The Capture

Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book One

By: Kathryn Lasky

Narrated by: Pamela Garelick

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Soren is born in the forest of Tyto, a tranquil kingdom where the Barn Owls dwell. But evil lurks in the owl world, evil that threatens to change Soren's life forever.

Soren is captured and taken to a dark and forbidding canyon where there is a mysterious school. It's called an orphanage, but Soren believes it's something far worse.

He and his new friend, the clever and scrappy Gylfie, find out that the orphanage is actually a training camp. Soren and Gylfie know that the only way out is up. To escape, they will need to do something these fledglings have never done before: fly. And so begins a magical journey. Along the way, Soren and Gylfie meet Twilight and Digger. The four owls band together to seek the truth, be reunited with their families, and protect the owl world from unimaginable danger.

Don't miss The Journey: Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book Two and The Rescue: Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book Three.

©2003 Kathryn Lasky (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The story's fast pace, menacing bad guys, and flashes of humor make this a good choice for reluctant readers, while the underlying message about the power of legends provides a unifying element and gives strong appeal for fantasy fans." (School Library Journal)
"Broad themes related to the nature of personal choice, the need for fellowship based on love and trust, and sharing knowledge with one's peers are presented compellingly and with swift grafting to the animal adventure story." (Booklist)

Sweet

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

Very good, top one third.

What other book might you compare The Capture to and why?

Eragon.
Very imaginative fantasy world.

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

No, but I loved the different voices she uses for each owl. The singing of the owl songs I found charming, Thankfully it was not highly produced. Who knows how an owl, especially a baby owl, would sing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Owl Adventures

Any additional comments?

I needed to listen to something relaxing, which is why I choose a children's book. It took my mind off my worries and even made me laugh at times.

Hopes dashed

This author is capable of better, and has done better (Elizabeth I). This story begins well, with the potential to impart--in story form--to both children and adults, all sorts of knowledge about birds and other natural life. The reader does well here also. But it rapidly deteriorates into a 3rd rate attempt to turn birds into evildoers vs good guys; and it fails even at that. Even a children's story should not insult the intelligence and should be believable as a fantasy world. Usually I listen to stories over and over again, even as most children like to do with favorites. I have deleted this one from my MP3 player as not worth even the first listening.
The second book in this series is--unbelievably--even worse. My grandhcildren will never hear this, if I can help it.

guardians of ga'hoole rules the world, just saying.😈😈

This book is the best book I have ever listened to. I would immediately suggest it to adults as well as children. Do not try to guess what the storyline is and where the plot twists are, that is nearly impossible!!!!! (I'm a kid,by the way) all people should read it... And martians too!!!!!🌒

Just as I Remembered

I read this book in 6th grade and really enjoyed reliving it through this audiobook. Great characters, world building, and a nail biting journey. Pamela Garelick takes the time to voice each character differently so you always know who is speaking. It wasn't exactly how I pictured them sounding, but that's okay.

The only cringey thing was her singing at parts, which broke my emersion. Hence the 4 stars.

The Capture

If you want suspense, adventure, friendship, betrayal, and perseverance, then you should read this book.

Nostalgia at its Finest

I was riveted everytime I turned it on! Much better (and darker) than the movie adaptation. I had originally finished the whole series in Middle School (I'm 23 now) and decided to give it another go once the plot had faded in my mind. Well worth the price and reminded me of why I was so enraptured by the series when I was younger. Brilliant narration! Lovely flow. The best way to listen (in my opinion) is to pull up images of the different species to better imagine them in your head. They are all North American species of owl. Something I did not realize when first reading the series 10 years ago.

A fun read

what I really love about this book is that it incorporated a social system without taking too much away from nature of their. I guess what I mean is that they weren't made to be too human. There is certainly, a lot of difference from the movie and the book. It could have very well been a miniseries. But this was still fun to listen to.

Captivating

From the very start the simple yet immersive language, speaking from an older teen, was fantastic to listen to while biking to and from work. Will enjoy the continuation this summer.

great book for kids I love the inspiration to kids

love to read the hole sirece I love the inspiration it brought my kids

brilliant

my all time favorite fantasy series! picked this up completely by chance at a book fair in elementary school, and it holds a dear place to me to this day