Not My Kind of Story But Still Superb

Would you listen to The Concordances of the Red Serpent again? Why?

This is not my kind of story. I prefer horror and darker the story, the more I like it. That said, yes, I would listen to this story again. It is full of likable characters, beautiful settings and twists and turns throughout.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alex Seton was my favorite. He's a mysterious Scottish gentleman. What's not to like?

Have you listened to any of Chris Barnes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to almost all of Chris Barnes's other stories. In this one, he doesn't do a lot of different accents and voices, and listeners really get a taste of his true talent as he has to rely strictly on his 'normal' voice to keep his listeners riveted to the story. Of course, he succeeds brilliantly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was not a book I wanted to listen to in one sitting, and that's not a bad thing. I spent every evening for almost a week looking forward to the time I could spend listening to this book and found myself making excuses to listen, if only for a few minutes. I really didn't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

The Concordances of the Red Serpent is a fantastic collaboration of a great author and a great narrator. You can't go wrong with the Meikle/Barnes combination and there are just enough scary moments in this book to give you a thrill without being too scary.

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2 people found this helpful

Engaging thriller about an arcane myth

Patty Doyle leads a regular and boring life, but one drunken evening she spills the beans about her work on her blog, accusing her boss of incompetence among other things. Her accusations are not her downfall though, but the mention of the old manuscript she is working on. The next day, all her colleagues are murdered, and a stranger urges Patty to escape with him.

Some people have compared this book to the Da Vinci Code, as we deal with an old book that mentions an old myth, which is supposed to be real in the story. Due to the nature of this “truth”, several parties are interested, and will even kill if necessary. I have to say that even though this is not my kind of book, the story kept me engaged and intrigued almost until the end of the book. Towards the end, I lost a bit of interest, as I am not into paranormal events, but I think people into this kind of literature will enjoy this one.

The characters were okay, realistic, almost relatable, but there was something missing that prevented them from feeling completely alive. I think it would have helped if they were more developed. I understand the motivations they had to act how they did but I just did not completely buy it. Alex was supposed to be a charmer, as Patty left a boring but secure life behind to be on the lam. I see the what Meikle wanted to transmit here but just did not see the same appeal Patty did. I liked the two cops and their relationship, but I think it would have needed some more work to make me really care.

Chris Barnes’ narration was a nice addition to the story with his musical Scottish brogue and clear enunciation. The voice changes when interpreting characters were subtle but clear enough to make following the dialogs easy. I missed some accents in the book, but the narration was pleasant and effective. Chris Barnes’ narration led me to think that the story was initially set in Scotland, but this was not the case. Patty resides in New York, and the first events occur there. Only the second half of the book happens in Scotland. My mistake, for assuming things too early.

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook, and I would recommend to anyone into this kind of books about arcane myths.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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An Engaging Read!

Any additional comments?

My review for: The Concordances of the Red Serpent by William Meikle
Narrated by Chris Barnes
Book Rating: A solid 4.5 out of 5 stars
Narration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Shanna Roberson

Blurb taken from Goodreads:

Patty Doyle holds the secret to eternal life, but it may only bring her an early death. Patty is working on a journal of a 14th Century alchemist. But after mentioning it in her blog she gets to the office to find everyone brutally murdered. Now she's on the run pursued by a killer who wants the secret of eternal life it contains. The Concordances of the Red Serpent is a thriller set in the USA, Canada and Scotland and echoes back to the glossy caper movies of Hitchcock. Mix with a bit of Da Vinci Code type musings on alchemical secrets and stir well.


Review:

Being the first time reading William Meikle’s work, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but The Concordances wasn’t it at all. It was so much more! The depth of character development and winding twists of the story were highly engaging. Even though it had a slow start, once the story opened up, it was terribly hard to put down. If you like an intelligent read that will keep you on your toes, you’ll adore this book!

Even though this was a completely different narration I was used to from Chris Barnes, his reading held my attention completely. Without the glamor of his many accents which I am quite fond of, he used only the cadence of his own natural brogue to work all the magic. With just the tone of his voice, he made it easy to decipher which character was talking and how they were feeling. Another brilliant narration from my favorite narrator! I highly recommend this one if you are a fan of Dan Brown's novels…

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2 people found this helpful

The Concordances

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

Great mystery. It was fun and scary traveling all over Scotland.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Alex Seton. What a wonderful character he is. Smart, funny brave and kind. A true man of mystery!

Which scene was your favorite?

All of them. I just enjoyed getting to know Alex, Patti, Mike and Sam. I wasn't ready for the story to end.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

The narrator Chris Barnes was the perfect voice for this book. He's got a wonderful Scottish accent that was easy to understand and very easy on the ears. I'd listen to most anything he read, except romance!!

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Not just another Dan Brown rip-off

What did you love best about The Concordances of the Red Serpent?

There are a lot of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. It's a thrilling read.

What about Chris Barnes’s performance did you like?

As always, he does a phenomenal job with the characterization and creating atmosphere with just his voice.

Any additional comments?

Ended just a wee bit too fast for me, and the epilogue is slightly confusing. Another chapter or two would've really gone a long way towards clearing things up a little better.

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Good

Working on a manuscript that tells about eternal life, proved to be deadly for those worlking with her. When she mentioned it in her blog. An interesting plot and enjoyed the narration. Given audio for my voluntary review

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great paranormal mystery

As this was written by William Meikle I was expecting a dark fantasy or horror but this is more of a mystery and paranormal thriller. And I'll say this right away, it's very well done.

Everything starts when Doyle, mentions some of her work (she works on old texts) in her blog. She comes to work the next day to find almost all of her coworker's killed. At the root of this is the papers she is working on that may or may not hold the key to immortality. She pairs up with a man named Alec Seaton to try and catch the people responsible. On the other side, there are two police officers, Mike and Sam, who are investigating the murder at Doyle's place of employment and they are also trying to catch the people responsible.

A pivotal moment in this type of book is when writers have a survivor of a murder leave the crime scene, instead of waiting for the police and then leaving it to the police to find the killers. It's not always done well and can make or break a book for me. In this case, Meikle takes us inside the mind of the traumatized Doyle and her leaving with Seaton instead of waiting for the police is done in a very credible way.

The characters were very well developed and I started to care about all four of these people. I really enjoy when an author can step away from a stereotype (i.e The hero being tall and muscle-bound) and do that well. I did guess a particular part early on but that still didn't change my enjoyment of the read. Things were wrapped up at the end so no real cliffhanger. The epilogue, however, was unexpected and was a bit ... abrupt? It left me with a "Whoa, wait a minute!" feeling. I'm hoping there is a second book that goes into more detail.

Chris Barnes does a really excellent job narrating this book. This is a straight read and although Barnes doesn't do all the accents, he does change up his voice so we know which character is speaking. Barnes' Scottish accent very easy to follow and understand. Meikle and Barnes is another great combination.

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