Lord of the Silent

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 13

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia Peabody, grandmaster Elizabeth Peters' indomitable archaeologist-sleuth, once again sets sail for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and specters of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land.

With son Ramses, his wife, Nefret, and a few unwelcome additions in tow, the elder Peabody-Emersons embark on a dangerous sea voyage to Alexandria, ultimately ending up in Cairo for their annual excavations. But in this autumn of 1915 the exotic, alluring city is not what it used to be. Cairo has been transformed into an armed camp teeming with enemy agents, and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites.

Amelia's foremost priority is to prevent the War Office from pressing Ramses into service again, on the same sort of job that almost cost him his life the previous year. But in these terrible days of global conflict and relentless skullduggery, no place in Egypt is safe. Even remote Luxor provides no guarantee of safety, especially after Amelia discovers a fresh corpse resting in an ancient tomb.

The grim discovery presages further trouble for the Emersons, as the sinister conundrum pulls them all into a bubbling morass of corruption, intrigue, and international espionage deeper and more fiendish than any they have hitherto encountered. Death follows death, with abduction and an assault on Amelia herself intensifying the chaos of a world at war.

Yet there is an even darker danger in store for the Emersons. Can it be that one of Amelia's oldest and most dangerous adversaries will intervene to alter the family's destiny? Tantalizing clues suggest that this may be so and point toward an archaeological discovery of unparalleled importance, and the resurrection of a voice that has been silent for millennia.

Don't miss the rest of the Amelia Peabody series. You can also check out more of our Most Addictive Series.

©2001 Elizabeth Peters (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Readers will find all the delicious trappings of a vintage Peters extravaganza: lost tombs, kidnappings, deadly attacks, mummies, and sinister villains." (Publishers Weekly)

Abridged just too bad

I have enjoyed the Elizabeth Peabody books on Audible but am so dissappointed to get to the end of the series and find only abridged versions. Barbara Rosenblatt is amazing as always but the strory had big chunks missing. I read the book (the paper book) after listening because I felt a bit lost. Try and add the unabridged if they make them. Still worth listening to but only about half the book.

Good book

Would you listen to Lord of the Silent again? Why?

I agree with the previous comments that the abridged version is not as good as the unabridged recording. Much left to the listener to fill in the blanks.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

Rosenblat's recitation is amazing.

I got the abridged by accident

What disappointed you about Lord of the Silent?

very unhappy. I did not notice how short it was until I realized the story was going much too fast and jumped around. I had read this book long ago and knew something was not right while I was listening to it.

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

I would have if it had not been the abridged version. The cover is the same and I was well into it when I realized I had missed a lot of the story detail. It was like listening to crib notes not a novel.

Any additional comments?

somehow, be sure that the customer realizes that the selection is abridged in a more emphatic method. Maybe that is what others want. I DO NOT111

Abridged? Really??

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Peters and/or Barbara Rosenblat?

I love all the Amelia Peabody books performed by Barbara Rosenblat.

Any additional comments?

It is disappointing that there is no unabridged version of this story. You can tell there are gaps in the story. It's better than nothing, and Barbara Rosenblat is fantastic as always, but I just wish there was more story in this story!

Be aware this one is Abridged

What would have made Lord of the Silent better?

I purchased this one by accident, and I love the Amelia Peabody series however the abridged left me wondering who actually was the enemy and to many holes on the plot

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

unsure

What does Barbara Rosenblat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I do love Barbara Rosenblat's performances. I look forward to finding the unabridged version of this read by her.

What character would you cut from Lord of the Silent?

unsure

Any additional comments?

For some abridged is perfect, I admit that the series is sometimes longwinded. But that is what I love about it. The little jokes, the bantering the descriptions. So if you like the same reading I do then skip this one. If you would rather the less wordy then this is perfect for you.

Not abridged, butchered

I bought this yesterday and listened to the first hour. It's horrible. No introductory "Editor's Notes", no indication of when the action switches between Amelia's diary, Ramses' "manuscript H" and Nefret's letters. So much is missing.
Because I like the series, and after some reflection, I decided to go to Recorded Books, order the unabridged version on 14 CDs, pay $62 plus shipping, wait for it to come, then rip the CDs into iTunes. The ridiculous nature of having to do such a TwenCen transaction is why I suspect this book and the next two are highly pirated. Nobody under 40 would wait - they will just hop on BitTorrent and go get an illegal copy.
Audible, please talk to the copyright owners. It's not as if Rosenblatt never recorded this book unabridged and it's not available. They are losing money, and deserve to be whacked with Amelia's parasol!

The Lord of the Silent

I was very mad at myself for downloading this book without noticing it was ABRIDGED! But I was even more upset to see that Audible does not make the unabridged version available!
How many negative comments do you need to read before you react to this clear need on the part of your readers?

WHY ABRIDGED?!?!

What would have made Lord of the Silent better?

The Unabridged version. Why, oh why, would a publisher EVER release an abridged version of ANY book? If the author had wanted to have a shorter book, they would have written less.

I was like is she sick

This book is terrible and it’s not the book is the abridgment I agree with the With the person who said not abridged butcher

Don't Bother with Abridged Versions!

So incredibly disappointed with Audible for not making the unabridged versions available. This is just a butchered mess; the story is disjointed and disappointing on all levels because of the missing portions. I feel cheated.