Showing results by narrator "Sebastian Lockwood" in All Categories

A new version of The Epic of Gilgamesh by Sebastian Lockwood. This is the story of Gilgamesh, King of Kings, who brought back knowledge from before the flood - who loved and lost his companion Enkidu and had to find out why we die. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on clay tablets over 4,000 years ago, in what is today Baghdad Iraq - the Biblical Garden of Eden between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Lockwood gives a passionate reading from a text that faithfully follows the original.

These tales are told with a rare beauty, rhyme, and rhythm. Richard Burton's translation catches the epic beauty in his unique style. It takes time to get used to Burton's prose poetry, but once you do, the reward is as deep as Shaharazad's story. As a storyteller, it was a joy to narrate these tales and bring the music of the work to life.

Hereward the Wake, the last of the Anglo/Saxon/Dane Vikings, will hold out against the impossible force of William the Conquerer. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Hereward, already a great hero, will end up at Saint Etheldredas' Island and Minster, Eely, with his wife, Torfrida, and mother, Lady Godiva. He will ride to battle on his magic mare, Swallow, followed on foot by his right hand man, Martin Lightfoot.

The Parliamentry troops believe he will hide in the home of Colonel Beverly, a famous Cavalier - they surround the house believeing they will smoke him out. No King is found and they are told that they have killed the four children who were in the house - but they escape with the old forester, Jacob Armitage, who must now teach them to lose their lace, and velvet manners and behave and look like Puritans

We begin with Book V, Odysseus weeping on Calyspo's Island, and follow his adventures through to his return to Ithaca and Penelope. This version of Homer's Odyssey was created over a 14-year period of performing the great epic. When it came time to record this version for audiobook, I realized there was no text: It lived in memory. So I had to write out a 38-page poem from memory. Then I used that text as a performance script and while reading it found myself constantly editing as my spoken word insisted on changes that sharpened the sound.

As the specter of Norse conquest looms over Saxon England, a young woman becomes a pawn in a ruthless game of ambition and deceit. Her capture thrusts her into a tangled web of lies where allies vanish, truths twist, and loyalty can cost a life. In the heart of this storm, she searches for clarity and clings to the memory of a prince, her enemy, and the only one who made her feel seen. But as the drums of war grow louder, every choice she makes could tip the balance between salvation and ruin.

Victory is fleeting, and peace is an illusion. As war drums echo across the land, a king who once triumphed over his enemies faces a treacherous new threat. A sea invasion, born of betrayal, erupts into a brutal clash upon frigid tides. Viking forces press in as the ruler rallies what remains of his fractured realm. Amid the chaos, one woman’s desperate quest for peace spirals beyond her grasp, dragging countless souls toward ruin. When vengeance fuels the enemy and the gods demand blood, only the brave will stand when the tide recedes.

This single inherited epic in our language has it all: drama, blood, heroism, mourning, and teaching with soul-searching thought about all this. It looks back. In its top layer of listening, we are brought along with heroic figures, even with a superhero, to challenge agonizing monsters. This world also includes beautiful sea voyages, crafty disputes, the falling of tribes, and moving elegies. Most often its Old English poetry can translate directly into fresh pictures. The epic Beowulf is a masterfully told story.

In the wake of a hard-won triumph, England’s peace hangs by a thread. A wronged Norseman, denied his rightful place, rallies a legion of forsaken warriors. His eyes burn with the fury of the betrayed, and his ambition threatens to set the kingdom ablaze. From Kent’s windswept shores to Northumbria’s shadowed wilds, one ruler girds for war, his future staked on fragile alliances and fading hope. As the armies gather on the silent plains of Thetford, fate prepares its blade, and history holds its breath.

In the twilight of Saxon Britain, a noblewoman craves more than duty. When a voyage meant to spark her spirit turns into a nightmare, she finds herself in a foreign court, captive to pirates and caught between brothers bound by blood and ambition. As deception closes in, she must survive a world where loyalty is currency, desire is a weapon, and freedom comes at a cost she may not be willing to pay.