The Medusa Amulet

By: Robert Masello

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Benvenuto Cellini, master artisan of Renaissance Italy, once crafted a beautiful amulet prized for its unimaginable power - and untold menace. Now the quest to recover this legendary artifact depends upon one man: David Franco, a brilliant but skeptical young scholar at Chicago's world-renowned Newberry Library. What begins as a simple investigation spirals into a tale of dangerous intrigue as Franco races from the châteaux of France to the palazzos of Rome in a desperate search for the ultimate treasure and an answer to a riddle that has puzzled mankind since the beginning of time. Aided by a beautiful young Florentine harboring dark secrets, pursued by deadly assassins, and battling demons of his own, Franco must ultimately confront an evil greater than anything conjured in his worst nightmares.

©2011 Robert Masello (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Great writing and rich detail combine for a gripping read." ( Kirkus)

Moves nicely and has a great ending

I'd recommend this book for those that like a Sci-fi /magic mystery. It moves well and the performance is strong. I love the ending - not an obvious one.

loved it

well written well-read and kept you intrigued to the very end. definitely re-read in future

Nice premise, ugh ending

Overall, I enjoyed the audiobook. David Colacci handles the many characters and accents with technical brilliance. The story starts well lags a little bit in the middle and then picks back up. The ending is mostly foreseeable with a surprise character revealed. I didn't really appreciate the end but the book is presented so well by Colacci that it's worth the time to endure the final hour.

I great adventure!

I didn't want this one to end. A wonderful adventure through time & interesting places. The characters were very well developed. This audiobook also had an excellent narrator, as well. I highly recommend this book!

enjoyable listen

loved it! good storyline, like the going back in time then to present day! good listen!!

A real gem!

This is one of the best books in my library, and my library is extensive! A must listen😊

Loved this book.

This was his best book yet. I couldn't have asked for a better ending. This story kept me intrigued the entire time. I love how Masello takes you somewhere different with each book. You get to be a world traveller without leaving home!

A cheesy cross of The DaVinci Code and Highlander

It was OK. Somewhat predictable. Characters weren't too shallow but not particularly deep either. Decent.

Labor of Love

What made the experience of listening to The Medusa Amulet the most enjoyable?

I have to say the concept behind the story was incredible, as is anything written by Robert Masello, but it was a labor of love finishing this book . I'm still not sure if I'm to believe that one of the characters was the rival of an ancient Italian sculptor or the remains of Adolf Hitler. Every other chapter feels like a history lesson, even if you're not a scholar - I found to be long winded and unnecessary Medici this, Michelangelo that, then Dante's Divine Comedy - we get it- its a renaissance piece! Over all a greatly historically woven, plausible, but not probable story. The tinge of romance between Katarina and her lover from ages ago, coupled with David and Olivia in the present pretty successful.

What did you like best about this story?

The most appealing part of the story was David on a quest not for lack of money, but for the life of his dear sister.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

David Coacci "tried" to narrate a book with several different accent and being fluent in so many of the languages he attempted accents in - it made it difficult to listen and I would have rather read the book on my own than listen. At times, he lacked enthusiasm and really didn't convey true soul of the characters so deeply rooted in a rich, sensational period of history.

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

This will not be a movie.

Any additional comments?

Worth the price I could have paid in a book store for a hard copy- no, worth a free credit, yes.

Slow, confusingly but finally a great story

The story line was great but moved very slowly! The characters were confusing at times . Finally the ending brought it all together. I began to enjoy the story half way through!