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The Black Prism

Book One of Lightbringer

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The Black Prism

By: Brent Weeks
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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This fantastic new recording was released in September 2016 and comes from the acclaimed narrator of The Lightbringer series Simon Vance.

The start of a brand new trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Way of Shadows.

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

©2010 Brent Weeks (P)2016 Little Brown Book Group Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction War
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It took a few chapters to get into both the story and the narrator voice. I wasn't sure I liked either at first so was a little worried to continue but once the story kicks in around chapter 10ish I fell in love with the characters, the writing and the narrator. It's very different from what I've listened to before and I would sometimes burst out laughing in the middle of the street because of one of Kip's inner thoughts. I'd recommend to any fantasy fan. Give it time to warm up. The Characters are a little flat at the start, dragging out secrets meant to intrigue but making them boring. However once everything is out in the open, most of them start to develop beyond the basic descriptions of "Magic Emperor" and "Unloved Country Bumpkin." On with the next one I think.

Took a few chapters to get going but when it does.

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Very creative and well written story. Simon Vance's narration is excellent as always. Definitely worth a listen.

The Black Prism

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This is only the first book in the series, so there’s lots of potential for things to go wrong, but it’s a great start. There were several key moments in the story where we reached an archetypical turning point, where the story could’ve devolved into a cliche, but each time it took off in a different direction instead. The characters are surprisingly likeable and I found myself greatly interested to see how things would play out, as my guesses were always wrong. Very fun and refreshing.

Also it’s interesting how the story deals with diversity. I like the way it goes about it: descriptive, not prescriptive. It doesn’t inject diverse characters for the sake of appealing to modern sensibilities, nor does it shy away from representation; instead diverse characters just exist naturally, just like they would in the real world. Except ethnic proportions and power dynamics are different, and for believable reasons.

Surprisingly modern

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Good story. I'm glad i ignored the reviews criticising the narrator. I will be investigating the next book.

Entertaining

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Would you listen to The Black Prism again? Why?

I would rather not, I have the book and it is definitely a lot better to read than to listen to. I know the story well enough to skip this one and listen to 2 and 3, Simon Vance does those really well. I do like the story and it does set up the next books really well. Looking forward to the fourth one now

Would you be willing to try another one of Cristofer Jean’s performances?

No, never. Don't like his accent, don't like the way he does the characters, no voice fits their character, sounds like he is not enjoying this

Any additional comments?

It gets better, Simon Vance does a much better job of the next books, wish he would record this one

Horrible narrator but love the story

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