Download Popular Authors Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

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Title: Betrovia: The First of Three of the Series Land of Betrovia

Author: Dave King

Narrator: Ian Miller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-03-13

Publisher: Dave King

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

What can a man expect from his Creator after losing his wife to a long, debilitating illness, then agonizing over raising two daughters on his own?

Being challenged to pursue a new career path, not once, not twice but three times early in his adult life can also create anxiety about the future. Patrik Veillein, as a newly-married young man (with a dutiful but recalcitrant wife in tow), turns away from the comforts of small town life to help his uncle manage a road-side inn many miles away. And before he gets a handle on that new job, before he can learn all there is to run a roadside inn, the uncle suddenly dies. If he had stayed where he was born, in the village where he was well-liked and well-adjusted, he could have become a successful hunter, fur trapper, and quite possibly a successful artist.

Moving to the Lonely Fox Inn meant leaving everything that was comfortable, predictable and even rational. Managing the Lonely Fox Inn meant meeting boisterous traveling salesmen, surly soldiers, mean-spirited mercenaries, and even an adventurer harboring a deep, dark secret. But, it also meant facing disappointment, disillusionment and even disaster.

Members Reviews:

A great character driven fantasy story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the book was very enjoyable, and well-written.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the fact that the story centers on an inn-keeper and his family rather than on heroes and warriors. It makes it easier to relate to the characters, while also giving it a fresh and original perspective on the fantasy genre.

Which character as performed by Ian Miller was your favorite?

Patrik

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Troubled times are coming to the land of Betrovia.

Any additional comments?

Dave King is a fantasy author who clearly has an eye for the grand as well as for the little things. Whether it is the politics of the kingdom or the politics of the kitchen, the author pays close attention to every detail. This is definitely my kind of fantasy story; it remains focused on the characters and their day to day doings without losing sight of the grander picture, and without locking you inside their heads like many modern fantasy novels seem to do.

In Betrovia, Dave King approaches the fantasy genre from a unique perspective, telling the tale mostly from the perspective of an old inn keeper - the sort of man who is usually only in the background of epic stories.

I liked just about everything about the book. There was very little in the way of magic, which I much prefer over magic-saturated stories like The Wheel of Time series. The author did a great job of making his characters lovable and interesting, each with their own quirks and strengths.

The dialogue was especially interesting. There was a lot of humorous banter and the characters had some unique expressions that helped give you the sense that you were truly in a different land and a different time.

One of the most enjoyable fantasy stories I've read in a LONG time.

The audio performance was excellent! Ian Miller really made the story come alive, and added a lot of... character to the characters. It really felt as though Betrovia had a culture of its own just in the way the voice acting was executed. One of the best audiobook performances I have listened to.

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Title: The Final Sacrifice

Subtitle: Chronicles of Josan, Book 3

Author: Patricia Bray

Narrator: Christopher Kipiniak

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

In one man, two souls fight for survival - and for mastery of an outlaw magic that could save a kingdom.

It was a fate Josan once considered preferable to death. Cast by dark sorcery into the body of Emperor Lucius of Ikaria, the scholar-monk struggled to make peace with a mind that regarded him as a hostile intruder. But now, as simmering rivalries threaten to plunge the kingdom into a bloody civil war, Josan is faced with the most difficult choice of all. For the uneasy truce between him and Lucius is unraveling in a form of madness that is destroying the body they share. Theres only one hope for a cure. Disguised, stowing away as a common traveler, Josan/Lucius will make the hazardous journey to Xandropol. There in the great library of the Learned Brethren, Josan hopes to find the forbidden magic that will counter the spell that yokes him and Lucius. But an old antagonist is already on their trail: The Lady Ysobel follows them to what she realizes is the scene of her and Josans fateful first meeting. But not even she divines the reason for this final pilgrimage: that Josan has returned to sacrifice his life.

Editorial Reviews:

A tale of forbidden spells, secret societies, and sacrifice, lovers of the fantasy genre will be delighted by this third book in Patricia Bray's series, Chronicles of Josan. The Final Sacrifice

tells the tale of a monk named Josan who is banished into the body of an evil emperor. As the two minds threaten to destroy the body they share, Josan must embark on a perilous journey to save himself--and the kingdom he lives in. Christopher Kipiniak narrates this audiobook with a voice of delicate warmth; a worthy vessel to carry readers into the world of sorcery.

A tale of forbidden spells, secret societies, and sacrifice, lovers of the fantasy genre will be delighted by this third book in Patricia Bray's series, Chronicles of Josan. The Final Sacrifice

tells the tale of a monk named Josan who is banished into the body of an evil emperor. As the two minds threaten to destroy the body they share, Josan must embark on a perilous journey to save himself--and the kingdom he lives in. Christopher Kipiniak narrates this audiobook with a voice of delicate warmth; a worthy vessel to carry readers into the world of sorcery.

A tale of forbidden spells, secret societies, and sacrifice, lovers of the fantasy genre will be delighted by this third book in Patricia Bray's series, Chronicles of Josan. The Final Sacrifice

tells the tale of a monk named Josan who is banished into the body of an evil emperor. As the two minds threaten to destroy the body they share, Josan must embark on a perilous journey to save himself--and the kingdom he lives in. Christopher Kipiniak narrates this audiobook with a voice of delicate warmth; a worthy vessel to carry readers into the world of sorcery.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic conclusion to a superb trilogy

The Final Sacrifice by Patricia Bray is the third novel in the Chronicles of Josan trilogy. The first two novels are;The First Betrayal (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 1)and the second bookThe Sea Change (The Chronicles of Josan, Book 2). This is a series that may be overlooked by many readers simply because it is not getting a lot of publicity. I first stumbled upon Ms. Bray's work due to Amazon.com recommending it to me one night. I gave it a shot and was hooked within fifteen pages.

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Title: The Choir Boats

Subtitle: Longing for Yount, Book 1

Author: Daniel A. Rabuzzi

Narrator: Kieron Elliot

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

London, 1812 - Yount, Year of the Owl

What would you give to make good on the sins of your past? For merchant Barnabas McDoon, the answer is: everything.When emissaries from a world called Yount offer Barnabas a chance to redeem himself, he accepts their price to voyage to Yount with the key that only he can use to unlock the door to their prison. But bleak forces seek to stop him: Yount's jailer, a once-human wizard who craves his own salvation, kidnaps Barnabas's nephew. A fallen angel, a monstrous owl with eyes of fire, will unleash Hell if Yount is freed. And, meanwhile, Barnabas's niece, Sally, and a mysterious pauper named Maggie seek with dream-songs to wake the sleeping goddess who may be the only hope for Yount and Earth alike.

Members Reviews:

Really unusual and very literary debut fantasy

This was a surprising novel and very hard to review. It is certainly a fantasy with some elements of steampunk and some elements of historical fiction but I find it quite difficult to pin it to a definite sub-genre. Although it has a fairy tale quality to it, it is a book that is written to be read on many levels. You would have to be extremely well read to catch all the many literary, mythological, historical, and Biblical references (some of them quite sly) in this book, but it could be read by an older child for just the basic story since it is adventuresome and fun. And, I found the illustrations that are in the print version online and I'm sure a child would love the pictures. There are 3 major characters that are teenagers which may be why some people have labeled this book as YA and I think the book does provide two pretty terrific young heroines, but I don't think the novel fits any YA pattern I've seen.

Rabuzzi starts the story in 1812 London and paints an accurate picture of that time/place while at the same time throwing in references to fictional books and characters as though they were part of real history. He is using the same historical time period for this novel as Naomi Noviks Temeraire series with the Napoleonic wars in the background and The Choir Boats reminded me a bit of that series in tone, but Rabuzzi uses a wider and richer vocabulary and much of his prose is truly beautiful. Steampunk is not the plot driver in this book that it is in some of the genre, but Rabuzzi weaves a bit of it in when the characters advance in their quest for Yount, a mystical world that exists in parallel with our own world, the fate of which seems to be intertwined with our own.

This is a quest fantasy with a lot of humor. And although the characters are a bit bolder than life, they are lovingly detailed and interesting. One of the things I enjoyed the most is the way Rabuzzi took a "good guy" and slowly revealed a back story that made you see him as much more human than he looked at first. And, he also took a "bad guy" and gave him so much more context as the story unfolded, you begin to doubt if he is evil at all.

There are a few places where I felt the narrative slowed a bit, but overall the pacing was good and I was never bored. There are a couple of romantic stories woven into the plot, but no sex scenes, coarse language, or really graphic violence so the book should be fine for younger readers although the vocabulary may be challenging for some.

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Title: Valor of the Healer

Subtitle: Rebels of Adalonia, Book 1

Author: Angela Highland

Narrator: Gia St. Claire

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-15-13

Publisher: Carina Press

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Rook

An assassin hired by vengeful elven rebels to kill the calculating Duke of Shalridan, Julian walks into a trap and barely escapes with his life. Healed by a beautiful captive in the dungeons, he's enthralled and vows to free her from the duke's clutches.

The Hawk

A Knight of the Hawk duty-bound to cleanse elven magic from Adalonia, Kestar has a secret - and heretical - ability to sense the use of magic from afar. He knows something suspicious is happening in the duke's keep, but he has no idea how deep the conspiracy goes.

The Dove

A half-elven healer with no control over her magic, Faanshi is the goddess' to command. She's always been a pawn of the powerful, but after healing two mysterious and very different men, she faces a choice that may decide the fate of the whole kingdom....

Members Reviews:

Hard to listen to

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narrator was hard to understand. Her accent slurred several words together so that much of the time, I wasn't sure what she was saying. Her pitch was also a little high, so that could've added to the problem.

I can't comment on the story itself as I really couldn't get past the first 10 minutes.

Would you ever listen to anything by Angela Highland again?

With a different narrator, probably.

What didnt you like about Gia St. Claires performance?

Her accent.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Valor of the Healer?

Couldn't say as I didn't finish listening to it.

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Title: Princess in Exile

Author: Chris Wichtendahl

Narrator: Emily Eldridge

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-13

Publisher: Chris Wichtendahl

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

When the Champion of the Land falls under the evil enchantment of a villainous dark goddess, what is the Princess to do? Belt on her sword and go rescue him, of course. Artemis, Heir to the throne of the Land Vega must do just that. When the Champion falls, Artemis' father is murdered in a bloody coup and she is left for dead by his killer.

Traveling from impenetrable jungle to enchanted woods, through the realms of gods and down into the very deepest pits of Hell, Artemis Vega braves every danger to rescue her beloved and take back her throne. With all the myriad forces of evil arrayed against her, she is aided by the monks of a hidden jungle monastery, a mysterious coven of priestesses, a posse of legendary Gunfighters and a strange young man who moves at the speed of thought. But will all her power and all her friends be enough to save her beloved and her Land from a Dark Goddess and her treacherous human pawn?

Members Reviews:

Great, fun listen

I really loved this title. I can not wait to listen to more from this author.

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Titel: Blutklingen

Autor:: Joe Abercrombie

Erzähler: David Nathan

Format: Unabridged

Spieldauer: 21 hrs and 50 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 04-04-13

Herausgeber: Random House Audio, Deutschland

Kategorien: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

"Blutklingen" ("Red Country", 2012) ist keine Fortsetzung der First-Law-Trilogie ("Kriegsklingen", "Feuerklingen", "Königsklingen"), spielt aber in derselben Fantasy-Welt.

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Title: Instrument of Fate

Author: Christie Golden

Narrator: Reay Kaplan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

"Take the lute. Be safe, be careful, trust no one, and live, my child, live to write a glorious ballad about your adventure..." With these words, a dying elf gives young bard Gillien Songespynner a magical lute and changes her life forever. For someone is after the lute - a relentless adversary who is never what he seems, and who will stop at nothing in order to prevent Gillien from delivering the lute safely to Queen-mother Ariel.

All too soon, the young musician is on the run, brutally bereft of family, even of her true identity. Her only companion on this desperate adventure is a former swordsman named Daric, charged by a mysterious patron with protecting Gillien and the lute. But Daric has a haunted past and secrets of his own that may well betray them both...that is, if they live long enough....

Members Reviews:

A well told, suspenseful story!

This is a wonderful story. There is action, suspense, some romance and enough twists and turns in the plot to keep one guessing for quite a while. The characters are well developed, likeable, and mostly have well told back-stories. Christie Golden paints a new universe with a full palette, but isn't ever tedious about teaching the 'rules', if you will of the new universe she's created. As readers, we learn of the pantheon and magic of the universe in seemingly natural ways as we follow our protagonist on her journey, without any tedious or lengthy exposition to pull us out of the main thrust of the story.

A Journey Through the Human Soul

The Seven Gods of Mortal-kind,

the Humans that they lead and blind;

The Fala, the Sa, Ilsi and Kir,

The Lady's people, races fair.

Just as fair, their forms more free,

Swim the People of the Sea.

Demons made from darkest dreams

Guard the Night King as he schemes.

Last and least, the angry Ghil

Lurk and envy, stalk and kill

But there are more who linger here

Than Demons dark and gods to fear;

More than elves and more than men-

Aertha's kind are one and ten.

-"The Naming of the Kinds", from the Book of The Lady

The excerpt above is from Christie Golden's original fantasy novel Instrument of Fate, and in a way, it provides a nice foreshadowing of the story. This is a book that follows a female bard and her quest to deliver a musical instrument to the Queen-Mother of Byrn. War is on the verge of breaking out between men and elves, and this one little adventure is vital to the outcome. However this is not a story about the brewing war, but a personal story about the bard. She must persevere against the odds, and mostly on her own. It's a story of great emotion, and great characters. Quite simply, it's one of Golden's best.

In this world of fantasy there are a few basic races: elves, humans, and the Ghil. The evles basically stay to themselves, and during this period of time, they are divided. Some of the elves despise human kind and wish to renew the old wars against them. Other elves have learned to forgive and even like the humans and have no wish to renew the war. Some care little and have no opinion. Like traditional elves, they have pointy ears, are small in stature, and live a long time. They are also emotionally reserved. Humans on the other hand are creatures of emotion and are portrayed as humans are always portrayed. The Ghil are interesting in that they are ratmen who make a living off slavery.

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Title: The Garden of the Stone

Author: Victoria Strauss

Narrator: Michael McConnohie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

At the heart of the Fortress lay the Garden.

At the heart of the Garden lay the Stone.

It was a living entity of power beyond understanding - not even by the men who had used its energies to control the un-Gifted masses, ever since the wrenching cataclysm that shattered the union of Hand and Mind and split the world centuries ago. Then came Bron, his arrival long foretold, destined to restore the balance between Hand and Mind. But Bron had other plans. He stole the Stone...and vanished.

Now Bron's daughter Cariad, a powerful empath and skilled assassin, must follow the footsteps of a father she has never known, into the depths of the same Fortress. Waiting there is Jolyon, her father's deadly enemy, a man whose thirst for domination is matched only by his taste for blood...and who possesses the power to satisfy both appetites. Cariad must learn the secret of Jolyon's strength before it is too late. For just as her father's arrival was prophesied, so too is his return. And this time Jolyon is ready - for Bron to die.

Members Reviews:

Just as good as the first one

The Garden of the Stone has it all--a fast paced and exciting plot, fascinating world building, and excellent characters. No cardboard heroes here--the characters are so real you feel they're people you could actually meet. The book tells two stories, of Cariad, a skilled assassin on a secret mission to kill her father's greatest enemy, and Konstant, who is sent from a world of magic into a world of technology to find a man (the hero of The Arm of the Stone, the previous book in the series) who is the focus of an important prophecy. The two stories interrelate, but remain separate until the final chapters, when Strauss brings them beautifully together. Endings are often a problem in fantasy--the author runs out of steam or ideas, and all you're left with is a big so what." Not here. The climax of The Garden of the Stone is surprising and satisfying.

I don't agree with the person who said this book doesn't stand alone. Ms. Strauss does a good job of including the action of volume 1, and though some characters from the previous book return, there are many new ones, and the story takes place in different settings. But it is a sequel, after all, so I would recommend reading the Arm of the Stone first, because it gives a better context for Garden, and also because the two books work so well together.

Good, but could have been better.

The plot is okay. The writing is pretty good. I'll admit that I read most of the book in one setting, so, it is engaging enough. But, the book fails to be compelling. The heroine Cariad is very one-faceted and fails to elicit sympathy. I kept wishing she would be tortured more during her captivity because I was so tired of her having been exposed to characters of her ilk half a dozen times before. Speaking of torture, just about every character in the book has some sort of a dark past which supposedly explains their present. Unfortunately, when the past is finally revealled, I couldn't help feeling let down, as in, "that was the big deal?" Truth to tell, I have been disappointed by most of the fantasy I read lately. I guess I'll just have to bear it until George R.R.

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Title: Wizard of Tizare

Subtitle: Guardians of the Three, Book 3

Author: Matthew J. Costello

Narrator: P. J. Ochlan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Counseled by an evil sorcerer, King Talwe has allowed Ar to fall into a fatal decadence. He has exiled his faithful lieutenant Paralan, and banished the concubine who is bearing his child to the barbaric outpost of Pleir. Now years later, the young herdsman Falon sets out on a mysterious mission to the border city of Tizare, accompanied by a would-be wizard and a half-wild child. Their quest is all that stands between Ar and an eternal nightmare of tyranny.

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Title: Wartorn: Obliteration

Author: Robert Asprin, Eric Del Carlo

Narrator: George Newbern

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

An army of soldiers and magicians has poured out of the north on its quest to unite the city-states of Isthmus under Felk rule. But with conquest comes rebellion, and there are those who won't be taken easily - by magic or by sword.

Members Reviews:

Satisfactory

This book's condition was as described. Ordered on June 7th, I was told to expect delivery by June 29th, this purchase arrived around the 14th. I would do business with this seller again.

Not the best ending

My biggest problem with this book was the ending. The story was going well, I was interested in what was going on, and there was a moment where it seemed to be heading for an interesting final battle when it suddenly became almost "Rocks fall, everyone dies". The actual ending to the big battle is only discussed rather than shown and the epilogue only shows what happened to three of the characters in detail, although others are more discussed than shown. I would have liked it far better had we been shown rather than just told in hindsight what happened. As it was, it felt like the authors just got tired of writing the series, and decided to end it quickly. That was the only conclusion I could come to on reading this book. In short, a fascinating story let down by a very sub-par ending.

Good read, but a bit rushed at the end.

This book and its predecessor prove that Asprin (and Del Carlo) can write "serious" fantasy. Strangely enough, I found all the major characters sympathetic, even the "evil" ones. Without going into details, Aquint may not be a role model, but he does recognize and deal with complex ethical issues. Even Dardas has his moments, though he is the most one- (two-?) dimensional of the bunch. It takes talent to show a story from both sides while maintaining balance.

Overall, I found this book worth the price. However, I do have a couple of minor quibbles with the work and these prevent me from giving it five stars. First, there is one event that occurs in the Praulth storyline which seems somewhat gratuitous. Second, the ending feels rushed. I am not sure if there is a sequel planned, but the way a lot of the threads are tied up off-stage seemed a bit weak to me.

Those two complaints aside, I recommend the book (and Wartorn: Resurrection as well).

Five Stars

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