The Talhoffer Society

By: Michael Edelson

Narrated by: David Harper

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

He came to stop it, she came to win it. The tournament will change their lives forever. If they survive.

If you readily frighten, you should never learn fencing.

- Liechtenauer's Verses, Von Danzig Fechtbuch - 1452

As a champion longsword fencer, Jack Fischer receives many invitations to tournaments, but none like this: few details, no return address and thousands of dollars in cash that is his to keep whether he accepts or not. He wants nothing to do with it until a multi-national task force recruits him to help bring down the organizers, a society of modern duelists who fight to the death for the gratification of wealthy patrons.

Surrounded by opulence, glamour, and the respect of powerful benefactors, Jack finds himself fighting the desire to prove himself in combat and vindicate his life's work. His loyalties are further strained when he meets Frederica, a woman whose skill with a sword rivals his own. Struggling with a disease that is ravaging her body, she has come to the tournament to win the means to pay for her treatment or to die trying.

But underneath the pomp, the lofty ideals, and promised wealth, neither the tournament nor its organizers are what they seem, and Jack is forced to face an impossible choice between love, self-preservation, and honor in a place where the only truth worth finding may lie in a pool of his own blood.

©2016 Michael Edelson (P)2016 Michael Edelson

An amazing story that hit me where I live

I'll preface this by saying I do study HEMA. The story of this book is amazing. It feels like something every martial artist would enjoy. I didn't ever find myself bored or drifting. The action is tight and well paced. Nothing is drawn out and the fighting is about as realistic as it can be. I was engrossed in this book and nearly had it all in one sitting. I can see myself going back to it over and over again. The only not so great part is the voice narration. I wish they had gotten someone a bit better. The guy gets better as the book goes along, but for a while at the beginning I was pretty sure that it was a voice program he was so choppy. But this did not remove my enjoyment of the book at all. I would recommend this to any martial artist or anyone who loves a good story.

Great Action!

Where does The Talhoffer Society rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

If you are a fan of the first Die Hard movie you will really like this book.

Solid quality and great performance by the narrator. His voice was steady and had some life and expression but not too much to get on your nerves.

The Talhoffer Society boasts a very unique topic - it pits european martial arts and culture vs asian martial arts and culture. It is very intriguing to listen to because it provides an insight into a mind of a modern day martial artist. He seeks validation of his fighting techniques and abilities, an unusual concept in modern day and age where people are not as involved in martial arts. Naturally, the main character becomes an unwanted participant in a hurricane of events. He is forced into making choices that would have unforeseen permanent consequences on his life. The book both educates the reader and guides him on an action adventure. The author has rich knowledge of the subject as is shown by excerpts from historical fencing manuals, combat and training description.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character is Boris. He gets the most character development in the course of the story. He gets to deal with difficult moral issues and resolve them on his own through a lot of inner struggle.

Which scene was your favorite?

Fight scene of Jack and Marone. It is very psychologically intense part of the book for many reasons. Also it is main character's first encounter with mortality.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This book is brutally honest towards european martial arts. Since the whole branch of it is so young and so much has been lost in ages compared to kendo and other martial arts, the practitioners are faced with ridicule or misunderstanding. What really moved me was the fact how difficult it is to get a recognition and be taken seriously in a growing art like that.

Also, very graphic description of MS symptoms. The author makes a lot of philosophical points along the way of showing the progression of the disease in an afflicted person. It certainly raises awareness to the issue.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely recommend this book.

Decent

This was a decent story with a number of twists, some obvious and some clever. The writing is well crafted, though for a book about sword fights, it was surprisingly sparse in their description.

My main complaint is with the narrator, who was so stiff and robotic that I almost gave up early. His characters are fine, but his descriptive voice is very off-putting. However, either I got used to him or he got better.

Overall, absolutely worth checking out.

A Well-Crafted and Engaging Thriller

In writing 'The Talhoffer Society', Michael Edelson has written an engaging and entertaining story which kept me listening and guessing.

The characters were interesting and human, the dialogue was natural, and the story was exciting: it drew me in to the point where I finished the book in a day. I don't want to say too much about the plot, as it is a thriller after all, but it picks up quickly and is a satisfying read.

The narrator was good, especially in dialogue wherein he excelled, but he fell flat when reciting the descriptive passages of the book. His voice became a robotic monotone when not speaking for a character, and whilst I can understand that as a stylistic choice I found it off putting and had it wrench me from the story a few times.

I would absolutely recommend this book if you're looking for a fun thriller with keep you on your toes. Edelson has done a fantastic job crafting a novel that grabs your attention, and I hope you give it a listen.

Great Story kept me listening.

I specifically made an audible account to listen to this book. great "read" almost listened to it in one go.

Fantastic!

If you could sum up The Talhoffer Society in three words, what would they be?

Completely unprecedented thriller

What did you like best about this story?

I was instantly immersed in the story, and it just kept getting better. The characters are believable and easy to identify with. There is nothing cliche here. The male protagonist is fleshed out just enough to be a sympathetic character but not so much that you can't put yourself into his shoes and see the story through his eyes. The female lead was startlingly real. I feel like I know her in real life after listening to the book. And the sword fights...amazing. I don't know anything about fighting with swords, or I didn't before reading this book, but that was no hindrance. The action is tightly woven into the story, so that every fight advances the plot. A fantastic listen from start to finish.

Have you listened to any of David Harper’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, first one. I thought he did a very good job. Not perfect, but then few are, but he is great with dialog and his accents are first rate. For reference, my favorite narrators are Jefferson Mays, Jay Snyder and Luke Daniels. They are, in my mind, the cream of the crop of audible narrators, and while this guy wasn't as good as those three, he is far better than most of the others. I'd listen to his work again without hesitation. The most important thing about him is that he doesn't take away from the story, and even enhances it. That's rare in a narrator.

Any additional comments?

Buy this book! Just do it! You won't be sorry. You may even get a new hobby out of it. I'm actually considering joining a local sword fighting school.

All a round good story.

I enjoyed every part of it. Especially the pacing. A good story with likeable characters that doesn't get mired down.

Swordfighting for the win.

I loved this book. I enjoyed the highs and lows of the story, the way the suspense built and the way the action played out. As a HEMA student and competitor, I found the characters relatable. I know people like Jack, Boris, and Todd. The way this book portrays my sport and my passion couldn't be better.

Kept me interested enough to keep listening

The narrator sounds very robotic when narrating and acting as the main character. Though that's not true for all characters and it either ends up growing on you, or you get used to it.

Everything just comes off as too convenient in the story, though there are fun moments like when the pips are explained.

Action was well described and was probably some of the better parts of this book. I'd like to see the author to take another stab with something involving similar fighting and have a chance to polish out a more interesting story line.

I'd say this is still worth a listen to, especially for those into HEMA.

great book if you love hema

really fun to listen to, and the action is engaging. i really liked the introduction to each chapter and the author seems to have good knowledge of hema and kenjutsu. I just wish there would have been a little less love story and a bit more Talhoffering.