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  • The Devil's Novice

  • The Eighth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
  • By: Ellis Peters
  • Narrated by: Vanessa Benjamin
  • Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (196 ratings)
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The Devil's Novice cover art

The Devil's Novice

By: Ellis Peters
Narrated by: Vanessa Benjamin
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Summary

Outside the pale of the Abbey of Saint Peters and Saint Paul, in September of the year of our Lord 1140, a priestly emissary for King Stephen has been reported missing. But inside the pale, what troubles Brother Cadfael is a proud, secretive 19-year-old novice.
Brother Cadfael has never seen two men more estranged than the Lord of Aspley and Meriet, the son he coldly delivers to the abbey to begin a religious vocation. Meriet, meek by day, is so racked by dreams at night that his howls earn him the nickname the Devil's Novice. Shunned and feared, Meriet is soon linked to the missing priest's dreadful fate. Only Brother Cadfael believes in Meriet's innocence, and only the good sleuth can uncover the truth before a boy's pure passion, not evil intent, leads a novice to the noose.
©1983 by Ellis Peters (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Each addition to the series is a joy. Long may the Chronicles continue." ( USA Today)

What listeners say about The Devil's Novice

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

The Devil's Novice

The prospect of listening to another of this series was eagerly anticipated. However after enjoying the previous books narrated by a differnt reader I found this a dissapointment the narator was unable to convey for me the period, tension and excitement that makes these book come alive
I will be more careful in future when selecting narators

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Poor obvious story

Story plot was evident very early on and it was also obvious that the family dynamics would change (I'm trying not to reveal anything)
Reader was dreadful, kept changing pronunciations and into nations so that it jerked along. The readings by Derek Jacobi are In comparison superb and I think him lazy.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nightmare narrator

Bought all available Cadfaels for a long journey, as they are reliably entertaining, but found the ones by this narrator unlistenable. She emphasises and pronounces crazily...eg. she says it "sonORous"... and gives all male characters ridiculous Winnie the Pooh voices... I had to return all three by her...

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

terrible voicing if Hugh & Cadfael!

reading well paced, but oh dear, worst ever schoolgirl attempts at sounding adult male voices. totally unnecessary.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the devil's novice

great story but why oh why have a story about monks with few female characters read by a woman!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Dreadful reader

Many readers are able to do the voices of both genders, this reader decidedly cannot. She also didn’t do her homework and missed the fact that Cadfael is supposed to be Welsh!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, dreadful narrator

Cadfael is Welsh, but is read in the hectoring tones of a pompous Englishman. Mark apparently comes from Yorkshire, and Hugh is no better. And surely someone setting out to read a tale set in a Monastery would have researched the proper pronunciation of the office of Compline.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

sorry Vanessa but it need a male Welsh accent

gave up. got to chapter 6 so really made an effort but the narration just doesn't work. lovely voice but totally miscast. I love the Cafael series and so very disappointed.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poor Cadfael, genre Flowerpot Men

Narration barely tolerable, but I'm fond of Cadfael and his society. Our hero sounds more pompous then wise. and I'd mistrust him from the start for his fluctuating accents (never convincingly Welsh).

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Another great story in the Cadfael series,

As always, I enjoyed this installment of the Cadfael series. Though I have to say in this case I feel it was poorly read by Vanesa Benjamin. The volume of her voice varies greatly and in some instances is hard to hear what she is saying. I'm not a fan of the intonations she uses for varies characters. So far, I'd say Stephen Thorne is the supreme reader of these novels, particularly in the Welshness of Cadfael's voice.

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2 people found this helpful