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The Scar  By  cover art

The Scar

By: Sergey Dyachenko, Marina Dyachenko, Elinor Huntington - translator
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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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)

What listeners say about The Scar

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not so memorable

There were some things about this book that I found very interesting. Specifically: the descriptions of the crippling anxiety felt by the protagonist. However, I found the fantasy world trite, the role of women that same old path of not having anything much interesting to do beyond inspiring men to be more than they are and/or fade into the background. And it did go on a bit. Even Jonathan Davis let me down a little; he's one of my favorite readers yet it seemed that he felt the same way about the book that I did and we were both just plodding along waiting for it to end. Sorry, I normally avoid writing less than super-enthusiastic reviews and there was nothing truly terrible about this book, really. It was fine. Don't listen to me, go enjoy it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book!

Great book, unpredictable plot - didn't follow the standard script.

I though that the reader was great and did a wonderful performance. Enjoyed the book a lot.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Just not feeling it.

Accolades about this book (nay, 'great LIT'rature') informed my purchase.

I barely got through Part 1. It's a cumbersome telling of an ageless tale. Plain language; nothing clever or unique about the prose. Sounded like this - 'She looked up shyly..." "The sword was at his side before he knew what was happening...?" the entire time. Take the lessons of any cautionary nursery/disney story and it's been done with far more interest and appeal. A Dickens novel is Literature. This IMHO, is not.

Perhaps it loses any charm in the translation. Perhaps the topic... 'bad boy narcissist learns lessons by being turned into a frog, I mean, a beast, I mean by descending into varying levels of mood disorders until empathy is obtained', is too close to what I do for a living though it's not been a problem before. Perhaps the slowwww, deep, flat narration just doesn't appeal to me?

Not giving up yet. I turned to the beginning again, put it on 1.5x speed. Better.
Still doesn't change the mundane prose but it does move faster.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Started so well

This book has a promising beginning with the main character starting off being so annoying you hate him instantly. He deserves everything he gets! The two duels are engaging and well written. The idea is a good one and I read on fascinated at how he was going to learn to become a better person. He can only get better from where he starts, but lessons are hard learnt and from here the character development is slow, and the story begins to drag a little. I found the love interest hard to believe, even the way it was written.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I was drawn in to this fantastic tale!

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

This is in my top 5 and if I really think about all the books I have listened to it is #2 for sure!

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

The encounter with the wanderer at dawn and the outcome from that meeting...

Which scene was your favorite?

The knife throwing scene in the beginning of the book. There are many more.

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

What scars you.

Any additional comments?

This book is so well written and Jonathan Davis deliverers each line with perfection. You will not fall asleep! The writers are very creative how they describe the scenes. I wish they would bring their other books to the US and to Audible. I want more!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Subtle Fantasy is a plus; plot is problematic

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to my Ukrainian friends who are interested in what contemporary Ukrainian/Russian authors are writing and how they are getting translated. The translation is excellently written. Not sure it would be interesting to others, though. The plot is problematic in that the main character suffers from chronic cowardice. As a fairy tale, or a short story, the heavy-handed bravado of the main character and subsequent insurmountable fear he is cursed to experience can serve as the vehicle for a moral, certainly. For a novel, though, it's frustrating to experience such a conspicuous transformation, and one that leads the main character to always give into his cowardice. It's so much more interesting to watch someone fight fear. In THE SCAR, the main character is magically bound to be incapable of doing that.

Would you be willing to try another book from the authors? Why or why not?

I think I would try another book from the authors. It was well written, and more importantly, well translated. Although the themes were obvious, this fantasy world is subtly magical. Wizards with magical powers limited only by their moods aren't throwing fire balls at each other. Conversely, the world resembles more what I imagine the European Renaissance looked like. I would need to know a synopsis first.

What three words best describe Jonathan Davis’s voice?

Formal. Plain. Manufactured.

Was The Scar worth the listening time?

Sure.

Any additional comments?

I'm glad I listened to it. But probably won't again.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow-a cold and dark journey.

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

Yes because the performance is first rate and the writting style is simply beautiful. It is a beautiful yet dark journey. A complete exploration of your emotions as you listen to the unfolding of Eggert life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eggert - so scarred by the journey

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

This is an incredible experience to listen to the discriptive articulation of what is going on and just letting yourself melt into it.

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

The entire book is a moving experience.

Any additional comments?

Did I mention this is on the dark side? But well worth the listen, you will love the writting.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good morality tale. Could have kept a better pace.

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

At the bottom, but I've gone though some amazing books before and after this.

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

The ending was pretty satisfying.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but he's a great narrator.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Better than I expected

What made the experience of listening to The Scar the most enjoyable?

The reader brought the story to life

What other book might you compare The Scar to and why?

Can't compare it to any other book I've heard as of yet.

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