The Blue Sword

By: Robin McKinley

Narrated by: Diane Warren

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sunshine is the Newberry Award-winning classic novel that has enthralled listeners for decades.

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimand-sol, King’s Raider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies …

©1982 Robin McKinley (P)1992 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealing stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale’s verve as a fantasy.”—Booklist

Favorite Book

The narrator did a fantastic job, especially for this particular book. It's one of my favorite books, but I know it's difficult to read aloud and she reads it like I read it in my head.

As always, I’m just sorry it’s over!

I read this book MANY years ago, and enjoyed it throughly then, but having it read was even better. Ms. Warren did a fabulous job, and “Harry” was just like she had sounded in my head!

A favorite story, but narrator didn't do it justic

After reading all the reviews I decided to give this audible version a chance because it is a long time favorite. Unfortunately, it was not nearly as enjoyable as Is hoped because of the narrator. Ms. Warren does little to change her voice for different characters, making it difficult to follow without paying close attention.

I really hope this book will be redone at some point by another narrator, it really deserves the effort!

Wonderful!

My favorite book since childhood was narrated beautifully and it is just as enchanting as an audio book as it was the first time I read it.

A wonderful take-me away Fantasy! Newbery Honor...

Ms. McKinley won a Newbery Honor Medal for this great book. It is a bit more than a children's book; I would rate it as "teen ".

Narrator is pretty good... Not much to complain about here. The story is Timeless, and "The Hero and the Crown" follows as a prequel that did win the Newbery!

If you have not read these two books, I am jealous! I am over 50, and just listened to both books again. Enjoy!♡

For me this is a classic!

I have been a huge fan of Robin McKinley for many years and this is one of those books I got back to whenever I need a pick me up or have no idea what to listen to next! I really enjoy Diane Warren's performance and love hearing how to say all these fabulous words. I think her narration gives a very realistic weight to the story the voice in my head when I'm reading can't give it! I'm so happy to have this in my archive! And will work on my life long goal of one day have a cat named Narknon!

A favorite for many years.

I guess because I love horses and adventurers. And the far away places that pop in my imagination. Better than any movie.

Love the story. Liked the narrator.

While the narrator did not do the story justice, the story carried itself, and I highly recommend a listen!

Lovely

This is one of my all time favorite books and this audio book performance allowed me to share it with my husband who doesn't read as much as I do. The narration seemed hesitant at times with awkward pauses in the reading, but overall was very enjoyable!

Wonderful story - terrible audio quality!

I have been a huge fan of Ms. McKinley's Damar books since I was a child, so when I saw that the audiobook was available, I snapped it up instantly.

Don't get me wrong: You should absolutely, definitely read this book. But if you have any choice at all, read it yourself and avoid the audiobook until a better-quality recording has been made.

Ms. Warren's reading is decent enough, although she doesn't appear to have put much thought into the emotion behind her words. Many of the characters came off as emotionless, to my ear. But to be fair, I've got portions of the book memorized and after so many years of hearing them in my head, I came into the experience with certain expectations. I have heard much worse readers and Ms. Warren is easy to follow with a pleasant voice.

What is NOT acceptable is the terrible quality of the recording, which appears to have been converted to digital format from an old cassette that was not at its best. There are many skips and places where the sound was blurred, and the entire first half of Chapter 4 is so full of clicks and static that it's all but impossible to listen to without gritting your teeth.

I'm astonished that any publishing company would allow such a poor quality audiobook to be marketed. Shame on you, Recorded Books! Ms. McKinley's wonderful work deserves much better treatment. I join the other reviewers who are crossing their fingers and hoping hard for a new and better quality recording of this classic Young Adult novel.