Priscilla

The clash between two equally powerful, magical beings.

The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1). In both cases, the female and male protagonists come from different worlds and appear to be natural enemies.

I've listened to all of the Dresden Files books as well as the Greyfriar. This performance is every bit as good as the Greyfriar. Marsters does an amazing job with the range of voices demanded by the Dresden Files, where he has to voice many different characters--many not human!--with lots of different accents. So far this series has employed fewer characters, but I have no doubt that Marsters will continue to excel at bringing them all to life.

Every time Mallory, the 17-year-old female protagonist, was in tears, I would find myself getting a little teary, too. I have no idea how he manages to do it, but he does.

Marsters' voice is rather deep, but he has a wide range, which helps him portray the female characters convincingly. This is a pet peeve of mine--I can't help but think of the guys in Monty Python when some male narrators read women's dialogue. But Marsters edges ever so slightly into the upper end of his range when he plays the women in the book. In doing so, he manages to avoid sounding like a strangled eunuch or Lady Bracknell in a drag production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Dickens was well known in his day for giving lively, dramatic readings of his books--how he would have been delighted with Martin Jarvis's performance! Each of the colorful characters has an instantly identifiable voice, and all the nuances of class and region are beautifully done. Even the voices of the women are incredible--especially Dora's. As I listened, I could easily picture David's tiny, slight, blue-eyed "child wife." Bravo, Mr. Jarvis. I'll be looking for more of your performances!