Hi all,
The update for Sweep of the Blade dramatic adaptation has been released by Graphic Audio here. Thank you for your patience and watch this space for a sneaky treat.
If you have already downloaded it last week, please delete your old file and redownload. You have also received an email from GA with notification that new files are available.
If you purchased a CD (physical format) it will be of the correct audio file when you receive your order.
If you are waiting for it to appear on Audible and other 3rd party retailers, that will happen on the 1st of August.
I also wanted to address a few things which I’ve seen in your feedback so far:
Firstly, whilst House Andrews have a great working relationship with the Graphic Audio team and they consult as experts, they do not have final say or creative control over the Graphic Audio releases.
Secondly, the lovely Nora Achrati, who is the director of the Innkeeper productions at Graphic Audio, laid out the nuanced rationale for the accent/dialect choices made for Sweep of the Blade, since that is something that has come up in your questions – in particular regarding Maud’s code switching:
“We threaded a tricky needle with this book, given the conventions that had
been established in the last book (eg, Maud speaking in her natural dialect with both Arland and Helen) and the information introduced in this book (the fact that Maud is fluent in vampire dialects without the aid of speech implants; the need to distinguish
Ancestral Vampiric from Common Vampiric; the importance of Maud feeling like she can be herself around Arland unless/until he provokes her to “go vampire”). I also wanted to cultivate the idea that Maud speaks her native tongue to Helen unless they’re in public,
but/and that Helen answers in Vampiric because that’s what she’s grown up speaking, and kids tend to prefer to speak the language of the society around them.”
As for why Sweep of the Blade isn’t narrated by Maud, that is because Graphic Audio preserved the narrator choice from the books. Sweep of the Blade is the only book in the series without a first person narrator.
We also understand that Helen’s voice doesn’t work for everyone, based on some of the reviews of One Fell Sweep. Casting child actors is very difficult. There are some serious union fees and rules which have to be followed, and because of school times, it is almost impossible for projects of this scale to hire them. The decision was made to go with an adult artist acting a child’s voice, for feasibility and time frame. Hopefully you will like it better in Sweep of the Blade. Ripper cushions!
And finally, I am happy to announce that Graphic Audio will also be recording the epilogue to Clean Sweep and that it will be added to the existing release! Huzzah! I don’t have the exact date yet, as they are working on it in parallel with the recording of Sweep with Me, but we will let you know asap.
For everyone who is new to them, Graphic Audio adaptations are audio dramatizations with each character being voiced by a different actor as opposed to one narrator for the whole story. They resemble radio plays, with sound effects and music, or as their tagline says “a movie in your mind“.
Your mileage, as usual, will vary. You can listen to the Innkeeper samples here.
I finished listening to Sweep of the Blade the day after the release. I really LOVE the Graphic audio versions, and I would happily buy them for any of the IA books. Keeping my fingers crossed for Hidden Legacy or Kate Daniels. It’s just so fun to listen to!
Me too. Would love to hear what they would do with the other series!
+1
+1
My local library got the graphic audio adaptions so I rented on a whim. I don’t tend to like audiobooks but I found these fun!
I’m curious whether poor Nora has to deal with this degree of fan input from her other GA productions. Bless that woman.
If the people in other book groups are anything to go by, then yes. The absolute entitlement by people who are upset by which narrator has been chosen/ voices/ accents/ etc is astonishing.
I’ve really enjoyed the Graphic Audio versions. Read/listened to the books many, many times. They are some of my favs. While I’ve notices some things left out of the GA versions, its always stuff that really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I only hope once the innkeeper series is done….maybe they will do the Hidden Legacy Series or the Kate Daniels series….Those would be AWESOME on GA.
The GA adaptations have to be turned into scripts first so they are slightly abridged 🙂 . I’m so glad you’re enjoying them!
I listened last week while glueing crystals on 10 costumes. It kept me from loosing my mind.
I thought Helen sounded a little younger than 5, but let’s face it, I haven’t communicated regularly with a 5 year old for 15 years (daughter is 20 now). Other than that, I never had an issue with her voicing. =)
August 1st is awesome, that makes TWO wonderful treats in August, starting with Sweep of the Blades GA and Ruby Fever just after my birthday later in the month! =) Now we just need to finish June and get through July!
Mod R – your sainthood is imminent…Thank you!
A lot more likely for me to get recognition from the opposite direction, but thank you 😀
I always figured that was the case with Helen’s voice. It’s hard to do such a young child without sounding cutesy. I still loved the book.
Production, I should say
Really enjoy the Graphic Audio productions! Haven’t heard Helen yet (so far just listened to 1 and 2 only) but the voices are so spot on, it’s pretty amazing! Love Dina’s narration, and Sean…
From Sweep in Peace, George especially is perfect. Sophie was an interesting and great choice.
I’m in the middle of the battle right now, and loving it!
I have to say though, the music this time is beautiful! They really should release an album of their background music, it utterly lifts it!
If we’ve already got the Audible of Graphic’s Clean Sweep, will it be updated when the epilogue is added? How do we get it in our Libraries?
I will ask for you ????
Oh, yes! That is my question too. (If we purchased the Audible version of Graphic Audio’s Clean Sweep, will it be updated with epilogue when it’s ready/added.) Thank you for asking about this question Mod R! Much appreciated.
P. S. I love Radio Dramatizations so I’m super glad these are happening. I’ve only listened to GA’s Clean Sweep so far but enjoyed their take on the book as a radio play. Looking forward to the rest of the series as dramatizations.
Love the Sweep graphic audio books. Any chance there might be a Kate Daniels graphic audio in the future?
My kids are listening to these with me and my 8 year old son (we skip the mushy stuff ????) with dyslexia and ADHD loves these movies in his mind. Sean is his favorite character and he is always asking my how inns run and all sorts of questions about Dina. Thank you for making these magical books and thank you to graphic audio for keeping the spark of reading alive.
Wendy my kids love these also!! They are 10 and 8 and both have ADHD as well and I have noticed they are able to focus on these so much better than them reading, normal audio or me reading books to them.
You are all the bestest! Thank you!
Love the GA versions of Innkeeper! Can’t wait for the next one!
I love the graphic audio versions and my daughter and son have come to love these stories because of them even though they don’t get to listen to all of it because of their ages.
I would love to hear Hidden Legacy and Kate Daniel’s in these.
BDH if we all email Graphic Audio and suggest it then we have a good chance of them doing it because that’s how they take recommendations for books
that fans want to hear. I asked their customer service and they said to email the books we think will do good. I already suggested two other series as well.
Thank you, Natasha, I’ll do that. It would be awesome to have KD on GA!!!
+1 !!!!
Hmm, this post makes me want to read that book again. I really enjoyed it!
OMFG!!!! Miss Kate so much!! Love it, thank you!!!
The new Graphic Audio is out AND we get a Kate blurb? I died and went to heaven! You spoil us rotten!!!!!
I have so far listened to the first three dramatized editions and have not been disappointed in any way. I absolutely love these and can’t wait to listen to all of them. I prefer to wait for the Audible versions so must be patient for a while longer.
Kate snippet- ooooohh!
Thank you I pre-ordered the mall as soon as they were available from graphic audio. Because I like them and house Andrews absolutely rocks. It’s impossible to have too many copies of the same books LOL thank you for doing this with them it will be fun I’m sure
I really liked the adaptation of Sweep of the Blade. Mr. Hill-Knight did an awesome job playing Arland.
However, there was one thing that really bothered me: They missed or skipped several lines of dialog throughout the book. For example:
1. When Arland denies the Knights request to transfer our of his regiment, there is a line of dialog missing.
2. There are lines of dialog missing from the dinner scene, the conversation between Maud and the Tachi.
3. There are lines missing during the final battle between Maud and Seveline.
And these are only the ones that came to my mind now.
I understand they skipped some lines of narration because the adaptation rendered them unnecessary. Line of dialog, however, help us understand the characters and add dimension to them. I don’t think such lines should be skipped.
Thank you.
Hi Maximira,
The Graphic Audio adaptations are transformative by nature, as the books are turned into scripts 🙂 . As such, they will be abridged in various instances.
Just bought the whole series from GA. So excited to listen during my work commute!
I’ve had them for awhile now. So I’m also looking forward to getting the newer version. I’ll delete and re-download and also cross my fingers.
Just to be clear, this refers to the Graphic Audio version, which has only been released last week.
This is not the Sweep of the Blade audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus.
Although Renee Raudman’s “Helen” (and “Matilda”) are still my favorite voicings of the children, I think GA did a great job with the character and I vastly prefer it to Natalie Naudus’s version, which sounded too old to me (not a criticism of her performance, just personal preference).