House of Eight Orchids

By: James Thayer

Narrated by: Will Damron

In 1912, John Wade and his brother, William - children of the American consul - were kidnapped off the street in Chungking, China, and raised in the house of Eunuch Chang, the city's master criminal. Twenty-five years later, John is the eunuch's most valuable ward, a trained assassin and swindler, and William has become a talented forger.

On the brink of World War II, China is in chaos. When William betrays Eunuch Chang and escapes to central China, a place of ferocious warlords and bandits, John begins a desperate search to save his brother, while Eunuch Chang hunts them both.

©2016 James Thayer (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Good but not what I was expecting...

I almost don't know where to begin. I enjoyed this book but it sure was not what I expected it to be.
I expected a high tension lots of action kind of book. What this is is a book about a grown man who along with his brother was kidnapped in China when he was a 5 year old child, his brother was 2. They were then raised by their abductor as his sons, a man who dealt with the seedier side of life in Chunking. He learned to be an assassin and his brother a forger. About the time the protagonist (John) turned 29 he became disillusioned with his "adopted " father and tries to escape but of course things go very wrong. The remainder of this book deals with him trying to rescue his brother and retribution against the man who stole him and then raised him as his own into a life without morals which he realizes are is not what he wants and that he actually has an innate sense of ethics that he would like to explore.
The fact that it takes place during WWI almost has no bearing on the story except that in a few instances different members of the military help him after he has proven himself not to be a threat to them. However when reading it it almost sounds timeless and any date or assistance could have been used.
This book is well written and moves along at a good pace but high action it's not.
Will Damron does a great job narrating. I would definitely listen to other books narrated by him.
I purchased this book on sale for $4.95 and if you read this review while it is still on sale I would HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you purchase this. However I do think it is also good enough to be worth a credit.
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Like going to the movies

I fully enjoyed listening to this book. The story held my interest and I was very pleased with the performance. I have been reading my books i with the Kindle and really was able to see the books story as it was really sad to me.

Intense!

This is so close to having the ability of a true story! I was hooked on every word. So freaking intense! The weirdest part, I only cried at the very end, well almost the end. Never leave a man behind!

Good listen.

Fairly good character development. Good story. Entertaining listening. History and action. Looking forward to sequel.

A wonderfully exotic adventure

Great adventure story with a mix of eastern culture and pre WWII history at the core, some very action-packed characters you both love and love to hate. Will Damron is masterful. Sadly, no more of James Thayer in audiobooks.

Couldn't put this down!

Absolutely the best book I've read (listened to) this year! Will Damron's narration was some of the best I've ever listened to. James Thayer's story is unique and memorable. His words are so descriptive it's like watching a movie in your head.

Great story

Well written and i liked the narrator. I didn't want to put my iPhone down.

Outstanding

This was a most interesting book! The story is engaging and interesting! Love the main characters and the dog!
Outstanding ending! I would highly recommend the audiobook!
The narrator was fantastic! Must read book! Great job!!!

Fast Paced Action Adventure

This is one story I shall remember! History, characters, tension and an accomplished writer's excellent work hooked me from the start. Narrator was perfect for this novel.

Unusual yet gripping story

Based in China, Thayer tells a harrowing story of 2 boys, sons of a US diplomat, who are kidnapped off the streets of China. The boys are raised by a Chinese eunuch who claims them as sons and sends them out to perform crimes. This is their story.
We listened to The House of Eight Orchids on Audible. It is a long fast-moving story which shortened our drive tremendously. The reading performance was excellent. The story puzzling and demanding. Highly recommended.