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King Hereafter

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King Hereafter

By: Dorothy Dunnett
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett, read by David Rintoul.

It is the eleventh century, and Europe is full of young kings - some dreaming of new civilisation, some content to live as their forefathers have done, and all ceaselessly fighting, befriending or betraying one other.

Such is the world of the real Macbeth, part Christian, part Viking, who has the imagination and determination to move himself and his people out of a barbarian past and into flowering nationhood. In this brilliant recreation of his life we see him as a man of extraordinary courage, wit and skill - utterly self-reliant yet profoundly in love with woman he marries - a pirate of the sea yet a prince with the foresight and passion to set him apart from other men.

©2017 Dorothy Dunnett (P)2018 Penguin Audio Action & Adventure Historical Fiction Medieval Fiction Middle Ages Royalty Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Viking Pirate

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All stars
Most relevant
Not for the fainthearted, long and complicated but well worth the effort. Beautifully read and despite the fact that you start listening knowing how things will end for Thorfinn/Macbeth the story has one of the most poignant endings of any novels I have ever read. I had read the book before listening to it, both satisfying in their own way.
I love Dorothy Dunnett 's work and look forward to listening to both the Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo.

A masterpiece of writing read with great skill

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One of the best books I have ever read. This is a huge work, with what seems like hundreds of characters. At its core is Thornfinn/McBeth and follows him from preteen through to King of Scotia and his slow, wonderful relationship with his wife Groa. It is a beautiful, dense, intricate, bloody and beautifully crafted work. The battle scenes are mesmerising. I have read Dorothy Dunnett took 6 years to research it. It shows.

A masterpiece.

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This is an excellent book. Do not expect this to be like her other books, It is a stand alone piece of work.
The research that must have gone into this book shines through. Although the outcome is already set in real time history, it is well worth listening too.
It is also a history lesson, pre- 1066, very well presented- certainly more than I knew.
I loved it even though the outcome is known, It is very moving and the the phrase " Life just goes on - no matter what"" is very much the lesson here.

Excellent

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I'm an expat Scot, so I loved it. Nearly all the places I could follow, and it was an epic story that made me proud of my heritage. Jusr the last few chapters didn't live up to the rest of the book.

Much better than Shakespeare's tale.

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King Hereafter is Dorothy Dunnett's longest book and the one of which she was most proud. It is backed up by 5 years of meticulous research into eleventh century Europe. From that research she developed the theory that Thorfinn Earl of Orkney and Macbeth King of Alba were one and the same person, with Thorfinn his norse name and Macbeth his christian name. The depth of the research shows in the book which is dense with detail and description, but also with the kind of wild adventures that Dunnett does so well - running the oars in Chester is a wonderful example. The core of the story is the powerful love between Thorfinn/Macbeth and his wife Groa which, as it must, ends in tragedy. I have read the book in the past but found David Rintoul's wonderful narration added an extra dimension, not the least in making the norse,celtic, breton, saxon etc names familiar to the ear. Dunnett's dense and beautiful prose is not always easy to read but this is a masterclass.

This is an extraordinary story, beautifully told, which needs concentration but repays that a thousandfold. Enjoy.

Magnificent

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