The Summer of the Danes

By: Ellis Peters

Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi

In summer of 1144, a strange calm has settled over England. The armies of King Stephen and Empress Maudhave temporarily exhausted each other. Brother Cadfael, herbalist-sleuth of Shrewsbury's Benedictine Abbey, agrees to accompany wise young Brother Mark on Church business in Wales.

But the brothers soon find themselves caught up in yet another feud. A Welsh prince has banished his brother, accusing him of the treacherous murder of an ally, and the country teeters on the brink of civil war. Cadfael is captured by Dane mercenaries and becomes entangled in the affairs of a young woman desperate to escape an arranged marriage.

Before he can untangle such domestic passions, Cadfael has to survive the royal brotherly quarrel that could plunge an entire kingdom into deadly chaos.

©2014 Ellis Peters (P)2022 Phoenix Books

Narrator takes away from the enjoyment.

I’ve mentioned before how poor of a job this narrator does. I keep listening because I’ve grown used to the characters and it’s a comfort to hear these stories, despite all the drawbacks. But make no mistake - this narrator seems completely untrained and without the first clue about performing. Or reading for that matter.

I mean - he doesn’t even pronounce “Cadfael” correctly. How can an error like that make its way all the way to the finished product? And MULTIPLE BOOKS!!!

It would be funny if it weren’t so annoying.

romantic mystery set in old Wales

I enjoyed this story immensely. Although short, it transported me far from modern day. The voice actor did a nice jib with the Welsh names, and enliven the story. I am a Cadfael fan so loved the book.

Excellent Cadfael. Wish it hadn’t been abridged!

My first experience of the Cadfael chronicles was through the TV series with the great Derek Jacobi cast as Brother Cadfael. For Cadfael fans who love that series, the audiobooks narrated by Jacobi himself will bring his Cadfael back to life for you! I for one am happy that he did read some of the titles. When they were producing that series, Ellis Peters/Edith Pageter herself was happy with Jacobi being cast in the lead role.

My one complaint is the fact that this is an abridged version. Pity.

[Note: Some reviewers seem not to know who Jacobi is (must not follow the Shakespeare circuit) or that he was the original Cadfael, so this lovely double-gift of having him read these books may not resonate with them. But for those who love Jacobi's endearing version of this much-beloved medieval Benedictine sleuth, you will not be disappointed.]

I hate abridged versions

I don't understand why this one is abridged and all the other Brother Cadfael stories are not. just because it's narrated Derek Jacobi, not Patrick Tull?

Good Story a Few Audio Recording Flaws

I love this story. It's one of my favorites in the series. The cons I've run into are that the audio recording is a little Muffled sounding at the very beginning. And the pacing of the narrator's cadence is just a tad bit fast at times.

ONLY AN EXCERPT

This Audio "Book" is actually only an excerpt of the printed edition, and a short one at that. It is DISHONEST not to state this upfront. This type of deceptive marketing is present also in the Audiobook of Peters' The Potter's Field.

Not a bad abridgement

The audio is muffled until well into chapter 2. Sir Derek Jacobi has a lovely voice, so it's unfortunate that he frequently rushed names and places, making it difficult to discern who is where.

Slow start to an interesting story.

I am unsure about the historical accuracy of this take. In the time of Steven and Maude, I think the Danes where either gone, or fully absorbed into the Irish population.