Lord Valentine's Castle cover art

Lord Valentine's Castle

 Preview
Free with 30-day trial
A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.

Lord Valentine's Castle

By: Robert Silverberg
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $31.99

Buy Now for $31.99

About this listen

 The planet Majipoor is shared by humans and several alien races, including four-armed Skandars, three-eyed Liiman, and the native, shape-shifting Metamorphs. All are watched over by the King of Dreams, the labyrinth-dwelling Pontifex, and the priestess of the Isle of Sleep, while the Coronal officially rules from atop Castle Mount.

The Majipoor Cycle begins as young Valentine, a man with no memory, is hired as an apprentice juggler by a group of eccentric performers. While the traveling troupe takes to the road, Valentine's sleep is disturbed by nightmare visions of warring brothers and difficulties on faraway Castle Mount. In a quest to discover who Valentine really is, his wise and peculiar companions resolve to help him claim the rewards of his birth. But another trial awaits Valentine that will test his belief, resolve, and strength of character.

©1980 Robert Silverberg (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction

Editorial reviews

This classic science-fantasy novel by legendary author Robert Silverberg tells the story of a man named Valentine, an amnesiac on the world of Majipoor who must find out who he is and what has been done to him. Given that he shares a name with the Coronal (King) of Majipoor, and the name of the book is Lord Valentine's Castle, it is reasonable to assume that this man with no memory is the deposed, rightful ruler of Majipoor, and Valentine slowly learns that this is, in fact, the case. Although that plotline was not the most original of ideas even 30 years ago when Silverberg wrote the novel, the brilliance of the story is in the journey, not the destination both in the literal and figurative sense. For Valentine's journey from amnesiac peasant to rightful king does take him on quite a literal journey a fascinating travelogue of the strange, magical world of Majipoor in which Valentine, and the rag-tag troop of jugglers he associates with, eventually uncover the truth of Valentine's heritage.

Some authors write prose that speaks so distinctly that it needs no embellishment from a narrator. Silverberg is such an author, and so Rudnicki, being one of those no-frills narrators who basically acts as a conduit for the listener, is an ideal choice for narrator. His performance is understated but compelling and it is that understated nature of his reading that is largely responsible for his appeal. Rudnicki is not going to dazzle you with his range of voices or other vocal trickery; instead, he keeps things basic, and for the most part just conveys the author's text and keeps out of the way, making listening to an audiobook read by him akin to reading the book yourself.

Some folks just know how to tell a story. And when you get two natural-born storytellers like Silverberg and Rudnicki together on the same project, the result is quite an unforgettable journey. John Joseph Adams
All stars
Most relevant  
Robert Silverberg is the master of Fantasy The world he creates and the characters are fascinating and hold the readers attention throughout the story.
The book is beautifully narrated too

Masterful Fantasy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A vivid world with characters of depth and purpose. A fantastic tale delivered with passion. I read this many years ago and was so glad to find it on audible.

Couldn't stop listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The world of Majipoor is intricately drawn with a cast of the magical and alien. Unfortunately the characters that inhabit the story remain largely unexplored, held back in part by the single viewpoint of the story’s hero Lord Valentine. The Shakespearean lilt to language and plot line filled with machinations of kings and affairs of state draws upon a tradition of greatness, but ultimately this story is a reverent but pale imitation, with deeper development of auxiliary characters missing and Lord Valentine such a paragon of virtue, he feels more messiah than man.

Perhaps one day some director will bring to life the fantastical world of Majipoor … with a script that does greater justice to the colour cast of characters.

A fantastical world that almost comes to life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.