The Judging Eye

The Aspect-Emperor, Book 1

By: R. Scott Bakker

Narrated by: Kevin Orton

A luminary in the fantasy genre firmament, R. Scott Bakker returns fans to his acclaimed Prince of Nothing universe with The Judging Eye. Aspect-Emperor Kellhus is waging a terrifying war, subjugating all nations in his path. There are those willing to stand together against him, but these rebellious souls must act quickly and decisively to thwart his mad schemes of power and domination.

©2010 R. Scott Bakker (P)2013 Recorded Books

Amazing story marred by poorly edited narration

Where does The Judging Eye rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've probably listened to 150-250 audiobooks, and this is somewhere in the lower 50% of that. The writing is great, though.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hmm, I guess Drusas Achamiam. His pain is more relatable than anyone else's.

What three words best describe Kevin Orton’s voice?

Resonant, unchanging, adequate. His real problem is mispronunciation. He mispronounces /misreads words constantly, which shouldn't have been hard to catch because he reads so slowly! I mean, he changes the meaning of passages constantly, and makes hilarious errors that are extremely jarring (my favorite is in The Great Ordeal when he changes "She glimpsed a small girl wailing over a woman prostrate on the hard cobble" to "...a woman prostate on...").

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

It would probably end up being something dumb like "... sees all."

Any additional comments?

I really wish David DeVries had read this sequel series. Not only is the change in narrator jarring, but I don't think Kevin Orton ever learned phonics. I don't know who produced the audio book, but there's no excuse for the number of errors Mr. Orton makes that are in the final product.

judgeing ear

had a hard time in many instances comprehending the narrartor. Hard to explain really but i will try. its as if he has chronic running nose and a sore throat. the first time i ordered this audiobook, i had to return it i just couldnt deal with the narrator's voice and style. i just sucked it up and purchased a second time after i relistened to the king of nothing series again...wanted more bad enough to grit my teeth and soldier on. Although somewhere around the point in which cleric surprises everyone i think i had managed to numb myself enough to really not notice enough to distract me from enjoying the story, so there is that. yes, great story, yes im buying the next one, no , good or bad, i wont be hatin on the poor mucus challenged narrarator.

Switching Narrator Was Awful Decision

I don’t know if I’m going to continue the series with the new narrator reading the rest of this sub-series.

If I do finish the Aspect-Emperor it may be with the physical book. Even though it would take way longer - since I don’t have as many opportunities to sit down and read - I can’t see listening to 3 more books with this guy.

To make it even worse, the first narrator was so good it makes you realize just how bad the new one is such a horrible change that could ruin the series for many.

not optional

love all of the books in this series, masterful writing and interesting plot. the setting is rich with history and culture resembling ancient north Africa and Macedonia.

The start of the real war.

Loved it, the world of Earwa continues to expand, and then the world trembled in fear and anticipation.

Terrible narrator

Narrator absolutely ruined this series for me. Made it through the first book, but quit with White Luck Warrior. Too bad they changed narrators from Prince of Nothing series. What a shame!!

Good, adult, story. Poor choice of narrator.

What made the experience of listening to The Judging Eye the most enjoyable?

The Judging Eye is consistent with the previous trilogy. Bakker's stories and characters are deep and his story elements are mature.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that Bakker takes his subject matter seriously in spite of the story taking place in a fantasy setting.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kevin Orton?

David DeVries would have been a better choice of narrator. Kevin Orton's intonations are overly dramatic, even stodgy.

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

The characters are flawed in very human kinds of ways. They aren't typical "good guys" and "bad guys" for certain.

Any additional comments?

Overall, the book is quite good. If you like the original trilogy, you are likely to enjoy this book. Since the world is established, there is less time spent on world-building, however. This is important for those who were attracted to the first three in the series for their brilliant take on fantasy history.

The narration was completely inappropriate to the novel, however. There were moments when I was completely taken out of the experience of listening by the overly dramatic performance of the narrator. It seems clear that he did not understand the story or the characters.

An improvement over the previous book in every way

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

Probably not. R. Scott Bakker does not write happy books. I could see friendships being lost that way.

What did you like best about this story?

Bakker's prose improves with every book. The writing in this book is beautiful on its own, apart from a well-plotted story.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Yes, I do. I much preferred the pronunciations and character voices of David DeVries. Sorry, Mr. Orton, you're second fiddle.

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

To despair, yes. And more of those than I could count.

New narrator really killed it

The end got really cool, but the narrator and the tone of the book both just sounded far too pedantic for me to enjoy this one. Wish they hadn't changed it up, doubt I'll be getting any more if they have the same reader. The story of the book was a bit slow through most of it, but it was obviously setting up a good series.

The spectacular level of detail the author creates.

The narration is unparalleled. It truly feels as if you’re in the story with the characters. Top marks, my friends!