Lord of the Silent

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 13

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia Peabody, grandmaster Elizabeth Peters' indomitable archaeologist-sleuth, once again sets sail for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and specters of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land.

With son Ramses, his wife, Nefret, and a few unwelcome additions in tow, the elder Peabody-Emersons embark on a dangerous sea voyage to Alexandria, ultimately ending up in Cairo for their annual excavations. But in this autumn of 1915 the exotic, alluring city is not what it used to be. Cairo has been transformed into an armed camp teeming with enemy agents, and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites.

Amelia's foremost priority is to prevent the War Office from pressing Ramses into service again, on the same sort of job that almost cost him his life the previous year. But in these terrible days of global conflict and relentless skullduggery, no place in Egypt is safe. Even remote Luxor provides no guarantee of safety, especially after Amelia discovers a fresh corpse resting in an ancient tomb.

The grim discovery presages further trouble for the Emersons, as the sinister conundrum pulls them all into a bubbling morass of corruption, intrigue, and international espionage deeper and more fiendish than any they have hitherto encountered. Death follows death, with abduction and an assault on Amelia herself intensifying the chaos of a world at war.

Yet there is an even darker danger in store for the Emersons. Can it be that one of Amelia's oldest and most dangerous adversaries will intervene to alter the family's destiny? Tantalizing clues suggest that this may be so and point toward an archaeological discovery of unparalleled importance, and the resurrection of a voice that has been silent for millennia.

Don't miss the rest of the Amelia Peabody series. You can also check out more of our Most Addictive Series.

©2001 Elizabeth Peters (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Readers will find all the delicious trappings of a vintage Peters extravaganza: lost tombs, kidnappings, deadly attacks, mummies, and sinister villains." (Publishers Weekly)

better than average abridgment

I hate abridgements but felt this better than most. I don't know if Ms Peters had developed the characters so fully in previous novels that I could sort of fill in the blanks a little. I wish though that the rest of her novels could be narrated unabridged.

Hmmmmm

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There's a good story in there somewhere, but abridging this book really degraded the plot.

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

She's always a terrific narrator!

Well done

I dislike abridgements, but this one was very well done & is a worthwhile listen. The story is very good -- I'm going to go buy the book now to find out what I've missed!

Much prefer Unabridged

I enjoy all the Amelia Peabody books, but I so much more enjoy the unabridged versions. Barbara Rosenblat does an excellent job as narrator, really bringing the characters to life. The abridged versions, however, leave a lot of the story out. I will purchase the unabridged book if and when it becomes available.

Never Disappointing

Would you listen to Lord of the Silent again? Why?

Yes -- perfect performance, and the story is delightful.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

Barbara Rosenblat is a star of the audio book world for good reason. She can do multiple voices and accents convincingly, even the male ones.

Any additional comments?

I would have preferred an unabridged version -- I wish it had been available.

good book but too short!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I want the unabridged version!

Would you be willing to try another book from Elizabeth Peters? Why or why not?

yes!

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

Loved it! truly amazing the voices and accents that Rosenblatt performs!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

yes!

What a pity there is not an unabridged version!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Do an unabridged version, PLEASE!

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This abridged version just gives a brief outline of the pertinent facts but lacks the nuances and descriptions that made the other books in the series so enjoyable.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

Having listened to all the abridged and unabridged version of this series, I can say that Barbara Rosenblat give an excellent rendition of all books. Great performer!

Any additional comments?

I only purchased the three abridged versions, 'Lord of the Silence', 'The Golden One' and 'Children of the Storm' so that I had the threads of the facts that were needed in the following books in the series. I have purchased the unabridged versions for my iPad and will read these over the holidays. As a tried to follow the text as I listened I realised how much of the original version was missing so gave up this as a bad job. Every comment says do an unabridged version.

Ongoing Saga of Peabody-Emerson Clan

Slightly anticlimactic after the events of the previous book, but thoroughly enjoyable nevertheless. However, there is some scratchy-sounding disruption at 00:46:00 of the recording.

Amelia Peabody is Brilliant!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was my first introduction to Amelia Peabody and her adventures...I will now have to go back to the beginning and then catch up. But thoroughly enjoy it all! Love Egypt at the beginning of archeology and all the adventures.

Just okay

I had actually forgotten who the villain was in this one; it didn't leave as much of an impression as Miss Minton and her erstwhile beau. It would be hard to follow up He Shall Thunder in the Sky, but this is a decent effort.