Written in Red

A Novel of the Others

By: Anne Bishop

Narrated by: Alexandra Harris

Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

No one creates realms like New York Times best-selling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities - vampires and shape-shifters among them - who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans.

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut - a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg's Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard - a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she's keeping a secret, and second, she doesn't smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she's wanted by the government, he'll have to decide if she's worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

©2013 Anne Bishop (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Amazing...A compelling story set in a seamlessly crafted universe.” (Fresh Fiction)

“A stunningly original yarn, deeply imagined, beautifully articulated, and set forth in clean, limpid, sensual prose.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Bishop has a way of making your heart wrench with joy and pain within a breath.” (Fantasy Book Critic)

Simply fantastic

This book kicks off a new a refreshing urban fantasy series. In this fantastical alternate reality, humans live in balance with the Terre Indigene, creatures that are fierce and native to the earth. Their kind include vampires, shifters, and elementals.

Meg is a special class of human known as a blood prophet. She escapes her "protective" captivity and finds herself seeking refuge among the Terre Indigene. She has been beyond sheltered her whole life, so everything is new to her, which in a way, makes the shifters less strange to her than they might be to a normal human.

The result is a tale of innocence, discovery, and danger. The world is brilliantly depicted and the characters are rich and colorful.

As if that weren't enough, the narration is fantastic for this series.

just terrific

this story is so different from anything else out there.....the characters are so real ........so believable and likable. ....the story is engrossing. ..I've read and listened to it at least 6 times .....the narrator is perfect...different tones and sounds for each character that are perfect for each one.......I'm not going to describe this story, just get it and read it...you won't be disappointed. ...there is a satisfying end to this story ,but you'll want to read the next one too. ....it's also terrific. .........I'm hooked on this world and the wonderful different characters in it.

Unexpected Treat

Finally, someone writes about weres and vampires as alien to humans. I do get tired of reading about them as though they are just humans with modifications. I loved this story about Meg, who is human but isn't prey, and how she learns to adapt to the Others. And the Others stay Other and don't change into odd humans! There is some bad language in the book, and I wouldn't recommend it for teens, but Bishop did a great job with world-building and character development, and I have gotten the sequel to this and the first book of another series she has written. Harris does a great job narrating and keeping the characters separate.

Wonderfully refreshing !!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I definitely recommend this book.It's diferent from the paranormal stories I read or listen lately. the way the autor unfolds the story and develops the characters is very realistic and believable, and by the end of the book I was captivate

What did you like best about this story?

The others. The way the author describes the way they think and feel is very unique.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't know... Maybe one of them was when Simon Wolfgard was telling someone that he really hates when the female humans thought of him as a romance novel werewolf and so he will fall in love with them !!! When in truth he only sees them as food or prey. LOL

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

Everything in this book was very good. The only but is that I'll have to wait months for the next one.

Must read!

This book was amazing. Keep reading and you won't want to put it down! I strongly recommend this to all.

unique and interesting

I liked it better and better as it went along. Not deep, but fun. Charming.

Pleasantly surprised

What did you love best about Written in Red?

The characters (Meg in particular) are surprisingly endearing. I found myself beginning to care about her alongside the other characters in the story.

Did Alexandra Harris do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The narration is my only complaint. The writing style is interesting, but I fear it my not translate as well into an audio book. That said, once I got used to the writing style (and gave up hoping for better "voices") it was pretty enjoyable to listen to. There are times when the cadence of the narration is a little awkward, but easy enough to overlook.

Any additional comments?

Honestly, I started listening to this book on audiotape and lost interest in about 30 minutes. I was debating on whether or not to return it and decided to give it another chance. I'm very glad that I did! The character development and relationships didn't feel forced, in fact, I found that Meg grew on me as she did the "Others" in the story. There is a great amount of tension and conflict in the story, along with some mystery. There doesn't seem to be many black and white characters, more varying shades of grey--which I appreciate (certainly makes for a more interesting read).

Anyway, if you find yourself wanting to give up on this story after the first few chapters, I would encourage you to give it another chance. I think it is worth it and soon became engulfed in the narrative.

move over Mercedes Lackey

Fans of Lackey's original Valdemar series will find this appealing. It's full of sweetness and charm with a dark under-layer... although Bishop shies away from actual horror when the moment arises. Decent world building and good pacing keep the story moving, but there's plenty of homey domesticity to make it a comfortable read/listen for a day when you're in the mood for light entertainment.

I'm an audible junkie, so Harris' reading is pretty much what I expect for the first of a series. The voices are a bit unformed, still, and it was so difficult to tell one human male from another I gave up and just listened for text clues rather than the voices themselves - but since most of the main characters are non-human, there was something appropriate about having all the "monkeys" sound alike. It was good to hear a reader with a southern accent reading a fantasy story not set in "the south" - I think that added to the homey feel of some of the scenes.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

It's been awhile since I read any of Anne Bishops books. I waited too long. Once I started Written in Red, there was no stopping. The next book in this series comes out March 4, 2014. I wish it was tomorrow.

Fifth time through, and still magic

I love this book. After repeated listening, I only love it more. Great story, masterful world-building, engaging, compelling characters...what is not to love. The narrator has a few odd pauses, but her characters really light up an already brilliant book.