Prince of Fire

Gabriel Allon, Book 5

By: Daniel Silva

Narrated by: Guerin Barry

Few recent thriller writers have elicited the kind of critical praise that Daniel Silva has received, with his "provocative and deeply satisfying" ( The Miami Herald) novels featuring art restorer and sometime spy Gabriel Allon, "a man whose depth and passion make him one of the most fascinating characters in the genre" ( Chicago Sun-Times)

Now Allon is back in Venice, when a terrible explosion in Rome leads to a disturbing personal revelation: the existence of a dossier in terrorist hands that strips away his secrets, lays bare his history. Hastily recalled home to Israel, drawn once more into the heart of a service he had once forsaken, Allon finds himself stalking an elusive master terrorist across a landscape drenched with generations of blood, the trail turning on itself until, finally, he can no longer be certain who is stalking whom.

And when at last the showdown comes, it will not be Gabriel alone who is threatened with destruction - for it is not his history alone that has been laid bare.

A knife-edged thriller of astonishing intricacy and feeling, filled with exhilarating prose, this is Daniel Silva's finest novel yet.

Take another thrill ride with Gabriel Allon.©2005 Daniel Silva (P)2005 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"In a story that seems ripped from the headlines, Silva delivers both chilling suspense and a thoughtful if grim history lesson." ( Booklist)
"[A] a passionate, intelligently crafted entry that cements the series' place among today's top spy fiction." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Guerin Barry skillfully juggles the many accents, even personifying the late Yassir Arafat with wit and energy." ( AudioFile)

Great story, sub par narration.

This was a good story, but compared to the other titles in this series I found the narration to be a little monotone and the Hebrew and other language pronunciations to be pretty bad. Still enjoyable overall though!!

Very historical, story not as captivating as last book.

Took awhile to get into it. Very good though. Just liked his last one more.

One of my favorite series

Can’t wait for next in series storyline excellent character depth twist and turns in storyline keeps me guessing.

Gabriel Allon's Bittersweet Revenge

What made the experience of listening to Prince of Fire the most enjoyable?

Silva's Gabriel Allon has been a solid character throughout the entire series--I've read them all to this point--and seems as much like an old friend as a deadly spy/art restorer might be. This time, it is not just vengeance for the nation, but vengeance of his own losses. The story is well told and fast paced.

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

No, but this one was excellent.

Any additional comments?

I wouldn't start with this one, since so much of the backstory of the series is revealed here and might ruin enjoyment of other, earlier books.

Narrator detracts

If you could sum up Prince of Fire in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, as usual.

Did Guerin Barry do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The narration was the weakest part of the audiobook. The main character, Gabriel, was voiced slightly hoarse and almost monotonal. It seemed such a bad characterization that getting immersed in the book was very difficult. The characters were switched in some dialogue and the pronunciation of Hebrew names was amazingly bad.