Do not be of faint heart!

Having read some of the other reviews I ended up approaching this one with a little trepidation. Changing narrator mid-series is often difficult and in this case doing so and changing the way that some of the character names and Roman words are pronounced was always going to irritate some people. That said I am pretty stunned to see some of the very harsh reviews being aimed at Paul Blake. I think it was a mistake to change the pronunciation but ironically I think his are the most accurate. I had to smile as I pondered the mysterious “Sir Wheelier” in the book’s opening chapter for a while until I realized who “he” really was!

So, granted the change in pronunciation was bound to make the start of this book difficult for those of us who had enjoyed Robert Glenister’s performances in the previous two. That apart though I think that Blake’s delivery is very good and it matches that of Glenister. It’s just different and possibly more authentic.

On to the story and it’s an excellent continuation of the series. Perhaps a bit slower to really get going than the previous volume but when it does gain traction it’s excellent. Lots of the Roman intrigue we have come to expect and Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul are edge of the seat stuff. The changes in the characters are subtly revealed as the time passes. The boyhood friends are now men, they are hardened by experiences that would test the most robust of physiques and the toughest of souls. Blake delivers a much haughtier Caesar and maybe that’s why he was chosen. The main characters are now established Roman Nobilitas and boys no longer. Their friendship is tested beyond any kind of reasonable limits.

Quite simply it’s another excellent installment and I’m off immediately to book 4. The issues with the change of narrator have obviously irritated some but in my view they are minor rather than being decisive. Given the excellent “Good read” guarantee from Audible I would definitely recommend anyone who has enjoyed the first two books to give this a try and just be prepared to make an adjustment or two for the pronunciation. Rome demands it of you!

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15 people found this helpful

Horrendous narration

Brilliant book. Horrendous narration. It truly baffles me that narrators cannot do their research and pronounce FAMOUS names properly. Oct-av-ian being one of the most annoying pronunciations. Se-willyia being another. The first two books were fantastic and the narration was great too. Sadly, the new narrator for this book completely ruins the experience. Would be better to get the hard copy!

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Wery Frustrating Narratiwe

A huge let down after the first two books. The story is as strong and interesting as before, but the narration comes close to totally ruining a great series.
Paul Blake seems intent on putting his own stamp on nearly every name. If it wasn't hard to believe I would think he has never heard of any of the historical characters. Or the letter V. I could be wrong and every bit of roman history I've come across could be incorrect, but the pronunciation of every bloody name with a V in it substituted with a W seems ridiculous.
What started out as comical became intensely frustrating and it ends up feeling like you're being read to by a pantomime dame.
The biggest surprise is that he didn't rename Caesar. I'd have enjoyed the adventures of Wulius.

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Great book horrendously read!

Conn Igguldon always writes gripping stories and this is no exception. I am loving this series though my only issue with this title is the narrator who mispronounced every name in the book. His narration really jars and can make it a tough listen, despite the great story. I am now dreading book 4 as it is read by the same guy, Paul Blake, but really looking forward to the fifth thanks to the change of authors.

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good story, bad latin

There are even repeated sentences not edited out. The reader is not familiar with a proper pronunciation of latin words.

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Paul Blake isn't the best narrator

poor narration
key character names said incorrectly
great story
hell of a human being
Brutus
onto the next
boom

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A good book spoilt by appalling narration

Although a good book, I just could not finish it. Read a hard copy instead

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the change of narrator was jarring.

I love the Emperor series, having read all of this. I generally put on an audio book while pottering around the house.
I loved Robert Glenister narrating previously and found the new narrator an irritation.
Pronunciation was changed, the letter v always seemed to be pronounced as a w and the general tone of his voice was not so enjoyable.
Sorry Paul.

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Really odd, distracting narration

Changing narrator mid series always challenging, but why tolerate the new narrator drastically changing the pronunciation of the name of every major character?

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Correct pronunciation

So having done some research, the narrator uses Classical Latin pronunciation. Nonetheless, I am not impressed someone has elected to change such an important aspect of the listeners experience mid way through the series. Bad judgement! Can’t necessarily blame the narrator, but not supposed he is getting all of the criticism.

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