Heir to a Prophecy

By: Mercedes Rochelle

Narrated by: Kevin E. Green

Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

Shakespeare's witches tell Banquo, "Thou shalt 'get kings though thou be none".

Though Banquo is murdered, his son Fleance gets away. What happened to Fleance? What kings? The road to kingship had a most inauspicious beginning, and we follow Fleance into exile and death, passing the witches' prophecy to his son Walter. 

Born on the wrong side of the blanket and raised in disgrace, Walter was caught inside of a destiny he barely understood. In an effort to untangle Banquo's murder and honor his lineage, Walter moved through events that shaped the course of England and Scotland. His relationships with the great men of his time drove his destiny: Harold Godwineson, Alain of Brittany, and finally, Malcolm III.

After a long and treacherous journey through Wales, England, and France, Walter fulfilled the witches’ prophecy as the first steward of Scotland and ancestor of James I - for whom, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth.

©2014 Mercedes Rochelle (P)2019 Mercedes Rochelle

Starts out well but falls apart at the end

I was really enjoying this medieval story based on a few historical figures in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The colorful use of the three witches from the play added a bit of magical realism. Their prophecies gave a story line to the arc of the main character's life. However, the story ended abruptly and the wrap up was confusing and not at all in keeping with the rest of the writing. It felt like the author had to bring things to a close and decided enough was enough. It was not enough to explain several plot lines. If you already have knowledge of English, Scottish, and Welch history circa 1100, you may get more out of it than I did.

Living the history

Loved this book. You really get s sense of life in this time period.

Delightful medieval story

I love historical fiction that derives from literature and the. weaves in real people and events! This is an epic story and narrator Kevin Green handles the accents and voices well. But the ending left me confused- who will be the kings? Is it the Stuarts?

An Excellent Twining of Fact and Fiction

I received a Free copy of this audiobook with a promise to give an honest review. This is the type of story I love. A bit of history and wonderful characters woven together. Using Shakespeare's story of the legendary Scottish King, the author takes it a bit further and covers several generations in a volatile time. The narrator was excellent and I plan to read/listen to more stories written by this author.

Heir to a Prophecy

I loved reading this book about Godwine. He started out as a nothing and with sheer determination made a name for himself and his family. Mercedes takes you into his life and the culture of the time. You feel like you are actually in that time period with the characters. It was the kind of book that I just couldn’t put down!

Could not get interested in this story

Story droned on and on uike the earlier stories which were quite interesting. Narrator had very little inflection in his voice. I've never celebrated a books ending till now.

A little slow but has historical detail

It’s good but not great. Shakespeare did it better. The first few hours of the novel held my interest. We meet Banquo and Fleance and someone’s daughter. A romance blossoms, a pregnancy is unexpected. Bad things happen. The pregnant daughter is banished from the castle and disowned. She has to live like a peasant and raise her son, Walter, as such. But after that point, I started to lose interest. Some small moments hooked my attention here and there but quickly fizzled out. I went into this expecting high drama and action, some supernatural spookiness, and great betrayal (because the description mentioned Shakespeare’s play Macbeth). What I got was a little more than a lengthy History Channel telling of events. The pacing was slow but there are a few fights and battles. I did like Walter’s connection to several older men in the story, who fill in here and there for his long-absent father. The story could have ended 2 or 3 hours earlier with the heroes making it back from a great battle. However, the tale continued on with a documentary-like rendition of historical events following that battle. There’s big leaps in time and new characters brought in near the end that I’m sure were important historically but don’t really matter for Walter’s tale. The ladies were mostly romantic interests and comforters. The exception are the Three Witches who provide our tiny, sole bit of supernaturalness – the prophecy! The element that I expected to be far bigger in this tale as it makes up part of the title. The women have no agency, make no plot-important decisions, and are practically without individual personalities. In fact, you could leave them out of this book entirely and the story would not be affected. For me, this was a let down. In the end, I was left wanting more. But with that said, I can tell this story was written with care and with factual historical events in mind. If you are looking for a book based on historical fact for events surrounding Shakespeare’s Macbeth, then this is probably a good one to pick up. If you’re looking for a rousing tale of battles, glory, honor, and some supernatural spice, then this isn’t that book. 3/5 stars. The Narration: Kevin E. Green gave a decent performance. He had a range of voices though sometimes two or more character voices bled into one another in a group discussion and I had trouble keeping track of who was who. The ladies sounded like ladies during the few times they did have lines. When it comes to regional UK accents, I have been spoiled lately by Richard Elfyn’s performances of Puleston’s Inspector Drake mysteries. So I couldn’t help but compare Green’s performance to those books in this one aspect. I needed more regional accents. No one sounded Welsh to me even though a chunk of the book takes place in Wales with Welsh characters. The pacing was good for most of the book but stayed the same stalwart, dependable rate for the action scenes as if the narrator was reporting on a long-dead battle. I needed more action and emotion in the narration for those moments. There were no tech issues with the recording. 4/5 stars. I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

Reminded me why I love historical novels!

Truly well told story. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The reading also fully held my attention. Thank you. Mercedes, for this trip through history.

Fated to Participate

The writing is good in that it fits the flavor of historical fiction. However, the three generational protagonists seem to be merely participants in a series of historical events. While they helped get things done, they were not instrumental in the accomplishments, which seemed to diminish their significance as main characters. They were mostly just along for the ride. Why did the three witches even bother with them? Also, there was one part of the prophecies that apparently did not come true. Overall, this is not technically a bad book, but I found it unsatisfying. The prose is good. The dialogue is okay, but not snappy. The narrator did an amazing job! Great versatility!

This is a magnificent story and rendition!

This is an amazing story! I enjoyed the world building and the characters really come to life. An audiobook is a great way to enjoy a tale. I have read other books by this author and have derived a great deal of pleasure from the experience. Listening to the audiobook was so different, I am really glad I used my ears for the story, instead of my eyes. The narrator made a big difference, he performed multiple voices flawlessly. The author’s research is phenomenal, it brings a wonderful foundation to the story, I felt like I was walking with the main character throughout. The heartbreak, joy and anger were easily felt and helped make the story so good! I award “Heir to a Prophecy” five stars! Such a fabulous experience in the audiobook and a wonderful story overall!

Wow, just wow!

Macbeth is my favourite Shakespeare play and so when I saw Heir to a Prophecy, it was a no-brainer to listen to it. I don't know what I was expecting in all honesty. A sequel to Macbeth but not nearly as good maybe? I couldn't have been more wrong. Heir to a Prophecy does pick up where Macbeth kind of finishes but the story told within this book is fascinating. How Mercedes Rochelle managed to research and compile all the information into such an enjoyable listen is a magnificent accomplishment. We had love, marriage, wars, negotiations, foreign travel, hostage taking, there was not a single moment in the entire 13 hours that something extraordinary wasn't taking place. I feel like a need a rest from the exhaustion of listening to so much action. Then there are the details, so elegant and so precise, that make this book into a really special listen. Bishops not shaving their moustaches, Normans with weird hairstyles. The research that it took to include this level of specification is mind-boggling. Let's not forget the narration. Kevin E. Green has to be English, Scottish, French, Welsh, Danish and so on. He does a superb job and that on its own deserves a standing ovation. Couple together exquisite and elegant writing and outstanding narration and Heir to a Prophecy is a joyous way to spend 13 hours that you won't regret.