Sword-Dancer

Tiger and Del, Book 1

By: Jennifer Roberson

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

He was Tiger, born of the desert winds, raised as a slave and winning his freedom by weaving a special kind of magic with a warrior's skill. Now he was an almost legendary sword-dancer, ready to take on any challenge - if the price was right…or if the woman pretty enough. 

She was Del, born of ice and storm, trained by the greatest of Northern sword masters. Now, her ritual training completed and steeped in the special magic of her own rune sword, she had come South in search of the young brother stolen five years before. 

But even Del could not master all the dangers of the deadly Punja alone. And meeting Del, Tiger could not turn back from the most intriguing challenge he'd ever faced - the challenge of a magical, mysterious sword-dancer of the North… 

©1986 Jennifer Roberson O'Green (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Not a bad performance by Bel Davies

What made the experience of listening to Sword-Dancer the most enjoyable?

Ok I agree with other reviewers that Stephen Bel Davies was probably not the best choice.
He is not horriable though. Look at it like he is reading the story to you.
I know the book is first person but his voice is not Tigers. Instead of being dissapointed by what is my favorite series,I chose to enjoy it.
Besides its kind of fun to imagin Del as Catwomen.
Common now she sounds like Eartha Kitt. lol

What other book might you compare Sword-Dancer to and why?

There isnt one.
If you like a well written story with strong character development and a wonderous world for them to play in. Then give this book a try.

Which character – as performed by Stephen Bel Davies – was your favorite?

There isnt one
He dosent kill the book for me.
He seems to have fun with it and he takes it seriously.
I listen to tons of audio books ( I have a boring monotous job )
And their are a lot of performers who dont even try.
Just because he is not Tiger dosent mean he cant read a good book.
Hes having fun with Tiger and Del.
Jennifer Roberson has fun writing Tiger and Del
For many years I have had fun reading about Tiger and Dels adventures.
Now im having fun listening to them.
Keep an open mind and you can also.

Any additional comments?

Jennifer Roberson is my favorite author.
Her ability to paint a picture in your head with her writing is just increadible.
To me that is one of the most important skill for a writer to have.
If you like some of these other authors as do I. Then you may want to give this book a try.

Lacky
Rawn
Bradley
Zelzany
Elliot
Reichert
Huff
Tarr
I can go on but i think you get the picture

Great idea, poor execution.

I started out hopeful, the reviews were mostly good. But chauvanistic is an understatement. Every other word out of Tigers mouth was about Del's looks or eyes or that she's a *woman* so she cant be good at anything thats supposed to be manly, like use a sword, or survive on her own. I hoped it would get better, his attitude would change as he learned about her, but NOPE. Couldn't even finish the book it was so bad.

Bad narrator

The narrator sounds like someone’s cheesy Uncle. Not sexy at all. It ruined the listening experience.

a old favorite

I have loved this book for years and was hesitant to hear it because was not sure it would be done "right". I must say this was done so well I was laughing and crying at work were I listen. co workers were wondering. Nicely done

TIGER AND DEL AT LAST!

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

Yes. It has been among my favorite books, read and reread many times, and I was soo happy to see it on audible

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sword-Dancer?

My favorite moment was when Tiger finally realized Del was for real.

What didn’t you like about Stephen Bel Davies’s performance?

I liked nothing about his performance--it was terrible. His voice is totally wrong for Tiger; he sounds like some city song-and-dance man speaking to those he considers ignorant and impressionable clods. He would be better doing Music Man. His voice for Del is not much better; he simply adopted what he must consider a northern Europe accent. I just hope he isn't used for future Tiger and Del books. He came very close to ruining the entire audiobook. I hope people won't judge the book by the narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me cheer many times.

Any additional comments?

Jennifer Roberson's Swordancer series is among the best in the genre. I'm very glad I had a chance to listen to it on my ipod. I hope there are more, and I hope we have a better narrator for future books.

Tedious and repetitive

This book was recommended to me as a fun fast-paced book with a strong female protagonist. Unfortunately, I was misinformed. The book is slow and repetitive to the point of being obnoxious. The characters find themselves in the same problems over and over again, and the ending, even the 'final boss' is abrupt and anti climatic. Feeling like it was stuck in later.

As for the strong female lead, Del is strong, but the entire world suffers to make her appear that way. The ENTIRE BOOK Tiger says (at least once a chapter ) that she's a WOMAN, And therefore weak. Remember I said it was repetitive? Also, all other women are jealous 'slut' characters to serve as a foil to the more virtuous Del, who does not get jealous and is serenely beautiful, which is irritating to say the least.

In regards the the narrator, I had no problem with him at all, I feel he had very difficult material to work with.

In short, I will not being listening to more books in this series

Great story

I love everything about this book. I love the environment it’s a much needed breath of fresh air for me even how old it is but the narration is lacking it can be hard to distinguish between when Tiger is talking and general narration

Like reuniting with a old friend

I enjoyed this as much as reading it the first time long ago. I thought Stephen Bel Davies did a good job with narration. Perfect voice for Tige while adding a sense of lightheartedness to the character. Del was pretty much spot on too. Well done I will be buying the rest of the series.

Good story, annoying narrator, I didn’t finish it.

It may be just me, but I can’t stand this narrator. His emphasis is strange and seems out of place most of the time. He has a good voice, but it sounds like someone who has confidence but lacks talent. The story, on the other hand, is quickly paced and enjoyable. I’ll probably read the physical book. It seems, so far, to be an entertaining, run-of-the-mill fantasy story.

Not as good as I remember

I read this book from my grandmother’s collection when I was about seven or eight years old. I had remembered the swords being fascinating and that the story was exciting. As an adult, not so much. The story just feels shallow. The overt chauvinistic statements never hit me as a child, but they sure do now. The author also seems to have a fixation with the word “eloquent” and uses it often and incorrectly. I loved it as a child and am sad that my memories of it are now tainted by my adult perception.