The Malice of Fortune

By: Michael Ennis

Narrated by: Adrian Paul, Carlotta Montanari, John Lee, Fred Sanders

Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Against a teeming canvas of Borgia politics, Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci come together to unmask an enigmatic serial killer, as we learn the secret history behind one of the most controversial works in the western canon, The Prince....

When Pope Alexander dispatches a Vatican courtesan, Damiata, to the remote fortress city of Imola to learn the truth behind the murder of Juan, his most beloved illegitimate son, she cannot fail, for the scheming Borgia pope holds her own young son hostage. Once there, Damiata becomes a pawn in the political intrigues of the pope’s surviving son, the charismatic Duke Valentino, whose own life is threatened by the condottieri, a powerful cabal of mercenary warlords. Damiata suspects that the killer she seeks is one of the brutal condottierri, and as the murders multiply, her quest grows more urgent. She enlists the help of an obscure Florentine diplomat, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Valentino’s eccentric military engineer, Leonardo da Vinci, who together must struggle to decipher the killer’s taunting riddles: Leonardo with his groundbreaking "science of observation" and Machiavelli with his new "science of men". Traveling across an Italy torn apart by war, they will enter a labyrinth of ancient superstition and erotic obsession to discover at its center a new face of evil - and a truth that will shake the foundations of western civilization.

©2012 Random House Audio (P)2012 Michael Ennis

Critic reviews

"Epic.... This is a dense narrative, permeated by the sights, sounds and smells of Renaissance Italy, and one that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, with which it is sure to be compared." ( Kirkus )

"Absorbing and intelligent.... Fans of superior historical mystery writers such as Steven Saylor and Laura Jo Rowland will be enthralled." ( Publishers Weekly)

"With its vivid, well-defined array of characters, The Malice of Fortune captures the glorious and gritty details of Renaissance Italy in a propulsive story. Ennis has achieved a great accomplishment, historical fiction that places us right into the characters' present." (Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club and The Technologists)

Female narrator is impossible to listen to.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I have no idea. I could not get past the narration after the first hour, so I can't really comment on the story. If I could have left the Story and Overall categories unstarred, I would have.

What was most disappointing about Michael Ennis’s story?

Not able to comment.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

I would have cast someone whose accent was less intrusive and who did not speak in a monotone.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Honestly, I couldn't tell.

Any additional comments?

I hate to be such a cranky pants, but it's very frustrating to have to miss an entire book because one of the narrators is so grating.

Almost impossible to listen to!

This is a partial review, commenting only on the performance. I hope to be able to find and read a print copy of the book so I can comment on the story as well. The reviews of the story intrigued me, and it sounds as if it could be a good historical fiction thriller.

But at the moment, I am so put off by the female narrator that I don't think I can continue listening. WHO HIRED THIS WOMAN? She is clearly not a native speaker of the English language; perhaps she is Italian. She almost swallows Italian phrases and proper nouns (as I am guilty of doing with my own name when I introduce myself...because it's so familiar).

The majority of the text she reads is English, but her incredibly poor pronunciation makes me miss about 1 word in every 5. And since I'm listening on my iPod, I can't back up just a few seconds, I have to jump back to the beginning of a chapter. So I just let her go on and on, wondering if I am getting enough details to follow the story. Even the words I do understand are mangled. For example, the word "purchase" comes out "poor CHASE" with a long A.

Occasionally I hear a sentence that makes me smile in pleasure at the clever writing, the unexpected phrase that communicates beautifully and adds a bit of humor or insight. That's why I want to read the book in print, now. It just isn't worth it to struggle through this abysmal narration any more.

DREADFUL

I was really looking forward to this book--and was really disappointed! The narrator sounds like she's a non-English speaker reading phonectically. No emotion, no excitement. Sounds like she's reading a grocery list.

I still wanted to try to get through the story, but just couldn't get through the lackluster performance of that female narrator.

Can I audition to read a book??

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This is the first time I stop listening to a book because it was not a pleasant experience. I agree with some of the reviewers that Carlotta's accent is not quite the problem, but her lack of passion when reading. It feels like she's reading the classifieds section on the newspaper!. I wish the whole book was read by John Lee, then maybe the story would be actually understandable. Sorry Carlotta, don't quit your day job.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Again the long intro narrated by Damiata just kills the story. I don't like over acting on the narration but Carlotta went the opposite direction and just ended my interest.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

John Lee. John Lee and maybe John Lee. Just kidding. You guys have so many good female narrators that I didn't even think that you had a bad one. Well, you found her!! Sorry Carlotta.

Any additional comments?

Enough said.

Read the other reviews BEFORE purchasing

What a fiasco. I am an avid audibles listener, this is the worst narration I have ever heard. When I can wade through Carlotta Montanari's reading I just feel disapointment at the flat plot-skip this one it is truly horrible.

An Unintelligible Reader and So-So Story

Shame on me! I broke one of my cardinal rules and bought this book without listening to the preview. The female reader’s accent is so heavy the words are mostly unintelligible. Instead of being able to concentrate on the book, I had to focus on trying to understand what she was saying. Not being one to waste a credit, I suffered through it but by the middle of the book I just didn’t care anymore and my ears were burning and bleeding.
The plot is average at best. I rushed to buy this book because one of the critics said it was as good as “The Name of the Rose”. It is NOT even close. As I am not a historian of 16th century politics, I must take on good faith that all events in the book are true. I must say that the only thing I got from the book was a feeling that I am glad I did not live in those times.
Since this is a new book by a new author, I am sure there will be a rush by the “Shill Reviewers” from the Author and the publishing house to declare this book a 5-star masterpiece second only to The Bible in importance. I also expect my review to be "Not Helpful" by them (and others). To this I give them the Bronx Cheer and proudly hold up one finger to represent one star.
If this review was helpful, please let me know. Cheers!

Virtually incomprehensible due to narrator

In more than fifteen years listening to audiobooks, this is the absolute worst performance I have yet encountered. The narrator of the first section is evidently not a native speaker of English, and her accented text is practically impossible to understand, let alone follow in any enjoyable fashion. Arrgh! There are the bones of a good story lurking, but I'll be darned if I could extract it.