A Gift That's Kept on Giving

A game based Sword & Sorcery Fantasy that is more than it's origins

BOOK DETAILS:
Azure Bonds by Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb, read by Kristin Kalbli, published by Audible Studios (2015) / Length: 14 hrs 44 min

SERIES INFO:
This is Book #1 of 4 that include these characters. The "Finder's Stone" trilogy plus Masquerades (which is apparently "The Harpers" #10, but I haven't read any of those and wasn't lost at all).

SUMMARY:
I received this book many years ago as a birthday gift. I was a bit mystified as to the selection. I had only ever played a role playing game once, and not with the person who gave me the book. It's not that I disliked it, but as an unsocial bookworm I would rather be reading. I decided to give it a chance anyway, since the story sounded interesting, and I have read it many times since. When the audiobook came out a few years back, I snatched up almost immediately. I have tried others that are similar, even by the same author, and never found one I liked as much.

This book isn't perfect, and it isn't deep; but I love the characters & the writing, and I listen to it frequently. So it fully deserves my 5* RATING. I also recognize that it might not be for everyone.

Regarding the cover: That outfit wasn’t something she was wearing by choice, and it’s impracticality is specifically called out in the book (which made me smile).

CHARACTERS:
Alias of Westgate: She has missing memories, memories that don't match other people's, and a talent for singing songs that no one else has ever heard of. She's hot tempered & stubborn and completely loyal.

Dragonbait: Nobody knows what he is, other than good with his strange sword. He sticks tight to Alias.

Akabar bel Akash: Bound and determined to prove he's not a "greengrocer" (i.e. non-adventurer). Frequently touts his skill as a mage "of no small water," but is inwardly uncertain of his worth on this quest.

Olive Ruskettle: Mostly just out for herself; her asides on the habits of humans are nevertheless very funny.

Characters from other books that get cameos: King Azoun IV & Vangerdahast / Elminster / Mourngrym / Finder Wyvernspur (there may be more, but I'm not that familiar with the world)

WORLDBUILDING:
Because this book is part of an existing world, which has been widely explored through games & books, the authors had a rich background to draw upon. I hadn't read any FR before this one, so I didn't know all the background; but I never really felt lost. What needed to be explained was, and the rest just lent depth.

In addition to the various types of characters in our main group, we have priests, sages, dragons, innkeepers, assassins, gods, demons, sorcerers, paladins, and many other types of standard fantasy peoples & creatures.

Note: One of the things I miss when listening to an audiobook is the map that many Fantasy books, including this one, have. If you decide to listen to this book, you can find a good map online. (You want to be looking at the portions in the center right, to the south & east of the big desert in the top center.)

PLOT:
The book drew me in from the very beginning. I loved the writing and the mystery presented. From there it becomes a standard quest tale as Alias seeks to understand what has happened to her. There is lots of action and plenty of more thoughtful character moments.

Although there are a couple more books with these characters, this one comes to a full stop with very few unanswered questions. Alias isn't even in the next one, but she comes back in #3.

HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS:
--Dragonbait gets his name
--A good number of my favorite bits take place while they are in Yulash, including the stuff in the temple of Moander and the encounter with an old foe
--Olive alone, having to decide if she is going to go evil or just stick with being bad.

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: Moderate swearing / I have problems with characters who are thieves, especially those who steal from their companions

OTHER CAUTIONS: Akabar is from a "southern" culture that practices polygamy. He already has two wives and they are looking for a third.

NARRATION:
Character voices differentiated = Yes / Opposite sex voices acceptable = Yes / Accents good = Yes, she does a good job of devising different accents for people from various fictional regions / Phrasing, Pacing & Pronunciation = Good / Emoting = Good, the non-dialog parts are a bit flat though / Speed = just a touch slow; I listen on regular speed rather than my 1.25, but occasionally bump it up

13 people found this helpful

A Taco Bell 5-Star

If you are reading reviews on this book before you buy it, then I already know you are going to enjoy this book. It is a solid Forgotten Realms fantasy book with a an unfolding mystery surrounding a set of unique characters.

In addition to sword fights, magic spells, monsters, and the unfolding adventurer's tales, the book will immerse you in what it would be like to live in the Forgotten Realms as you overhear gossip, attend weddings, rub shoulders with the public, and catch glimpses of the thoughts of nobility and merchants.

It also has subtle nods to D&D campaign flavor as characters check for coin and magic items after encounters.

Just like a trip to Taco Bell, you know what you are getting. This book is not high class literature and it is unlikely to win prestigious awards... but if you're in the mood for a Bean Burrito, some Mexi-Fries, and a Baha Blast.. well, this will leave you satiated.

3 people found this helpful

Really good D&D

Any additional comments?

The main character wakes in a tavern inn with tattooed arms and no clue why and what happened. Now she thinks of it, she only has hazy memories of the past year. She doesn’t know what the hell and been going on but is darn sure gonna find out, who branded her and why. She sets out, one adventure leads to the next, is joined by some interesting characters for their own various reasons along the way, until we finally find out. This is the first in a series but good as a stand-alone novel. We have something lizard man like, a singing thief grafter or bard, merchant trading company wizard, a dragon, a calmari, and all sorts of encounters from upper middle class engagement party, to mountain passes and caves, etc.

What I liked so much about this book is that it starts simple, both as to characters and story scope, and then grows as you go, so that I bought it. I felt like I got to know them so they had a less lame and more genuine feel to them. I was not rolling my eyes as the authors tried to make me their characters’ psychiatrist, and having them and their “stuff” deluged onto me and me hoping I had some dry towels.

It had a much more Connan the Barbarian feel to it than Lord of the Rings, which is what a D&D novel should be IMHO. Opinions vary but to me: Fantasy is for LOTR types and D&D for CTB types of stories. Otherwise why bother having two different genera or looking in one instead of the other to find the kind of story you want if their content is the same? I think of it this way: if the whopper were a big mac but with a different name, then burger king would never have taken off.

7 people found this helpful

Awesome

Not sure about a female voice for the book but I believe I could get used to it. Thank you.

1 person found this helpful

Highly recommended, but does drag out in the end

The story was outstanding, and kept me interested through out until the end. It seemed to drag out in the end and fizzle. I would highly recommend the audiobook to RPG fans, it is great I was just disappointed in the ending.

After listening to the Dragonlance series, it took a chapter or two to switch over to Kristin Kalbi's voice but once I got used to it, I loved it. She did a great job... especially with Olive's "BOOGERS!" LOL!

1 person found this helpful

Nostalgia for Gamers of Past Eras

I first read this book when it was published in 1988. At the time, and to this day, I am a player of "The World's First RPG." The book informed all of us at the time of gaming legends and lore that was contemporaneous to the writing. So, back then, it was encyclopedic as well as entertaining.

The story, with the passage of years and the general taste of the gaming public becoming more complex, holds up reasonably well. I think if it was written today the characters would be more 3D than 2D, but the lore and plot devices could stay much the same. I enjoyed it again, for the most part. The narrator does a particularly good job of making annoying characters even more annoying, and characters that do more to drive the plot enjoyable as well. It was a lot of voice work with the number of characters to handle, and the narrator does well to delineate them.

excellent reading

The reader is quite good. Engaging and theatrical in all the right ways. The story too was engaging with colorful characters popping up in both expected and unexpected places. There are a few things that the audience should be aware of concerning the setting, however, namely that we are taking a trip back to the rules of first edition Dungeons and Dragons so halflings are prohibited from the bard class, and the presence of iron, especially worked iron, severely inhibits arcane spell casting. It sort of assumes the audience knows this so the narrative never really bothers to explain those fine points. Overall a great adventure book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in such.

not the greatest story from the realm

I'll be honest, I fell asleep a few times towards the middle & end so I had to go back a few times. I'll probably come back to this series later on but for now it was not enough to keep my attention. narrator was great but just needed to put in just a bit more effort.

Started off great...

Started off with a bang. Really intriguing, then lost steam and turned out just okay. Narration was good, but sometimes her voice was annoying with certain characters.

Good D&D minus one problem.

This is pretty standard fantasy fair. Solid and fun.

The only problem is the halfling. She was clearly written just like Tasselhoff from Dragonlance. Problem with that is halflings in Forgotten Realms do not act like Kender in Dragonlance. They are not compulsive thieves who are completely fearless. In Forgotten Realms they are much more like Hobbits. So it's a bit of a glaring mistake to someone who knows the different settings.