A Conspiracy of Truths

By: Alexandra Rowland

Narrated by: James Langton

A wrongfully imprisoned storyteller spins stories from his jail cell that just might have the power to save him—and take down a corrupt government.

Arrested on accusations of witchcraft and treason, Chant finds himself trapped in a cold, filthy jail cell in a foreign land. With only his advocate, the unhelpful and uninterested Consanza, he quickly finds himself cast as a bargaining chip in a brewing battle between the five rulers of this small, backwards, and petty nation.

Or, at least, that's how he would tell the story.

In truth, Chant has little idea of what is happening outside the walls of his cell, but he must quickly start to unravel the puzzle of his imprisonment before they execute him for his alleged crimes. But Chant is no witch—he is a member of a rare and obscure order of wandering storytellers. With no country to call his home, and no people to claim as his own, all Chant has is his wits and his apprentice, a lad more interested in wooing handsome shepherds than learning the ways of the world.

And yet, he has one great power: his stories in the ears of the rulers determined to prosecute him for betraying a nation he knows next to nothing about. The tales he tells will topple the Queens of Nuryevet and just maybe, save his life.

A story of stories

An outstanding and well read audiobook. It feels like I'm with the main character near a warm hearth hearing the whole story.

A surprisingly entertaining read.

Never heard of the author. Picked this book up in a whim and boy am I happy I did. Thanks for a wonderful read!

A story about the power of stories

A great listen. The characters are enjoyable, the story is epic, but not overly so considering it’s from a single perspective, and the narrator handles the various voices effortlessly. My only complaint is some of the character names blurred together for me, which I suspect is casualty of having fantasy names, most chosen to sound like they’re coming from the same place. But even with that, I could follow along easily enough. If you like the works of Neil Gaiman, I think this is worth checking out.

I’d give this a million stars if I could

I LOVED this book. If you like a book to sweep you away into a different world, then this is absolutely for you, the world is built so deeply and beautifully and in a way that feels completely organic and satisfying. There are myths and folktales from this fictional world built into the story and that’s such a difficult thing to pull off and Rowland absolutely sticks the landing. And if you like a compelling plot that’s twisty and keeps escalating, this book is also for you! Characters that are complex and occasionally terrible but also feel completely real and that you still want to keep hanging out with after the book is over (real talk, I would read a twenty book series set in this world)? This book has you covered. And James Langton does such a wonderful job with this performance, he fully inhabits not only the main character/narrator but all other characters encountered

Smart and Relentlessly Charming

The narrator and principal character in A Conspiracy of Truths is a storyteller. A “Chant,” to be precise, for whom storytelling is literally a religious endeavor. So you might think that author Alexandra Rowland has made things easy on herself - who better to introduce a reader to a fascinating new world than someone with a deep devotion to the task?

But Rowland’s mischief kicks in and subverts this advantage - to our great benefit. The events of this uncompromisingly witty tale serve to undermine the storyteller at every turn, and the resulting lens through which we see this world full of intrigue, ambition, love, and duty is hilariously skewed by narrator’s experiences. This proudly unreliable but wholly lovable voice helps us come to know a whole cast of endearing characters who will work their way into your good graces even while mercilessly plotting against one another.

James Langton is up to the task - portraying layers of narrative in an immersive performance that I can’t wait to listen to again.

It’s a thoughtful, involved story told in whimsical, clever tones - and the result is a really delightful novel that I’m very happy to have discovered.