The Darkling Thrush

By: Josh Lanyon

Narrated by: Max Miller

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Fed up with his desk duty in the Imperial Arcane Library, book hunter Colin Bliss accepts a private commission to find The Sword's Shadow, a legendary and dangerous witches' grimoire. But to find the book, Colin must travel to the remote Western Isles and solve a centuries' old murder.

Please note: This book contains gay erotic content.

©2012 Josh Lanyon (P)2012 Josh Lanyon

Exceptional reading of an exceptional novel

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

Pretty much at the top.

What did you like best about this story?

Atmospheric, gothic and just a touch of the Lovecraftian horror, plus the dry, intriguing alternative-history fantasy world and the acerbic sarcasm of the narrator make this a one-time experience.

What about Max Miller’s performance did you like?

I was very pleased with Max's ability with the voice of the narrator: sophisticated, academic, young and wonderfully sarcastic. Then he did other characters, and I thought for a moment that I was listening to a radio play with multiple voice actors rather than just one talented man. Holy crap -- his accents are spot on, he gaelic sounds spot-on and he can sing, to boot!

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

Yes!

All Bliss!

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

This type of story (fantasy) is, admittedly not my favorite genre, but Max Miller speaking Josh Lanyon's words makes all the difference in the world.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked Colin Bliss's journey into self-awareness.

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

This is my second Max Miller audio. This one excels over the other I heard.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I chuckled in some parts and got choked up in others. Colin Bliss has become one of my favorite Josh Lanyon characters.

Not What You're Expecting

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

Miller is BRILLIANT when it comes to accents and distinguishing character voices, but otherwise he seems to have a quiet, tight-lipped style of narration that I found infuriating. Were it not for the fact that his words are intelligible and distinguishable, I would characterize his narration as "mumbling."
Perhaps this was done intentionally to add to the clandestine and 'mysterious' nature of the story, but I found it frustrating that I had to set my device to the maximum volume setting and, even then, often have to listen strenuously just to understand what was being said.

Any additional comments?

The story seems to take place in a demi-alternate universe where magic and witchcraft are common and mainstream concepts and practices. If you are interested in a mystery novella in a somewhat alternate universe involving literary recovery, the occult, and some shallow, underdeveloped m/m romance, 'The Darkling Thrush' is for you. If, after you read the synopsis, you are expecting a mystery/romance set in your present reality, alter your expectations of the story's setting, and prepare yourself for more-than-wanting audio/narration quality, and you may be prepared for an enjoyable listen. Otherwise, give this title a pass.

great fantasy mystery.

Would you listen to The Darkling Thrush again? Why?

yes. first interduction to Josh Lanyon's works. Great mystery , it kept me guessing whom the culprit was, and the by play of septimus and colin. Also intrigued byparanormal and fantasy settings as much as I enjoy mysteries

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Darkling Thrush?

the discovery of WHO was not involved in dark "arts"

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

no I really enjoyed it at first his voice was rather dark and drawling and I wasn't sure I would enjoy it but, whammo it caught me and kept me. Mr Millers narration made it ethereally creepy in an appropriate way

If you could rename The Darkling Thrush, what would you call it?

I'm no writer, titles only catch my interest but the blog and sample are the sellers.

Any additional comments?

After discovering Mr Lanyon thru audible books, I began to look for the companion novels. I don't care what he writes, its always a grade above most writers.

Enjoyable story

I enjoyed this story for the most part. There is male/male interaction but it is done very tastefully. The only problem is that some of the levels of sound change a bit and threw me off a little bit. But this did not affect the story too much.

Interesting story

Would you try another book from Josh Lanyon and/or Max Miller?

I have most of JL's books, in multiple formatsAs for the narrator, probably, I had some issues with two of the voices in this book, but the rest was good, they did ruin my enjoyment a bit though as I got dragged out of the story when they happened

What other book might you compare The Darkling Thrush to and why?

Ummm, no idea

How could the performance have been better?

It wasn't bad, just not my thing, vocal wise

Did The Darkling Thrush inspire you to do anything?

Read the ebook

A Magical Story

What did you love best about The Darkling Thrush?

Lanyon's lyrical descriptive writing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Colin. An appealing mix of stubbornness and youthful hope.

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

His amazing, distinct vocal characterizations of all the characters in the book.

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

Yes, when Septimus, who has been assigned to kill Colin even though he loves him, says "I would do anything to save you."

Any additional comments?

The story is a heady brew of fairies, brownies, witches, humans with magical powers, an ancient monster from the Deep, Celtic legends, and magic spells. Of course, it’s also a suspenseful mystery and a romance. Lanyon places his story in the haunted, wind-swept isles off the northwest coast of Scotland, a location which inspires some of the best, most lyrical descriptive writing he has produced.
The story’s title is a reference to the poem of the same name by Thomas Hardy. Appropriately for the story, the poems last lines are:

“I could think there trembled through

His happy good-night air

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew

And I was unaware.”

Enjoyable

Highly enjoyable. I really liked the ebook and hearing it read is a real treat. Max Miller's voice is just perfect for the character of Collin and his handling of the Gaelic used throughout the story sounded authentic to this untrained ear.

All of the characters came to life as they do when the writing is excellent as it is here. I find the idea of using a type of psychometry (the ability to "read" the past of an object) to track down the history of a book a fascinating one. There's always a curiosity about where a book has been or who used it last and Collin is one who has the ability to do this. When he's hired to use his skills to hunt down an ancient tome of dangerous spells, Collin takes a vacation from his job in London and heads north to Scotland and straight into danger.

There is a male-male relationship within the pages of this story, but its well written and understated, as Josh Lanyon's skill at giving us the underlying emotions between the pairing (especially during the intimate scenes) is subtle and wonderful to read/hear.

On the whole, well worth the money. And I look forward to hearing another book read by Mr. Miller.

Mysterious & Charming. A break from Lanyon's norm.

I really really enjoyed this book and wish it were a longer series. It's a nice divergence from the typical murder mystery Lanyon usually writes.

I enjoyed the mystical/fantasy elements to the story as well as the early 20th century feel to the environment. The chemistry between the two leads was really well done and I hope there's more of these two to come at some point.

The narrator took a while for me to get used to and there seemed to be some audio issues where it'll go from whisper quiet to a much louder voice which you can tell is when the narrator stopped/started recording but after all is said and done I really did like his tone and his voices for everyone.

More than any other Lanyon story I find myself REALLY wanting to listen to/read this one again. Which I plan to do soon as I finish the book I'm reading right now.

Harry Potter meets Indiana Jones...

This was the first "fantasy"-style book I've listened to from Josh Lanyon, and I have to say straight up, it's not one of my favourites. Although I remain a die-hard Lanyon fan, I have to say this genre just didn't seem to work well.

I feel I should start off with what I LIKED about the story, which was definitely the characters, although I have to say Septimus Marx did very closely resemble a certain Potions Master from a very popular series! But I'm not adverse to a little fanfic now and then. Colin Bliss was also likeable, and the world-building was intriguing, I just felt it really didn't go anywhere.

Now with the negative: to begin with the story was badly paced. Although Lanyon is usually the master story teller who builds up the relationships between characters (with great pay-offs at the end!), in this book, the relationship felt very rushed. The story then dragged in the middle, but the ending was extremely hurried, and left me wanting. I felt that the narrative was suddenly cut off, which would make sense if there were to be a sequel book, but as far as I can tell there isnt. It was almost (and it pains me to say it) as if he got tired of the story, and just ended it abruptly.

Never the less I still remain a HUGE fan, and this book seems to be a small blip in an otherwise stellar collection. I just think his detective works are much better. Sorry, Josh!