• The Summer of the Danes

  • The Eighteenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
  • By: Ellis Peters
  • Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
  • Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (67 ratings)

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The Summer of the Danes  By  cover art

The Summer of the Danes

By: Ellis Peters
Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
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Publisher's summary

Brother Cadfael finds himself caught up in a bitter feud between two royal brother whose armies teeter on the brink of civil war.

©1991 Ellis Peters (P)1996, 2014 Dove Entertainment, Phoenix Books

What listeners say about The Summer of the Danes

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

Excellent Cadfael. Wish it hadn’t been abridged!

My first experience of the Cadfael chronicles was through the TV series with the great Derek Jacobi cast as Brother Cadfael. For Cadfael fans who love that series, the audiobooks narrated by Jacobi himself will bring his Cadfael back to life for you! I for one am happy that he did read some of the titles. When they were producing that series, Ellis Peters/Edith Pageter herself was happy with Jacobi being cast in the lead role.

My one complaint is the fact that this is an abridged version. Pity.

[Note: Some reviewers seem not to know who Jacobi is (must not follow the Shakespeare circuit) or that he was the original Cadfael, so this lovely double-gift of having him read these books may not resonate with them. But for those who love Jacobi's endearing version of this much-beloved medieval Benedictine sleuth, you will not be disappointed.]

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

I hate abridged versions

I don't understand why this one is abridged and all the other Brother Cadfael stories are not. just because it's narrated Derek Jacobi, not Patrick Tull?

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • ED
  • 09-04-20

Narrator takes away from the enjoyment.

I’ve mentioned before how poor of a job this narrator does. I keep listening because I’ve grown used to the characters and it’s a comfort to hear these stories, despite all the drawbacks. But make no mistake - this narrator seems completely untrained and without the first clue about performing. Or reading for that matter.

I mean - he doesn’t even pronounce “Cadfael” correctly. How can an error like that make its way all the way to the finished product? And MULTIPLE BOOKS!!!

It would be funny if it weren’t so annoying.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Not a bad abridgement

The audio is muffled until well into chapter 2. Sir Derek Jacobi has a lovely voice, so it's unfortunate that he frequently rushed names and places, making it difficult to discern who is where.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Slow start to an interesting story.

I am unsure about the historical accuracy of this take. In the time of Steven and Maude, I think the Danes where either gone, or fully absorbed into the Irish population.

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

Good Story a Few Audio Recording Flaws

I love this story. It's one of my favorites in the series. The cons I've run into are that the audio recording is a little Muffled sounding at the very beginning. And the pacing of the narrator's cadence is just a tad bit fast at times.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

ONLY AN EXCERPT

This Audio "Book" is actually only an excerpt of the printed edition, and a short one at that. It is DISHONEST not to state this upfront. This type of deceptive marketing is present also in the Audiobook of Peters' The Potter's Field.

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