• The Taker

  • By: Alma Katsu
  • Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
  • Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (466 ratings)

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The Taker  By  cover art

The Taker

By: Alma Katsu
Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
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Publisher's summary

True love can last an eternity... but immortality comes at a price.

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever.

A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her... despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural thriller, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

©2011 Alma Katsu (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

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What listeners say about The Taker

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Too dark for my taste

This is only the 2nd book that I gave up on in several yrs of audible membership. Unless you enjoy dark, weird tales including sexual sadism, give this a pass.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Starts Well...rapidly goes downhill

The opening scenes are riveting. A mysterious woman arrives at an emergency room. Has she killed someone? A sad hearted doctor...secrets. I was starting to look for a few more books by this author.

Then it turns into 50 Shades of Stupid. A flat and uninteresting foray into what the author, no doubt considers a masterwork of erotica -- but in reality is as interesting as listening to grass grow.

There's very little of the paranormal here -- unless you consider endless trite bodice ripping style paranormal.

Yuck. No,,,yuck squared.

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11 people found this helpful

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

Heavy Hearted...

Any additional comments?

It's difficult to rate this book. This was a very heavy read for me.

This dark historical fiction/fantasy introduces us to some very complex and intriguing characters, none of which are very likable. But that's by design. These characters are flawed and I'm impressed with the author's ability to keep me coming back despite some of the way I felt about the characters. I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I disliked all the characters. But Lanny's plight and survival story is compelling and I couldn't stop reading it, even when it made me feel depressed and anxious. Like I said...very compelling, but if you are a very empathetic reader, it can be a heavy read. Maybe it's just the way I related to Lanny... I found it to be a bit depressing, and as an empathetic reader, I felt the sadness in Lanny's obsession with Jonathan.

Alma Katsu is a very talented writer. Her characters were well defined. It's a love story, but not to be confused with historical romance. Love is a funny thing. It's cliche to say, but "the heart wants what the heart wants." Lanny is in love with Jonathan from they time they were children. And Jonathan loves her as best he can, but she knows from the beginning that he may not love her the same way. Even if they live for an eternity... But she never gives up hoping.

I will read The Reckoning, but not just yet. My heart can't take it. I would look forward to other stories from Alma.

**Spoilers**
I would have liked to see a little less of Lanny's "youth" or rather, early years, and more of the last 100 years of her life. We could have seen the character development over that time. It makes me sad that in those years that she didn't grow to accept the relationships that she couldn't change and find love and happiness in the life she made.

I personally believe that love and happiness are part of who we are and we can decide to grow those feelings just as the feelings of sadness, loneliness, and loss can be held obsessively (as in the case of Lanny) to our own detriment. Letting go is not easy, but sometimes you just have to move on. I also think that having Jonathan disappear for 100 years, and have some significant character development happen and just dropped in our laps was a bit of a cheat.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Left wanting something more...

The Taker is a great story. I loved the performance of the reader. And overall the story was very good, well written and so interesting!! I just felt that that we didn't get the complete story. Or maybe it was that we had too many very good stories with none of them ever giving that feeling of satisfaction. Though Katsu certainly has set up a series in the making, and I'm looking forward to more.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Egh - kind of a downer

I read an article this week that defined happiness as "being satisfied with what you have" if that's true, then this book is the definition of unhappiness.

Based on the description; I did not expect the book I got. That being said - I'm not sure what I was expecting. I think clearer resolution might be it. I felt like the book "ended" as opposed to it being "finished".

I will say that I think Lanny did finally start to mature emotionally by the last chapter, I don't think it was enough of a leap to really make me feel like the journey was worth it.

I had been considering reading this book and then a book club I belong to selected it for this month's selection. I'm glad I had a reason to finish what was otherwise a pointless and dull book.

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6 people found this helpful

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

An exquisite tale

This is an endearing and beautiful tale of mystery and love. How far is too far to go for unrequited love? Lanny knows...I love the details in this book and felt as if i was there watching the story unfold. This is not my typical action packed vampire read and it is also not a simple romance. There is just enough intrigue for the paranormal mind and fiction readers in my opinion to be not an average read. I know I will listen again and complete the trilogy.

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5 people found this helpful

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

Couldn't put it down!

Any additional comments?
I was initially sobered by the vaguely worded lukewarm reviews on this book, but decided to take a chance and buy it anyway. I'm so glad I did. I was mesmerized from the first chapter and couldn't put it down. I've always loved the "1001 Arabian Nights" types of books where stories are used to advance the plot, so I very much enjoyed this one. The reader was also very good.

I'm especially glad I gave it a try since the 2nd book, "The Reckoning," is turning out to be so entertaining. It's so original and really can't be compared to anything else out there.

My only complaint is that I stayed up way too late listening to the first book!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read!

I was impressed with this audiobook, is beautifully written and contains so many details that makes you feel you are watching everything instead of hearing it.
I was so smitten by this book that I even bought the paperback on Amazon.com just because is a must read ... all over again ... many many times.
I loved the characters, each one of them has a story to tell, there should be more to this story! Can't wait for more!
If you don't know what it is about, is a wonderful tale that talks about deep love, lust, obsession, greed, vanity and so many other things ... it will really leave you wanting more of this story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Brilliance tainted

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone who loves historical narratives infused with audio pornography.

What was most disappointing about Alma Katsu’s story?

It was a clever narrative, it got me to listen to all three of the trilogy. I kept hoping there would be more substance to the tale but it just kept lingering. Why does a talented author sully their story lines with lurid excruciatingly detailed filth? It's like a comedian who only make people laugh with being vulgar. I'm not a prude, but this series just got worse each book. The end was a spineless disappointment.

Which scene was your favorite?

Only the descriptions of settings. Her ability to contextualize the characters was what kept be listening.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Taker?

All the unnecessary details of the sexual proclivities of the characters. It only weakened any compassion for Lanny. Really? Eroticism and torture lead to love? The entire trilogy could have been reduced to one slightly longer book as each one was a repeat of the last filled with rabbit trails and disappointment.

Any additional comments?

I felt embarrassed that had wasted so many hours and credits listening. The series never had a salient point to it. It had nothing to do with love- it was about obsession.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Didn't want to stop listening !

Fantasy, mystery and romance all in one thrilling book.

Well written ( meaning that you can actually enjoy the prose) keeping you engaged and wanting to go back to the story, which, although a fantasy has believable characters.

All in all it certainly is a very nice surprise .And at the end leaves you with hypothesis and theories and suspicious thoughts that will lead you to want the sequel!

The narrator does a good job.

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3 people found this helpful