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  • Dark Fire

  • A Matthew Shardlake Novel
  • By: C. J. Sansom
  • Narrated by: Anton Lesser
  • Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (260 ratings)
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Dark Fire cover art

Dark Fire

By: C. J. Sansom
Narrated by: Anton Lesser
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Summary

It is 1540 and the hottest summer of the 16th century. Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, is busy trying to maintain his legal practice and keep a low profile. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin, brings him once again into contact with the king's chief minister - and a new assignment.

The secret of Greek Fire, the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for centuries. Now an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered. The formula has disappeared.

Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while trying at the same time to prove his young client's innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems.

© C. J. Sansom; (P) Macmillan Publishers Ltd
  • Abridged Audiobook

Critic reviews

"Having hugely enjoyed Anton Lesser's reading of Sovereign, the third of C.J. Sansom's Tudor mystery series starring the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, I backtracked to hear the first two in the series, Dissolution and Dark Fire.. . As a trio, they reveal just how skilled Sansom is in creating convincing characters in a fully imagined historical world, and it is no surprise that a television series featuring Shardlake is planned. I'm not sure if Anton Lesser will star in it, but after hearing him narrate all three books, I can't imagine anyone better suited to the role... Following the text in a paperback, I let my eyes chase what my ears were hearing and was impressed at how little had to be lost." Christina Hardyment ( The Times Books)

What listeners say about Dark Fire

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Heavily abridged

I love the Shardlake series, have read them all in print and I would say that Dark Fire is my favourite but unfortunately the heavy abridging of this version makes the story uneven and a bit hard to follow. I was pretty deeply disappointed but Anton Lesser makes an excellent reading of what text he was left.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellently complex historical thriller

This is the second of (currently) four Matthew Shardlake novels by CJ Sansom - and even better than the first (Dissolution) which I listened to via Audible previously.
Whilst Sansom's novels give something of a nod in the direction of Ellis Peters "Cadfael" books, this is altogether more sophisticated work, both in terms of its historical detail and the complexity of its plot, and has a somewhat darker, more adult feel.
I enjoyed Dissolution a lot, but this novel had me completely absorbed and its twists and turns kept me engrossed until the very end. Others have already complimented Anton Lesser (who also narrates the "Falco" series by Lindsey Davis) for his work, but he surpasses himself here, with such vivid characterisation of Shardlake and others that for most of the time you entirely forget that there isn't in fact a supporting cast! An excellent listen, and well worth every one of its five stars.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

stunningly good

This is the second of the Matthew Shardlake stories and, if possible, even more fascinating and exciting than the first. The world of everyday London at the time of the rivalry between Thomas Cromwell and the Earl of Norfolk - its sensations and its intrigues - I found utterly convincing. The characters of the lawyer and his assistant have human flaws as well as courage and integrity and one cares about them - in fact, all the people in the story are three dimensional. It is an irresistible mixture of flavours - complex plot, touching characters and incredible pace. Lots of blood and gore - but the horrors fulfill an important function in the overall effect of the novel. There is much in this world that echoes our own.

Anton Lessor's splendid reading is remarkable for its range and its underlying humanity. I can't think of many better ways to spend 7 hours than entering this world created by C J Sansom.

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4 people found this helpful

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

Keep them coming

I am unashamedly an Anton Lesser fan. I could happily listen to him reading a telephone directory. Fortunately we have him reading a good story; well written with well developed characters. Great . Easy. Satisfying

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3 people found this helpful

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

Really enjoyable

Well worth the listen - I feel at a bit of a loose end now that I have listened to all Anton Lesser's readings of the Shardlake novels - it has been a lot of fun.

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2 people found this helpful

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

I adore Anton Lessers acting.

Stunning voice acting... Wonderful storytelling. I listened in one go!!! You will love it.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Brilliant narration as ever by Antonio lesser

A well written tale - seems authentic in its time and place, but made really enthralling by Anton Lesser.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Another cracker!

I'm really loving this series of novels. Found the first one by accident and now will listen to the whole series before going on to anything else. Well written and evokes the time they are set perfectly. Great tangling webs of plot.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Shardlake books are really worth listening to!

Good story & characters & reader. Hooked me to the very last word. Seems historically accurate. Intriguing whodunnit & bit of a thriller, combined with compassionate insight into the decent people trying to live through precarious Tudor times.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Dark Fire

This is the second Shardlake mystery I've listened to. I enjoy them mainly for the background information, and trivia, which Sansom, a historian, gives about the era. The plots are a bit transparent and some of the escapes improbable, but they do reflect many of the tensions and conflicts which marked the period from the break with Rome well into the 17th century. I will listen to just about anything Anton Lesser reads.

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1 person found this helpful