Legends

A Novel of Dissimulation

By: Robert Littell

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

It's a deadly dilemma for Martin Odum: both remembering and forgetting his past are dangerous options. A discharged CIA agent turned private detective, Odum is struggling through a labyrinth of memories from past identities, "legends", in CIA parlance. Is he really Martin Odum? Or is he Dante Pippen, IRA explosives specialist? Or Lincoln Dittmann, Civil War expert? Or another, hidden legend?

When Stella Kastner asks Odum to find her missing brother-in-law, Odum's ex-boss from the CIA shows up to order him off the case. Odum takes it anyway, embarking on a search that leads him around the world battling mortal danger and psychological disorientation.

©2005 Robert Littell (P)2005 The Audio Partners

Critic reviews

"Wonderful writing and a great sense of fun make this another winner." (Publishers Weekly)

perfect for a long train ride.

loved it, nodded off in places and will have to go back and review. If you are into spy stories you will enjoy it.

Not What I Expected

Any additional comments?

I bought this book because I enjoyed the TV series inspired by it. Only the basic premise was the same and this was a bit of a let down. Once I got over the difference between the book and the series, I started to enjoy the book a little more.

Good point of entry

Not your Le Carre style thriller, but good characters and narrative drive. A bit too much exposition in spots but threads and subplots neatly tied out. Woke crowd would hate the stereotypes but my guess is they are not listening. Onto The Company.

Excellent Story

While it took some convincing after a rather graphic and horrific first 5 minutes for my wife to let the story continue on our 20 hour car trip, she soon was completely captivated, as was I.

The rich detail of the characters, the complex plot of interwoven threads and the vivid insight into another world all proved masterfully done in this novel.

I would highly recommend this book and it certainly made the long car trip fly by.

Loved listening to this unfold

I loved how all the elements in this book wove together. I'm not always sure about Grover Gardner's reading. He can be great, like this time, or boring. I could see the lovers as he read and could hear all the layers of meaning as they talked. Nice work. That said, I would not recommend this to a friend who finds lots of names and complex situations hard to listen to. For me, the surprises as old stories affected new circumstances was delicious.

This is a Legend

This is an outstanding audio book. If you like the spy genre, Littell is one the best and it shows in this audio book. Very interesting from the first word to the last word. Excellent production value and narration. I couldn't stop listening to this on my ipod and even got a little paint on it when I tried to listen while painting my shed. Well, it was worth it

it's a good story but

I don't care for the narrator. His attempts at accents with which I'm familiar sound gratingly false. I can't rate his Russian.

great twist and turns

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, it's a captivating story

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

yes, fallowing the story time line jumping around makes for a interesting story.

Which scene was your favorite?

The way the different legends entangle

Robert Littell is a master of spy stories.

Excellent in all ways. Much deeper than I thought it was going to be. Well done!

Very Good

Story was entertaining and flowed well. Another good story from Robert Littell and the narrator was excellent. I enjoy Scott Bricks narrations but Grover Gardner far surpassed him. If you like Littell's book, then you won't be disappointed with this one. Enjoy!