Play Audiobook Sample
The Last Siege Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(2.99) - 490 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
A chance encounter on the snowy slopes of a castle moat throws together three lonely teenagers: Emily, Simon, and the highly imaginative and enigmatic Marcus. At first, the castle’s ruins are merely the backdrop to a day in the snow. But when the three break in to the forbidden interior of the keep, they find the castle taking on a different, and deeper, meaning. Despite the freezing conditions, they spend the night there, to experience the power of occupation. But when the reenactment gets out of control a very real siege ensues, and their playful dare soon turns into a frenzy of nightmarish action
Download and start listening now!
"A delightful and well-delivered young adult novel from the author of The Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Last Siege plays with the conventions of fantasy while lightly skirting the genre. Stroud's characters are believable, which is important to the reader's experience, since they are not always credible. Indeed, a major strand of the novel involves the characters' evaluation of the others' reports about their own trustworthiness and experiences. The situation into which the teens are drawn is made plausible by Stroud's shaping of the narrative, and all three characters are largely sympathetic. Stroud may be forgiven a continuity flaw or two (early on, Emily's sled simply disappears from the tale). He picks his details well, and if you're not cold and exhausted by the end, you're not reading attentively enough."
— Osho (4 out of 5 stars)
The Last Siege Listener Reviews
-
" Extremely well written. A great mix of realistic fiction and a good adventure story!! "
— Kasey, 2/12/2014 -
" After reading the Bartimaeus Trilogy, I wanted to read more Stroud. I was fairly disappointed by this one. "
— Paul, 1/11/2014 -
" I've liked everything else I've read by Stroud, so I tried this one as well. It's my least favorite, but it does a good job of imagining an ancient castle and 3 teens who take up temporary residence, and their struggle against the outside world. Decent suspense, but not nearly as involving and vivid as the Bartimaeus trilogy or Valley of Heroes. "
— Andy, 12/31/2013 -
" I like the detail made into this book and the mood of the castle.I like how the three explore the castle and find uses for each room. The actual siege scene really excited me the way the three used traps and snowballs to repel the police. nice twists in the book. :) "
— Liam, 12/20/2013 -
" This is a good book but if you go to it after having finished the Bartimaeus trilogy, just be aware that this is very different. "
— Hollis, 12/3/2013 -
" HATED IT! Thought it would be like his Bartimaeus trilogy... not even close. "
— Emily, 11/26/2013 -
" I really like Jonathan Stroud's books but this one did not grab me like some of the others have. I think it is because I do not like snow nor the cold and reading it just made me think of being cold. "
— Karyn, 10/30/2013 -
" Jonathan Stroud yet again produces a great book with lots of imagination and a few laughs pushed in there too. I was a little disappointed with the ending, though. "
— Kiana, 8/18/2013 -
" Interesting and touching, but the story is way too simple compared to Bartimaeus. Reading this book, in some parts, is painful to me for some reasons. The emotions are too... intense, perhaps. "
— Primadonna, 7/2/2013 -
" I'm half way through and I'm not going to finish this book. I didn't like the fact that the young boy in the book swears, drinks and smokes. I kept hoping for more of a plot, and maybe it does get better, but I'll probably not find out. "
— Jessie, 1/31/2013 -
" This didn't go where I was expecting and had a tragic ending. It was realistic in terms of teenage thought proceass and emotion. "
— John, 1/5/2013 -
" I guess I was expecting something fantastic to happen in the story, but it is modern-day regular fiction. "
— cassie, 10/1/2012 -
" Set in the present time about friends and foes who can go too far. "
— RoseAnn, 8/13/2012 -
" A bit boring until the big climactic finish. I didn't like Marcus pretty much from the beginning. Also, from the back of the book I thought there would be a supernatural element to it, so I was a bit disappointed on that front. "
— Stephanie, 8/7/2012 -
" Good story, fairly well written. Better than your average teen book, I enjoyed it even though I'm in my 50's. "
— King, 6/13/2012 -
" I picked this up because I wanted to track the progress of an author. I wanted to see what came before the Bartimaeus trilogy. The curiosity and everyday sense of magic is there a bit but its slow and Stroud doesn't really love any of the characters in this book. "
— Kristen, 4/13/2012 -
" I liked this story. The ending was just ok. I think that kids would really like it as it plays to imagination, getting away with something and adventure. "
— Lisa, 11/1/2011 -
" Hard to put down, but not the greatest book. Too young for me. "
— Blue, 10/20/2011 -
" Not that great of a story, but well written. "
— Kara, 10/15/2011 -
" I loved the Bartimaeus Trilogy, but this book fell flat for me. "
— Shanna, 8/29/2011 -
" A decent read, but not something to read again and again...honestly, I preferred Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy :) "
— Natalia, 5/19/2011 -
" Hard to put down, but not the greatest book. Too young for me. "
— Blue, 5/13/2011 -
" HATED IT! Thought it would be like his Bartimaeus trilogy... not even close. "
— Emily, 1/3/2011 -
" Interesting and touching, but the story is way too simple compared to Bartimaeus. Reading this book, in some parts, is painful to me for some reasons. The emotions are too... intense, perhaps. "
— Primadonna, 5/6/2010 -
" I guess I was expecting something fantastic to happen in the story, but it is modern-day regular fiction. "
— cassie, 3/4/2009 -
" I really like Jonathan Stroud's books but this one did not grab me like some of the others have. I think it is because I do not like snow nor the cold and reading it just made me think of being cold. "
— Karyn, 12/4/2008 -
" Boring. We got this on audio to listen to on a road trip. I kept thinking something exciting was going to happen, but it never does. Full of whiny teenagers. This is nothing like Bartimaeus. I didn't even listen to the end. <br/>Recommend: I don't really, but 10+ "
— Jann, 11/19/2008 -
" This is one of those stories where you just want to shake the main characters for getting themselves into such a predicament. However, having got themselves there you still want to find out what happens to them. <br/> <br/>The ending was slightly lame, but all in all a diverting read. "
— Karen, 8/9/2008 -
" I'm half way through and I'm not going to finish this book. I didn't like the fact that the young boy in the book swears, drinks and smokes. I kept hoping for more of a plot, and maybe it does get better, but I'll probably not find out. "
— Jessie, 6/27/2008 -
" This little number by Mr Stroud is a good, quick read. It is more of a real life bit of fiction, but for someone who spent a lot of time admiring castles in pictures and then finally living in a countryside littered with them, it hit the spot. "
— Adam, 2/19/2008 -
" I picked this up because I wanted to track the progress of an author. I wanted to see what came before the Bartimaeus trilogy. The curiosity and everyday sense of magic is there a bit but its slow and Stroud doesn't really love any of the characters in this book. "
— Kristen, 1/14/2008
About Jonathan Stroud
Jonathan Stroud is the author of the New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy, as well as The Leap, The Last Siege, Buried Fire, and Heroes of the Valley. He lives in England with his family.
About David Thorn
David Thorn spent his childhood in the Channel Islands off the coast of France, was schooled in England, and then immigrated to the United States at the age of twenty-three. He is retired from international commerce and currently resides in California.