First Test

Book 1 of the Protector of the Small Quartet

By: Tamora Pierce

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall, Keladry of Mindelan (known as Kel) is the first girl to take advantage of the decree that permits females to train for knighthood. Up against the traditional hazing of pages and a grueling schedule, Kel faces only one real roadblock: Lord Wyldon, the training master of pages and squires. He is absolutely against girls becoming knights. So while he is forced to train her, Wyldon puts her on probation for one year. It is a trial period that no male page has ever had to endure and one that separates the good-natured Kel even more from her fellow trainees during the tough first year. But Kel is not a girl to underestimate, as everyone is about to find out.

©1999 Tamora Pierce (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"A splendidly rousing feast." ( Booklist)
"This is smooth storytelling and a satisfying read." ( School Library Journal)

Narration does not fit the story

If you've never read the books, the narration might not be too bad. If you have read the books, her depiction of Kel is jarring. She almost makes Kel sound whiny, which is far from how Tamora Pierce portrays the character. I love this story, hate the narration.

interesting story

The story itself was very well written.

but having read the book before it took me a while to get used to the narrators voice for the characters, especially Kel's.

good

The narrator kept changing the pronunciation of the names. By the end she got it right.

back to tortall

I have loved her work since I was 13 and I have no intention of stopping now. Tamera pierce brings us back to tortall 1 year after realms of the gods and I'm glad to be back!

Bernadette

If you could sum up First Test in three words, what would they be?

Where does First Test rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This story is a wonderful contribution to the Tortall universe, and an amazing call back to my still beloved Alanna series. However I have to say Bernadette doesn't do it justice. Numair and many other "adult" characters either have a raspy voice, or a full blown "old man" croak. all the boys speak in the came voice, and Kel herself sounds exactly like one of the extra boy voices. TL;DR: Bernadette has ONE voice, and it's her own. Long live Trini Avarado.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bernadette Dunne?

Unfortunately she does this entire quartlet. so I kind of have to.

Loved it

I loved all the charactors in the book. Found myself listening to it twice because I tend to miss areas while working. I purchased the second in the series as soon as I was done, and I'm now on the forth in the series.

Remarkable!

This was a well written book with fantastic characters! The monsters came to life within my mind creating an amazing adventure.

Tamora Pierce is Amazing

This book is one I read in my childhood, and it completely shaped who I am today. The audiobook is no disappointment, and I am stunned at how well I remember everything that happened 13 years later. Tamora Pierce’s series may be from the 80’s and 90’s, and the books may be set in medieval times, but the topics she addresses are as modern and relevant as ever. These books encouraged me and helped me deal with bullying as a youth, and as an adult I continue to be reminded of my own ability to overcome adversity. Thank you Tammy for producing novels that are such a delight and stir such power from within your readers. I can’t wait to devour the rest of this series on the long roadtrip we are on!

narration

the narrator does not do the story justice. simply adding a male voice actor would have helped.

love it

like all previous books in this series both the Alana series and the immortals series this is very well written andall though it's fiction it has a lot of historically accurate details of weapons, the use of these and knighthood, and I absolutely love these details

Great book

Tamora Pierce continues to be fantastic reading for pre-teen and teen girls everywhere. Bernadette Dunn has an American accent but is clear to listen to. Can we have more of the back catalogue of Pierce's books soon, please?