The Dark Star
Robert W. Chambers
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
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Ruhannah “Rue” Carew, who dreams of becoming an artist, has grown up listening to her father tell the story of how he came by a wooden box and its unusual contents, which include a bronze figure of a god and the diary of a departed friend of her father’s.
One day Rue meets an unscrupulous man named Eddie Brandes, who is so taken with her that he hides his true nature in order to win the trust and regard of her and her parents, with an eye to marrying her. But neither Rue nor her parents suspect that Eddie is already married to an actress named Ilse Dumont. Rue learns the truth about Eddie under devastating circumstances, leaving her at a loss as to what to do with her life in the aftermath of her discovery. But with the help of her friend Jim Neeland, Rue finds herself crossing the Atlantic headed to Paris in order to pursue her dream and study art.
Several years pass. It is the eve of the Great War. One day, Jim receives an urgent message that he is to find the box in Rue’s old house and bring it with him to her in Paris. Jim, unaware of how high the stakes are, what the significance is of the precious contents of the box, and just how far others are willing to go in order to keep it from reaching its destination, sets out for the adventure of a lifetime. During this adventure, his life and those of Ilse Dumont, Eddie Brandes, and Rue Carew - all four born under the “dark star” - intertwine in extraordinary ways. (Summary by Scarbo) (0 hr 23 min)
Chapters
Preface: Children of the Star | 16:44 | Read by Inkell |
Chapter 1. The Wonder-Box | 42:24 | Read by lightcrystal |
Chapter 2. Brookhollow | 18:50 | Read by Karebear924 |
Chapter 3. In Embryo | 11:24 | Read by Kendra |
Chapter 4. The Trodden Way | 13:08 | Read by Kendra |
Chapter 5. Ex Machina | 23:37 | Read by Alyssa Williams |
Chapter 6. The End of Solitude | 17:31 | Read by Brize C |
Chapter 7. Obsession | 16:49 | Read by blx77 |
Chapter 8. A Change Impends | 12:13 | Read by Howard Skyman |
Chapter 9. Nonresistance | 20:54 | Read by Howard Skyman |
Chapter 10. Driving Head-On | 16:33 | Read by Brize C |
Chapter 11. The Breakers | 19:03 | Read by BritishNickVO |
Chapter 12. A Life Line | 21:38 | Read by John Leloup |
Chapter 13. Letters from a Little Girl | 34:54 | Read by Anooshka Bajaj |
Chapter 14. A Journey Begins | 8:56 | Read by Daniel Sanchez |
Chapter 15. The Locked House | 30:33 | Read by teesaloveless |
Chapter 16. Scheherazade | 22:15 | Read by Kate Adams |
Chapter 17. A White Skirt | 16:27 | Read by JL Walden |
Chapter 18. By Radio | 29:56 | Read by JL Walden |
Chapter 19. The Captain of the Volhynia | 10:44 | Read by Voicegadget |
Chapter 20. The Drop of Irish | 27:42 | Read by Lauren Fontaine |
Chapter 21. Method and Foresight | 11:58 | Read by blx77 |
Chapter 22. Two Thirteen | 14:14 | Read by Ehsan Ahmed Mehedi |
Chapter 23. On His Way | 15:42 | Read by Ehsan Ahmed Mehedi |
Chapter 24. The Road to Paris | 30:56 | Read by Kate Adams |
Chapter 25. Cup and Lip | 18:09 | Read by Brize C |
Chapter 26. Rue Soleil d'Or | 24:41 | Read by Ehsan Ahmed Mehedi |
Chapter 27. From Four to Five | 12:45 | Read by Nancy Gorgen |
Chapter 28. Together | 20:23 | Read by tshoes76 |
Chapter 29. En Famille | 19:18 | Read by JamminJazz |
Chapter 30. Jardin Russe | 15:06 | Read by JamminJazz |
Chapter 31. The Café des Bulgars | 16:30 | Read by JamminJazz |
Chapter 32. The Cercle Extranationale | 25:11 | Read by Cbteddy |
Chapter 33. A Rat Hunt | 29:38 | Read by Kate Adams |
Chapter 34. Sunrise | 31:42 | Read by Kendra Scarlavai |
Chapter 35. The First Day | 24:37 | Read by Kendra Scarlavai |
Reviews
Good 'Serial' Novel
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Mark Shelby
The story started strong, with interesting writing, but soon devolved into your basic 'spy novel' yarn. The many contrived characters and forced encounters helped to move the story along but didn't really add to the story that much. about halfway in it became pretty clear that this book was written in a 'serial' fashion to be released chapter by chapter in the literature of the day. Still, it's a good adventure tale with a dashing hero, a damsel in need, and a spicy pseudo-romance between spies.