Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The List
    Unavailable
    The List
    Unavailable
    The List
    Audiobook8 hours

    The List

    Written by Patricia Forde

    Narrated by Imogen Wilde

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    In the post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. If somewhere were to speak outside that approved lexicon, they'd face banishment. The only exceptions to this rule are the Wordsmith and his apprentice, Letta. Together, they are the keepers and archivists of all language. But when Letta's master dies, she is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith and finds the situation more complicated than she knew. While fulfilling her charge to collect and save words, she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and to rob Ark's citizens of their power of speech. Soon, she realizes that it's now not only up to her to save Ark's language but also its entire culture...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateAug 8, 2017
    ISBN9781520076782
    Author

    Patricia Forde

    Patricia Forde is from Galway on the west coast of Ireland. She has published several picture books in Irish and in English, and  three novels for children with Little Island. The List was published by SourceBooks in the US, and Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth was published in the US by Little Island in 2022 to strong critical acclaim. She has won two White Raven awards and has twice been shortlisted for the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year. Patricia is married to Padraic and has two grown up children. She still lives in Galway, the best city in the world.

    Related to The List

    Related audiobooks

    Children's For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The In-betweeners

      Nov 12, 2019

      Two years ago, during the Writing Popular Fiction MFA winter residency at Seton Hill University, a discussion broke out amongst my students in a critique workshop geared toward young adult (YA) writers: They didn’t think YA novels were really written

      6 min read

    • Article

      Under The Whispering Door

      Nov 3, 2021

      ▶ RELEASED OUT NOW! 376 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook ▶ Author TJ Klune ▶ Publisher Tor An uneven yet goodhearted hybrid of Dead Like Me and The Good Place, Under The Whispering Door ponders what happens when you don’t start actually living your l

      1 min read

    • Article

      Life after Harry

      Jun 12, 2020

      Life after Harry
      2 min read

    • Article

      Never Say Wolf

      Feb 13, 2020

      Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!” So says Count Dracula to the hapless Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s novel. Dracula is talking about the wolves howling in the valley below his castle in the Carpathian mountains. Thi

      6 min read

    • Article

      What’s a Language, Anyway?

      Jan 19, 2016

      What’s a Language, Anyway?
      7 min read

    • Article

      At The Edge Of Extinction

      Dec 8, 2022

      At The Edge Of Extinction
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Next Sentence

      May 6, 2021

      The Next Sentence
      1 min read

    • Article

      Fox Talk

      Dec 17, 2020

      Screams that split open evenings with all the energy of a cat’s claws down a blackboard: that can only be a fox, raging at its own kind with ear-shattering but bloodless zeal. The fox’s loudest cry is so improbable, such a poor fit for its delicate f

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Horseman for the Headless: On Ismail Kadare’s ‘The Traitor’s Niche’

      Dec 28, 2018

      Kadare’s fiction intuits the spirt of the art movements of his day, orbiting the dark ambiance of indie cinema, goth punk, shock installation. The post A Horseman for the Headless: On Ismail Kadare’s ‘The Traitor’s Niche’ appeared first on The Millio

      9 min read

    • Article

      Crooked Compendium

      Dec 23, 2020

      Crooked Compendium
      3 min read

    • Article

      Language Lessons

      Jan 23, 2018

      Language Lessons
      5 min read

    • Article

      'The Raven Tower' Rises From Shakespearean Foundations

      Feb 26, 2019

      Ann Leckie's new fantasy novel is packed with family intrigue, throne-room maneuvering and nods to Hamlet in its story of a son who comes home to find his father missing and his uncle in power.

      2 min read

    • Article

      The People’s Wisdom: PROVERBS from the MOUNTAINS of IRAQ

      Feb 1, 2022

      The People’s Wisdom: PROVERBS from the MOUNTAINS of IRAQ
      2 min read

    • Article

      The (impossible?) Dream Of A Universal Language

      Oct 11, 2018

      Over the centuries, a surprising number of theologians and linguists have tried to 'reverse Babel' and create universally intelligible languages.

      2 min read

    • Article

      And the Walls Came Down

      Oct 22, 2021

      Every word is a metaphor; every phrase, no matter how prosaic, is a poem—even if it's mute. Words don't correspond to reality; they only correspond to one another. All languages are a tapestry of threads forever floating above the ground. The post An

      11 min read

    • Article

      Love Thine Enemy The Rook

      Jun 9, 2021

      Love Thine Enemy The Rook
      2 min read

    • Article

      Why Does a Language Die?

      Jun 18, 2019

      Why Does a Language Die?
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Humanity Of Horace

      Nov 30, 2023

      IF I TOLD YOU THAT A COLLECTION OF POEMS written 2,000 years ago was sent by his wife to a man serving in the trenches of the First World War, and he replied to her that he was devoting five minutes a day amid the fighting to reading them, you might

      6 min read

    • Article

      Another Person’s Words: Poetry Is Always the Speaker

      Jul 16, 2019

      More than rhyme and meter, or any other formal aspect, what defines poetry is its self-awareness. Poetry is the language which knows that it’s language. The post Another Person’s Words: Poetry Is Always the Speaker appeared first on The Millions.

      12 min read

    Reviews for The List

    3.5/5

    58 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      In this future dystopia, the leader of survivors of a Big Melt decides that words and our ability to deceive with words are what got humans into all this trouble. So he limits the vocabulary of his settlement and bans music and art. And then he limits it more and more. Letta, the new Wordsmith (keeper of words) when her mentor disappears, finds that all is not as she thought, and starts to meet those who live outside the settlement, and outside the rules.This book was not well written - I rarely believed Letta would be able to pull off whatever brave thing she was doing next, and the feelings and chemistry of the characters mostly did not read well. There were plot holes you just had to keep reading past. This book was an interesting idea that did work as well as intended.(SLIGHT) SPOILER BELOW: What was this author thinking in using the word "Nicene" to refer to a chemical? I was so confused because it has a meaning of its own.
    • 4/5
      The List by Patricia Forde, published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky - a fabulously imagined middle grade fantasy novel.Set in a future where climate change and global warming have culminated in a great "Melting", leaving only the city of Ark as the last habitable place on Earth. Ruled by John Noa who fiercely guards language and considers it the root of all of mankinds problems. The List is the story of Letta, a wordsmith, whose job it is to create the lists of words that are allowed to be spoken by the people of Ark. When Marlo enters the wordsmith shop one day, he sets off a chain reaction of events that will change Letta's perception of the ideal society in which she believes she lives.I grabbed The List on a whim, seeing it on the shelf at the library. I love fantasy novels so was pretty sure I would love this one. To be honest I almost abandoned it at the beginning. When the characters are speaking "List" I found it off putting and broken and wasn't sure I would be able to keep going with the halting words. I continued on and quickly realized the broken sentences and halting speech was a device used by the author to make the reader uncomfortable, to make us question the actions of the leaders of Ark, and to open our eyes to the power and beauty of words and language. I believe The List is a timely book, in a time when words are being used to cause hate, to confuse, and to deflect, it is worth examining what makes us rich and what separates us from the other creatures of the world. Language, art, music, creativity are some of what makes our lives colourful. Without these things, there would be nothing to force accountability from leaders, to speak opinions and truths, and to show love.The List is a fantastic middle grade novel, promotional material indicates ages 10 and up.
    • 4/5
      3.5 Stars A middle-grades dystopia that is reminiscent of many of the classic dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels with a few original elements.4 Stars - The worldbuilding, the overall plot, the pace, and the setup.3 Stars - The gaps in the story and some characters needed a little more development (although some were well-written).If you read dystopias, I would give this book a chance, especially if you're a younger YA fan.Net Galley Feedback
    • 4/5
      Sure, it’s a dystopian novel about the power of language but also a cautionary tale about ignoring warnings of global warming and the dangers of authoritarian states. Thank goodness for the rebels who remind us that there is an alternative way to be. Lots of action, subterfuge and strong female characters.Not sure about the choice of the use of biblical terms Noa, The Ark, and Nicene, and though its marketed as middle grade, there is discussion of torture and self harm that might need to be unpacked for younger students
    • 3/5
      I picked this novel up after it was recommended by a Year 9 student. It had an interesting premise where a post-apocalyptic society is limited to a 500 word vocabulary - all other words are forbidden to be spoken. I found the thought fascinating.Although I found the pace a bit slow, the plot lacking at times and I wasn't a big fan of the ending, "The List" had good characters and enough mystery and tension to keep me reading.