Dance of the Gods (Circle Trilogy) [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Nora Roberts (Author), Dick Hill (Reader)

Book Description

Series: Circle Trilogy | Publication Date: August 28, 2007

Raised in a family of demon hunters, Blair Murphy has her own personal demons to fight - the father who trained, then abandoned her, and the fiancé who walked out on her after learning what she is. Now she finds herself training a sorcerer from 12th century Ireland, a witch from modern day New York, a scholar and a shape changer from the mythical land of Geall, while trying to keep herself from staking the sixth of their circle and host: a vampire sired by Lilith, the vampire queen they’ve been charged with defeating on Samhain. No stranger to butt-kicking, Blair finds herself taking a good whipping when it comes to that handsome and flirtatious Geallian, Larkin. And a couple of run-ins with Lilith’s right-hand gal gives Blair more than she reckoned for, mentally and physically. But will she be able to stay afloat long enough to defeat Lilith’s loyal in pre-battle bouts? Or will she find herself falling for the one thing she vowed never to give in to again? If the vampires don’t do her in, Larkin is certainly up to the task. Second in a trilogy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Roberts's Circle Trilogy continues with this second installment (following Morrigan's Cross), in which the circle of six prepare for their battle against the powerful vampire Lilith and her undead army. The six members, culled by the goddess Morrigan from the past and the present, include the wizard Hoyt and his vampire brother Cian, the witch Glenna, ancient Geallian princess Moira and her shape-shifting cousin Larkin, and demon hunter Blair. Preparing for the showdown in modern-day Ireland, the group split their time among training, defending against Lilith's agents, bickering fitfully among themselves and, for some, doing their best to ignore mounting sexual tension. The relationship between the bigheaded, anachronistic Larkin and the hot-tempered, thoroughly modern lone-wolf Blair gives the proceedings a satisfying emotional core, especially rewarding when their anger turns—finally—to lust. Fulfilling their destiny, the six warriors enter the stone circle to travel backward in time to Geall for the fateful battle with Lilith. Roberts's latest is a testament to her skill and range, as this richly detailed fantasy—only her second attempt at the genre—hums with wit, humor and sizzling romance. Paranormal fans are assured a good time, as is anyone who enjoys captivating fiction. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Another enticing paranormal trilogy from the ever-versatile, prolific, and much-loved queen of romance. Irish sorcerer Hoyt Mac Cionaoith tried but failed to destroy Demon Queen Lilith after she ruthlessly turned his twin brother, Cian, into a vampire. Lilith gradually recovered and immediately set about amassing an army of vampires with the intention of destroying all humans so that she could rule the world. The goddess Morrigan chooses Hoyt and five others to stop Lilith, sending Hoyt 1,000 years into the future. In twenty-first-century New York, he starts to build his team, enlisting Glenna Ward; his brother, Cian; and Cian's employee, King. Traveling back to Ireland, the three pick up new recruits Moira and her cousin Larkin, both of whom have traveled through space and time from the Kingdom of Geall. Demon-hunter Blair Murphy is the last to sign on to the circle of six. Now a sorcerer, a witch, a warrior, a scholar, a shape-shifter, and a lost soul must find some way of working together as a team if they are to have any hope of stopping darkness from overcoming all that is good and light in the world. Best-seller Roberts' Celtic-flavored Circle trilogy features superbly crafted characters, three passionate romances, and a bewitching blend of magic and myth. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced; Abridged edition (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423309170
• ISBN-13: 978-1423309178
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( R ) > Roberts, Nora

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MUCH better than the first book in the series!, October 4, 2006

By 

Gabriela Perez "Oy! So many books. . . ." (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I must admit that I bought this one because I love Ms. Roberts' writing, not because I loved the first book and couldn't wait for this one. Usually, the first books in her series get me all excited about the books to follow, but the first one didn't do that for me. It was okay, but not great. I liked the characters, generally speaking, but some of them (Blair, in particular) did not appeal to me. She felt like a slightly revamped (no pun intended, given the nature of one of the characters) version of Buffy. So when I saw this book on my local grocery store's shelf on Sunday (yes, before the scheduled release date), I picked it up, but not with any great anticipation.

I was pretty surprised to find that I came to like and respect Blair. This book in the series really develops her character, and she becomes far less stereotypical. I also liked Larkin more than I expected to.

In her usual fashion, Ms. Roberts develops part of the unique group of characters so that we're not focusing on too much character development at once, but she makes clear what's coming up in the series by how she develops the relationships between non-central characters. In this case, the upcoming book will likely be focused on the relationship between Moira and Cian. Honestly, that's the relationship I've been waiting to read about, and I knew halfway through book one that it would be the last to be explored. In one sense, I wish I already had THAT book in my hot little hands, but in another, I'm all for building the anticipation/suspense and getting people panting for the last book. It's just that. . .well. . .Cian is the only character I found truly enticing and thought-provoking all along, so I'm kind of REALLY wishing his story was being told. Heh. I lack patience.

One of the things I really love about Ms. Roberts' writing is that her characters are genuinely positive human beings. Not without flaws, but compassionate and loving at their cores. I really enjoy picking up a book that, at its end, will have left me with an overwhelmingly GOOD feeling about the way human beings can be, how much they can yearn for and succeed in establishing a connection between each other. This has been the case since that one trilogy of hers where I first saw a family dealing with a child who'd been abused, and an older brother who himself had been abused. I'm sorry that the series name escapes me, but I distinctly remember reading each of those books with a glad heart, not glad because of the subject matter, but glad because of the triumph of love over neglect and pain.

Each time I read a Nora Roberts novel, it seems, I find myself on the bus, book in hand, tears in eyes, joy in heart.

This book, Dance of the Gods, was no exception. I'm really looking forward to the last book in this series.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Second Book in a Must Read Trilogy!!!, November 17, 2006

By 

Jennifer Bull "Book Glommer" (Murphysboro, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Dance of the Gods" continues the excellent Circle Trilogy. Since there are already many recaps of plot, I will skip over that. Although this book would be a fine read on its own, I think that these three novels should be treated as one long book issued in three installments, instead of a trilogy. There is so much character development in the first novel, that jumping straight into this book will have you missing out on a lot of the subtle nuances that make this book not just a good read, but a great story.

I loved the character of Blair. While there are bound to Buffy comparisons, I think that Nora Roberts did a good job of creating a demon hunter in her own vision of what one should be. Just because Buffy existed, doesn't mean that demon/vampire hunters aren't an interesting concept and Roberts' twist on this is just fantastic. Vampire/demon hunter stories existed long before Buffy did, and not all of them need to be compared to each other.

Blair is a great heroine. She is strong and heroic. She doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of her job or the hard decisions her job brings. Larkin is also a great character, although he did annoy me a couple of times in his over emotional reactions to the situations they were in. However, he annoyed me as a person would annoy me, which means he was very well drawn. Roberts does a marvelous job of creating a strong female character who is genuinely strong and not the typical "feisty but weak" you see in so many other books. Blair isn't weak, she's human. Larkin isn't so insecure in his masculinity that he needs her to be something she isn't. It is a great pairing.

I am glad that these three books were released so closely together. They are difficult to put down once you start reading them. Even with Blair and Larkin's story being wrapped up, the Circle Trilogy is far from over, and that has me eagerly anticipating reading the next book in the series.

Read these books in order. The first two were both fantastic and you really do have much more depth to the situation and the people involved if you have the complete picture instead of the summary in the beginning.

These books are going on my keep shelf, and I am certain that I will reread them often as they are simply fantastic!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moira and Cian please, but this one will do for now., October 4, 2006

By 

mom_247 (Fayetteville, GA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am definitely waiting with bated breath for the next book since Moira has a lot more than Glenna or Blair to overcome in her little romance. For some reason, I liked the first book in the trilogy better - maybe Glenna's just easier to relate to? This one's not bad, (and I did read it in the usual 24 hours), but it does move a little slower and there's not quite the same victorious feeling. In the first one, it was really fun seeing the circle of six get formed, get in shape to take on the vampyres, and kick some serious vampyre [...]. Moira especially has come such a long way from when we first see her. One other note - this is Nora's first real foray into a strictly fantasy book. She's incorporated elements of fantasy into previous books, but this is a bit of a new direction for her, and I'm looking forward to more in this vein. My die-hard Noraholic mom, however, didn't really like this strong of a fantasy element - prefers more of the romance. Depends on your sci-fi/fantasy tolerance. You will wish you knew a Larkin in real life either way :)!