The Crow

The Third Book of Pellinor

By: Alison Croggon

Narrated by: Colin Moody

While Maerad journeys in the far north, her brother, Hem, is sent south to the golden city of Turbansk. There, he learns the ways of the Bards and discovers a hidden gift when he rescues a white crow. But when the forces of the Dark threaten, Hem flees with his protector, Saliman, and a young orphan girl named Zelika to join the Light’s resistance forces. Soon Hem discovers that he, too, has a crucial role to play in the quest to solve the Riddle of the Treesong.

Listen to another Pellinor title.©2010 Alison Croggon (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This penultimate epic... is emotionally astute and brimming with vivid detail.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

love

loved it can't wait to read the rest of the series . you did a great job

Interesting and Enjoyable

I've found I've generally enjoyed each book in the series as much or sometimes a little more than the last. It's not an unforgettable epic or anything but it's enjoyable. I think it's even better for tweens/ teens (and that's probably more the target audience than I am, anyway). With this book, however, I was not impressed with the narrator at all. He had a sort of frog like quality to his narration and most characters voices that I didn't care for and often found irritating. But overall it was fine I guess.

Great Story, Worst Narrator

Would you try another book from Alison Croggon and/or Colin Moody?

The Books of Pellinor are one of my favorite series, and I'd be interested in reading anything else Alison Croggon creates. However, I will never purchase another audio book narrated by Colin Moody. His voice is bland, his accents are horrid and his dictation overall was very difficult to listen to. He mispronounced many words specific to this book, and I had to reimagine all of the dialogue in the book to match the tone and setting of the story as well as the personality of the character because I thought his impression did not make any sense at all. There was scant emotion or feeling put behind any of the words. He did a disservice to the Alison Croggon's beautifully created world and story.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Colin Moody?

I would have stayed with Eloise Oxer for all of the books. I don't think just because the book is in Hem's point of view that a male should narrate the book.

Very well done

Some reviewers have panned the narrator of this performance, but I feel their wrath is unfair. He does a fantastic job, and had the entire series been performed by him, I don’t think anyone would have regretted it. I do, however, agree with other reviewers that it would have been best to not change narrators in the middle of the series—there truly was no need to do so, and the experience as a listener was jarring, and no doubt contributed to the reactions of other listeners.

Best of the 4

For me this book is the best of the 4, blending the inner struggles and events of the young man's life. More action than book 2; in a way I felt it had better sense of resolution than book 4, which is more of a critique of book 4 I suppose. For all those complaining about the narration, bump up the speed - this is easily a 9 hour book.