How To Get Any Full Audiobook in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic New Releases

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Title: The Cutting Edge

Subtitle: Part One of A Handful of Men

Author: Dave Duncan

Narrator: Mil Nicholson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 92 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Beautiful Queen Inos married the loyal stableboy Rap and made him her king. They were very much in love, and they lived happily ever after.

But in far-off Hub, the old Imperor's health - and, some said, his sanity - deteriorated inexorably. The borderlands were seething, Prince Emshandar - or Shandie, as Rap knew him - found himself leading his grandfather's armies into terrible battles where victory and justice hung in gravest doubt.

And now the end of the millennium was at hand, ushered in by prophecies of cataclysmic upheaval on a scale never before imagined. All across Pandemia, sensible people tried to dismiss a growing sense of unease as superstitious nonsense.

Then a God appeared to Rap and warned him that the prophecies spoke the least of the truth. Devastation was a certainty; total destruction loomed. The very fabric of the world was at risk. And it was all Rap's fault.

The lasting in the world Rap had wanted was another adventure. And it might be the last thing he would ever get.

Members Reviews:

High expectations

I was a big fan of the "Magic Casement / Man of his Word" series, also by Dave Duncan and read by Mil Nicholson. Its the same world, same cast of characters... but 15 years later. Rap and the queen have children, and Prince Shandy has grown up, and the world keeps turning.

Its not necessary to read the previous series... But it really would help. You get a much better sense of things... Like why someone's name is important, and what events set up such a precarious situation that opens in book 1 here.

It was very nice to pick up with the same characters in the same narrator's voice. It made it especially easy to slip back into this world.

As with Duncan's last series... The first book is heavy on character development, set up, and foreshadowing. Things are happening... But you don't yet know how, or why, or what is going to be done about it. But PAY ATTENTION... It will all be tied together in the end.

Duncan's writing is again nearly without foul language. He makes reference to "nautical terms" when someone would be "swearing like a sailor".... But never actually drops an F-Bomb. I like that I can share these books with my middle school kids, and not feel guilty. Thats not to say its a child's book. There are some very adult themes in this world, and still may not be appropriate for all children.

I would highly suggest this book to anyone, and even more so to any fan's of Duncan's previous series.

Great Continuation of a "A Man of His Word"

What made the experience of listening to The Cutting Edge the most enjoyable?

Seeing how the characters are further developing and learning more about the word they live in (including the different races). Also the introduction of interesting new characters.

What did you like best about this story?

The introspections of the characters are wonderfully written, funny, and clever.

Which character as performed by Mil Nicholson was your favorite?

All of them.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It really gets going halfway through the book.

At Last! Please Rush The Release Of The Next Three

What did you love best about The Cutting Edge?

I love the continuation of the story of Rap & Inks.

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Title: Bound by Iron

Subtitle: Eberron: The Inquisitives, Book 1

Author: Edward Bolme

Narrator: Steve West

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

He was a decorated soldier, thought to have died 20 years ago. But yesterday in Karrnath his body washed ashore, unkempt, dressed in rags... and murdered.Now its up to a hardened soldier out for cold vengeance and a chronicler looking for a story to unravel a dead mans past - and with it, the future of Khorvaire.

Members Reviews:

A Paladin with Personality!

Now this is how you write a paladin, ladies and gentlemen. Cimozjen Hellekanus is proof that paladins are not all one-dimensional goody two-shoes. This book was the perfect blend of mystery and fantasy, and my only qualm is there are no more books featuring Cimozjen, which is a shame because I bet he will not lead a boring life now that the war is over.

The narrator, Steve West, breathed excitement into an already thrilling tale. His range of voices for the differing characters was excellent. He is the narrator for the other three books in the Inquisitives series.

Good narrator...that's about the end of my praise

Would you try another book from Edward Bolme and/or Steve West?

Well, I would probably listen to something performed by Steve West. The portrayal that Edward Bolme made of Minra nearly bored the snot out of me. Okay, we get it, the elf is a know it all whore. MOVE ON! I expected something exciting not, vague clue, Minra tries to get into Cimozjen's pants, Cimozjen rebuffs her. Plot moves forward slightly. Minra tries to get into Cimozjen's pants, Cimozjen rebuffs her. Plot moves forward slightly. Minra tries to get into Cimozjen's pants, Cimozjen rebuffs her. Plot moves forward slightly. Minra tries to get into Cimozjen's pants, Cimozjen rebuffs her. WILL SOMEONE JUST NEUTER THE ELF ALREADY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

What about Steve Wests performance did you like?

He made what I did listen of the performance bearable.

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The narrator was the only redeeming quality since I couldn't get into Cimozjen's actual story for all the annoying elf hormones. Or at least I hope there was an actual story over all the:

"Hi, I'm Minra and I'm always right. Oh, Cimozjen you're so handsome, let's sleep together."

"No Minra, I'm a married man."

"Awwww, but I'm the elf protagonist and your plucky side kick, you totally have to screw me, aren't I pretty enough for you?"

"Yes Minra, you are beautiful. Infuriating, but beautiful. That doesn't change the status of my marriage vows."

"But, but, just screw me. Besides, I'm always right, so you have to screw me."

"Go to sleep Minra. I'm not screwing you."

"Big meanie."

Any additional comments?

If you want to listen to basically 5 hours of almost getting into a story and lots of female elf pouting because the male protagonist refuses to bed her, go ahead. You'll enjoy it. The actual book is much longer than that, but that's as far as I could stomach listening. Sorry Mr. West, you have an enchanting voice, but there are some things that can't be overcome.

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Title: All Shadows Fled

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: The Shadow of the Avatar, Book 3

Author: Ed Greenwood

Narrator: Todd McLaren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Shadow Spreads

The Time of Troubles had almost passed. The chaos of spilled blood, lawless strife, monsters unleashed, and avatars roaming Faern was reaching an end.

However, not so Those Who Walk in Shadow.

The dreaded and insidious Shadowmasters realize that they have one last chance to seize control while chaos wrecks havoc on all of the Realms, and in doing so seal the fate of not just their archenemy Elminster, but all of Mystra's minions as well.Darkness threatens to envelop all Faern.The shadows loom.

Members Reviews:

Magic lives in the Realms

Where does All Shadows Fled rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It ranks pretty high. I can not quantify the placement, but the level of interest is on par with my favorite fantasy author terry good kind.

What did you like best about this story?

The ending and the beginning and the backstory that it covers from the Avatar crisis.

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

Yes. It kept me interested. His inflection and diction were correct.

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

I am in the military and always busy. I had to take it in sections.

Any additional comments?

ebb and flow of the story are paramount. This one succeeds.

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Title: Realms of the Underdark

Subtitle: A Forgotten Realms Anthology

Author: J. Robert King (editor), Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham, Brian M. Thomsen, Mark Anthony, Roger E. Moore

Narrator: Patrick Lawlor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 28 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The Underdark: Beneath the surface of Faern lies a whole different world. A world of drow, deep gnomes, and other denizens of the dark. A world of cities like Menzoberranzan and Skullport, of warriors and rogues like Drizzt Do'Urden and Liriel Baenre and numerous others. Leave the security of the surface world and seek out the darkness that lies below. Welcome to the Realms of the Underdark.

Members Reviews:

Steer clear

Would you try another book from the authors and/or Patrick Lawlor?

I enjoy forgotten realms novels but the narrator is awful, just awful. So so bad

What did you like best about this story?

Expanding on previously visited locations on faerun

Would you be willing to try another one of Patrick Lawlors performances?

Never

A great collection

A nifty little collection. Some old characters, some new. Some happy stories and one heartbreaker.

Brilliant!! Classic D&D awesomeness!!

Classic D&D brilliance from the best writers in the genre. Highly recommended for new and old fans alike.

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Title: Frostfell

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: The Wizards, Book 4

Author: Mark Sehestedt

Narrator: Bruce Miles

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Daughter of House Hiloar...

War Wizard of Cormyr...

Renegade...

Only fools find themselves at Winterkeep after the first snowfall. The cold alone can kill, if you live long enough, and dangers far worse haunt the ruined keep in winter.

But slavers stole her son. She would sacrifice everything to get him back. But in the uncaring, frozen north, will it be enough?

Members Reviews:

Not a bad book, but nothing special

Frostfell by Mark Sehestedt is the fourth, and final, book in a series of stand alone novels focusing on the Wizards class set in the Forgotten Realms. The first three books in this series are; Blackstaff, Bloodwalk, and Darkvision. The preceding three wizards book all failed miserably to live up not only to Forgotten Realms books, but being decent book in general. However, Mr. Sehestedt has redeemed the series a little with this installment. It is by far the best book of the four.

The plot of this book is a little on the `been there done that' scale, but Mr. Sehestedt does it in such a way that some of it feels new and slightly different. If you are looking for a deep plot arc and multiple sub-plots this book is not for you. The plot is straight forward, there is an evil group that a group of heroes must combat in order to save a child's life. This book is set in the Endless Wastes which, to my knowledge, has never really been written about before. One complaint I have about this book is that the overall environment wasn't really described all that much aside from discussing the cold. I would have liked to see a couple scenes giving me an idea of what was really there. The reader needs something to latch their imagination onto, I felt that was lacking here.

The characters are your traditional characters. The main character is, of course, a wizard. She has a decent back story, but I found myself not really caring too much about that. Along the way she comes into a couple of side kicks to help her. Of course, one is the all knowing old guy. This cliché I could have done without. The side kicks are fairly well done, if a little one dimensional, but they do add to the story. The knowledge filled old man cliché is the most over done cliché in fantasy and I could have done without it here. There is not very much real character development within this book either. In most books, when a character undertakes a task, the journey helps the character grow and become more than what they were when they started the journey. I didn't feel that with this book.

Overall, this is an average book. Yet, when compared to the rest of the Wizard books, this outshines any of them. This book fits in with typical Forgotten Realms books, so if you are a fan of those I have no doubt you will enjoy this one. If you are expecting a deep, engaging read, than you may want to look somewhere else. When push comes to shove, I would likely recommend this book for someone looking for a book with quite a bit of magic and some good battle scenes. I enjoyed it and I thought it was a pretty good book for a first time author.

Frostfell Review

Mark Sehestedt's Frostfell is one book of a series of stand alone novels called "The Wizards". It's a gripping story about a Cormyrian Warwizard and her adopted son set in the Endless Wastes long after the Tuigan invasion.

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Title: The Spectral Blaze

Subtitle: Forgotten Realms: Brotherhood of the Griffon, Book 3

Author: Richard Lee Byers

Narrator: James Patrick Cronin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 47 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Aoth and the Brotherhood of the Griffon have succeeded in rescuing Tchazzar, the lost king of Chessenta and a formidable red dragon, and are rewarded with a contract to aid in his war with a powerful dracolich. But the more Aoth sees of the war, the more suspicious he becomes that the Brotherhood may be just a pawn in a cutthroat draconic game that puts whole kingdoms at risk - a game played for stakes of gold and blood. And the more he sees the game play out, the more he realizes that he will have to become a player in this most dangerous of games if he wants the Realms to remain free.

Members Reviews:

Pretty good book

good book, as usual from Richard Lee Byers. I'm still really confused as to why the narrator uses so many different accents for one culture of people. Two Dragonborn have southern drawls, one has a french accent, one I can't quite place.

overall a good read. got a bit tiresome and repetitive, but definitely worth the time invested.

Abandoning the series

What would have made The Spectral Blaze better?

I hate Tchazzar, I'm seriously uncomfortable with him forcing himself on Jhessri and her having physical illness just from touch. I don't even want to listen to it anymore. The way Byers wrote Szass Tam in The Haunted Lands was excellent and it was a villain I could not get enough of. I hate everything about Tchazzar and would only listen to hear him destroyed and the Brotherhood move on from this idiotic realm. Seriously, they shouldn't have done business with these people who routinely abuse their capabilities and treat them like thugs even after Aoth's company saves the day over and over again.

Would you ever listen to anything by Richard Lee Byers again?

Absolutely. He's a talented author.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger and disappointment. I get invested enough in stories that I can easily envision myself replying to these insufferable clowns in charge that seem there to persecute Aoth and Co. There is no reason for anyone as intelligent and capable as Aoth to fail in negotiation/argument as often as happens.

Any additional comments?

I am literally stopping with 9 hours and 38 minutes left. I I might skip to the next book if Tchazzar and that stupid fake priestess twerp are gone. I cannot imagine I will be missing much at this rate.

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Title: Realms of the Dead

Subtitle: A Forgotten Realms Anthology

Author: Susan Morris (editor), R.A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Richard Baker, Bruce R. Cordell

Narrator: Jessica Peterson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Get spooked by Faerûns most chilling ghost stories!

The millennia-old history of Faerûn is haunted with ghosts, vampires, zombies, and all other manner of gruesome undead. This anthology of all new stories is filled with the twelve most terrifying and lethal of these tales. From ancient lich kings to freshly turned ghouls; from disembodied hands to unholy, decaying angels, the dead in the Forgotten Realms rarely rest in peace.

Realms of the Dead is an anthology of all new stories about the undead from The New York Times best-selling authors R.A. Salvatore, Richard Baker, Philip Athans, and Lisa Smedman; Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood; fan favorites Richard Lee Byers, Bruce R. Cordell, Rosemary Jones, Erik Scott de Bie, and Jaleigh Johnson; and talented newcomers Erin M. Evans and Christopher Rowe.

Members Reviews:

not great

just not great, very average, not able to keep your attention and the narrator didnt help

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Title: Spider and Stone

Subtitle: A Forgotten Realms Novel

Author: Jaleigh Johnson

Narrator: Pearl Hewitt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

Lolth - patron deity of the drow, Spider Queen, regent of the Demon Web Pits - has once again stirred the dark elves into roiling aggression against the rest of Faern, reveling in the chaos born from her dark schemata. This is the Rise of the Underdark.

In Iltkazar, the last subterranean kingdom of the once resplendent dwarven realm of Shanatar, King Mith Barak faces a siege of drow soldiers, spies, and assassins looking to seize the powerful city and the ancient magical artifacts hidden there. Somewhere in the city, the Arcane Script Sphere - a mystical orb touched by Mystra, the long-dead goddess magic - calls out to heroes and adventurers, beckoning with whispers of power and knowledge. Mith Barak hears it and knows he cannot hold the artifact much longer, but fears what the drow may do with it.

Enter Icelin, Ruen, and Sull, Waterdavian wanders whose desire to understand their own spellscars sets them in search of Mystran mysteries - they hope to understand magic and thus understand its plague. As they move from town to town, city to city in search of knowledge, Icelin hears the siren call of the Arcane Script Sphere, and it draws the trio deep into rocks of the Underdark where they find themselves at the center of the struggle between the dwarves and drow.

Only King Mith Barak can initiate them into the mysteries they hope to illuminate. But first they must help him with a mystery of his own - a dark elf assassin, himself a seeker of the sphere, lies in Iltkazars dungeons shrouded in the mystery and magic of Lolth. Icelin might be the one to see past that shroud and determine the true goal of the Spider Queens schemes. As the dark elves intensify their attacks, the trio realizes their quest for knowledge has taken them into a new and dangerous realm...a realm dictated by the whims of spider and stone.

Members Reviews:

Dislikeable Characters and a poor plot

This story and it's audio sample started out promising, but the cast of characters expanded beyond a manageable cast, and became whiny and genuinely dislikeable. Worse, their behavior and actions seemed forced and dishonest, as if the author wanted some kind of interaction between juxtaposed characters, but could not think of how to bring them together. The story became plodding and rather stupid until I just wanted this mess to stop.

Brilliantly told story, brilliantly narrated.

I very much enjoyed listening to this book. I think Pearl Hewitt is one of the best of the best narrating books these days. Her characterizations are varied and emotionally evocative without becoming too overly dramatic -- very nice, pleasant delivery that invites me to become fully immersed in the story. I don't want technical fireworks, I just want the story, and Pearl delivers. The novel itself: I've only read a few of these WotC tie-ins, and I don't like stories that take place completely underground. That said, Jaleigh Johnson does a fantastic job of making sense of this world and structuring a dramatic, engaging plot. The characters (which are hers, and not WotC's at least to the best of my knowledge) are fully motivated by personal backstory and interesting. The wild spell scar magic is dramatic, as is the climax of the novel which features two stunning twists I did not see coming. I strongly recommend this book. I do not like all the game nomenclature--but that will be a strong plus for some readers.

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Title: The Fate of Thorbardin

Subtitle: Dragonlance: Dwarf Home, Book 3

Author: Douglas Niles

Narrator: Ax Norman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

The battle for the kingdom of the dwarves comes to the door of its mad king...

Brandon Bluestone has finally cleared his familys name and rallied the nation of dwarves. Now one great task remains to him: he must open up the greatest of the dwarf nations, Thorbardin, which has been sealed against the outside world by the edict of a mad king. Aided by Gretchan Pax, a mighty priestess, Brandon leads an army to the north gate of Thorbardin. The hill dwarves and mountain dwarves strive to bury longstanding enmity and form an uneasy alliance against the King of Thorbardin and his potent magical minions.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Good book to read and fits into my collection

truly excellent!

Minor spoilers ahead.

I love this book. I was truly impressed with the plot, the characters, even the fact that the Kayolin dwarves were moving to invade the mountain kingdom of Thorbardin. I've always been a fan of black-robed wizards, so Willim the Black was a great, intimidating character.

One small nit for me was that Gretchan needed to wield her anvil-topped staff in order to commune with her god. This seems a tiny bit inconsistent seeing as how clerics in other series were simply able to pray to their deities to gain strength or to cast their clerical spells. Not really that big a deal, but again, a tiny inconsistency.

All in all a great book! bring on more, Wizards of the Coast!

Fate of Thorbardin: Dwarf Home, Volume Three

I am a big fan of all things related to the Dragon Lance world. there are many many off shoot stories related to the original Dragon Lance Saga's and this a another good set

Five Stars

I have loved both Dwarf series.

Spectacular ending to yet another fantastic trilogy by Doug Niles

Rapid page turner, i couldn't put it down! Perfect blend of wizardry and hand to hand combat, with just the right amount of comic relief that only gully dwarves can provide

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Title: The Grieving Tree

Subtitle: Eberron: The Dragon Below, Book 2

Author: Don Bassingthwaite

Narrator: Adam Epstein

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Epic

Publisher's Summary:

For three heroes, the past is about to come back to hunt them.

A renegade warrior, a mystic exile, and a magic-wielding soldier are on the run. Their enemies are closing in. Some want to control them, some want to rob them, and others just want them dead.

In a land of monsters and renegades, their one hope for survival may be an ancient device of evil, the long-lost Grieving Tree....

Members Reviews:

Buy it!

Received book yesterday and it's going great so far.

A Little better than Book 1

The Grieving Tree by Don Bassingthwaite is the second book in the Dragon Below trilogy set in the Eberron world. The first book is titled The Binding Stone and was released in August, 2005. If you are interested in this book, you really need to read the first book so as not to get lost in the over-arching plot lines between the two books and most likely the third book as well.

When I reviewed the Binding Stone I gave it fairly average marks. T said there was a good story, and that the characters were mere 2-D cut-outs of countless fantasy novels before them. The same formula holds true in this book as well, although, I did enjoy this one more than I did the first. It's not to say that Bassingthwaite is a bad author, in fact I think he is a good author, but these two books seem to be lacking something that makes a decent book a good book.

While the characters are pretty much the same as in the first book, they are fleshed out a little more, but not enough for me to really care about them. In fact I found myself more interested in the villains and was actually hoping the `heroes' would lose. The heroes show brief flashes of being very interesting and worthwhile reading, but they rarely help my interest for more than 5-10 pages at a time. I wish I could pin point it for everyone, but they just weren't that interesting to me. I often felt like several names could be attached to the characters that I had read them several times before, there was little `new' feeling to them. Where as the villains had some semblance of uniqueness that made them interesting and worthwhile to read.

The plot carries over from the first book right where it left off. This lends itself to being easier to understand and keep on going. However, I was a little disappointed that more sub-plots were not developed. There seemed to be a great deal of room for sub-plots there were ignored. Also, from the first book there is a deep seeded secret between two of the heroes that is hinted at several times through both books. Then, finally, when it is revealed it leaves the reader feeling hallow because it is rushed through like it mattered very little. After all the hinting it seems like there should have been a much bigger reaction and consequences. The main plot of the book is well written and does a decent job at explaining some key elements of the story, but there again at times it feels like the author is just telling us things to `make sure' we get what is going on.

Overall, this is an okay read if you are interested in the Eberron world. I have read every Eberron novel so far and this is a little below average for me. It's not the worst Eberron book out there, but certainly not the best either. I would hesitate to recommend this book to people not really interested in the Eberron. I am holding out hope that the third book will be better than the first two.