The Voyage of the Basilisk

By: Marie Brennan

Narrated by: Kate Reading Narrator

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

Devoted readers of Lady Trent's earlier memoirs, A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents, may believe themselves already acquainted with the particulars of her historic voyage aboard the Royal Survey ship Basilisk, but the true story of that illuminating, harrowing, and scandalous journey has never been revealed - until now.

Six years after her perilous exploits in Eriga, Isabella embarks on her most ambitious expedition yet: a two-year trip around the world to study all manner of dragons in every place they might be found. From feathered serpents sunning themselves in the ruins of a fallen civilization to the mighty sea serpents of the tropics, these creatures are a source of both endless fascination and frequent peril. Accompanying her is not only her young son, Jake, but a chivalrous foreign archaeologist whose interests converge with Isabella's in ways both professional and personal.

Science is, of course, the primary objective of the voyage, but Isabella's life is rarely so simple. She must cope with storms, shipwrecks, intrigue, and warfare, even as she makes a discovery that offers a revolutionary new insight into the ancient history of dragons.

©2015 Bryn Neuenschwander (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Great listen!

Loved the story and the narrator brings it to life. Laughed out loud! Great listen!

Phenomenal As Always!

Love it so much! Cant wait to listen to #4! I'm buying it right now!

Define “Dragon”

Stretching my understanding of dragonness - a wonderful exploration of the wide variety of creatures that can be included, depending on the criteria you use. Each new one has history and personality without ever bogging down in anthropomorphism the way so much dragon fiction does.
More exciting adventures, cultural clashes, new characters, further development of the ongoing set - I love listening to these stories for their own sake, as well as for the natural science perspective. Looking forward to starting on the next book tonight.

What a great blend of scientic fantasy...

or maybe it's fantastical science, either way, if science had been this cool when I was young I would have followed a very different path!!! And what a refreshing twist a true classic - Dune!!!

Keep it coming!

Love this series! 34e book as good as the 2nd one

I'm still very impressed with the depth of research and the storytelling that Marie Brennan brings to the Memoirs of Lady Trent series.

An excellent series. This book deals mainly with sea dragons, although there are many other adventures that are part of the journey.

Terrific!

I can't wait for the next book!!

This series is exceptionally well written and performed. The reader is perfect - I think I've enjoyed it more by listening to her than I would have if I'd read it myself. I can't wait for the fourth book. Isabella is my hero. All young women should read this and be inspired by her.

Great story perfectly read!

Isabella is a most credible naturalist with fascinating adventures in her career. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Another great installment

Marie Brennan delivers another volume of adventure, which Kate Reading brings to life.

If you enjoy dragons, period adventures, or witty memoirs (like Richard Feynman's), this is a series to try. This volume, set on a journey around the globe, feels a little more rushed than the previous two books, but was still really enjoyable.

This one really didn't further the series much

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

If you like reading the same thing over and over again, you might enjoy this book. Amelia Peabody this is not.

What could Marie Brennan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

There was way too much focus on the islanders and silly politics and not nearly enough focus on an enjoyable plot.

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading Narrator’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Kate Reading is a wonderful narrator, I really enjoyed her performance.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was deathly boring. If it hadn't been the only audio book I had access to at the time, I would have given up on it. It gets a little bit exciting at the end, but not enough to redeem the snoozefest it was up to that point.

Any additional comments?

I read and quite enjoyed the first two books. I'm not completely sure why this one did nothing to capture my interest. It just seemed that there was so much focus on made-up far off islands and very little on furthering the development of the characters. It was an uninspired repeat of the first two books but without the novelty factor. The series ends here for me, I just don't care enough to slog through another one.

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