• The Monster Baru Cormorant

  • The Masquerade, Book 2
  • By: Seth Dickinson
  • Narrated by: Christine Marshall
  • Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (197 ratings)

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The Monster Baru Cormorant  By  cover art

The Monster Baru Cormorant

By: Seth Dickinson
Narrated by: Christine Marshall
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Publisher's summary

A breathtaking geopolitical epic fantasy, The Monster Baru Cormorant is the sequel to Seth Dickinson's "fascinating tale" (The Washington Post) The Traitor Baru Cormorant.

Her world was shattered by the Empire of Masks. For the power to shatter the Masquerade, she betrayed everyone she loved.

The traitor Baru Cormorant is now the cryptarch Agonist - a secret lord of the empire she's vowed to destroy.

Hunted by a mutinous admiral, haunted by the wound which has split her mind in two, Baru leads her dearest foes on an expedition for the secret of immortality. It's her chance to trigger a war that will consume the Masquerade.

But Baru's heart is broken, and she fears she can no longer tell justice from revenge...or her own desires from the will of the man who remade her.

©2018 Seth Dickinson (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2019, Locus Awards - Nominee, Short-listed

What listeners say about The Monster Baru Cormorant

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༼ つ ಥ_ಥ ༽つ My soul is in agony ༼ つ ಥ_ಥ ༽つ

This is the best book I've ever read. I don't even know what's real anymore.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dickinson does it again

For fans of the first book, there's a lot to love here. There's also some growing pains as it's a second book in a series and spends a fair amount of time building for the rest of the series.

Baru is brought down to earth somewhat as she becomes more reactive than proactive and her schemes don't seem to succeed quite like they did in book one. But, overall, this is a great book and I'm super excited to see the next one very soon.

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A dissapointing sequal

The plot steps away from it's essence to chase after a poor imortality gambit; dissapointing.

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Hard to Follow

I really liked the first book. Focusing on one region, and a single overarching goal was a good back drop to Baru's devious machinations.

In this book, with three hours left, I couldn't tell you what's going on, what Baru's plans are (they seem to change every quarter chapter), or what the main plot is about.

As soon as it seems like Baru is getting a hold of things, she is attacked by navy fleets almost out of nowhere... twice.

Perhaps this is good if you really sit down and pay attention to only this, but I couldn't follow what was going on while driving for two hours. My attention drifts for just 15 seconds and I literally have no idea what's going on in the chapter anymore.

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1 person found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A partial story...

The first book was great. It built well, had wonderful surprises and had a well developed character in Baru.

This sequel sort of tossed all of that away. All the unease and paranoia of the first book, that Baru's secret love would be unveiled, were essentially all for nothing. In this book, her "secret" is common knowledge and nobody seems to care. All Baru's planning and intelligence and her savant-like abilities are all swept aside and she is wimpy and unsure. Maybe there is another twist out there, but it never happens in this book.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing

Kept waiting for the book to become interesting or that something happen at least. Nothing. The sexual parts seemed out of place and forced. The narrator was good.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

uranium cult that is terrifying

she is a monster 5/5 aiama aiama agulien the cancer grows and so will your interest in this book it got me

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

Confusing, but partly my fault.

Unfortunately, I listened to this sequel before the first book. I blame Audible Auto Play that started it while I was driving. I didn’t realize it was the second book in a trilogy until more then half way through and by then I was invested. That fact may have contributed to my confusion as the names, places, characters, and consequences from the first book were introduced to me in rapid succession.

That being said, the recording itself is rather confusing. The narrator jumps between perspectives and times without announcement, voice change, or pause. As one section flows into another you just have to figure it out with context. Apparently this isn’t an issue in the book, but definitely is in this recording.

Nonetheless, I was able to follow enough to be captivated by this confusing world I found myself in. While the characters aren’t likable, they are at least relatable and I find myself interested enough to listen to the first book. Hopefully I’ll be less confused this time around.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Good reader. Very complex story, but gripping and satisfying. Will be diving straight into the next book in the series!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

I somehow adore the second installment more than the first. The plot thickens so very much, and the world-building just layers onto itself like layers of flavor in a curry. Delicious.

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