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The City of Dreaming Books Audiobook
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(4.00) - 4,943 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Following The 13› Lives of Captain Bluebear and Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures comes a third hilarious and beloved Zamonia book, the most popular yet. It is a fantastic tale for every book lover.
Optimus Yarnspinner inherits from his godfather an unpublished manuscript by an unknown writer and sets off to track down the mysterious author, who disappeared into Bookholm—the so-called City of Dreaming Books. Yarnspinner falls under the spell of this book-obsessed metropolis, where an avid reader and budding author can find any number of charming attractions: priceless signed first editions, salivating literary agents, and for-hire critics. But as Yarnspinner pursues the trail of the missing author, the darker side of Bookholm begins to unveil itself—cold-blooded book hunters, cyclopean Fearsome Booklings, sharp-toothed Animatomes, and of course, the Shadow King, whose howls rise from deep beneath the city at night. Will Yarnspinner survive his quest into this world where reading is a genuine adventure?
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"On the first page the author tells you to read if you dare,do you have the guts to go on? I dare you! How could I put it down? It was a fun read about books that can come to life,poison you,and I wont tell you everything! It was very entertaining!"
— Melanie (5 out of 5 stars)
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“A salmagundi of whimsy, imagination, and book lore—remarkable fun.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer -
“German author and cartoonist Moers returns to the mythical lost continent of Zamonia in his uproarious third fantasy adventure to be translated into English, a delightfully imaginative mélange of Shel Silverstein zaniness and oddball anthropomorphism à la Terry Pratchett’s Discworld…A wonderfully whimsical story that will appeal to readers of all ages.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“It’s back to Zamonia, scene of Moers’ 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear and Rumo, for another tale of intrigue, battles to the death, and books…Entertaining characters, terrifying monsters, and wonders beyond imagining make Zamonia the place for fascinating adventure.”
— Booklist -
“German novelist Moers puts Tolkien through some sort of Willy Wonka sweetening process and comes up with characters such as Optimus Yarnspinner, who, names being fate and all, just has to be a storyteller.”
— Kirkus Reviews
The City of Dreaming Books Listener Reviews
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" Thoroughly entertaining; I particularly enjoyed the vivid narration by Dirk Bach. "
— Michael, 2/13/2014 -
" I love the Zamonia-books, they are so imaginative. I give only 4 stars because I thought the beginning was a little slow. But the second half was so exciting that I couldn't put it down, and I loved the little Booklings (Buchlinge)!! "
— Ines, 1/23/2014 -
" A book-related fantasy with moments of great charm. I enjoyed many of the sendups of book selling, editing and writing, but thought it could have been shorter. I enjoyed the world building but was underwhelmed by the character development and plot. Overall, a pleasant light read. "
— Catherine, 1/5/2014 -
" This is my favourite book. It's a pure pleasure to read, it has everything a good book need. I can't wait to read it again :) "
— Connlasair, 12/24/2013 -
" One of the most creative books I've read in a long time - a great 'yarn' for a slightly older audience. Quite possibly more Orm-infused than 1Q84, my last read.... ;S "
— Dwan, 11/29/2013 -
" Einfach nur phantastisch! "
— Turan, 11/24/2013 -
" The writing style of this really bugged me, which is why I couldn't finish it. "
— Deborah, 11/20/2013 -
" One of my favorites. It's a tale of high adventure in a land of books. Maybe I should re-read because that's all I remember? But someone burned in this one. "
— Nash, 8/29/2013 -
" a must for any bibliophile with a sense of humor and some patience for elaborate descriptions "
— Ashley, 8/19/2013 -
" Great start, lots of possibility, but then felt forced. "
— Tiffany, 5/21/2013 -
" While I say I read this, I only skimmed it and realized it was not for me. DH did read it and felt ...eh. "
— Maureen, 5/17/2013 -
" Books are dangerous... "
— Jean, 3/7/2013 -
" This was the surprise hit of the summer! A delicious fantasy-parody of the publishing world, with creativity oozing from every page. "
— Samantha, 11/14/2012 -
" I was really intrigued by this book, but I found it very hard to follow, and bring. I returned it after few pages. It might be the translation, or it might be me. I will pick it up again to see whether it was not the right moment to read it. "
— Annamaria, 6/10/2012 -
" This was sooooo boring, I couldn't get very far into it at all. "
— Theresa, 11/6/2011 -
" So many literary references. This book will be appreciated most by those who have already read a lot of the classics. "
— Gary, 10/13/2011 -
" This was my kind of book! Absolutely loved it! "
— Lauren, 5/16/2011 -
" I wanted to like this novel, but I could not get into the story. Was quite disappointed. Not my style it seems. "
— Christina, 5/10/2011 -
" Fun. Smart. Entertaining. Makes the Harry Potter books seem as creative as the list of ingredients in a Twinkie. "
— Jeff, 5/1/2011 -
" Wild, mad, demented even, wordy, imminently imaginative... I could go on. I adore this book, it is a model for the heights that the fantasy genre can reach and a love note to bibliphiles everywhere. "
— Zt, 4/17/2011 -
" One of my favorites. It's a tale of high adventure in a land of books. Maybe I should re-read because that's all I remember? But someone burned in this one. "
— Nash, 4/14/2011 -
" Maybe a little too much on the wrong side of suspension of disbelief - even for me! "
— Oliver, 3/27/2011 -
" Loved it.<br/>If you love everything about books, then you'll enjoy it.<br/><br/>-1star because of the ending.<br/>I felt lonely after finishing it. "
— Erika1411, 3/18/2011 -
" This was the most random of the Zamonia series and that is saying something. It was too random. "
— Madeleine, 3/2/2011 -
" Fantastic - so creative, and so genious! "
— Limette, 2/23/2011
About Walter Moers
Walter Moers was born in 1957 and is a writer, cartoonist, painter, and sculptor. The world of Zamonia that he created is currently being adapted for the screen. He lives in Hamburg, Germany.
About Richard Powers
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, and Bewilderment was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.