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The Stress of Her Regard Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,679 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
On the night before he is to be married, Michael Crawford joins his friends for an evening of drinking and revelry. In a fateful, inebriated moment, Crawford slips his fiancée’s ring on the finger of a nearby statue. The following day, the statue is gone.
When Crawford discovers his bride brutally murdered in their wedding bed, he is forced to flee not only to prove his innocence but to avoid the deadly embrace of a vampire who has claimed him as her true bridegroom. Joining forces with Byron, Keats, and Shelley in a desperate journey that crisscrosses Europe, Crawford desperately seeks his freedom from this vengeful lover who haunts his dreams and will not rest until she destroys all that he cherishes. Told in the guise of a secret history, this tale of passion and terror brilliantly evokes the nineteenth century. The chilling horror and adventure blend to create a riveting romantic fantasy.
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"Quite a good vampire novel. Shelley and Keats and Lord Byron all dealing with them. The vampires in this book have some interesting traits... at the time I read it they felt like vampires. It is an older book. But now? Looking back? The vampires in that book are perfect analogues for the world wide web."
— doug (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A Tim Powers science fiction novel never fails to titillate and elucidate with the dark and the bizarre, and all with such original, eccentric color and style. This novel—Powers’ seventh—is a shining example.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Good serious fantasy doesn’t come much better than The Stress of Her Regard.”
— Oxford Times -
“Simon Vance is the gold standard of narrators, and his reading here is proof why. It would be easy to make the famous characters that populate this book feel either over-the-top or out of reach, but, reading Powers’ prose, Vance caused the characters to continue to feel larger than life, while being grounded and human. The Stress of Her Regard is a terrifying and sensual novel about vampirism, muses, desire, regret, loss, and love. It’s my new benchmark for scary vampire stories and maybe just scary stories in general. If you like your fantasy incredibly dark and challenging, don’t miss out on it."
— Dave Thompson, Audiblessf blog -
“Set early in the nineteenth century, Powers’ seventh novel is a horror story that wonderfully evokes the period…Strewn with literary personages and allusions, the book is entertaining on several levels, but most particularly as a chilling horror-adventure.”
— Publishers Weekly
Awards
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A 1990 World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel
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Winner of the 1990 Mythopoeic Award
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A 1990 Locus Award Nominee
The Stress of Her Regard Listener Reviews
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" Tiempo sin hallar una joya del horror como esta. Un enfoque Lovecraftiano de los vampiros, una joya oscura, ruda e impecablemente ejecutada. "
— Felix, 2/19/2014 -
" Good, but a bit too long in the tooth to get four stars. "
— Endre, 1/30/2014 -
" Possibly the best vampire tale ever. "
— David, 1/3/2014 -
" Okay, so I didn't actually finish the book, but I got 80% of the way through and I still didn't care about the characters or the storyline. If the author doesn't hook me by then, it's time to move on. "
— Jenifer, 11/14/2013 -
" A quick read, and a fun read. If I could, I'd give this 3.5 stars too. I think what really made this enjoyable for me, and not just your basic scary tale, was Powers' clever integration of history and fantasy in telling the reader a story about the lives of the second generation Romantic poets--John Keats, George Gordon Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary Shelley, and even several cameo appearances of John Polidori (the uncle of the Victorian poets Christina and Dante Gabriel Rossetti). Interesting look at the mythology of the Nephelim, a sort of vampiric fallen angel. Loads of references to the poetry (and a fanciful, but entertaining theory behind the poetic genius of these writers) of the novel's characters, so it really doesn't hurt to have a general knowledge of the poetry of Keats, Byron, and Shelley; and one can certainly see some similarities with Mary Shelley's Gothic masterpiece, "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus". If you're looking for a fun and intelligent 'beach-read' this summer, Tim Powers' "The Stress of Her Regard" will certainly fill the bill. "
— Christopher, 11/2/2013 -
" My favorite Tim Powers book. He swept me in so that by the end of the first chapter I was shaking! "
— Alleyne, 8/5/2013 -
" I rather enjoyed this book! Although I did become a tad confused with several parts, it was very intriguing. :) "
— Deb, 3/9/2013 -
" One of the best novels I have ever read. "
— Dennis, 2/5/2013 -
" Interesting premise, intelligent writing, but ultimately I didn't find it at all engaging. "
— David, 9/27/2012 -
" This books was recommended to me, but it wasn't quite as good as expected. I think what threw me was all the anachronistic speech patterns: if you are bothering to write a period piece, even with fantasy elements, take the time to look at how people spoke! "
— Reynardine, 9/1/2012 -
" Ah! The Romantic poets are pursued by a muse-like Lamia who loves them, literally to death. This is my favorite book by Tim Powers, and highly recommended. Poor Shelley. Me loves you! "
— Melinda, 8/28/2012 -
" bought at Amazon on March 20, 2012 "
— 'stina, 7/19/2012 -
" One of the strangest vampire stories I have ever read. I didn't even realize it was about vampires for quite a while. The author definitely put a new spin on the idea. This book is not for the squeamish or faint-hearted since there are some gruesome parts, but it was quite a tale. "
— Cheryl, 7/15/2012 -
" I still like this book, but on this, my third or fourth reading, I see some interesting flaws in regards to the structure and the motivations behind the actions. "
— Jaq, 6/2/2012 -
" Not his best but a very original Vampire story. "
— Phil, 1/26/2012 -
" Interesting, but overall not great. "
— Abby, 7/25/2011 -
" Every chapter felt redundant. Long and tedious read. It had all the aspects of a Powers book that I normally love but again and again I just kept thinking "get on with it already"! "
— Teresa, 7/5/2011 -
" Another tale from TP which mixes history with fantasy to make an amazing story. A doctor on the run falls in with a group of well known poets, including Byron and Shelley. They share a series of adventures in this imaginative and compelling romp. "
— Joe, 3/23/2011 -
" An 18th Century English doctor teams up with Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats other historical figures to fight lamia (vampires), the Nephilim, Austrians, and one another. "
— Darren, 3/7/2011 -
" Expertly combines Byron, Shelley, and Keats -- the real events of their lives and deaths -- with legends of vampires. "
— Glasscannon, 2/17/2011 -
" Great plot and conceit- I'm having a hard time caring about anyone's fate- "
— Lisarose, 2/16/2011 -
" Keats and Lord Byron and... the protagonist versus BIZARRE vampire muse things. More-or-less a novel length exploration of the costs of the creative process, coupled with the most unique take on the "vampire" thing I've ever seen. "
— James, 12/5/2010 -
" I still like this book, but on this, my third or fourth reading, I see some interesting flaws in regards to the structure and the motivations behind the actions. "
— Jaq, 11/2/2010 -
" amazing book - I LOVE how Powers takes some odd bit of history and real historical characters, and twists it into a completely warped, spooky story. "
— David, 10/4/2010 -
" One of Powers' best alternate histories, and one I love to re-read almost as much as <em>Declare</em>. Byron, Shelley, vampires, and a hero with a damaged hand (as is so often the case!) "
— Rob, 8/17/2010 -
" One of the strangest vampire stories I have ever read. I didn't even realize it was about vampires for quite a while. The author definitely put a new spin on the idea. This book is not for the squeamish or faint-hearted since there are some gruesome parts, but it was quite a tale. "
— Cheryl, 3/27/2010
About Tim Powers
Tim Powers is the author of numerous novels, including Last Call, Declare, Three Days to Never, and On Stranger Tides, the inspiration for the blockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. He has received the Locus, World Fantasy, and Philip K. Dick awards. He lives in San Bernardino, California.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.