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The Wolves of London
- Obsidian Heart, Book 1
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Series: Obsidian Heart, Book 1
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 24-10-14
- Language: English
- Publisher: Audible Studios
Regular price: £18.99
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Summary
Alex Locke is a reformed ex-con forced into London's criminal underworld for one more job.
He agrees to steal a priceless artefact - a human heart carved from the blackest obsidian - but when the burglary goes horribly wrong, Alex is plunged into the nightmarish world of the Wolves of London, unearthly assassins who will stop at nothing to reclaim the heart.
As he races to unlock the secrets of the mysterious object, Alex must learn to wield its dark power - or be destroyed by it.
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4 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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2 Stars35
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars328
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Magenta
- Watford
- 24-01-15
Can't wait for the next one!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I had no expectations when I bought this book but I was blown away! I loved it! The only bad part was getting to the end and realising that I wo have to wait for the next. I only finished it this afternoon and have already recommend it to three people.
What other book might you compare The Wolves of London to, and why?
I don't like to compare because it's no really like anything I have read before. It's a really dark urban fantasy set in London. The obvious comparison would be Ben Aaronovich's Rivers of London series and if you like that then you should enjoy this. However this is much darker, I love the concept of the obsidian heart and want to find out more.
What about Ben Onwukwe’s performance did you like?
He brought the characters to life and made be believe it. Great performance.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I was scared, worried and at times disgusted and relieved, there were some tense moments, I care about the characters and want to find out more about them.
Any additional comments?
This book was an unexpected gem and is well worth a listen.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ALP
- England, UK
- 11-10-16
Other reviewers seem confused - Compelling start..
The problem with looking at reviews before starting a book is that comments often stick with you and sometimes interfere with your perception and enjoyment of a book. Several reviewers words stuck with me throughout my listen but left me shaking my head as I finished it...
I didn't find this book to be a Rivers of London rip off.
I liked the slow but steady introduction of supernatural elements rather than a single plunge.
I enjoyed the narrator.
The author is very able to write.
The story does meander during the second half of the book, but except for a few odd sections I didn't find this to be a problem.
The story doesn't resolve in one book - boo hoo.
This book isn't trying to be Dr Who.
It feels like the majority of the "most helpful" reviews have read a different book or were very confused at what they were getting in to: "I found the supernatural elements to be unbelievable"... I rest my case.
For some reason this really annoyed me - probably because I enjoyed the book so much. It wasn't perfect but is definitely the start to a trilogy that I look forward to following.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chris POWER
- 25-11-15
This is a serial, not just a series.
Where does The Wolves of London rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
5 out of 10
Who was your favorite character and why?
They are okay but no one was heart-grabbing.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
No, apart from the below comment
Any additional comments?
Be prepared for a massive cliff-hanger at the end. This is supposed to be the first of a series, and yes, it delivers in that respect. BUT that cliff-hanger is annoyingly like a marketing ploy to push the listener/reader hard towards buying the next one. Which, since I was annoyed, and the characters didn't engage me stongly enough to care, I won't be buying.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Liam
- 20-02-17
Promising but bloated
I bought this because Amazon recommended it to me after I enjoyed Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series.
I can see why they are similar - urban fantasy, London etc. - but I didn't enjoy this book as much. It doesn't have the wit or warmth of Rivers of London and the characters feel a bit two dimensional. I am particularly unconvinced by Alex Locke, the main character, and I found it difficult to have much sympathy for him.
To my tastes, the book is overwritten and needs a good editor. Morris crams in as many similes and metaphors as possible and it sometimes feels as if it was written as part of a creative writing course. The detail with which he describes light switches, for example, can be exhausting and interferes with the building tension. If someone stripped out 75% of the adjectives, and let us see more of the plot, then it would be a much better book.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Nalini
- 31-10-15
A great beginning...
... The tale started out well, but then as the narrator talked through each escapade we got further and further from the original story. There didn't seem to be any link between each and there were no clues or answers to why any of it was happening. This may appeal to some, but not for me.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Stefan
- Kingston Upon Thames, United Kingdom
- 04-12-14
A slow burner, but worth persevering with........
If you could sum up The Wolves of London in three words, what would they be?
The words I'd use to describe this particular tale are; imaginative, dark and probably confused. The author has taken on a well traveled trope and done some clever and imaginative things with it, however within this process things get a little untidy. I think the premise is excellent and readers who have compared it unfavorably to the brilliant 'Rivers of London' series are doing this book a bit of a dis-service. Although the overall setting for both stories is same in as much as the are both London-centric and have a supernatural bent to me that's where the similarity ends. I find the Wolves of London a lot darker than the 'Rivers' series and am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next installment.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mikey
- poole, United Kingdom
- 02-11-14
Terrifying!
If you could sum up The Wolves of London in three words, what would they be?
Scary.Eery.Fantasy.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wolves of London?
Well I would hate to spoil for any potential listeners, but I will say that the performance of the narrator was the highlight of the book and made the listen great!
What does Ben Onwukwe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
As a South Londoner by origin myself, a poor accent of the region simply would not do for me. Mr Onwukwe didn't disappoint! Great narration, perfect accent (he was probably a londoner at one point in his life too) and excellent character switching during dialogue.Also, in the scary moments of the book, he narrated with eery and terrifying panache!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When the darkness and the soldier from the past appeared at the conservatory window at Bennies! A huge chill wes sent down my spine. Fortuitously, it had been halloween the night I was listening to it which was a bonus!
Any additional comments?
Great book. Clever storyline, chilling, eery and ominous: buy it and don't listen alone! Look forward to book two of the obsidian heart....
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Fiona
- Oxfordshire
- 17-06-17
Clumsy
So - I should start by telling you that i'm not a fan of horror - if a book I enjoy has some bloody and/or scary bits to it I'm cool with that, but I don't understand the appeal of it just for it's own sake. So maybe I picked the wrong book.
I found this book clumsy and cloddish - the story felt contrived, there was plenty of scary icky nastiness and it seemed to me to be there just because it could be, but didn't serve any purpose in driving the book forward.
I think I was looking for something in the spirit of the Rivers of London, or the Shadow Police - which I've enjoyed very much. This wasn't what I wanted, but the narration was pretty good.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Adrienne
- Cambs
- 30-04-16
not wha t I was expecting....
a good story which veers off in a direction totally unexpected. The path it took took me by surprise. I'm not 100% sure I would have purchased it if I had known how the story panned out but enjoyable all the same. The book ends mid way through the plot ... the second part is also available to buy....not sure whether to continue
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Randi Dentressangle
- Manchester, UK
- 30-04-16
Not My Taste
I bought this because Amazon recommended it to me after I enjoyed Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series.
I can see why they are similar - urban fantasy, London etc. - but I didn't enjoy this book as much. It doesn't have the wit or warmth of Rivers of London and the characters feel a bit two dimensional.
To my tastes, the book is overwritten and needs a good editor. He crams in as many similes and metaphors as possible.The detail with which he describes light switches, for example, can be exhausting. If someone stripped out 75% of the adjectives then it would be a much better book.
Overall, OK, but I won't rush to buy the others in the series.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lesley
- 30-11-14
Nothing here is what it seems!
When I read the description for The Wolves of London, I thought it sounded like a good urban fantasy. It was that, but it was so much more!
Alex Locke is a mild-mannered fellow with a couple of ex-girlfriends and a couple of daughters. Each day is much like the others for this single dad, as he gets his youngest ready for school and arranges child care with the neighbors before he commutes to his job as a teacher. Nobody knows about his criminal past--until the day his oldest daughter reveals that she's in a jam. Alex is forced to call in a favor. And that's when the real trouble begins.
A lot of urban fantasy focuses on underground supernatural factions as they battle for control over territory or lives, and often there's some romance thrown in as well. That's what I was expecting, and The Wolves of London seemed to be going in that direction--but then it took a left turn. And then another, and another, until I had zero idea where this story was going next. It was a fresh new take on the genre, and wholly unpredictable!
I definitely appreciated Morris's imagination, but even better are the great characters in this book. So here's a warning--this is only Book One, and there's definitely more to the story. I just finished listening, and already I miss Alex as well as the other people from this realistic world that's also a very unrealistic world (in a good way!). Describing them would spoil too much--let's just say that everybody you'll meet here is full of surprises!
No review for this audiobook is complete without a mention of Ben Onwukwe, the narrator. His voice is just gorgeous, but his range of accents and voices is plain incredible. His reading creates characterization that adds both depth and humor to the weird, weird world of the story.
So if you're looking for something a little different in the urban fantasy line, I highly recommend The Wolves of London. But hold on to your headphones--you're in for a crazy ride.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- J. Harnish
- 13-01-15
Solid Surreal Horror/Mystery
Creative tale and first installment the 'Wolves' story world of the dark-fantastic. Reminiscent of Clive Barker fiction without the sexual overtones. I enjoyed the story and the narration performance was good, though often a bit dry and melancholy. Not terribly distracting, but the baritone delivery is somewhat demanding and requires the right 'mood' for long listen times.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- CaffineFreeJAVA
- 17-11-14
Spoilers & Complaints
What disappointed you about The Wolves of London?
The characters were great, well detailed and believable. The situation was gripping and creepy. The mystery was solid.... and then there was time-travel. It felt like the author was trying to fit every cool idea he ever had into one book.... or possibly wrote the 3rd act in a haze of alcohol-ridden frustration for having not yet completed his book. It just spiraled worse and worse at the beginning of the third act, the moment TIME-TRAVEL was thrown into this modern, crime, horror, mystery, supernatural/steampunk-esque thriller...
Would you ever listen to anything by Mark Morris again?
Maybe.... but I don't know If i'd pay for it.
What about Ben Onwukwe’s performance did you like?
His characters were distinct. He LIVED the author's descriptions of each and he pulled you into the story with his performance rather than simply reading words on a page.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
The first 2 acts were solid, creepy and mysterious. Despite any failings in pacing and lack of exposition, it moved well enough to keep me interested in what happened next.
Any additional comments?
....I committed 10 hours into this and then got disappointed. I gave it another hour leaving me about 2 left.... but i just couldn't finish it cuz it kept spiraling worse and worse.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jessie
- 10-08-15
Not my cup of tea
For me this book was somewhere between science fiction and a mystery thriller but I could never quite figure out which one it was trying to be. I struggled to get through it, and became easily distracted while listening to it, particularly toward the end. The narration is fine - the story line just didn't hold my interest. I don't plan to read the next book in the series and I think that's pretty telling.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brandon
- 12-11-14
A good horror story.
Would you consider the audio edition of The Wolves of London to be better than the print version?
I don't have it in print version, but I do enjoy the narrator's voice quite a bit to set the tone especially his voice acting for more bass heavy voiced characters.
What did you like best about this story?
The way it started, I was contemplating how it would turn out to be a horror story.
Which character – as performed by Ben Onwukwe – was your favorite?
The Surgeon.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Unexpecting.
Any additional comments?
I really look forward to the second book! I hadn't realized this was going to be a series and now that I know I'm very eager for the next book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Berserk
- 08-11-14
A hidden gem
The Wolves of London is truly a hidden gem. Some might say it starts off slow, but it builds pace quickly and it stays interesting throughout. There are many twists and turns and the story is imaginative and the world goes from mundane to horrifying rather quickly. The characters are intriguing and well flushed out. This book if without a doubt worth your credit. I am eager to read the next book in the series.