Green

By: Jay Lake

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

She was born in poverty, in a dusty village under the equatorial sun. She does not remember her mother, she does not remember her own name, her earliest clear memory is of the day her father sold her to the tall pale man. In the Court of the Pomegranate Tree, where she was taught the ways of a courtesan and the skills of an assassin, she was named Emerald, the precious jewel of the Undying Duke's collection of beauties. She calls herself Green.

The world she inhabits is one of political power and magic, where Gods meddle in the affairs of mortals. At the center of it is the immortal Duke's city of Copper Downs, which controls all the trade on the Storm Sea. Green has made many enemies, and some secret friends, and she has become a very dangerous woman indeed.

Acclaimed author Jay Lake has created a remarkable character in Green and evokes a remarkable world in this novel. Green and her struggle to survive and find her own past will live in the readers mind for a long time.

©2009 Joseph E. Lake, Jr. (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lively and thought-provoking...Lake effectively anneals steampunk with geo-mechanical magic in an allegorical matrix of empire building and Victorian natural science." ( Publishers Weekly)

• 2009 Recommended Reading (Locus Magazine)

Nauseating!

Nauseating, gross, disgusting, sick, violent, pointless, these were among some many words I used while listening to this horrible audiobook. I rarely say this about a book but this book was awful. I kept thinking it would get better if I just gave it a chance. Nope, worse actually. As I continued on, I became even more grossed out, in fact, I even made vomiting motions as certain screens were described. I wanted to take a shower when I was finished with it just to try to wash away all the terrible things this book bombarded me with.

Where did I go wrong when picking out this book to listen to? The description sounds pretty cool, right. Girl pulled from poverty to become a powerful female force to be reckoned with. Sounds like my type of book. Unfortunately not. Although, Green may truly be a force to be reckoned with, she is a terrible character. She has no soul, only revenge in her heart. It never felt like she grew, only became a more skilled fighter and slightly less irritable.

Accompanying her revenge, she also has frequent meaningless sex with multiple women, including a women who resembles more of a panther than a human – those sex scenes were often the ones that induced the vomit motion I mentioned earlier. I don’t particularly have a problem reading about sex but these scenes involved a 15 year old girl having sex with older women, as in the narrator used granny voices for these women type of old. Gross – so no my thing.

This book is not just about sex, there is plenty of violence and killing in it as well. Green is trained to be a fighter at an early age and as she grew older her training is further developed to the point where at 15 she can fight with some of the best female fighters/killers. The author goes to great lengths to develop her character and allow of years to pass as she improves on her skills. As a result, it was easy to believe that Green was capable of doing all the things.

The author does create a very elaborate world and the details are often intricately written. My interest was piqued at the beginning of the book and I could very much envision myself in the character’s shoes. However, that was only in the beginning. The only compliant I can give this book is that the author created very detailed characters, countries, and experiences.

Katherine Kellgren was the narrator for this book and I normally love her narrations. Not this one. I don't know if it was the author's writing just could be masked by her wonderful voice or what. The granny voices for Green's sexual partners really did me in, just gross - bleh. Excuse me, I just through up in my mouth a little.

After awhile, Green became physically exhausting for me. There was no good, no joy, no substance, no anything that would have redeemed this story. There were many times where I was wanted to stop listening and if it hadn’t been for my 2012 book challenge goal, I would have stopped. No way was I going to let this book take up so much of time and not finish it. Overall, I deeply regret making this purchase and cannot recommend this book.

Beware! Book goes downhill in part 2.

There are two parts to this audio book. The first got my attention and held it - which takes Green up to age 12 - and goes along with the description of the book. When I started listening to part two, the book goes down hill due to repeated lesbian acts, molesting minors, people being possessed of gods, and stating "there is no such thing as sin". I wish the description of the book would have included this information (especially since it is a dominant theme in part two) - I wouldn't have wasted my time with it.

NOPE, JUST NO.

Any additional comments?

I made it through about 1/4 maybe it was a 1/3'd of the way, right at the Temple of the Lily goddess. Green is a 12/13 year old girl at this point and is sexually abused. I'm sorry - at that age ANY sexual description - action - writing is ABUSE. I made it through the abominable physical beatings in the first part of the story, becoming less inclined to finish the book and then --- the temple. NOPE, I'm done.

As far as Katherine Kellgren's performance, she read well, too well. The older women of the temple became even more disgusting in their acts of abuse with Green because of the voice given them by Kellgren.

It reminds me…….

What disappointed you about Green?

The best analogy I can come up with that explains what bothers me about this book was this. It felt like I went on a blind date with a girl, and everything reminded her of her ex boyfriend and all she did the whole time was tell me about how wonderful he was.

"It reminds me." or "It made me miss" is what is said over and over and over. The character in this book had about 3 things happen to her in she was young, and she doesn't get over it. It felt like half the book was her have something happen and then "It reminded me of""or it made me miss…" insert one of the 3 things. I GOT IT, IM READING THE BOOK(Listing). I am listing to your story, I got that info already. Ill except if it happens 10 times or so….but it was sooo much more. And once you get half way through the story and there is progress in her life, all she does for the rest of the book is think about the earlier half of the book you just read…AND THOSE 3 things. I GET IT. I am listing.

I listened to the whole book giving it the benefit of the doughty and really hoping that the last chapter, last page, last sentence would blow my mind and make everything make since,,,but it didn't. This is the fist audio book i truly hated…..but to say something nice, the reader was good.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

it ends.