The Scar

By: Sergey Dyachenko, Marina Dyachenko, Elinor Huntington - translator

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Reaching far beyond sword and sorcery, The Scar is a story of two people torn by disaster, their descent into despair, and their re-emergence through love and courage.

Sergey and Marina Dyachenko mix dramatic scenes with romance, action and wit, in a style both direct and lyrical. Written with a sure artistic hand, The Scar is the story of a man driven by his own feverish demons to find redemption and the woman who just might save him. Egert is a brash, confident member of the elite guards and an egotistical philanderer. But after he kills an innocent student in a duel, a mysterious man known as “The Wanderer” challenges Egert and slashes his face with his sword, leaving Egert with a scar that comes to symbolize his cowardice. Unable to end his suffering by his own hand, Egert embarks on an odyssey to undo the curse and the horrible damage he has caused, which can only be repaired by a painful journey down a long and harrowing path.

Plotted with the sureness of Robin Hobb and colored with the haunting and ominous imagination of Michael Moorcock, The Scar tells a story that cannot be forgotten.

©2012 Marina and Sergey Dyachenko (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Rich, vivid, tactile prose, with a solid yet unpredictable plot—and an extraordinary depth and intensity of character reminiscent of the finest Russian literature." (Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review)

Very GOOD story---with an unusual twist!

The book was a little hard to get into but as the characters developed it became MUCH more interesting and hard to "put down"!

It is well worth the listening too!

Great story

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

This story ranked up there...no doubt. It has some strong moral lessons about doing what's right, regardless of your rights.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Scar?

There were several, the first being the fight between the Traveler and Lt. Seoul. The good Lieutenants insistence of his innocence rather than admit that he showed poor judgment and could have been morally wrong even though socially correct. The most important point was when his newfound love showed him the path to redemption, although unknown to Egert. Her willingness to stand for him, the murderer of her betrothed, was as selfless as any I've seen, and provided much needed reminders of how we should be willing to go the extra mile for a stranger.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

Although a min or part, the contribution of the Traveler was without a doubt the most enlightening of any in this story. He both laid out the plot, and showed the path to redemption for the main characters in such a way that I've not seen since the Soothsayer warned Ceaser, "Beware the Ides of March!"

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Most definitely. I listen while driving between jobs (sometimes upwards of 3 hour trips) and occasionally needed to make an extra coffee stop just to get to the next chapter break.

Such a good listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Scar to be better than the print version?

I haven't read The Scar, but the audio edition was so good I don't think I want to. The narrator was truly one of the best narrators I've heard.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's not that kind of novel. Although Fox definitely get's a shout out.

Which scene was your favorite?

To tell my favorite scene would give spoilers so i'll just say that the writing is such that every page was a delight to hear.

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

When the students led by Fox come to the defense of one of their own in the tavern. The scene when Egert administers the medicine.

Any additional comments?

This is such a good magic realism novel. The "magic" is so underplayed but there enough to lend menace. Such a good character study. Do not expect tons of epic sword fights, this novel is really about the depths one man can sink and the tension comes from whether or not those depths change him for the better or worse.

Just okay

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Just a note of caution: definitely a "mature" adult read, with a fair amount of inappropriate scenes and language. Rated "R."

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

Maybe this is a result of it being a translation, but I found the writing style occasionally tedious; the annoying overuse of similes, especially references to animals, was just very repetitive and annoying (paraphrase--"he held the bread in his hand like a small kitten clutched to his chest"). But it is definitely interesting to read fantasy from a Russian author; the background "flavor" was slightly different from the English medievalism of most fantasy (but still mostly operated in cliches)

Was The Scar worth the listening time?

The premise is interesting--a consummately popular, suave, utterly self-absorbed noble's life is ruined when his rash actions lead to tragic consequences. Yet despite his culpability, Egert still feels no remorse, until an encounter with a mysterious stranger leaves him cursed, with all his bravery destroyed before an overwhelming and constant surge of cowardice. His life in ruins, he flees the city and travels through the world as an outcast. Egert goes from a character supreme and off-putting self confidence to a sniveling and off-putting character with no ability to action or free will. If you can drag yourself through that third (or more) of the book, his slow journey into maturity and self-knowledge begins to get interesting.

The other main character is the girl he has hurt through his actions, Toria. She wavers between hatred, disgust, and a slow growing understanding that, while despicable, Egert is still a human being. There are some interesting developments from a Christian redemptive perspective, but then the story has to go and disintegrate back to the gutters of taverns and bodice-ripping.

There were definitely a few plot turns that surprised me, but mostly you read to see if Egert can come to terms with his past and gain mature perspective. It was really interesting as an OCD person to read this story, because some of the ways Egert copes with his constant debilitating fear are defensive "rituals," making his curse surprising similar to to OCD.

Any additional comments?

I found out halfway through that this is the second in a series (trilogy?) and it doesn't look like the others have been translated into English. That made me worried about a lack of resolution, but those worries were unfounded. Yes, it ends rather abruptly, but it definitely had a complete plot arc and a conclusion that wrapped up the story.

Shades of Rothfuss and Dostoevsky

Wow. What an unexpectedly great read. I was hoping for some basic fantasy that might be a little bit different since this novel was originally written in Russian. The Scar is indeed basic fantasy — basic, solid fantasy with no great innovations in worldbuilding or ideas, nothing that fantasy readers aren't thoroughly familiar with — but the writing, the descriptive details, and the character arcs that drive the story, are all so deft and evocative that The Scar is like a shiny, perfect apple sitting in a cart full of apples of acceptable but clearly lesser quality.

I would compare The Scar somewhat with Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, not in terms of style or story, as the Dyanchenkos' writing is quite different from Rothfuss's, but in the way it takes a story that's old hat, old school fantasy and still makes it new and interesting. Part of this is the writing, which was particularly delightful since translations are always a bit iffy, but while of course I can't compare it to the original Russian, there was a ton of evocative imagery, descriptive detail, and strong emotions conveyed in prose that pushes this book into something of true literary quality.

The story is mostly about Egert Soll, a brash, philandering swordsman who's basically every jock bully writ large: he steals his friends' girls, he bullies and brags and treats the world as his playground, full of mud puddles that exist to be splashed in other peoples' faces, and he gets away with it because everyone loves him.

Then he kills an innocent student in a duel that's murder in all but name, the ultimate act of jock-on-nerd bullying. He leaves the student's fiancee bereft and heartbroken.

This is all the set up for Egert's oh-so-very-well-deserved smackdown. His comeuppance is delivered by a mysterious mage called the Wanderer, who goads Egert into a duel and inflicts a magical scar on Egert that curses him with cowardice.

While this has the feel of a traditional fairy tale (or perhaps a Russian folk tale), it's Egert's curse that makes the story. Until that point, Egert has been a completely unlikable schmuck, someone you can't wait to see get dirt rubbed in his face. And when he kills Toria's fiancee, you figure he's passed the moral event horizon and you can't possibly feel anything but disgust for him and a desire to see him suffer.

And suffer he does. And pretty soon you are feeling sorry for Egert Soll. The curse soon turns him into a feeble husk of a man, a hollowed-out shell of his former self who can't even take his own life. And as things get worse and worse, a remarkable thing happens: not only does Egert become sympathetic, but he becomes likable. By a cruel and ironic twist of fate, he is brought face to face with Toria again, the fiancee of the student he killed. And Toria, who also feels nothing but disgust for him initially, comes to feel sympathy for him as well.

By the time the fate of their city, and of Toria, hangs on Egert's ability to overcome his curse, you are not just rooting for him, you're cheering for him. The climax is both epic and again resonant of traditional fairy tales: Egert is given very specific instructions as to what he has to do to get out from under his curse, and of course things do not turn out quite the way he expects.

On the surface, this is a swords & sorcery novel, but the sorcery is treated the way sorcery should be, as something vague and mysterious and not usually seen, a plot device rather than a suit of powers. And there are only a few swordfights, and each one serves a very specific and dramatic purpose in the plot.

So, this isn't really a swords & sorcery novel at all, though it has all the trappings. It's a very psychological novel about egotism, courage and cowardice, grief, and redemption. It's a heroic epic and a romance, and a dark Russian fairy tale with shades of Rothfuss, Wolfe, and Dostoevsky. There's some action and a little bit of magic, but the character arcs are more important than the plot arc.

Apparently the Dyanchenkos are very popular fantasy authors in Russia, yet this novel is the first one to be translated into English. I hope more follow. While this book may not appeal to you if you have no interest in traditional fantasy, I highly recommend it for all fantasy readers, and I'd argue that it has a psychological depth that transcends its genre.

Fire and Nice

Parts of this book are brilliant! I like to be surprised by books and there was certainly a good deal of that in this book. The standard "recipe" for redemption was thrown out the window and that made it much more realistic and the characters much closer to human. But, all of that takes time to unwind and I found myself sometimes just saying, "Okay, I get it, can we now move on?" But, it's kind of like watching a movie with really long scenes shot with a single camera, yes they seem long, but you really get to look all around and notice all the details.

I like the prose most of the time, but at times it does seem like a translation from a foreign language. Not enough to bring down the overall excellence, but just occasionally. But, those times serve to remind me that I'm not reading a natively English-written book and I like that!

I was a little disappointed that magic didn't play a bigger role in the storyline. People were identified as Mages and such, but all the evidence of that lurked just behind the curtain and we didn't really dip our toe into that water. I'd say that's a great excuse for another really good book!!

A Very Worthwhile Fairy-Tale for Adults

The authors of this story are truly talented in their character development, and the artistry in which they weave the relatively simple, yet rich tale.

As many other reviewers have mentioned, Egert is the main character, toward whom, at the beginning of the book, I felt total justification in completely despising. After Egert murders Toria's fiance, I almost cheered when 'the Wanderer' goaded Egert into challenging him to a duel, and the contemptuous ease that Egert was beaten, and cursed. I reveled in Egert's fall into complete and utter disgrace, his shameful flight from his home, resulting in a wretched life of misery and fear.
This cursed punishment was only too fitting for the man that Egert had been.

When the paths of Egert and Toria crossed once again, I did not want there to be any chance of redemption for Egert. The skill of the writers is undeniable, as even I was compelled to begin to root for Egert as he strives to do the right thing. This struggle is in spite of the irrepressible cowardice at the dire consequences promised him, should he fail to incriminate an innocent whom he truly loves.

Jonathan Davis provided a very good narration, with dramatic (but not overly so) voices. His narration certainly added to the overall listening experience, and I would encourage you to try this non-mainstream book.

a bit long in the tooth.

how do you write a review for a book where there is approx. 16 hours of pitiful cowardice and 15 minutes of fame! it just went on and on. was glad when it ended.
the narrator was excellent though.

Really enjoyed this book.

The narrator was very good. I liked the concept of this type of a curse and Egert's struggle to interpret the meaning given for removing it.

Totally drew me in!

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

This is one of my favourites so far. I loved the way the fantasy elements blended seamlessly into the background, with the story driven by strong characterisations and intense personal experiences.

If I hadn't read that it had been translated I would have assumed it was written in English - admittedly by someone with the seriousness I associate with Russian literature.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Scar?

The key traumas experienced by the lead lead character were very vivid.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the gradual evolution of the relationship between the male and female leads. It was such a wonderful twist on the usual fantasy relationships.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I just don't think this book would make a film, people wanting fantasy movies would expect a lot more action and less character interaction driving the plot.

Any additional comments?

I can heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy as a genre but is looking for a little more depth to the characters.