The Third Policeman cover art

The Third Policeman

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Third Policeman

By: Flann O'Brien
Narrated by: Jim Norton
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £28.99

Buy Now for £28.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Flann O'Brien's most popular and surrealistic novel concerns an imaginary, hellish village police force and a local murder.

Weird, satirical, and very funny, its popularity has suddenly increased with the mention of the novel in the TV series Lost.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©1967 Flann O'Brien (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks
Classics Dark Humour Fiction Literary Fiction Satire Small Town & Rural Funny Comedy Witty Cycling Mind-bending Thought-Provoking Scary
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Ulysses cover art
Small Bones in a Fist cover art
The Butcher Boy cover art
Waiting for Godot cover art
The Invisible Man & The Time Machine cover art
Murphy cover art
H.G. Wells Fiction Collection cover art
Finnegans Wake cover art
City of Bohane cover art
Dubliners cover art
Molloy cover art
A Tale of Two Cities cover art
The Time Machine and The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance - Unabridged: Two H.G. Wells Classics! cover art
Dead I Well May Be cover art
Falling Glass cover art
Keep the Aspidistra Flying cover art

Editor reviews

Why we think it's Essential: Jim Norton turns this wild post-modern romp into an accessible absurdist story that sounds as though it has been narrated by a studio full of talent. This modern classic can often make little sense when read, but Norton never misses a beat. While the story ranges from life to afterlife and everywhere in between, Norton keeps us grounded, entertained, and totally engrossed. You might've missed it in lit class, but don't let it roll by now. — Chris Doheny

Critic reviews

"If ever a book was brought to life by a reading, it is this presentation of O'Brien's posthumously published classic. Norton individually crafts voices and personalities for each character in such a way that a listener might imagine an entire cast of voice talent working overtime....[He] ties the ribbon on a perfect presentation of this absurd and chilling masterpiece." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Third Policeman

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    318
  • 4 Stars
    80
  • 3 Stars
    49
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    10
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    336
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    270
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    44
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    15

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A masterpiece of crime detection. Or not.

This is a favourite book of mine, first enjoyed about sixty years ago when I was a student. Now it is given a gorgeous reading from one of the greatest actors around; Jim Norton. He lets the wonderful story speak for itself, and he submits to the author's creative brilliance without turning into caricature. A perfect combination of author and performer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

top

Makes Alice in Wonderland seem like a dull domestic melodrama by Jane Austen. An insane brilliant meditation on purgatory and guilt as the protagonist, enamored of the mad theories of de Selby, loses all touch with reality and self. O'Brien, whose first language was Gaelic, descriptively writes like no one else and Bishop Brennan kicks it right up the erse.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Laugh out loud absurdity

Be patiently open-minded and this book delivers an hysterical account of existence and reckoning, heightened by the pitch perfect lilt of an Irish accent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

A fecund adventure

Flann O'Brien's novel has spawned many imitations and derivatives, including The Sixth Sense and Groundhog Day. It is a masterpiece of grim comic restraint, so staged that the breathless love scene with a bicycle towards the end is not in the least surprising. Jim Norton reads it with unfailingly impeccable appropriateness.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Genius. Hilarious, surreal and unsettling.

A joy to listen to. Great performance of a classic.
Just let the language carry you, and enjoy the ride.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Brilliantly narrated

A book of sheer madness which had me laughing throughout at its absurdism, brilliantly narrated by Jim.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

My favourite audiobook, hands down

May be my favourite novel anyway - but Jim Norton's reading is gold. Or Omnium.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Impossible to film!

Fantastic crime novel, brilliantly narrated, provoking the full intellect, impossible to film. 'Is it about a bicycle?'

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

For sure...

...it is a diabolical pancake by all means of comprehension. Ride it at your own risk.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Funny and Absurd

If you like the absurdity of Monty Python this book is for you! Can’t believe it’s not more well known, an absolute master of the English language!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!