The Fire Rose

By: Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by: Kate Black-Regan

Length: 13 hrs

Publisher's summary

Accepting employment as a governess after hard times hit her family, medieval scholar Rosalind Hawkins is surprised when she learns that her mysterious employer has no children and only wants her to read to him through a speaking tube.

©1996 Mercedes Lackey (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

The story is a 5 the narration is a 1 if that.

I loved the story.
The narration was the worst I have heard. She mispronounced words constantly. I don't regret buying it because the story is wonderful but IF I had known how bad the narration was I wouldn't have paid the $.

amazing read

I love this book, I have read it once a year since middle.school. the vocalist in this reading brings out tones that I never thought of when o read it mself. yup find something new every time you read it. Mercedes Lackey is a Amazing Author.

great listen.

I have read some of this series but have never read this one. this book made me want to read all of the series. well written and great story.

One of my favorite retelling of Beauty & the Beast

A good retelling of Beauty & the Beast, keeping the key points of the 18th century fairytale and blending it with turn-of-the-century America. As a fan of literature and history, and former resident of both Chicago and San Francisco, I appreciated the literary and theatrical references, and the representation of the historical era.

This is one of Mercedes Lackey's earlier books, and it shows through in writing that could be better, but it remains a fun tale. Lackey gets bonus points for finally asking if Beauty would have really wanted the Beast to turn into a prince, and talking things from there.

Great story, disappointing narration.

I'm a fan of Mercedes Lackey and have always particularly liked this sort of precursor to her Elemental Masters series. I love the time period and the alternative reasons behind historical events. I also very much like the heroine, Rose, because she has spirit and doesn't meekly follow the roles set out for her. The romance is predictable but delightful none-the-less and the villains are appropriately villainous.

My only disappointment was with the narration. It is awkward in places to the point of being distracting. Though the narrator tries to give unique voices to various characters, most of them sound sort of silly. In a story that usually lures me in, I kept being jarred out by something odd in the reading. Perhaps it is because I have read this book in print previous to hearing it. I'm not sure.

The book is definitely worth your time. Even though the narration was disappointing, the story is good enough to overshadow the awkward places. But if you have a chance to read it in print, you are better off.

Typical Lackey

"Beauty and the Beast", retold. California in the early 1900s, but with wizards and dragons.
Lackey is as skillful as usual: All through the book, I was saying to myself, "I can't believe I'm actually continuing with this! It's contrived, it's predictable, it's trite..." And of course, I enjoyed every bit of it.
Recommended? I dunno...

One of my favorites

I love the fairy tales and elemental masters series almost more than the Valdemar series I first fell in love with.

A Tale as Old as Time Retold

A significantly far cry from the original tale, Lackey succeeds in transplanting a man who's arrogance leads to a disturbing transformation and a woman who seeks more for herself into America's gilded age. Starting off slow, we are introduced to both our protagonists while learning of the world the live (both historically and magically). As time passes, their molding pasts are made clear to both the reader and each other. Additionally, throughout the story we are given allusions to a villain that we never see until the very end, seeing for the most part his servant only. Kate Black-Regan's narration might sound awkward at first, but if you let her continue on you find she does an agreeable job. Give this tale a listen, and see how a series was born.

Fun story about Magic

I think it's fun to here about parallel creatures in Eastern and Western magic cultures. Kate does a great job reading.

The Fire Rose - One of a Kind

An original package for a fantasy. From the outset, this story gets you in because you aren't sure what will happen next. Rose, the lead character, is totally believable and easy to identify with. If you enjoy imaginative explanations for well known historical events, then 'The Fire Rose' will a be a 'must-read' book. This is a good introduction to 'The Elemental Series'.