Gate of Ivrel

Morgaine, Book 1

By: C. J. Cherryh

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Scattered about the galaxy were the time-space Gates of a vanished but not forgotten alien race. In their time, long before the rise of the native civilizations, they had terrorized a hundred worlds—not from villainy but from folly, from tampering with the strands that held a universe together.

Now the task was to uproot these Gates, destroy their potency for mischief, take horror out of the hands of the few who hungered for power by misuse of the Gates.

This is the story of one such Gate and one such world.

©1976 C.J. Cherryh (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Disapointed

What did you like best about Gate of Ivrel? What did you like least?

I absolutely love this series. I have been waiting impatiently for it since CJ Cherryh's books finally became available. Vanye and Morgaine's story is one that has been with me as a true friend for 20 years.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gate of Ivrel?

I love Vanye's character, which as a far cry from the stereotypical heroes that we encounter in so much of today's fantasy writing.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator read the story as if she was on speed. She read so quickly that all of the nuances of speech and rhythm that go along with good writing were completely lost. I even tried to listen to it at 75% speed, but the after echo that goes along with it was too distracting. I am very sad that the editors chose to go with a female narrator for a book that is told from a male viewpoint, and then to make matters worse by allowing her to ruin to beauty of the story with her choice of pace. I'm even more disappointing that she is reading all of the books in the series.

Would She Sound Like That?

I've loved the book series for AGES and looked forward to hearing it. And it was very good except...well, I did not think Morgaine would sound like a twinkly 15 year old girl.

I hate to say this because the narrator did a pretty good job all around except that the voice for the main character was so ill fitting. A woman who does what she does would have a richer, more experienced voice. Too, sometimes the inflection was a bit off - the dialog not quite right. But the narrator DID do a great job of giving that sense of movement and pace - of growing excitement and danger. So I hate to find fault but - there is no way that Morgaine would sound that way. Sorry...

Disappointed and Heartbroken

What would have made Gate of Ivrel better?

This series has always been a favorite, so I was glad to see it come out in audio. Unfortunately, the narrator is the WORST ever. She reads SO fast it's extremely difficult to listen to and understand what she is saying. Additionally, the story is told from a male's point of view so why a female narrator? How disappointing and heartbreaking that Ms Almasy narrates the entire series. I WILL be asking for my credit back.

I LOVE these books. This reading is terrible.

What would have made Gate of Ivrel better?

I seldom leave a negative review for anything. I've never left one for an audiobook performance. What made this one almost unendurable was the embarrassing lack of familiarity with the English language the reader displayed. If your job is to read a book for an audio recording, you should really make certain your pronunciation of unfamiliar words is correct. "Obeisance," for instance, and "incredulity" come to mind as examples.

What did you like best about this story?

I approve of strong female characters. The effect was somewhat spoiled by the reader's simpering, silly portrayal of Morgaine.

How could the performance have been better?

A narrator with a stronger voice and a better command of the language would have been a much better choice.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Grave disappointment.

Good story. Poor choice of reader.

Loved the books from years and years ago. Truly hate the choice of reader. Threw the discs out.

I will READ the rest myself

Would you try another book from C.J. Cherryh and/or Jessica Almasy?

I love C.J. Cherryh's books! and I would not ever listen to Jessica Almasy again.

If you’ve listened to books by C.J. Cherryh before, how does this one compare?

Terrible choice of performers. For any book. Sorry, but she needs to get a different line of work.

What didn’t you like about Jessica Almasy’s performance?

Too fast, too high a voice, sounds like a kid.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Hard to tell if I could love this book. I'm going to push through the entire listening of it, BUT, I do know that I will READ the rest, not listen to Jessica Almasy

Have waited a long time for this!

Would you consider the audio edition of Gate of Ivrel to be better than the print version?

No. While the audio edition is excellent, the voice of the reader isn't quite what is needed, although she did a good job.

What other book might you compare Gate of Ivrel to and why?

Jennifer Roberson's Sword Dancer books. Both are about a strong woman with a mission she would trade all to accomplish

Did Jessica Almasy do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes she did. Different voices were obvious for different characters.

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

Yes and no. I've waited so long for these books that I sort of doled them out to myself.

Now I know

Now I know what a overly involved author and a overly dramatic reader sound like.

Always excellent book, also excellent narrator

Do not listen to the negative reviews here, this narrator, while I will admit she was surprising at first, does a fantastic job voicing the different characters and also has a talent in truly imbuing emotion and feeling into her read. I am looking forward to listening to the rest of the series

Don’t believe the other reviews

I read this book when I was a kid and was excited to see it here. But then I saw the reviews, and was really conflicted about spending the credit, as I’ve been so annoyed by some narrators I can’t finish the book. Not so with this one.

Yes, the book is from a man’s point of view, and yes, it’s narrated by a woman, but if I couldn’t get past that, I’d almost never be able to read a book myself as a woman. Yes, she does speak fast for this type of thing, but it’s no faster than a normal conversation. Faster than a broadcaster on TV, but if you can’t keep up with her, there legitimately may be something wrong with you. I’ve heard teens and excited people speak faster, routinely. No, the narrator doesn’t have a “childlike,” “high-pitched” or “squeaky” voice.

Does it sound like it was recorded on a dictaphone in a plastic box? Yes. It’s got a very dated sound that anyone familiar with 90s audiobooks will immediately recognize. But you get over noticing it quickly and are left with an overall enjoyable experience of a classic fantasy novel.