The Palace Job

Rogues of the Republic, Book 1

By: Patrick Weekes

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Loch is seeking revenge. It would help if she wasn’t in jail. The plan: To steal a priceless elven manuscript that once belonged to her family, but is now in the hands of the most powerful man in the Republic. To do so, Loch - former soldier, former prisoner, and current fugitive - must assemble a crack team of magical misfits that includes a cynical illusionist, a shape shifting unicorn, a repentant death priestess, a talking magical war hammer, and a lad with seemingly no skills. This crack team of misfits will help her break into the floating fortress of Heaven’s Spire and the vault that holds her family’s treasure - all while eluding the unrelenting pursuit of Justicar Pyvic, whose only mission is to see the law upheld. What could possibly go wrong?

©2013 Patrick Weekes (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Listen closely

I really like this narrator this world was very well-built and very intricate which is why I say listen closely if you don't listen closely to every detail you will miss something I've listened to this now twice before I even felt I had heard it once but the narrator is great and the story is good

Not only a heck of a story, a heck of a narrator

Really excellent performance! Kinda stunning, her range!

The story not only fully brings the heist story fully to a fantasy, but manages to meet and extend the form within the logic and expressiveness of the fantasy context.

Delightful, low-stress fun

This whole series is a blast. It's not going to change the way you look at the world or anything, but for light escapist fun you've definitely come to the right place. Justine Eyre does a phenomenal job of creating distinct voices for each character without making them cartoonish (or, perhaps, exactly as cartoonish as they should be).

Silly funny characters among the rulers of cruel intentions

Of course they are powerful and magical and there is a mission of revenge afoot.

Everything you want in a fantasy heist

What made the experience of listening to The Palace Job the most enjoyable?

This was everything I could have wanted in a heist story: complex plots, an entertaining and hilarious criminal crew, and the justice-serving person trying to foil their plot. Plus, magic and a unicorn! It has the light and witty tone that I love in common heist movies and kept me guessing the whole book. It was brilliantly put together and I was taken completely off guard by how much I enjoyed it.

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

She really brings the characters to life. There are different accents and each person's attitudes really shine in her narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was laughing and smiling through the whole book. Even when their plans are falling apart, the characters are fun and sarcastic or just plain quirky and I loved their interactions with each other, especially when the crew was first put together. This book was so much fun, I can't say it enough!

Any additional comments?

In addition to really enjoying the characters, the heist component is really well executed. The plans were revealed in pieces, and there is a great mix of the crew manipulating the events around them in their favor and their plans being really screwed up, and often you can't tell which seeming obstacle is which until later. It definitely kept me on my toes.