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City of Golden Shadow

Otherland, Book 1

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City of Golden Shadow

By: Tad Williams
Narrated by: George Newbern
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About this listen

The first book in best-selling master storyteller Tad Williams' Otherland series. 

Otherland, a universe where any fantasy can be made real, but which is ruled by Earth's wealthiest and most ruthless power brokers, the Grail Brotherhood. Shrouded in secrecy, it is home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares. 

Vast amounts of money have been lavished on it. 

The best minds of two generations have laboured to build it. 

And somehow, bit by bit, it is claiming Earth's most valuable resources - its children. 

A novel of dazzling ideas, nonstop adventure and irresistible characters, City of Golden Shadow is the first part of an epic series and a masterpiece of imaginative fiction. 

©1998 Tad Williams (P)2014 Penguin Audio Fantasy Fiction
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I really wanted to like this book. I did up to a point. Good ideas, interesting characters and mystery. But it just does not get on with the plot. You are always left wanting more and it just does not happen. Very, very nearly excellent. Will I read or listen too the next part - yes but not for a while. I need something with a much lower page count to freshen me up.

It's just too long.

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I'm a fan of Tad Williams and particularly of this series. It is superbly narrated which helps. It is very wordy and does require concentration because of the episodic nature of the story but as the characters develop and the situations progress it maintains a high level of mystery to keep you interested. The breadth is awesome and the characters are people you can get invested in.

Not since LOTR have i actually cared about what happens to a character or characters. I found GoT far less enthralling.

Four volumes of brilliant imagination.

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I love audiobooks and I read Otherland as a child. I first thought it would be too long to listen to 24 hours of this but I finished the whole book in just 10 days. Its an incredibly thrilling story that never gets boring despite its length. George Newbern reads fantastically, very believable accents and voices without being cringey. 10/10 would buy again

One of the best audiobooks out there

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Absolute genius story telling. I'd read the four books years ago and the audio version was no disappointment.
Highly recommended

One of the best books I've ever read

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the first time I read the story, it took me years between books. A story this complex takes careful introduction of the characters and their story line, but it did make for a thick book with slow progress.
In audiobook format, it is a lot easier to get into the flow of the story.
If you're new to it, don't be discouraged: it is well worth it.

The narration is clear and not dull, and also without unnecessary frills.
I'll surely listen to the next ones.

much better as audiobook

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