• Feast of Souls

  • Magister Trilogy, Book 1
  • By: C. S. Friedman
  • Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
  • Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (891 ratings)

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Feast of Souls  By  cover art

Feast of Souls

By: C. S. Friedman
Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
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Publisher's summary

C.S. Friedman, acclaimed author of The Coldfire Trilogy, returns to the epic style which has made her one of the most popular fantasy writers in the genre. In this first book of the trilogy, Friedman introduces listeners to a world of high fantasy, replete with vampire-like magical powers, erotic interludes, treachery, war, sorcery, and a draconic creature of horrific power and evil that will have listeners eagerly awaiting the next novel in the series.

©2007 C.S. Friedman (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[I]maginative, deftly plotted fantasy." (Publishers Weekly)
"Powerful, intricate plotting and gripping characters distinguish a book in which ethical dilemmas are essential and engrossing." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Feast of Souls

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

difficult in the beginning but........

This is a story more easily followed if you are reading it rather than listening. So many things can be said in writing that............simply do not come across in narration. The story jumps around because there are many main characters who are also telling the story from their point of view all converging later in the other books.

I was originally drawn to the book because of the narrator. She did a great job in this series. Still I found the that listing to this story twice was almost an essential thing to pick up all the things you would have understood reading it. Changes in places and who is talking and even time issues overlap. It was confusing at the start. After listening to the whole series I can appreciate all of it. I will have to say I did enjoy the series but this first book was not as enjoyable as I had hoped. In the end I am glad I finished the series. At some time later I would listen to the whole series again.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Price of Power - Would You Pay It??

C.S Friedman is the author of my favorite fantasy series, The Coldfire Trilogy so I was excited to begin the Magister series. Friedman writes anti-heroes like no other. I never knew there could be so many shades of gray.

Feast of Souls introduces us to a world of magic where the cost is high, your soul or in the case of some, the souls of others. There are two different practitioners of magic, witches (both male and female) who power their art with their own soul fire, but the human soul is finite and once consumed means death. Then there are the mysterious Magisters, an elite group of males that power their sorcery with the souls of others, thus giving them almost unlimited power, but at what ultimate cost?

Friedman excels at creating a world in which the powerful rule by manipulating others, and yet you feel sorry for them. The varied cast of characters all had separate stories yet seemed to be guided to the same end. Friedman weaves a complicated net drawing each character closer and closer together for an exciting climax.

Elisabeth Rogers does an excellent job creating individual personalities for each character. I have read Feast of Souls twice before but listening to it felt like reading it for the first time again. I am looking forward to listening to the next two in the series.

If you liked Feast of Souls, I highly recommend Friedman's Coldfire trilogy, which is also available on Audible.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

14 hours of boredom, last four hours interesting

The premise is interesting, but for the first 2/3 of the book, you don't really care that much about the characters, and the plot is not interesting. Sure, there are characters you like (the prince, the queen, and the anti-heroine), but you don't care that deeply about them. And there aren't any villains that you care much about. Worst of all, the plot isn't interesting or captivating.

Basically, an interesting premise, with ok writing, but boring characters and a boring plot.

Now, the last four hours of the book are enjoyable. So if you don't mind plodding through 14 hours of boredom, to get to a good ending, than maybe this book is for you. If I had not been on a 22 hour drive when I started this book on my iPod, I would not have finished it.

I will not continue with the series.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Price of Using Magic

I enjoyed Feast of Souls. Admittedly, I have read / listened to few fantasy books, but this one seemed inventive and original. Importantly, the book includes everything you would expect; magic, intrigue, romance, a villain trying to take over the world and invincible dragon-like creatures.

The central character, Kamala, is a young, attractive woman who has a defiant, against the world attitude. She is self-assured and in a hurry. Kamala lives in a world of mortals, witches and sorcerers, and she is determined to survive, no matter the cost.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

ANOTHER TWISTED MASTERPIECE

If you could sum up Feast of Souls in three words, what would they be?

Mysterious, captivating, and dark!

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the way C.S. Friedman portrays internal struggle of a tormented young woman determined to survive by any means. Even if it means killing a part of herself.

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

Elisabeth Rodgers has done an outstanding job with this narration. Each personality comes through clearly and never had an issue with confusing voices during conversations.

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

I really have no ideas.... Sorry for the lack of creativity here...

Any additional comments?

This is a brilliant idea taking concepts from childhood fairy tails and turning them into realistic and for the most part horrifying realities. C.S. is always a good read when you want to identify with the darker half of your imagination and fall in love with an evil protagonist.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

...

This book was too depressing. I don't even want to hear how it ends anymore.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping

What did you love best about Feast of Souls?

The realistic Character portrayals.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Feast of Souls?

Ripping off the head of a child!?!

What does Elisabeth Rodgers bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her voice gave me a different mental picture of the leading lady than just the words would have done...more approachable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending was a real cliff-hanger.

Any additional comments?

Well written and read.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Did not care for this book

Would you try another book from C. S. Friedman and/or Elisabeth Rodgers?

Possibly, I would have to look deeper at the story line and read the reviews

What was most disappointing about C. S. Friedman’s story?

This story took too long to develop, it became boring

Would you be willing to try another one of Elisabeth Rodgers’s performances?

Possibly, I did like Elisabeth's ability to bring out different characters in her voice.

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

Disappointment, I guess I was looking for something else

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A little confused ... who is the main character?

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

No, the book was not a waste of time. It had its faults, but overall a pretty good story.

Would you recommend Feast of Souls to your friends? Why or why not?

Depends on what sort of fantasy they are in to. This book has some slow points, which is fine, but certainly not for everyone.

What about Elisabeth Rodgers’s performance did you like?

I thought Elisabeth Rodgers did a good job separating characters by their voices. Even if some of them seem hackneyed at times.

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

Honestly? I don't know if this book would translate well to a movie. Lots of the story revolves around things happening inside the characters (such as how their magic works) and I don't know if that would come through well on the big screen.

But, by all means, prove me wrong.

Any additional comments?

I cannot go without saying one important thing. Kamala, who seems to be the main character, appears to take second stage to too many other characters at times. I think the book suffered from a flood of too many POV characters and not enough time focused on the her. I think the story could have been told with a heavier focus on her and some of the other characters left out when it comes to POV. It was a disappointing aspect of the book that haunted me from start to finish. She seemed to act very out of character towards the end of the book and I think had more time been spent on her, her transformation, her actions, and her motivations would have been clearer to me as a reader.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A solid trilogy

This review covers the trilogy as each book in quality and content is about the same, so if you're going to listen to the first book you may as well listen to them all as they are consistent throughout.

I like Friedman for the darkness she portrays in the human soul. This series is one along the lines of "soul sucking vampire" types as her excellent Coldfire series was. This series however doesn't quite reach the heights of that one.

The problem I have with this series is that there are too many central characters for development and thus each is lacking something despite their importance to the storyline. In particular, the main character, Kamala has significant gaps in her story and in some places her story lines end quite abruptly and unsatisfyingly. The feeling of "loose ends" is evident in a number of places. One gets the feeling she isn't fleshed out enough.

Despite this, the story ideas are solid and overall it's a good series to listen to if you are a fantasy fan. Had this series been longer to allow full development of the characters it would have scored 5's across the board.

The narration was good although with an even mix of male and female roles it may have been better done by a man and woman as Elisabeth did struggle on some of the male voices.

This is worth a listen to as there are some great ideas and concepts with a solid story line and telling of it.

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4 people found this helpful