The Tyrant Baru Cormorant

The Masquerade, Book 3

By: Seth Dickinson

Narrated by: Christine Marshall

Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Seth Dickinson's epic fantasy series which began with the "literally breathtaking" (NPR) The Traitor Baru Cormorant returns with the third audiobook, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant

The hunt is over. After 15 years of lies and sacrifice, Baru Cormorant has the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest that she pretends to serve. The secret society called the Cancrioth is real, and Baru is among them.

But the Cancrioth's weapon cannot distinguish the guilty from the innocent. If it escapes quarantine, the ancient hemorrhagic plague called the Kettling will kill hundreds of millions...not just in Falcrest but all across the world. History will end in a black bloodstain.

Is that justice? Is this really what Tain Hu hoped for when she sacrificed herself?

Baru's enemies close in from all sides. Baru's own mind teeters on the edge of madness or shattering revelation. Now she must choose between genocidal revenge and a far more difficult path - a conspiracy of judges, kings, spies and immortals, puppeteering the world's riches and two great wars in a gambit for the ultimate prize.

If Baru had absolute power over the Imperial Republic, she could force Falcrest to abandon its colonies and make right its crimes.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2020 Seth Dickinson (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Amazing book!

I love the way Seth Dickinson writes Baru. She is one of the most well developed female characters I have ever read. I highly recommend this series. The clinical way of writing is juxtaposed with Baru and her sexuality and I love it. She’ll be talking about the intricate was of the economy and then she’ll think of a woman and it gets suddenly spicy. It all flows and makes sense and I love all the characters and how Baru interacts with them. She is a wild child.

A Satisfying Conclusion

Ever since the first book in this series came out, I was almost dreading the next ones because the first one was so good (still my favorite book to date). However, though I did not see any of the things in the second or third book coming, they all tell a cohesive, epic tale about Baru and the world she inhabits. I love how detailed everything is, I love everything coming full circle, I love the characters, the countries, and I am going to miss them all so so much. Not to mention the narration is excellent. I have to say it took me a while to get used to her, but now I can’t imagine the series being narrated by anyone else. She has just enough drama to get me engaged, but also enough restraint to let the story itself shine through her words. My only complaint would be that the book isn’t as good as the first one, but that’s like saying a diamond ring isn’t as great as a diamond necklace. The series is as close as you can get to perfect.

Much better than second book

First book was great, second one lagged a lot as it seemed all Baru did was run away and get her ass kicked all over the place while crying about Tain Hu.

In The Tyrant Baru Cormorant we get back the Baru from the original, with her complex plots and schemes, and more than that, she finally starts to get somewhere.

I hear there is a Book 4 on its way but the trilogy stands pretty well by itself.

Still the same narrator from the other books, but I feel she's gotten better. Either that or I've just gotten used to her and can now tell apart the characters with the subtle changes in her voice.

I'd still recommend slowing down narration speed as she talks too fast. I listened to first two at .8x and .85x, this one at .9x.