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The Crown Tower
- Riyria Chronicles, Volume 1
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Series: The Riyria Chronicles, Book 1
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure
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Summary
Hadrian, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm's most prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that their employer is after; if he can keep them from killing each other, they might just get him his prize.
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What listeners say about The Crown Tower
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- R. J. Barnes
- 11-12-13
Excelent Prequel or Sequel to the Riyria series
Having listened to the other three books in the series I was at first disappointed that I hadn't started with this one as it technically comes before the three books in the series chronologically speaking.
But I wasn't disappointed when I listened to it as it fills in things alluded to in the revelations books and also stands on its own as a very well written book. Whether you have listed to to Revelations series or not you will enjoy this immensely.
The author narrates his own introduction to the book which I thought added a personal touch as he explains his reasons for writing the prequel after the Revelations series and give us some insight into how he views the charters etc.
If you are unsure about reading the Revelations trilogy which are incredibly good value in terms of length give this a read as it's only 12 hours long and if you enjoy it you can look forward to the rest of the series.
If you are like me and have read the other three books and enjoyed them you will love this book. Can't wait to listen to some more.
22 people found this helpful
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- graham
- 29-11-13
rubbish! but i liked it
like my TRex records, this is simple juvenile nonsense but i enjoyed it.
the novel is full of holes and the plot is at time unbelievable -but i loved listening. sadly the authors little dialogue at the beginning has convinced me that he is just a poor writer who thinks he is better than he actually is. However, that said i loved listening to this and the other stories with Hadrian and Royce.
No where near quality or GRR Martin or Abercrombie..but read this -or listen and enjoy it-i didi. incidentally i listened to Bernard Cornwell's Pagan Lord in his Saxon series and the sheer quality in comparison to Sullivan was obvious, like FORD KA compered to a Volkswagen Touran ..if you want a quality Epic try Brian Ruckley
15 people found this helpful
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- Christopher
- 13-11-15
A great prequel
Story – 5/5
Considering I wasn’t exactly swept away by the original trilogy (although still enjoyed it well enough), I absolutely loved this prequel. It is a lot shorter, therefore I felt the pacing was spot on, and I thought there was a bit more brutality, which Sullivan seemed a bit reluctant of in his first set of stories.
It is set 10 years before the events of the Riyria revelations – and tells the story of when Hadrian and Royce first met. My favourite part had to be the backstory of Gwen though – but I am a sucker for backstory.
According to something I read on the internet, Sullivan plans to write 10 of these chronicle books to represent each of the 10 years prior to the Revelations trilogy. Lots to look forward to then…
Performance –4.5/5
Tim Gerard Reynolds did a great job. I felt he trivialised danger in the original trilogy, which wasn’t the case in this story – which makes me think I was a little hard on him in my previous reviews. It must have been the prose.
His voice acting is great – very consistent with his other readings thus far – making it all the easier to get back into this world.
Overall – 5/5
4 people found this helpful
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- William
- 28-04-14
Good time Killer
If you could sum up The Crown Tower in three words, what would they be?
Good Time Killer
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
A few twists and turn.
What about Tim Gerard Reynolds’s performance did you like?
Good rendition
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
some interest .
Any additional comments?
The author's introduction. pretentious much, my god be proud of your work but be magnanimous in success. really put my nose up.
4 people found this helpful
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- LAURA
- 28-11-18
DULL
Stuck this out for 4 hours straight, before giving up, expecting something along the lines of Gentlemen Bastards by Scott Lynch, but far from it, it was simply dreary, I wasn’t expecting literary genius, but this had zero entertainment value
1 person found this helpful
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- Nicholaspoiuy
- 05-11-18
Overhyped
I really tried to get into this series, but I just can’t find the story. It’s really mediocre, except for the character banter between the two MCs, however the story is so pointless that it’s hard to listen on.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 18-07-18
What a very pleasant surprise.
I came across this book, whilst looking for a decent fantasy story. I hadn’t read/listened to any fantasy for a long time, so I took a while to choose something that caught my attention. I wasn’t disappointed.
The story is really well put together. There are twists & moments of real emotion & I very quickly found myself engaged & committed to the characters.
I will definitely be listening to the next books in the series.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mr. M. G. Helliwell
- 14-07-18
Not a bad book but not brilliant
The narration is very good, with distinct and realistic voices, including the women which makes a nice change.
However the story less good. It's very simple with a plot that always marches onward without any different strands. It's also very derivative. You have two main characters with almost super natural abilities who get sent on a quest with a bit of destiny thrown in for good measure.
The plot is just too simple and too like a hundred other fantasy books.
1 person found this helpful
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- George
- 13-07-18
Nice story, will read the rest.
I am new to this series. I liked the story. kinda typical fantasy sword and dagger storyline with only a little bit of magic at this point but I suspect there will be more in the next book. I found the voices a bit exaggerated and I felt the main character's speaking tone was not in line with his otherwise portrayal. Overall I enjoyed this little story and would recommend it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-11-17
Love the story!
I absolutely love the characters and I'm so pleased there is more! This reveals quite a bit more quite a couple of characters so pleased!
1 person found this helpful
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- Rob Hayes
- 06-04-16
A slog and a half.
OK, honestly I was bored most of the way through this one.
I should start by saying I've not read Sullivan's first trilogy, only a short story of his (featuring Hadrian and Royce) in the Blackguards anthology. I liked it, thought I'd give his larger works a try. I have not read the original trilogy, The Riyria Revelations because I thought I'd start with the prequels. I will also say I 'read' this by way of audiobook.
The Crown Tower follows 2 story threads. One of Hadrian Blackwater as he struggles to find a place in the world after becoming tired of the soldiering way of life. And one of Gwen as she struggles against an abusive pimp.
The story starts off slow. VERY slow. And to be honest, I don't feel it ever really picks up. It's not just a lack of action, it's a lack of anything seemingly important going on at all. The first half of the book feels like Hadrian on a side-quest, and Gwen crossing the street (both literally and metaphorically).
By the second half of the book Hadrian has met his long time life partner, Royce, and the two are thrust together in the hope that they will one day learn to work with each other and teach each other. The problem is, while I can see that one day they will be a fun buddy-cop pair, they just annoyed the hell out of me. Both of them whine and moan... and then moan and whine. And they keep moaning about the same things over and over again. The plot struggles to move forwards. And when they finally do decide to trust each other, it seems rushed (at least on Royce's part). A lifetime of well-earned mistrust and skepticism and suspicion seems undone by one selfless act on Hadrian's part.
Gwen's entire story (while interesting) only actually intersects with Hadrian and Royce's on the penultimate chapter. It feels like two separate stories, not one. And there are too many threads left completely unfinished. We have a chapter from Gwen's nemesis' point of view at one point and then he's foiled once by her (fairly easily) and we never hear from him again. That particular plot line felt a lot like filler.
The problem is, I wanted to like the book. I loved the short story (Professional Integrity) in Blackguards and wanted to read more of Hadrian and Royce. Perhaps I should have started with Revelations because it feels like this book is written for fans of that series rather than potential new readers. If I already knew the characters well and loved them I'd probably be giggling with joy over every sarcastic interaction... but I don't. Maybe I'll give Revelations a try after the sour taste has faded.
Overall I give this one 2 stars because it's well-written and Gwen's story is very interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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- Dan
- 20-05-17
Love the writing and the series
It still surprises you even when you've read all their other books. Also it's the best book to start the series with!
1 person found this helpful