Kushiel's Dart

By: Jacqueline Carey

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 31 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond.

Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart - a massive tale about the violent death of an old age and the birth of a new.

©2008 Jacqueline Carey (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This brilliant and daring debut catapults Carey immediately into the top rank of fantasy novelists." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A very sophisticated fantasy, intricately plotted and a fascinating audiobook." (Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time series)

Ahh, Blessed Elua... I <3 The Kushiel's Series

If there is one thing to take away from the series, It would most definitely be..."When Love cast me out, it was Cruelty who took pity on me." ~ Love As Thou Wilt...

Overall Very Satisfying

Who was your favorite character and why?

Phèdre steals the show - despite it all. She is an Anguisette - which in modern parlance probably means sexual masochist. I cannot say i completely 'get' the draw as described - but i did get the eloquence with which it was described. I totally got the stream-of-conscience type explorations into Phedra's thought processes as she grew up and into herself. And although her being an Aguisette was a pivotal reality - it was only a portion of the person we learned of, and that she grew in to! Phèdre was one of the most realistically crafted characters I've encountered in a long time! She was hot, she was cold, she loved as she hated, she vascillated, she fought and she won and she lost, she made decisions and doggedly stuck to them - despite! That was her gift to the reader - being real.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was just too long for one sitting - and i found the enforced breaks in listening great opportunities to think on the way Carey gently challenged religious and moral tomes.

Any additional comments?

Carey has crafted an interesting world - with a different moral and religious structure - giving one pause to consider their own beliefs on occasion. There are many paralells that can be made between Jewish tennets and those Carey has laid out. It is all done without intent to insult, and i believe she has accomplished that! The blending of various cultures is well done! I am amused that this series, this first book written so many years ago, is only now coming to general popularity, as our society is starting to openly explore and be more accepting of "alternate" lifestyles and sexual practices.

Carey takes us on a long trip, where we meet some lovely people, and some very scarey ones, and some very very memorable ones, but they are all real! Despite the Medieval-style timeframe, the intrigues and betrayals, loyalties and conflicts, the myths and legends, and loves, it all feel very timeless. There are those little bits of detail in the descriptions of a setting or situation that Carey does so well, without the violence necessarily becoming overpowering.

Phèdre and Joscelin are. What they are evolves, changes, becomes victim and beneficiary of wants, needs, desires, schemes and betrayals, and friendships and loves and loyalties of all types, from almost every possible direction. And yet ...
I am going to continue with this series - I enjoy Phèdre's world. I want to see where she has yet to go - what she can accomplish! What she and Joscelin can accomplish.
And she reminds me in so many ways - that which yeilds is not necessarily weak!!!

even the second time around it rocked.

I read it when it first came out and v listened to it recently. the story still finished strong

Sexually excited by pain? You'd be a good spy.

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

I would recommend this book carefully, because of the amount of kinky sex.

What other book might you compare Kushiel's Dart to and why?

Wow. I'm not sure I've read anything quite like it. The closest thing I can think of is the movie The Secretary... only set on another planet in a King-Arthur style world. And the Secretary is a spy.

What about Anne Flosnik’s performance did you like?

She was perfect for the part. The main character/narrator is very melodramatic, and Anne Flosnik was able to capture her personality perfectly

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really, I'll be honest. Sometimes the painful sex scenes made me have to turn it off.

Any additional comments?

The initial shock aside, this character grows into an amazing woman, who uses her 'god given gifts' to be a spy and save the kingdom. About a third of the way through the book, the sex tones down a little (or you get used to it?) and I began to love her character and I was hooked. The idea that sex is worshiped and being a sexual object of desire makes you priest(ess)-like in nature makes this book a must read for anyone who likes to stretch their definitions of how the world works and think about things in a slightly different way.

Way worth a credit!

This is an excellent, yet very adult read. Great narrator and a good pace in plot even though it is a long book. If you need something took keep you occupied on a long trip this is it!

Enchanting

This story is amazingly told and full. You will clamor for the next. Never will you be sad that you listened until the very end.

Amazing world building & story!!

I absolutely LOVE this book series. I've read them all a million times. The story is still good in audible form ,it's just that the story is set in a fictional medieval France. The narrator's accent is NOT close to French and it takes a while to get use to her voice. It's a bit...harsh. BUT once the story sweeps you up (give it a few chapters) you'll thoroughly enjoy the ride. Highly reccomend the entire Kushiels series!!

One of my absolute favorite stories!!

I've read and reread this book and tried listening to the audio version. It was beatifully read!! I'll reread the book and now listen to the audio over and over...the voice was unique and hope it's the same for the next book.

Loved it!

Great story-loved the characters and the narrator was wonderful. Will definitely read the ithers in the series.

A 20th century epic

Carey's writing style takes some getting used to, but it's so so worth it. The story is EPIC (literally) it's 97 chapters and crosses almost an entire continent. Wonderful characters and an interesting world/culture building. I will say, it might be easier to read some of the early or middle chapters instead of listening to it. There are so many invented words and names it could sometimes be hard to keep track of who, what, when and which was a proper noun or adjective in a foreign tongue.

The audio performance was impressive and must have been exhausting for the voice actor, but this is one that could definitely have benefitted from a male voice. The actor can definitely do a male voice, but there are some many characters and in a few cases the voice actor would slip between accents (the accents and inflections becoming less defined) making it hard to find out who was speaking.