Masques

Aralorn, Book 1

By: Patricia Briggs

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren, Patricia Briggs (introduction)

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Before #1 New York Times best-selling author Patricia Briggs created her two hugely successful urban fantasy series, Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega, she wrote her debut fantasy epic, Masques. Newly revised and expanded, and available in audio for the first time, Masques arrives in our store just in time, with the fourth book in this series, Wolfsbane, coming soon.

After an upbringing of proper behavior and oppressive expectations, Aralorn fled her noble birthright for a life of adventure as a mercenary spy. Her latest mission involves spying on the increasingly powerful sorcerer Geoffrey ae'Magi. But in a war against an enemy armed with the powers of illusion, how do you know who the true enemy is – or where he will strike next?

Katherine Kellgren (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), one of Audible's favorite narrators and one of the premier voices of science fiction and fantasy, sweeps listeners away on this engrossing adventure.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an introduction written and read by author Patricia Briggs.

©2010 Hurog, Inc, (c) 1993 Patricia Briggs; (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Patricia Briggs' first novel - OK but not great

Would you try another book from Patricia Briggs and/or Katherine Kellgren and Patricia Briggs (introduction) ?

I love the books that Patricia Briggs has written - the Alpha and Omega series and the Mercy Thompson series are 2 that stand out. This book, though, was hard to get into and stay interested in. It was a ho-hum book with not too much excitement - unlike books that she has written since then.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have much stronger leads - Aralorn and Wolf in particular. The interaction between the two of them was hit or miss - not very exciting. I didn't like him staying in his wolf form all the time either. I would have made this book more mystical, better interaction between the characters instead of merely talking about what each of them were doing.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the scene at the beginning of the book when Aralorn was in a birdcage and had the guise of a rare bird. Her interaction with the First Mage was much better than with other book characters.

Could you see Masques being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, not worthy of a movie or TV series in my opinion...

Any additional comments?

Patricia Briggs became a much better author in her later series. I will continue to read her books as she has them published. If you have read later book by Briggs, you'll notice that this book proves that she has progressed from a beginning author to the author she is today.

starts out rocky

I can see why there is a prologue, or warning on this being authors first book. definetly not as good as her other works.. lacks description and seems at times there are pieces of the story missing. overall a decent bpok

liked the story, not the narrator

As the author describes in the forward, this is a first book by a talented author written from ideas she had cultivated for years, but at a time when she had little experience in or much study of the craft of writing.

That said, this was an enjoyable read. I could definitely feel the author's love for the characters. And, despite the clichés the author admits abound in the book, they are the ones that have become clichés because they make lovable stories.

The narrator's pompous reading style, however, diminished my enjoyment of the story. At first, I thought it might be the author's early style of writing that came through in the performance, but even when reading the forward, the narrator sounds grandiose. It is much less noticeable when she is doing character voices and dialog, but in periods of narration, It grates on my nerves, and it takes a conscious effort for me to not let her style keep me from appreciating the work.

Even with my distaste for the narrator's style, though, I *do* enjoy this book and have listened to it more than once.

Still worth the "read"!

As Riggs explains in the intro, this was her first book. It's a little clumsy in some spots but you can definitely see her style that shines bright in the Mercy Thompson series, showing itself! A very enjoyable listen and worth every penny (or credit)!

good book

I have read the book before and enjoyed it but I found it good and very interesting to listen to Somebody reading it the voice has done well to highlight important parts and I liked listening

Love this early work, but the narration? No.

I love this book and have read it a few times, but I barely made it through the Audible version because of the narration. The description says she is a “fan favorite” but I honestly don’t see how. In this book her voice was incredibly grating on my ears and so annoying I had to stop listening. What’s worse, there were times she made one of the main characters sound like an old, frail man when he isn’t! I will not be buying her narration of the sequel to this book. In fact, I will avoid every book that has been narrated by this woman.

Satisfying tale, interesting characters

Masques is a comfort book. The kind of book you pull out on cold wet days and enjoy with a nice warm blanket and a cup of hot tea. While certainly no Tolkien, Robert Jordan or Anne McCaffrey, Patricia Briggs knows how to tell an emotionally satisfying tale.

We begin the audio book with an author read introduction which explains the real world context within which the book was written. I loved her final 'compromise', in that she admits to fleshing details in the book out with a rewrite, while taking nothing away from the original novel.

As far as the story itself, it is an emotionally satisfying tale, with main characters that are interestingly flawed. This is no epic, but it was enjoyable, and had a few interesting twists and surprises along the way. The two main characters had great chemistry, and the romance between them built comfortably and believably throughout the story.

As far as the reader, she did an excellent job maintaining individual voices for several of the key characters. Her timing and general storytelling skills were definitely great. Sometimes her 'excitement' when reading action passages was noticeable, but it didn't really detract from the story or my enjoyment of it at all.

To summarize: Satisfying, cozy story of sword, sorcery and romance.

Action, Intrigue, and Romance in a fun Fantasy!

A newly updated edition of Patricia Briggs' first book and the inclusion of an introduction by the author herself had me one-clicking on this audio edition. Fantasy world, action, intrigue, mages, shape-shifters, and engaging characters made this a highly entertaining story from start to finish.

Masques is the first book in the Sianim series and the first in the Aralorn duology. It can be read standalone or one of several stories set in the same high fantasy world.

Aralorn is the shape-shifting, warrior daughter of a noble family. She has left the pampered life of wealth behind to train and become a mercenary and spy. Her latest assignment takes her to spy on the household of the most powerful mage in the land. She is meant to discover a possible assassination attempt, but instead discovers the mage himself is corrupt and using his power to entrap minds, enslave people, and kill for additional power. The mage must be stopped. She faces him with the help of a mysterious shape-shifting wolf, a young king who is impervious to magical influence, and some surprising help along the way, but they are up against a mage who has summoned the undead along with some of the most powerful magic users he has tricked.

Aralorn was an engaging heroine. She is clever, skilled, and compassionate. She also possesses mild magic that helps her disguise herself and resist mental manipulation. She is impetuous when her compassion is engaged which is why she rescues a wild wolf from a trap and ignores everyone including the wolf himself who tells her that he's dangerous and possibly worse. Aralorn does like to go her own way and work alone, but knows she is woefully inadequate to face off with a powerful mage. This was an underdog situation and I do love those, but it was also a story of treachery and redemption. I found Aralorn something of a 'too perfect' character, but Wolf was much more complex. It is his story as much as Aralorn's and gives the depth to this tale. His past is slowly revealed and he must face it before he can take on the mage. He must also learn to trust particularly the fierce woman who stands at his side.

I do love how the author weaves lore and legend into her stories so well. This is a fantasy so it has plenty already, but within the story lore and legend play a strong role in helping Aralorn and their friends against sheer magical might.

The narrator is one whom I've encountered before. Katherine Kellgren did well with this story mostly narrated by Aralorn, but also Wolf and a few others. She really told a good fight scene and had a nice repertoire of voices for characters and situations.

All in all, it was great to step into Patricia Brigg's fantasy world and I look forward to the other stories in the series. If you enjoy fantasy that is carried by action and intrigue with a smaller dose of romance, try this one.

Great story that keeps you listening!

What made the experience of listening to Masques the most enjoyable?

The author starts with a brief background about the book. I think she's too hard on herself. I found the story entertaining and one that I will go back to periodically since I really enjoyed it. The characters are interesting, the mystery keeps one's attention and the unlikely romance fits the story. Good listen/read.

Really enjoyed

I really enjoyed listening to this audio version of this story. In fact I like Aralorn much better than Mercy. It's too bad that she only has the 2 books.