Fantômas
Marcel Allain
Read by Alan Winterrowd
Fantômas is the first of 32 novels penned from 1911 to 1913 by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre. The title character is a ruthless thief and killer, a bloodthirsty successor to LeBlanc's Arsène Lupin. The first five novels were made into silent film serials. The character and the movies caught the eye of the French Surrealists who admired the primal violence of Fantômas, as well as his portrayal in the films, which are considered landmarks in French Cinema. In Fantômas, the Marquise de Langrune is savagely murdered and Inspector Juve, who is obsessed with capturing Fantômas, arrives to solve the murder. (Summary by Alan Winterrowd) (10 hr 11 min)
Chapters
01 - The Genius of Crime | 23:20 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
02 - A Tragic Dawn | 29:30 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
03 - The Hunt for the Man | 16:27 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
04 - 'No! I am not Mad!' | 22:10 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
05 - 'Arrest Me!' | 13:14 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
06 - 'Fantomas, it is Death!' | 33:25 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
07 - The Criminal Investigation Department | 27:31 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
08 - A Dreadful Confession | 21:12 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
09 - All for Honour | 25:20 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
10 - Princess Sonia's Bath | 27:49 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
11 - Magistrate and Detective | 15:51 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
12 - A Knock-out Blow | 17:09 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
13 - Therese's Future | 14:13 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
14 - Mademoiselle Jeanne | 12:25 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
15 - The Mad Woman's Plot | 20:23 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
16 - Among the Market Porters | 15:19 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
17 - At the Saint-Anthony's Pig | 21:14 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
18 - A Prisoner and a Witness | 19:47 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
19 - Jerome Fandor | 12:38 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
20 - A Cup of Tea | 12:15 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
21 - Lord Beltham's Murderer | 18:05 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
22 - The Scrap of Paper | 9:51 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
23 - The Wreck of the 'Lancaster' | 11:16 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
24 - Under Lock and Key | 14:00 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
25 - An Unexpected Accomplice | 10:34 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
26 - A Mysterious Crime | 17:40 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
27 - Three Surprising Incidents | 20:04 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
28 - The Court of Assize | 16:45 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
29 - Verdict and Sentence | 21:55 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
30 - An Assignation | 22:51 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
31 - Fell Treachery | 25:39 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
32 - On the Scaffold | 21:40 | Read by Alan Winterrowd |
Reviews
This book is painful
mikezane
Young Charles is framed for the murder of the Marquis, and even his own father believes he is guilty. Inspector Juve appears on the scene and takes it all in. His verdict? The killer is none other than Fantomas, the sociopathic killer that Juve has spent much time tracking. I found the books to be predictable. I figured out who Fantomas was impersonating, and the ending was awful, IMHO. Yes, it fit, but man, it's a major turnoff. I haven't decided if I will continue to listen to or read the other books in the series, and there are quite a number of them. The reader did an excellent job; so my compliments there. I just couldn't get past the painful spots at the end. Ugh.
Free Listens review
Sayeth
Fantômas's criminal exploits and his pursuit by Juve make for an entertaining read, but the characters do not have the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes nor the humor of Arsene Lupin. Although the characters are not so deep, the plot twists so much that even when I thought I knew the identity of Fantômas, there were still several more surprises. Fantômas belongs in the middle ground between the pulps and the great classics of the crime genre. For full review and reviews of other free audiobooks, visit http://freelistens.blogspot.com
Poor Inspector Juve!
Timothy Ferguson
People think he's a genius, because he can explain how Fantomas got away with things, He, however, would actually like to catch Fantomas, so he seems to spend his entire life in the throes of frsutration. Well read. Characters are very distinct. The plot takes a while to get going, but its because the author is assembling the shorthand of tropes which will be usedi n later detective fiction.
excellent reader
Elaine
The story starts of good but it’s a bit slow ; however it was well read and so I stool with it to the end
Great Story!
juju
Loved the story! Felt myself being drawn in the more it went on!
Fantomas
Effiebaby
A dated tale but still with a little something to keep the listener interested.
Robert Kaufman
Very interesting start to what must be a good series. Excellent reader.
One of my favourite books ever. the reader did a splendid job!
Greenjenn