The Library of the Dead
The first in the award-winning urban fantasy series
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The Library of the Dead
Buy Now for £10.05
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Narrated by:
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Tinashe Warikandwa
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By:
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T. L. Huchu
About this listen
The Times Audiobook of the Week
Opening up a world of magic and adventure, The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu is the first audiobook in the Edinburgh Nights series.
‘A fast-moving and entertaining tale, beautifully written’ – Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
‘I highly recommend The Library of the Dead’ – Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series
When ghosts talk, she will listen . . .
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and she now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honour bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.
She’ll dice with death (not part of her life plan . . .) as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets. And in the process, she discovers an occult library and some unexpected allies. Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?
'Roll on the sequel' – The Times
'One of the strangest and most compelling fantasy worlds you'll see all year' – SFX
Continue the series
Critic reviews
Audiobook narrated by Tinashe Warikandwa.
A short but creepy book set in an alternative timeline Edinburgh. We follow Ropa who is a Ghost-stalker (someone who can see and communicate with ghosts) and she is thrown into a mystery involving missing children and the dark underworld of magic within the city.
- I really enjoyed Ropa as a character. Her heritage and situation accurately affected her choices and she often had to strike a balance between several options which would all have difficult consequences for her and those around her.
- The creepy atmosphere of this alternative Edinburgh was great and it was fun to hear about familiar locations in this new light.
- The story felt a little disjointed sometimes. This could be because a some of the places and events currently seem irrelevant or have little to do with the story. However, this is the first book of a series so these things may make more sense when other books are out.
Overall a fun, creepy story that melds modern diystopian, folk tale and academic fantasy in a fresh way. I look forward to the second book when it comes out.
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The producer should have asked for it to be re-recorded every time she does this.
The narrator struggles with some of the words, mispronouncing some terms as if she has only ever seen them written. Again, the producer should have corrected this. Other reviewers have said that the narration is in a monotone. I don’t think that this is the case, but the poor delivery doesn’t keep the pace.
It is all in the first person, delivered in the “voice” of the main character Ropa, but this means there is no audible differentiation for other characters. A style point maybe? Should the voice actor speak differently to present the reported words of others in a first person narrative?
The story is engaging, set in an alternative timeline around a version of Edinburgh that could be ours in the future. After a slow start in which we are introduced to the characters it then moves into a hybrid paranormal fantasy and ghost story. The protagonist is a teenage girl who is able to see and talk to ghosts. Occasionally though this character will use similes or will make references that are incongruous with this persona, such as references to boxing champions Joe Frasier and Mohammed Ali.
I have spent a credit on the next story in the series, which I have noted uses a different narrator. As I said above, the problem is not with the story so I hope better delivery, direction and production could help.
I listened to the whole thing, so I will not ask for my credit back but I think Audible should re-record this and then give a new version to everyone who has already downloaded it.
Great story, audio needs to be redone
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I like more and the ending has given a hint of this
loved it
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Good book
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The narrative is pacy and the performance was fabulous.
The Library of the Dead
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