halfdan has lost everything to the war but his sense of humor. Once a proud nobleman, now he wanders the country aimlessly powered only by his considerable charm and some petty theft. When he finds an unlikely ally in Winston, a bookish former monk, the two set out together for Oxford, the seat of the new king. The pair's arrival in court coincides with news of a murder, and Cnut has an idea only a king could get away with: Why not enlist Halfdan and Winston - the Danish womanizer and the upright Saxon intellectual - to defuse a politically explosive situation? They're given just two days to solve the murder and they set off to uncover the truth, on the order of the king and with the reluctant assistance of the agitated townspeople.

©2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.; 2013 Martin Jensen

Suspense. Mystery. Humor. History.

What is not to like? It is an interesting and entertaining view of the time period.

Excellent narration and history, slow storyline

I agree with another reviewer who suggested changing the narration speed to 1.25. Mr. Ryan embodies his characters well, but needs a bit of caffeine.
I enjoyed the history and the setting. Mr. Jensen captures the 5 senses as he describes the food, the people, and the smells of the time period. I felt transported to another place in history. The story itself started well, but began to lag about halfway through and never picked back up again.

adequate mystery, so-so narration, meh translation

This historical mystery novel had a lot of good things going for it. It was definitely well researched. It's not a time period where there are a lot of other comparable books, so it doesn't seem cliche. The characters are sufficiently interesting. Winston's deductive skills are nicely offset by Halfdan's brutish lack of subtlety. I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to spend a credit on the next book in the series, but if it were to go on sale, I'd definitely pick it up.

As many others have pointed out, the narrator is a bit annoying. He's not the worst I've ever heard and he doesn't stumble over the old Saxon or Danish names, so that's a plus. What I was far more annoyed by was the iffy translation. For a book into which the author had obviously poured quite a lot of research, the translation frequently disrupted the sense of period, at least for me. They ought to have someone with some background in history at least edit the translation before it was given the go-ahead. For example, words like "backpack" do not ring true to the early medieval time period. When I hear that, it makes me stop thinking about the story. If they had simply used "satchel" then there would not have been that jarring sense of anachronism to break the flow. "Gold-digger" and "boyfriend" are the others which spring immediately to mind as examples of the translation failing to capture the essence of the period.

Long review short: could have been translated better, but overall enjoyable story.

Well written

Kept my interest enjoyed the period - a few twists and turns worth listening to

Early English Espionage

Interesting and delightful listen! Early kings and kingdoms, jealousy and double crosses . . . and an ex-monk turned private investigator . . . the narration is first rate . . . and the twists and turns keep you on the trail trying to figure out whodunit.

Painful! Buy a printed copy.

I gave the story 5 stars because it seems so well-written I will be purchasing a paper copy. The narration was so terrible it hurt. I always check the tone and accent of the narrator before I purchase a book, and thought Ryan sounded great. He reads SO SLOW and takes like 5 second breaks between EVERY SINGLE PHRASE. Did Not Finish? Try 'Hardly Got Started'!

Captivating, I was enslaved by this.

I don't know why, but I couldn't stop listening. Good thing I'm retired and quarantined.

Interesting mystery and promising new series

I bought this story on the cheap as a whispersync set, hoping for something good, and I was not disappointed. This is the first book in a series from Danish author Martin Jensen, his first translated into English. It promises to be an excellent mystery series with great, enjoyable characters. The story takes place during 11th Century England in which the country has not enjoyed much recent stability in leadership. The new king Cnut, a Dane, is trying to unify the various sects of the English population in order to provide a lasting peace across the land. Unfortunately, during a large gathering of his most important Saxon and Danish subjects, a murder takes place that implicates him, as well as threatens to bring complications to his plans for his country. Our two protagonists, Winston (a smart, sensible illustrator of books) and Halfdan (a sly, womanizing opportunist) are placed on the case by the king, and our mystery story takes off from there. There is a fun Sherlock/Watson rapport between the two very different personalities of Winston and Halfdan, and the reader is quickly drawn into the story, with a good appreciation for the historical setting. Not knowing much about this time period in England, I found this aspect fascinating. The narrator Napoleon Ryan has one of those mellifluous English voices that you could listen to all day. His pacing was a bit pokey for my taste, but an adjustment to 1.25 speed helped to alleviate that problem. All in all, it was an excellent listen, and I look forward to the release of the second title in this series in spring of 2014!

This is absolutely fantastic narrated.

Would you listen to The King's Hounds again? Why?

Yes. In fact I am. Great voice, great story both read, and especially narrated.

What other book might you compare The King's Hounds to and why?

The Hobbit. Great characters--humour--and the middle ages might as well be science fiction.

Which scene was your favorite?

I love the interactions with the donkey.

If you could rename The King's Hounds, what would you call it?

It has a perfect name.

Any additional comments?

Read everything you can get your hands on by this author.

Great EARLY English history

With these unfamiliar names, it was easier to follow the well crafted story by listening to a talented narrator. I look forward to the subsequent stories.