Empire - Scarlet City - Part III: An Audible Original Drama

Der König der purpurnen Stadt - Das ungekürzte Hörspiel #3

by Rebecca Gablé

This Original multicast drama piece blends history with fiction to tell the story of Jonah, a young apprentice from London who raises himself from poverty by wit and luck to become one of the most powerful merchants of the age.

A true rags-to-riches tale, Jonah's journey spans the breadth of human experience, from the intricacies of Edward III's political intrigues to the cutthroat world of international trade, from the triumphs of war to the agonies of personal loss - love, friendship, joy, heartbreak and glory. Set largely in London - the Scarlet City - the centre of medieval England, this is a thrilling portrait of the age and the people who made it so rich, colourful and extraordinary.

London 1348: a brutal time of backstabbing and lethal politics, a world that Jonah Durham is now firmly a part of. Jonah's growing family establishes an export monopoly on cloth, and the honour is bestowed on him to run the office of Alderman. Suddenly an unknown disease breaks out: The Plague manifests in every family and every household. A fierce battle against the disease begins and changes the course of Jonah's life forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Historical, Medieval, British Literature

8 pages, Audiobook

Published April 5, 2018

About the author

Rebecca Gablé wurde am 25. September 1964 in einer Kleinstadt am Niederrhein geboren. Nach dem Abitur 1984 machte sie eine Lehre als Bankkauffrau. In diesem Beruf hat sie anschließend auch vier Jahre gearbeitet, meistens auf einem Stützpunkt der Royal Air Force, wo sie viel über England, seine Sprache und seine Menschen gelernt hat. Aber die Lust am Erzählen hatte Rebecca Gablé immer schon, und 1990, nachdem sie ihren ersten Roman geschrieben hatte, gab sie ihren erlernten Broterwerb auf, um aus der Lust einen Beruf zu machen. Sie begann ein Literaturstudium in Düsseldorf, dessen Schwerpunkt sich mehr und mehr zur Mediävistik - der Lehre vom Mittelalter - verlagerte.

Nach mehrjähriger, frustrationsreicher Verlagssuche erschien 1995 bei Bastei Lübbe ihr erster Kriminalroman „Jagdfieber“, der im Jahr darauf für den Friedrich-Glauser-Krimipreis nominiert wurde, und sie trat der Autorengruppe deutschsprachiger Kriminalliteratur - dem Syndikat - bei, dessen Sprecherin sie drei Jahre lang war.

Seit Beendigung ihres Studiums 1996 arbeitet sie als freie Schriftstellerin. Zwischenzeitlich hat sie auch zwei Semester lang altenglische Literatur an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität in Düsseldorf gelehrt, was sie zu ihrem Bedauern aus Zeitgründen wieder aufgeben musste. Seit mit ihrem ersten historischen Roman „Das Lächeln der Fortuna“ 1997 der Durchbruch kam, hat sie etwa alle zwei Jahre einen Mittelalterroman veröffentlicht, die alle Beststeller geworden und in viele Sprachen übersetzt sind. 2006 erhielt sie für ihren Roman „Die Hüter der Rose“ den Sir Walter Scott-Preis.

Rebecca Gablé lebt mit ihrem Mann am Niederrhein und auf Mallorca.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in the trilogy. We see how the Londoners dealt with the plague and how it affected the economics of society and those left behind. We see the threads from the story tied up in a very satisfying way. I’m not very good on the royal family so this book helped a bit from that perspective. The king of this story is Edward III, married to Philippa. Their eldest son, Edward, became known as a warrior king and was called The Black Prince. Recommended for lovers of medieval historical fiction.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fertig mit dem "Re-Hear" dieser wunderbaren Hörspielproduktion.

[Sarah Faichney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My late grandmother suffered with macular degeneration - a particularly devastating condition for one who loved to read. I deeply regret that she didn't live to experience audiobook recordings of this quality. The entire Scarlet City series on Audible has been exemplary. I'm really going to miss the full, and extensive, cast of characters. Highly recommended read/listen!

[Dracena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually never thought I would read something like this, in first place because something that combines a genre I am... not so drawn to (said very politely): contemporary. And then mixed with the medieval. I don't know man, just didn't sound that appealing to me.
Anyways, as you can see, I really liked it, against all the odds. That why you try new things guys!
I can't seem too place why exactly thou... Except: I can say that the protagonist is not your normal protagonist. If anything any other character around him would have been a protagonist of choice, if written by any other person. But no, we follow the most normal out of the bunch. The beacon for all the possible protagonists, who has to put up with theire protagonist problems and gets sucked into this. You could say.
It is a very pleasoned experience.

[Jasmin Schreiber]

Re-read

[Angela Oatham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great end to the trilogy which dealt with the arrival of the plague and the horrors that it bought. Would love to see the story continued!

[Janey Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne.
Ist immer blöd wenn was vorbei ist. Ich mochte alle 3 Hörbücher um Jonah sehr. Aber das erste mochte ich einfach am liebsten. Wahrscheinlich sind das mehr sentimentale als konkrete Gründe. Ich hab mitgefiebert, gelacht und geweint. Habe vor, weitere Bücher über englische Geschichte zu hören. Nur nicht heute, aber da das ja auch nicht mein gewöhnliches Genre ist, logisch.

[DailyKaffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich bin gefesselt von Gablés Darstellungen des Mittelalters. Man merkt, dass sie nicht nur mit viel Begeisterung und Geschick die Handlung konstruiert, sondern auch mit sehr viel historischem Wissen und einer sehr bildlichen Vorstellungskraft ans Werk geht.

Dabei erfindet sie eine Fülle an sehr individuellen, fehlerbehafteten, sehr konsistenten Charakteren, die durch ihre Persönlichkeiten eine Geschichte beeinflussen, die sich scheinbar mühelos in historische Eckdaten einpasst.

Gerade in "Jonah" hat mir Rebecca Gablé gezeigt, wie sehr ihre Bücher auf meiner Wellenlänge liegen. Nicht, weil ich ein großer Fan von Geschichte oder dem Mittelalter wäre - ganz und gar nicht. Sondern weil es an nervigen Klischees mangelt und sowohl die Guten als auch die Schlechten manchmal das bekommen was sie wollen, was se verdient haben - oder eben nicht. Weil die unfairen Wendungen, die besonders das Leben im Mittelalter prägten, in diesem Buch ihren Platz finden. Und natürlich, weil sie es schafft, auf einem einfachen Kaufmannslehrling eine vielschichtige, spannende und interessante Geschichte aufzubauen, die in dieser halb-fiktionalen Welt entscheidend für die Weltgeschichte ist.

Ein Lob auch an die deutsche Hörspielfassung. Manchmal verliere ich ja im Theater, bei Filmsynchronsierungen und bei deutschen Filmen den Glauben an die heimische Schauspielkunst, aber dieser Cast und diese Produktion sind wirklich richtig gut!

Fünf Sterne vergebe ich eher selten, aber die Kombination aus Gablés vortrefflichem Schreibstil und der gelungenen Hörspielfassung sind die volle Punktzahl absolut wert.

[Morenike · Rating 4 out of 5]

All is well that ends well in this concluding dramatized story of Scarlet city by Rebecca Gable. The cast put in a stellar performance as this historical fiction gripped me from start to finish.

Part of this book was set during the plague that consumed a lot of Europe in the 14th century and Jonah's household deals with loss during the plague. Against all odds, he continues his meteoric rise in England and sees the end of his foes with help from his friends and the great favour he continues to enjoy from the Queen.

Some plot threads were left hanging, but this entire trilogy interestingly explored friendships, intrigue, war and economy in a way only the 14th century could.

4.25 stars

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empire by Rebecca Gable’ is the fantastic conclusion of The Scarlet City Trilogy. In it we continue to follow Jonah Durham’s life as he consolidates his power and prestige as a successful coth merchant, guild member, and favorite of the Queen. It is so well written and you can tell that a lot of research went into the writing of the historical content. In this final chapter Jonah and his family experience both triumphs as well as hardships such as imprisonment and the Bubonic Plague. It is emotional and suspenseful with a satisfying conclusion. I listened to the Audible version with a full cast who did an excellent job of bringing the written word to life. It is an absolutely brilliant series that should appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole 'Scarlet City' trilogy has taken my breath away, and the last instalment 'Empire' was no exception. Now it's over I feel so sad to leave these characters, some of whom I have grown to love, behind, and none more so than the excellent narration of Miriam Margoyles.
This episode takes Jonah Durham through more treachery from his cousin and father-in-law, and the misery of the plague, which really affected me and brought home to me that to live through this era must have seemed like the 'end of days.' There were also joyous moments and I really believe it ended leaving scope for a Part IV. I live in hope. 5 stars seems an understatement for such a fabulous production.

[Dumpy Unicorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved these audio dramas. They have been wonderful to listen to. This one was a little shorter than parts one and two. Still narrated flawlessly by Miriam Margoyles. The cast are fantastic and bring the characters vividly to life.

I think the third installment was the weakest in terms of drama but that is down to the source material than anyone's performance.

If I'd read this I would gotten annoyed at some of the phrasing by the author but because the directing and cast are so good I can forgive some of the story elements which feel overly contrived.

Glorious

[Maria P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series but I did find it a bit of a hard slog at times. So much of it was about the business of the wool trade and all the intricacies involved in that that it got a bit heavy (think Pillars of the Earth but not as gripping). I enjoyed the other story lines more really but they were few and far between. Have done a few of these Audio Original Dramas now and do really enjoy them as they really bring the books to life!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent presentation from Margolyse and cast from Audible delivered the final instalment of Jonah Durham and his family and business. Set in the mid-late 1300s of London the medieval tale and touches linked to the Royal court and merchants was captivating. Excellent overview of the plague decimating Europe, then arriving in England and how author's artistic licence showed the insightful Durham linking rats to the cause!!
A long commitment to listen to all three portions, well worth it, strong character's who you go through liking and disliking many times over.

[Chelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant audiobook, had me on the edge of my seat at times, this one seemed even more sad than the first two, I just wish there were more books about Jonah, I kind of love him 😂 even though I don't like some of his views on life but obviously that's the time that was in it! Very well done and the sinister voices of the people we're not supposed to like are so well done!

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent end to the drama. Not really convinced it's something to put on Goodreads but here we are anyway. Taking place against the backdrop of the plague added something a bit different and it was nice to hear how the story resolved. Plus Jonah wasn't quite so insufferable in this one, so there is that.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fitting conclusion to an excellent trilogy. Marvellous Cast recording on Audible with some outstanding performances bringing to life a fascinating story. Jonah's story continues with inevitable ups and downs - and joy of joys no unnecessary messing around with history.

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved this series, both the storyline and the adaptation for audio are gripping and, like all good historical fiction, it gives a feeling for the era. It’s intriguing that what seems a very English book was originally written in German.

[Stefanie Frankfurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine fesselnde Geschichte - schade, dass es nur 3 Bände gab und nun bereits zuende ist. Ich bin begeistert von der spannenden Erzählweise. Ich bin nicht der größte Fan von Historischen Romanen, aber dieser war grandios.

[Chahidat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toller Abschluss. Man fühlt mit den Charakteren mit und wenn das ein Hörspiel bei mir bewirkt dann gibt es 5 Sterne. Toll vertont. Sehr empfehlenswert für alle die historische Romane gerne lesen und hören 😍

[Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I really enjoyed the whole trilogy and particularly this final instalment and the tying up of all the loose ends, against a background of figure & dressing, intrigue and the plague doing across London. Brilliantly told and, thanks to audible, excellently narrated by a stellar cast.

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der letzte Teil der Hörspiel-Trilogie hielt dann doch noch ein paar neue Wendungen in petto und meine Befürchtungen, dass sich hier die Motive aus den vorherigen Teilen nochmals wiederholen, wurden nicht erfüllt. Wieder eine sehr gute Ausführung als Hörspiel und zu empfehlen.

[Eva Falconer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every moment of all 3 books in this series and look forward to hearing them again in the near future. I recommend them to any one interested in history.

[Katrina Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good conclusion to the trilogy.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like a children’s story. Over simplified and predictable. However, great job by Miriam Margolyes.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant trilogy, well dramatised.

[Anja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I the only one who‘s shipping Harry and Cecil? 😅

Guter und schön umgesetzter Abschluss der Trilogie

[Pascal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Auch der dritte Teil war ein Hörgenuss

[MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully executed audiobook.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Highly recommend this series