Brass and Bone

By: Cynthia Gael

Narrated by: Amanda Cobb

Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

"Being Simon Thorne, friend and collaborator to Lady Abigail Moran, isn't easy. Yes, being a daring thief does have its charms. But I still haven't convinced Abigail that she loves me, and thievery, for all the romantical writers say of it, is not the way to wealth. Especially if Abigail insists we continuously repair the airship with our ill-gotten gains.

"So when an old friend summons us to his estate and offers us a daring job with a hefty paycheck, we're happy to accept. The mission: use our airship to transport secret cargo halfway across the globe. Oh, and we mustn't forget to take along the witch and her sinister keeper. A witch more beguiling than expected and her keeper - or is that companion? - with secrets darker than one could imagine.

"Alas. Perhaps I have finally bitten off more than I can chew...."

©2011 Cynthia Gael (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

The joy of listening

Would you try another book from Cynthia Gael and/or Amanda Cobb?

I would definitely be interested in other books narrated by Amanda Cobb. She brought this story to life and made it shine.

Would you ever listen to anything by Cynthia Gael again?

I would if it had the same narrator.

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

I'm new to the audio book format and so no, I hadn't. But I'll now be seeking them out.

Could you see Brass and Bone being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I suppose it could, but why does everything have to be turned into a movie?

Any additional comments?

It's obvious how important it is to have a good narrator. Brass and Bone is lucky to have found someone with great sensitivity to the art of story telling.

Obnoxious accents are obnoxious.

The choice to do the entire part of the female lead- I.e., the majority of the production- in a barely intelligible faux French accent was, quite frankly, a horrible one.

And in contrast having the male lead with little to no accent, sounding much like the performer was simply reading it straight, had me utterly confused when I discovered it was supposed to be the male lead and not in fact a woman as voiced him.

If anything, it should've been the other way around, reading the female part straight and the male with enough of an accent to at least make it somewhat clear it wasn't a woman's inner monologue during his lines, but alas...

If you can get through the ear cringe the story setting itself is interesting enough, though the forced tension with the antagonist and the female lead's thoughts and decisions pertaining to such just seem utterly dumb, and the story arch as such doesn't really happen and has no conclusion- indeed ending somewhat by surprise halfway into where one would expect the story to be.

I may pick up a continuation if I get bored since it comes with the subscription, but it's more for fondness of the genre which the author does portray decently than for the story itself, or certainly the performance- and certainly not something I'd pay for separately.

Great for Commuters!

Typically, I enjoy reading only non-fiction. However, I recently started a new leg of life's journey as a commuter using the TTC in Toronto. A friend suggest I start listening to audio books and recommended allowing myself to get lost in Brass & Bone. It sure helps my commute to be able to tune out of my surroundings and into a story that I can jump in and out of. The narrator's voice is very engaging and enjoyable to listen to. Knowing that Ms. Cobb is doing both voices is quite impressive. I would love to hear her do other works.

Wish she had narrated the Harry Potter books!

Would you consider the audio edition of Brass and Bone to be better than the print version?

Yes. I could listen to this narrator all day. Her voice was like honey.

Romantic adventure, rousingly narrated

A friend turned me on to this story, and I was pleasantly surprised. Author spins a good adventure tale, and the narrator brings a lot of life and depth to its telling. Loved the dialects and the sense of humor in her voice. Plucky, fun stuff.

Amazing accent work

Would you listen to Brass and Bone again? Why?

I have listened to it several times.

What did you like best about this story?

It didn't really end well -- there should be a sequel or a Part 3?

What about Amanda Cobb’s performance did you like?

Incredible accents - British, French, Cockney, German, and more!

Average story, but read beautifully.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This book was a nice escape on my daily commute to work. A little bit of a bore at times, but pleasant on the whole.

What about Amanda Cobb’s performance did you like?

The narrator brought a lot of depth to the characters, and I dare say, made them more interesting. I'm not sure if I would have finished this book had I been reading it on my own. The narrator saved this one.

An unexpected pleasure

I had never heard of this book but came across it while searching for a different audiobook. Nevertheless, I was hooked within the first 15 minutes. The narrator's voice and her varying vocal expressions made me forget briefly that I was listening to the same person portraying both leads. I look forward to listening to this book again from start to finish on my next road trip, and I will definitely be watching out for her next audiobook.

A fun listen

My mom used to read us stories like this, with a different voice for each character. It's still my favorite to find an audio book read like that. It makes it so much more like going on an adventure. Definitely got sucked into the story. Has this narrator done other books?

Weak story but wonderful narrator

As a child, I loved to listen to stories narrated by Claire Bloom. Since then, I have rarely heard another actor narrate a story with the same clarity, richness of voice, or diversity of character expression... until now. Amanda Cobb is brilliant, and I look forward to hearing her voice bring more stories to life. How about some of the classics?