Listen free for 30 days
-
The Ember Blade
- The Darkwater Legacy
- Narrated by: Simon Bubb
- Series: The Darkwater Legacy, Book 1
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £24.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Impostor Prince
- By: David Debord, Ryan A. Span
- Narrated by: Steve Barnes
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Killing a man in the heat of the moment, violating a sacred peace among the criminals of Ralon's Bend, a young thief called Joren sets off a chain of events he could never have imagined. He gets banished from his home, caught up in the political intrigue of nations, and wanders the world with his friend, Mattal, the only witness to Joren's crime, trying to fix the mess he caused.
-
-
Wonderful book
- By Helen on 25-04-20
-
Retribution Falls
- Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 1
- By: Chris Wooding
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes.
-
-
Basically a steampunk Firefly :)
- By Beccameriel on 26-06-13
-
The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story
- By: M. L. Wang
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 24 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire's enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name "The Sword of Kaigen". Born into Kusanagi's legendary Matsuda family, f14-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: To master his family's fighting techniques and defend his homeland.
-
-
prep.
- By Anonymous User on 27-08-20
-
The Shadow of the Gods
- By: John Gwynne
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið. Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out. As whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people.
-
-
Finished it in a day
- By Samuelson Obigbesan on 09-05-21
-
The Bone Shard Daughter
- The Drowning Empire, Book 1
- By: Andrea Stewart
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Natalie Naudus, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Sukai Dynasty has ruled the Phoenix Empire for over a century, their mastery of bone shard magic powering the monstrous constructs that maintain law and order. But now the emperor's rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.
-
-
Original fantasy
- By Ragne on 19-11-20
-
The Blacktongue Thief
- By: Christopher Buehlman
- Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A traveller walks down a forest road alone. A thief waits by the roadside. But today, Kinch has chosen the wrong mark. Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars and patron of the goddess of death. She is searching for her missing queen, whom no one has seen since her city fell to giants. After Kinch's attempt to rob Galva goes horribly wrong, his fate becomes locked to hers.
-
-
Very Difficult Listen.
- By Mr Nightingale on 08-07-21
-
The Impostor Prince
- By: David Debord, Ryan A. Span
- Narrated by: Steve Barnes
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Killing a man in the heat of the moment, violating a sacred peace among the criminals of Ralon's Bend, a young thief called Joren sets off a chain of events he could never have imagined. He gets banished from his home, caught up in the political intrigue of nations, and wanders the world with his friend, Mattal, the only witness to Joren's crime, trying to fix the mess he caused.
-
-
Wonderful book
- By Helen on 25-04-20
-
Retribution Falls
- Tales of the Ketty Jay, Book 1
- By: Chris Wooding
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes.
-
-
Basically a steampunk Firefly :)
- By Beccameriel on 26-06-13
-
The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story
- By: M. L. Wang
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 24 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire's enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name "The Sword of Kaigen". Born into Kusanagi's legendary Matsuda family, f14-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: To master his family's fighting techniques and defend his homeland.
-
-
prep.
- By Anonymous User on 27-08-20
-
The Shadow of the Gods
- By: John Gwynne
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið. Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave - or desperate - enough to seek them out. As whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people.
-
-
Finished it in a day
- By Samuelson Obigbesan on 09-05-21
-
The Bone Shard Daughter
- The Drowning Empire, Book 1
- By: Andrea Stewart
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Natalie Naudus, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Sukai Dynasty has ruled the Phoenix Empire for over a century, their mastery of bone shard magic powering the monstrous constructs that maintain law and order. But now the emperor's rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.
-
-
Original fantasy
- By Ragne on 19-11-20
-
The Blacktongue Thief
- By: Christopher Buehlman
- Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A traveller walks down a forest road alone. A thief waits by the roadside. But today, Kinch has chosen the wrong mark. Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars and patron of the goddess of death. She is searching for her missing queen, whom no one has seen since her city fell to giants. After Kinch's attempt to rob Galva goes horribly wrong, his fate becomes locked to hers.
-
-
Very Difficult Listen.
- By Mr Nightingale on 08-07-21
-
Jade City
- By: Fonda Lee
- Narrated by: Andrew Kishino
- Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two crime families, one source of power: jade. Jade is the lifeblood of the city of Janloon - a stone that enhances a warrior's natural strength and speed. Jade is mined, traded, stolen and killed for, controlled by the ruthless No Peak and Mountain families. When a modern drug emerges that allows anyone - even foreigners - to wield jade, simmering tension between the two families erupts into open violence.
-
-
Gang Conflict & Grounded Magic
- By Anonymous User on 15-12-20
-
Blood Song
- Book 1 of Raven's Shadow
- By: Anthony Ryan
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners. Vaelin Al Sorna is the Sixth Order's newest recruit. Under their brutal training regime, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly - all in the name of protecting the Realm and the Faith. Now his skills will be put to the test.
-
-
Why ruin a good story with a poor narrator?
- By Jeremy on 20-10-14
-
Dissonance
- A LitRPG Adventure (Unbound Book 1)
- By: Nicoli Gonnella
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 26 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Felix's life on Earth had become a series of dead-end jobs, ruined relationships, and rotating apartments smaller than most postage stamps. By all accounts, even his own, he was a coward. Too afraid to move forward, to take risks. Yet when given the chance to choose between risking his life or walking away from a deadly encounter, he didn't hesitate. Moments before his untimely demise, Felix was snatched from earth and thrust into a magical world known only as "The Continent". Empowered by the "System", he learns that he can strengthen himself through combat and dedication.
-
-
great book.
- By Ross Nicoll on 10-05-22
-
The Riven Wyrde Saga (Omnibus Edition)
- The Complete Epic Fantasy Trilogy
- By: Graham Austin-King
- Narrated by: Mr J A O Mcpherson
- Length: 46 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the son of a mere merchant, Klöss wants nothing more than to pass his trials and join the ranks of the Bjornmen raiders, breaking free of his father and following in the footsteps of his forefathers. But times are changing in the Barren Isles. The centuries-old tradition of coastal plunder is making way for outright conquest, and the threat of war is looming.
-
-
great triology
- By Carly G on 23-03-22
-
The Poppy War
- The Poppy War, Book 1
- By: R. F. Kuang
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Opium runs through the heart of the Nikara Empire, a constant reminder of the war with the Federation of Mugen that brought it to the empire’s shores. A war that only ended thanks to three heroes - the Vipress, the Dragon Emperor and the Gatekeeper - known as the Trifecta. They were legendary figures, each bestowed with godlike powers, who united the warlords of the Empire against the Federation.
-
-
A bloody and intense storyline
- By Luce Briggi on 04-09-18
-
The Pariah
- The Covenant of Steel, Book 1
- By: Anthony Ryan
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army. Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance.
-
-
another good one
- By larry underwood on 05-09-21
-
Court of Assassins
- The Ranger Archives, Book 1
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legend. Myth. Nightfall has long been rumored to be nothing more than whispers on the breeze. If only it were so. In those halls of darkness, where children are taken from the world and given to shadow and dust, Asher is destined for that same fate. He will become the myth. He will become the legend. He will become the whisper of Death itself.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Good on 28-06-22
-
Dawn of Wonder
- The Wakening, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Renshaw
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 29 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a high-ranking officer gallops into the quiet Mistyvales, he brings a warning that shakes the countryfolk to their roots. But for Aedan, a scruffy young adventurer with veins full of fire and a head full of ideas, this officer is not what he seems. The events that follow propel Aedan on a journey that only the foolhardy or desperate would risk, leading him to the gates of the nation's royal academy - a whole world of secrets in itself. But this is only the beginning of his discoveries.
-
-
Coming of Age Fantasy
- By Simon on 15-02-17
-
The Lies of Locke Lamora
- By: Scott Lynch
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 21 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves.
-
-
Wonderful
- By Hallie on 14-08-11
-
The Black Prism
- Book One of Lightbringer
- By: Brent Weeks
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Great series! (new narrator)
- By Robyn on 13-07-17
-
The Blade Itself
- The First Law: Book One
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer, is trapped in a twisted and broken body - not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers.Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain and shallow, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men.
-
-
Possibly My Favourite Listen So Far...
- By Andrew on 18-10-13
-
The Hobbit
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Rob Inglis
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of 13 dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
-
-
A real pleasure
- By Grant on 10-03-16
Summary
A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man's journey to find his destiny.
Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He's never questioned it; that's just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend, Cade, are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free....
But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him or his people but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.
The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up...but it's locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land.
All they have to do now is steal it....
Read by Simon Bubb.
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about The Ember Blade
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Texnik
- 01-01-19
Not great..
I don't know what rating to give this. I think I'm going to cry. I'm 20 hours in and STILL nothing worthwhile has happened. Sure there was a little action interspersed with stupidity and drama, but nothing meaningful or unique. And until they escaped you know where, I felt like the victim of a prank. What's the point of fantasy if you're not going to explore new ideas?
I have a sinking feeling that this book is just some exposition to a "grander story". It's taking me longer to finish it than it normally would because it's all pretty boring. Doing nothing and staring into empty space is more interesting, so I found myself pausing the audiobook without a reason and without thinking.
I'm wasting time writing a review I'm going to replace because useless work feels more rewarding than listening to this.
I'll give it credit where it's due. The world building is pretty extensive from a historical and mythological perspective. Everything else is just normal with a tiny bit of the occasional magic.
Three of the main characters are interesting enough, so there are people to care about. The two MAIN protagonists are the means that complicates the plot because they do stupid things one after another.
In a way, the story was well thought out, I think, but it's light in substance and heavy on sentimental detail.
It boggles my mind that the other reviews are so positive. It's nowhere near as entertaining as almost anything else I've read and there's no message because there isn't an ounce of originality. It's just a detailed story about heroism and rebellion and a vague end-of-the-world prophecy that nobody seems to care about.
The story is like a constant tease. It has so much potential that at any point a better writer could turn it into something great. The setting is ready for something meaningful to happen, but it just stretches and stretches and stretches. And there are so many POVs about mundane internal struggles that it's slowing everything down even more. Entire character arcs could have happened in the background. How much did I really need to know about that wife and her sick child? A few chapters? Am I going to start caring about that supporting character just because I know his struggles? Everyone has their struggles, I get it.
Audiobooks I liked less: The Stone Man, 1984, Dune, Mythos, The Iliad. Out of about 80.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Richard Woodrow
- 21-01-19
Loved this book!
I have to be honest the first 4 hours of this book were a little bit of a struggle for me but my goodness the remainder of this book did not disappoint, I couldn’t stop listening. Everything I look for in epic fantasy. Adventure, twists, revenge and even heart ache. I cannot wait for book 2!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-06-19
My favourite audio book of the year so far
This was a fantastic listen, I loved the characters Grub being my favourite. Great world building and looking forward to the next instalment. The narrator was brilliant!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rachel
- 08-02-19
Good fun
I enjoyed this fantasy. It is good-humoured and very visual (I can really see some of the adventures clearly in my mind's eye). Although the characters are a bit cliched they are rounded enough to care about and Simon Bubb's narrating certainly helped to make them seem more three dimensional. The story is exciting and well-paced with some good set pieces. The character of Aren did develop and mature through the book, although his friend Kale is a bit of a Sam Gamgee. I wonder if I've made this book sound dumb? It was certainly enjoyable for me and I will be listening to the next one.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lee W's
- 15-01-19
A Quick 30 Hours!
I really enjoyed this book. Some long stories can drag, but this was a real page turner. The characters were believable and narration superb. Surely there must be another to follow - the scene is set. It was sad to reach the end.
Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marianne Dreelan
- 28-11-18
Fantastic
Can’t wait for the next Book. Love the story and the voice. I think Grubb is wonderful.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- "sharky18"
- 01-02-19
Really Disappointing!
I listened and read Chris Wooding's Tales of the ketty Jay series and loved them. Found this book and thought "YES."
How wrong I was. The story is so boring, the characters have no charisma and some of the humour is cringe. I had a real problem with the Narrator as well - It really annoyes me when a narrator keeps their own voice for the main character. It makes it difficult to distinguish a difference from narration to dialogue. Although the dialogue is 'Captain obvious!' I got to Chapter 77 and gave up. I thought "just see it through, I need to find out the ending at least." Then I realised that I don't care about this book nor the ending. I can't believe that this is the same author who wrote the Ketty Jay series. Will definitely be returning this one Audible! I want my Credit back.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- infensus
- 20-01-19
Gave up 10.5hrs in
The narrator has a distracting stilted rhythm but improves a few hours in. However 10.5hrs (a mere half way) in to this long winded tale where not much had happened, I felt uninvested and unexcited by the characters or plot and decided to call it a day.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 16-01-19
I love his books but this....
I don't know where to start.
I love the Ketty Jay series. It's in my top five favourite series.
If you were hoping for a similarly good series in this book I'm afraid to say you may be better spending time elsewhere.
it may have been the narrator with over characterised accents etc but I think it's deeper than that.
For a book this long it has no sense of detail or any real substance to the world Wooding is trying to build. It perks up towards the end, but one and two are horribly slow and leaves the characters you like least and moves away from the interesting ones.
If you like hearing people's inner monologues you'll love this book however. As the perspective changes haphazardly from character to character in uneven bouts we get to hear every uninteresting thought that passes through their head, every worry, contradiction etc etc. Most times I feel like paragraphs could have ended sentences ago and the story would have been much more involving for the reader. It's nice to have a little mystery in characters. All of these are splayed out like Christ on a cross.
Another note to make, and I'm not being over the top because I fully understand stories have overlapping themes, conventions and plot tools, but this book is like a Frankenstein of all the best major epics. LOTRs clearly is one of the main contributing factors amongst others too numarable to mention. Whether this is intentional homage or just inspiration working it's way in, you notice it a lot in what are the most climatic parts of the book.
I will read the next one, maybe Wooding needs more time to get into it. But this is no where near as creative, fun or engaging as Retribution Falls.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Katherine Fulcher
- 22-12-18
Amazing in places
A really good tale with a great variety of characters, but most of the characters lack depth, and up all being very similar, and there are places where they are used for narrative rather than true to themselves.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Stephen
- 28-08-19
About the Narrator
I'm about 80% through this book and I am enjoying it. I want to go on and make a comment about the narration. I almost didn't buy this book because of the negative comments about the narrator. I can't understand the reason for this.
The only legitimate criticism that i see is that he doesn't use a lot of different voices for different characters. This is a very minor issue as far as I am concerned. I have had narrators who annoyed me greatly and distracted from the book by using different voices. One in particular used the grandpa voice from the Real McCoys and it was truly awful. Other narrators have tried to sing the song parts. I didn't care much for that either. Some have had awkward pacing and pauses that made no sense. There have been issue with semblance and mouth noises that can be distracting, this narration has none of those.
Simon Bubb does a great job of staying out of the way of the story and not trying to do things that he isn't capable of. I mark this as a strong point for any narrator.
Anyway, don't pass this book by because of the negative comments. It's a great story with well fleshed out characters. I for one, am looking forward to the next installment.
74 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 09-05-19
I cried at the end of this damn thing.
title says it all doesn't it. I read close to 36 fantasy novels each year, between audible and paper. Yes the narrator doesn't do this thing justice, as most of these comments I originally saw before I purchased this thing said. But Chris Wooding has done something amazing here. Do not let a few negative reviews based on narration rob you of the incredible book this truly is. I'm looking forward to book 2 of this series more than im looking forward to book 3 of the KingKiller Chronicles. For those of you enthusiasts of the fantasy genre, you know how big a statement that is. I don't take much time to review books, due in part because this is reducing my reading time, but I wanted to review this one. if you turn down the opportunity of reading this book because of a few negative reviews you're robbing yourself as I almost did. Yes the narration leaves something to be desired, but the book is marvelous.
144 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Zach Miller
- 20-06-19
My new favorite book.
Before spending a credit on this book I read a review from a fellow audiobook enthusiast who said that they were anticipating the 2nd book in the series more so than the 3rd installation of the Kingkiller Chronicles. I was very skeptical as Kvothe was my favorite fantasy character of all time. Notice that I said "was". Grubb is my new hero of choice. As I have just finished The Ember Blade, I am still exalting in its greatness. The storyline was fantastic, characters are believable, and the plotline wasn't as predictable as the summary outline made it out to be. I will be buying this book in Hard Cover to add to my already full bookshelf. I cannot praise this book enough. Please do yourself a favor and purchase this audiobook. My only regret is that I finished this 30 hour title in 3 days, I couldn't stop listening. As far as the narration goes, it is not bad. I have finished books with worse voice acting and worse story lines. He is no Michael Kramer but he is a burgeoning talent that will no doubt continue to improve as the series goes on.
31 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- phillip
- 07-06-19
Top of the Fantasy class
I have over 300 fantasy books in my audible collection and just as many on paper, if not more. I dont often write reviews, unless, of course, its special. This one is special and belongs in the top ten on my list of all time greatest.
The book begins with two boys who fall into a bit of trouble and find their way into a work camp. What follows is a chase that rivals, and in my opinions bests, that of WoT. On this harrowing journey, we not only get a great deal of backstory for the "good guys" but also the "bad guys". As the book continues, the line between good and bad blurs. You will love the main characters one moment and despise them the next. You will laugh, cry, and scream in frustration. Its a rare fantasy novel that can get my emotions stirring, but this one certainly does. Keep a lookout for Grub - my personal favorite.
For those fantasy heads out there. GET THIS BOOK. Ive recommended to all my friends and all love it so far. Its a rare thing for a fantasy to surprise me. Even rarer when I cant stop listening to it. You are doing yourself a disservice if you pass this one by. Trust me.
Ive seen several complaints about the narration. I dont get it. Hes great. Could have been better, but the title doesnt suffer for it at all. I look forward to the next title and hope the narrator stays.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Royal
- 07-02-19
Lame beginning.... great ending
Great study on betrayel, bad governments, as well as resistance. I couldn’t finish a book for what seems like forever...... and now I finished this one good stuff!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 21-11-19
Ok. No candle to King Killer Chronicles.
Are some of these reviews even real? Better than King Killer series? Give me a break. that's like comparing this broken egg to a God. They do not even deserve mention in the same conversation. I did enjoye this one after about 8 chapters. I like books that are not always good, this one got in it's own way sometimes. I blame the editor. Some characters were flat, some were more like puffy stickers. I will be listening to the rest of the series.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- LindaP
- 15-06-19
If you like classic fantàsy READ this Book
I listen to audio books all the time. I think this is the second time I have written a review. This book could do with one more edit. Some passages are a little long. Having said that, I loved it.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Gregg
- 21-03-19
Fantastic Fantasy Fiction
I was hesitant to purchase this as it sounded like the same old trope... the hero's journey boy thrust into the world unawares... But I was pleasantly surprised. The story is compelling, the caricatures refreshingly flushed out and the plot consistent. My only complaint is...
Part 2 is not yet available.
24 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- @tone0189
- 08-10-18
Complex Characters.
I was pleasantly surprised that despite the book following a typical narrative the characters are complex and compelling. All their motivations are diverse and feel real. No two dimensional characters.
If you enjoy coming of age fantasy with compelling characters with complex motivations the I recommend the book.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Colin
- 27-06-19
Fantastic!!!
I don't know what other reviewer's who said they didn't like the narrator are talking about. I almost wonder if they are getting paid to post a bad review. I actually do voiceover work and I am a huge fan of Michael Kramer and this narrator was fantastic. Subtle and nuanced at times yes, but overall very very good. The story, the performance, everything I thoroughly enjoyed!
5 people found this helpful