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Title: The Day of the Tempest

Subtitle: Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age, Book 2

Author: Jean Rabe

Narrator: Josh Clark

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 50 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Summer of Chaos has ended. Ansalons nightmare has only just begun.

The gods have departed the world, heralding a new Age of Mortals. But before the dust of war can settle, vast shadows cover the land. Dragons have come to Ansalon, larger and more powerful than any ever seen, and they will wreak havoc on nations still trembling from war. As the lands themselves begin to change under the dire magic of the new dragon overlords, new heroes arise to lead the fight for freedom.

Members Reviews:

Decent Story and Performance

This was very much like listening to a very well written Dragonlance campaign. There were times that Josh Clark's dragon voices were a bit over the top, but he brought depth to the characters. I give this book a solid A-

Another hit

A great continuation of the story of krynn. Very entertaining story packed with magic and action.

Great trilogy

This is a great story to bridge summer flame to the war of souls major events. Good to see lots of new characters and features Palen Majere prominantly so for big fans of the character like me it's a great treat.

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Title: Realms of War

Subtitle: A Forgotten Realms Anthology

Author: R. A. Salvatore, Ed Greeenwood, Paul S. Kemp, Elaine Cunningham, Lisa Smedman, Richard Lee Byers, Philip Athans (editor)

Narrator: Lory Reyes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

War stories from the battlefields of Faerun!

The millennia-old history of Faerun is punctuated by wars both local and world-spanning. This anthology of all-new stories is set against the backdrop of a dozen of those conflicts. From forest elf assassins to jungle-dwelling halflings, from the mighty Seven Sisters to primitive goblins, warriors in every form struggle for their place in the Forgotten Realms world.

Realms of War is an anthology of all new war stories from The New York Times best-selling authors R.A. Salvatore, Paul S. Kemp, Elaine Cunningham, and Lisa Smedman; Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood; fan favorites Richard Lee Byers, Mel Odom, Bruce R. Cordell, and Jess Lebow; and talented newcomers Mark Sehestedt, Jaleigh Johnson, and Susan Morris.

Members Reviews:

A great addition the the Forgotten Realms

Realms of War is the latest anthology released by Wizards of the Coast. All of the stories are edited by Philip Athans. This anthology is a direct tie-in to Paul S. Kemp's latest trilogy titled The Twilight War. The crux of this anthology is each of these stories take place in a war that has occurred, or is occurring, in the Realms. There are many events, and characters, that astute readers will recognize. Fans of the Forgotten Realms will recognize many of the authors in this anthology, such as Kemp, R.A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, and many more.

Instead of reviewing each story individually, which would take entirely too long. I will say a few words about each story and give my general impressions of it, and hope that will suffice.

#1 - Continuum by Paul S. Kemp - This story ties right into Mr. Kemp's Twilight War trilogy. While it doesn't answer many questions, it does provide some significant background into a couple of the characters as well as leaving the reader with at least two major questions. Fast pacing and solid writing here - just what we have come to expect from Mr. Kemp. 4 out of 5

#2 - Weasel's Run by Lisa Smedman - This is a quick little self contained tale. Nothing Realms shattering by any means, but the pacing and characters more than held my attention. After what I considered a disappointing second book in the Lady Penitent trilogy it is nice to see Ms. Smedmann return to form. Another solid story for this anthology. 4 out of 5.

#3 - The Last Paladin of Ilmater by Susan J. Morris - Editor Susan Morris tries her hand at the short story with this tale. High praises around. Very interesting story, solid characters, and enough action to keep me turning the pages. It already seems as though small things are happening in the Realms gearing up for something major. Yet another solid addition to this anthology. 4 out of 5.

#4 - Black Arrow by Bruce R. Cordell - A quaint story about a boy doing what his mom tells him not to. However, Mr. Cordell wraps this story in a very nice shell and the presentation is spot on. In fact, I would have liked to see this one as a novella, there was so much more I wanted to read about. Good plot, great characters, and equally solid pacing. A very good addition tot his anthology. 4 out of 5.

#5 - Too Many Princes by Ed Greenwood - This story had quite a bit of promise. A solid build up, an interesting plot and entertaining characters. Then, Mr.

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Title: Cloak of Shadows

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: The Shadow of the Avatar, Book 2

Author: Ed Greenwood

Narrator: Todd McLaren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Shadow over Faern

The Time of Troubles had arrived. The chaos of spilled blood, lawless strife, monsters unleashed, and avatars roaming Faern had come. But wrathful and warring gods were not Faern's only problem.

The dreaded and insidious Shadowmasters had seized the opportunity to increase their influence and power while Mystra and her minions were otherwise engaged. The Shadowmasters had woven a magical cloak of spells that would render the wearer invisible to their rival's magic.

The shadow over Faern spreads....

Members Reviews:

Cloak of Shadows

What did you love best about Cloak of Shadows?

This book continues the story with the same set of characters from book 1. However, it does add quite a few more to the equation, which can be a little tough to keep track. Ultimately, these bad guys from the plane of shadows (the maulagrym) are trying to take over while magic is going haywire. Sharintyr and the boys must storm the castle and crack some skulls.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm sticking with my Harper Bros for favorite characters. Ed writes them so well and hearing the banter back and forth really sets the tone.

Have you listened to any of Todd McLarens other performances before? How does this one compare?

After listening to a few of Todd McLaren's narrations I have found a new respect and favorite narrator. He does a very nice job. Although, because there are so many characters with the maulagrym added... some of the Harper voices sound like the bad guys.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was almost like two stories in one book. Definitely, not as much Elminster as the first book which is a bummer. About half way through the book I figured it could have stopped and I would have been satisfied. Then the story takes a different turn and you follow another series of events in a different direction (which made it a little challenging to follow at times).

Any additional comments?

You can see why people might not enjoy some of Ed Greenwood's work. He definitely started to get jumbled in this novel. More than a few times I didn't know why or what the characters were really doing. Why did the maulagrym let the Harpers waltz into their castle and stay the night? Selune was imbued into a sword Sharintyr was using? And, what was Elminster doing the entire second half of the book?... stopping people from fighting with one another? C'mon, don't even write him in if that's what I am going to have to listen to for 25 minutes.

Overall, it's a worthwhile read/listen. Just know it's a little on the long side but the fun is still there.

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Title: The Rite

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: The Year of Rogue Dragons, Book 2

Author: Richard Lee Byers

Narrator: Melissa Reizian Frank

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The second in a new trilogy of novels from R. A. Salvatores War of the Spider Queen author, Richard Lee Byers.

The Rite is the second title in a trilogy exploring the ancient secrets of dragon society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Richard Lee Byers will write the entire trilogy, and the cover art for the trilogy and the associated anthology will be rendered by award-winning fantasy artist Matt Stawicki.

Members Reviews:

Great continuation of the series

Good second installment of the rage series. Slightly less action than 1st book, still good.

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Title: Dance of the Dead

Subtitle: A Ravenloft Novel

Author: Christie Golden

Narrator: Marisa Vitali

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

When the riverboat on which she works as a dancer docks at a zombie-plagued island known as Sourange, Larissa Snowmane must rely on the help of the swamp creatures to save her soul.

Members Reviews:

Skip this One

Nothing to do with Ravenloft setting. Bad Story, bad narater. Skip this one, it dosnt even have anything to do with the DnD settings or classes or how magic works.

Good gothic horror gaming story, abysmal reader

I loved this book in my late high school and early college years, when I was deeply involved in gaming in the same setting where the story takes place. It was then and is still my favorite of the Ravenloft novels of the time; Christie Golden does a nice job. Like most gaming-based fiction, it's not especially deep, sort of a Creole riverboat horror version of what would otherwise be termed a "fun romp." If that kind of accessible story is your cup of tea, I would recommend this one... in print form.

The reader is simply dreadful. On the positive side, she sounds as if she is enjoying the story herself, which is nice, but half the cast of characters come out sounding like Tiffany from Daria--slow and somehow breathy, but monotone and distracted.

A spark of talent shows when the reader gives a bit-part a rich French accent, but for some reason in this tale set against a Louisiana style Cajun/Creole backdrop this is the only time she makes use of this skill. I was left wishing repeatedly that a voice like that would return, and chuckling inappropriately whenever the Tiffany voice would return.

I was able to complete my listen because I knew the story and was looking forward to the poignantly satisfying big finish. If you are new to this story, I don't know how you take it seriously with this reader.

So so

So so,

it was a interesting look at a I'd hero. The second half was the better half.

Good story, horrible reading

Would you try another book from Christie Golden and/or Marisa Vitali?

Christie Golden is one of the women who actually can write fantasy, so yes.

Vitali, the reader, is unbelievably bad. LibriVox-bad.

What didnt you like about Marisa Vitalis performance?

She reads in a bored automatic, something like a metal-robot voice, only worse. No voice-acting, very careful school-teacher annunciation of words, pauses in wrong places, very slow pace...

Could you see Dance of the Dead being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Movie, yes. Series, no.

Any additional comments?

Don't buy it.

I'm considering returning it.

Okay story, grating voices.

The story is fairly standard horror fantasy. When the narrator is reading non-dialog she is rather pleasant, but some of the voices she attempts are halting and grating. I was tempted to stop listening after some long scenes with The Lady or Dragon Eyes dialog.

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Title: The Dawning of a New Age

Subtitle: Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age, Book 1

Author: Jean Rabe

Narrator: Josh Clark

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 43 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Summer of Chaos has ended. Ansalon's nightmare has only just begun.

The gods have departed the world, heralding a new Age of Mortals. But before the dust of war can settle, vast shadows cover the land. Dragons have come to Ansalon, larger and more powerful than any ever seen, and they will wreak havoc on nations still trembling from war. As the lands themselves begin to change under the dire magic of the new dragon overlords, new heroes arise to lead the fight for freedom.

The first book in a rerelease of a key trilogy in the Dragonlance saga, this trilogy covers key events that take place between Dragons of Summer Flame and the bestselling War of Souls trilogy.

Members Reviews:

Finally, a voice for Dragon Lance

Finally a voice that captures the characters of Dragon Lance. I much prefer male narrators trying their hand at female voices than female characters trying to attempt male voices. Josh's voicing of the dragons may be a love it or hate it for most folks. personally, I like it. Some may think it is over-acted. But it reminds me of the voicing of Takhisis from the old Dungeons & Dragons cartoons from the 80s.

My only complaint, again, is the Kender voicing. Why is it so difficult to capture the essence of a Kender? While not as horrible and unforgivanle as the voicing performed on the Lost Chronicles audio books, I never in my wild imagination thought of Kender's as having a Southern redneck dialect. I can't fathom how so many voice actors have missed the mark on the fearless, child-like wonderment and excitement that a kender possesses. Every experience for them is new, exciting and full of adventure and mystery. How a slow, southern accent was chosen here instead of that of an excited child-like exhuberance is beyond me. Like I said, not as bad as the others. But it cost the audio book it's 5th star

Great!

The voice actors is incredible. I think, perhaps ; the best I've heard

great book and performance

This book has a great narrator you and feel the story and the voices match there characters.

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Title: The Parched Sea

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: The Harpers, Book 1

Author: Troy Denning

Narrator: Marty Moran

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Determined to drive a trade route through Anauroch, the Zhentarim have sent an army to enslave the fierce nomads of the great desert. As tribe after tribe fall to the intruders, only a single woman, Rhua, sees the true danger - but what sheik will heed the advice of an outcast witch?

Ruha finds help from an unexpected source. The Harpers, guardians of liberty throughout the Realms, have sent an agent to counter the Zhentarim. If she can help this stranger win the trust of the sheikhs, perhaps he can overcome the tribes ancestral rivalries and drive the invaders from the desert.

Members Reviews:

Narrator was awful

Story was great but the narrator was awful. If I hadn't returned the previous 3 books due to a bad narrator, I would have returned it also. I think Victor Bevine has spoilt me.

Not what I expected and enjoyable

I had gotten tired of listening to the endless legend of Drizzt books and so wanted a change of pace. The Parched Sea is certainly that! At first I was really sceptical that the setting and characters wouldn't come together, but I'm really glad that i stuck with it. Both the story and characters are fun and interesting. The setting feels real and well thought out and the theme of the story runs true from start to finish. The weak link in the audiobook would be the narration of Marty Moran, Which isn't at all bad, several of his pronunciations I found to be a bit odd, but forgivable. He's not much of an actor, but the narration is well paced and clear. If you like this Arab/ 1001 nights style setting you might also want to check out the Al Qadim setting novels. I have no idea if they are available on audio book or not.

Where's my epic fantasy?

Would you try another book from Troy Denning and/or Marty Moran?

I was really hoping for some epic fantasy and some back-story on the Harpers. What I got was a war story about how a girl saves her people from an invading force. The reader was terrible and had unnatural pauses, poor voice differentiation between characters and a flat, unemotional sound. I don't know how anyone could have rated this piece 5 stars.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story would have been better with more back-story on the Harpers and some epic fantasy adventure. By epic fantasy adventure I mean having a hero/heroine travel to strange new places, encounter new races or monsters, crawl through a few dungeons or ruins and save the world.

How could the performance have been better?

Hire a new reader.

The first of seventeen in the series

I purchased the audio book to listen to at work and being a Dungeons & Dragons player and DM I wanted to fall into the realms, to listen and learn, of the Harper organisation and the nation of Calishman. Which is did to a point. The book was written in 1991 under TSR publications, a fantasy novel shouldn't age. The story is average, and there are the protagonists vs the enemies wishing to bring destruction of dominion over powerful, wise but disorganised tribes of the Anauroch desert. There is love, loss and small skirmishes to large battles. There is of course more to this story also, mainly the use of magic, but only just about.

This is the first novel in the Harpers Series, so for one it is a good book to read, but there is not a great amount of depth to the Harper involved.

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Title: The God Catcher

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep, Book 5

Author: Erin M. Evans

Narrator: James Patrick Cronin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Walk the line between magic and madness in Erin M. Evans passionate story about the dragons of the City of Splendors....

Tennora would give anything to be a wizard. And Clytemorrenestrix, a strange woman with uncanny blue eyes, whose name means She Will Thunder in the Sky, and who claims to be a dragon, promises to make her just that - in return for aid in returning her to her true form. But soon after Tennora seals the deal, a bounty hunter presses a note into her hands claiming the dragon woman is actually a human - a violent, criminally insane human who murders those who fail her.

The God Catcher is gripping tale of identity, intrigue, and obsession set in the classic City of Splendors and presented by Forgotten Realms campaign setting creator and celebrated author Ed Greenwood. You dont want to miss out on this exciting glimpse into what the latest edition of the Realms has to offer.

Members Reviews:

Its a low rent apartment building, not a person

Any additional comments?

My review title is because I noticed this one several times and passed because I dont like stories so large in scope and world-import as gods interacting much or warring. But this book actually doesnt have that so I wanted people with similar tastes to not let the title fool you.

The main character human is a 20 something, not a child, whose career plans didnt work out. The human who may or may not have formerly been a dragon is interesting and contrasts well with the MC (and others). The bounty hunter is half-orc. There are some other interesting creatures in (and under) the city. The audio sample introduces what causes the overall plot but the rest of the story happens in the different parts of the interesting City of Splendors. It is more like Murder in Halruaa or Murder in Cormyr in tone. But its not a murder mystery but of the maybe-former dragon and a potential threat to the city. Along the way the MC deals with what to do now that her first career choice didnt work out. I liked it and the characters.

Wrong Narrator :-{

Yet another book that could have been wonderful, if only it had been read by another narrator. Why, Oh why, couldn't the fantastic Dina Pearlman have narrated this book, as she has all the other Erin M. Evans books. Ah well, I'll just have to read the printed version, as I simply can't listen to James Patrick Cronin maul it to death anymore.

A great coming of age story set in the Waterdeep

Really enjoyed the story. It was a lovely coming of age action adventure about a girl raised as a noble, but whose family has a secret.

The narrator was one of the poorest of the Forgotten Realms novels I've listened to. Off pronunciations and emphasis drew me out of the story on many occasions. Most notably, for a story set in Waterdeep, to put an odd heavy stress on "deep" in the word Waterdeep was really distracting.

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Title: Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: The Avatar, Book 5

Author: Troy Denning

Narrator: Nicole Greevy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 71 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

This title is the final in a series of recovers of the popular Avatar series. At the time of its original release, this series presented key events that impacted the entire Forgotten Realms world, and the effects of those events are still felt in current novels. This re-released series features a cohesive cover design and all-new art and was written by New York Times best-selling author Troy Denning.

Cyric the Mad

Who betrayed his friends Midnight and Kelemvor and sought to destroy them.

Who ascended to godhood and now spreads his lies and intrigues into every corner of Faerun.

Who is the Lord of Murder, the Prince of Lies - and insane.

Members Reviews:

If one word is false then they all are.

Another great story by Mr. Denning. Just not impressed with Nicole's story telling abilities. Still, a great story.

Cyric, THE ONE & ALLLLLLL!!!!!

From the moment of its release, & until I breathe my last, this book remains a constant enjoyment!

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Title: The Blinding Knife

Subtitle: Lightbringer, Book Two

Author: Brent Weeks

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-13

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 149 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Gavin Guile is dying. He'd thought he had five years left - now he's got less than one. With 50,000 refugees, a bastard son, and an ex-fiancée who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin's got problems on every side.

As he loses control of his magic, all magic is running wild, threatening to destroy the Seven Satrapies. The old gods are being reborn. Their army of color wights is unstoppable, and the only salvation may be the brother whose freedom and life Gavin stole 16 years ago.

Critic Reviews:

Epic fantasy at its best . . . I was hooked in from the first page and couldn't put it down, even at the last. It is, quite frankly, superb. (Sci-Fi London)

Weeks manages to ring new tunes on...old bells, letting a deep background slowly reveal its secrets and presenting his characters in a realistically flawed and human way. (Publishers Weekly)

Weeks has written an epic fantasy unlike any of its contemporaries. It is a truly visionary and original work, and has set the bar high for others in its subgenre. (graspingforthewind.com)

Members Reviews:

awesome ...

everything about the production is top notch ... a must listen for every fantasy lover .... beautiful setup and character building. one can relate to characters and you won't realise how soon it ended ... craving for more.

Good performance Mr Vance

Having read the book myself it was great to hear it read by another. Wonderful.

Great story great narration

What made the experience of listening to The Blinding Knife the most enjoyable?

Simon was a magnificent narrator and the story is compelling

What other book might you compare The Blinding Knife to and why?

Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings- great heroes

Which character as performed by Simon Vance was your favorite?

Gavin!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Great plot and characters so well performed

Spectacular story, great listen.

The second novel in the Lightbringer trilogy, The Blinding Knife is a spectacular read and a great listen. Simon Vance does a great job with the narration, and Brent Weeks' writing just keeps getting better with every book he writes. This time Kip is in Black Guard training, Liv is working with the Colour Prince, Gavin/Dazen reveals his secret to Karris and Andross Guile starts his manipulations of Kip. Readers of Brandon Sanderson, Peter V. Brett and George R. R. Martin will love Brent Weeks.

Utterly Entertaining

Would you consider the audio edition of The Blinding Knife to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print edition, but the audio book production is fantastic.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are what makes the is book. I love them all to bits even the bad guys are great. I can't wait for the next instalment in the series!