This is one of the most entertaining stories I have listen to in a long time. It is exciting, the characters are likeable and the series promises to deliver much more in the future. Repeating the name of the store got a little irritating at times. There is lots of activity in the story to keep it going very smoothly. I will definitely recommend the book to friends of mine, it’s very fun and once you get used to some of the more distracting elements it really has a good rhythm to it that is hard not to be caught up in. I am looking forward to starting the sequel.

Interview for a Wizard by J.A. Areces

On Halloween night, the greatest vacation spot in the world is about to be scared to death. A dangerous and mad wizard has escaped from jail, and there is no one who can identify him. With only seven days left before Halloween, Jesse and wizard special agent Ch-U-Ch race to solve the mystery, but time is quickly running out.

Collapse at Hidden Verse Three Three Two by Brian Holtz

Collapse at Hidden Verse Three Three Two by Brian Holtz
Science Fiction

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Safe for family listening
The Multiverse Generator is failing. Dimensions threaten to collapse and entire populations will cease to exist unless it is reset. One being from each of more than five thousand verses has been acquired, and their DNA verified. Only one remains. His name is Timothy Rayburn and he is a resident of Earth. The Consolidation of Organized Systems has sent a ship to retrieve him.

Timothy is a teenager failing speech class due to a paralyzing fear of public speaking. He soon learns that his problems are quite small compared to the impending collapse of all existence. He must overcome his fear if he is to survive not only the dangers of space travel and multiversal war, but himself

That said, this author really is a good storyteller characters are vibrant and realistic, the pace is good, and for the most part the story is engaging. I would like to see more from this author as he definitely has a lot of potential. The reading is fast paced the narration is clear and the story is refreshing and had me hooked.

Iron Dragons: Book 1 - The Saramond Quests by Derek Gilbert

Iron Dragons: Book 1 – The Saramond Quests by Derek Gilbert
Science Fiction

Click the arrow below to listen to the first episode of this free audio book:

Dragon pee really stinks.

With that bit of cautionary advice, master dragonslayer Davian begins his tale.

Davian is a Third Level Master of The Order, a group of men who alone have the power to battle the most fearsome creatures on all of Saramond. For thousands of years, the brothers of The Order have protected their world.

Now something has upset the balance of power between man and dragon, and Davian must face what appears to be a dragon that cannot be seen.

But Davian is losing his grip on reality — and the fate of the world rests with a stable hand, an underfed priest, and a gardener from beyond the stars.

But Davian is losing his grip on reality — and the fate of the world rests with a stable hand, an underfed priest, and a gardener from beyond the stars.

Now for the story, Stephens has a great saga going on! He also does a great job with the details without over doing it. It is a killer plot line. He makes good used of the elves, dwarves, men, wizards and werewolves to boot you can’t get that in any cereal box! I will say that I enjoyed it as much as the lord of the rings saga. The only problem with the story is it was to short it left me wanting a lot more from this world. If he could produce the rest of the saga really fast it would be completely appreciated. Because I really enjoyed the story I am willing to forgo the bad for what is the better than good which is a great story. I hope he reworks the audio 1st book because it might or I might even nominate him for a Parsec award.

The White Shadow Saga: The Stolen Moon of Londor by A.P. Stephens

The era of peace among the elves, men, and dwarves comes to an end when one of Londor’s twin moons disappears from the heavens…..Without the moon’s balancing effect, evil forces grow bold, and warfare, sickness, and chaos threaten life itself.

Hearing the prayers of desperation that ride on the violent winds, the ancient wizard Randor Miithra, servant to the elf-gods, takes it upon himself to mend the world he has sworn to protect. The task will not be an easy one, though, for the wizard, too, has begun to feel the effects of the world’s imbalance. As Randor struggles to maintain some semblance of his powers, he meets a secretive band of colorful characters from all walks of life, drawn together by a common goal: to find the stolen moon, whatever the cost. It does not take Randor and his motley company long to see that someone or something does not want the moon returned to the heavens.

The road is perilous….the stakes have never been greater….will they find victory…or will they only find their deaths?

What an incredible story this has been. It is one of the better series that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. At first I was kind of hesitant with his voice. I’ll admit that as he told the story he only got better and the production quality and background noises disappeared by the middle of the second book. The way he brought all of the characters out, was so natural and soothing and yet, suspenseful with tension and heartfelt situations.

The only problem I had was that Rathbone left me wanting allot more! I could have listened to another 12 or more books. Is Brian Rathbone the next Robert Jordan, giving his listener more and more longer stories that suck them in and won’t let them out? The good part is that Rathbone brought a conclusion and left it so that the reader wants more. It makes me think of what else he could produced and where he could go with this cast of characters and the world he so carefully built. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this series. Thank you Brain Rathbone for putting it out there in a podcast at podiobooks.com

All 3 podcasts are in a print version in 1 book titled The Dawning of Power and are available at amazon.com and smashwords.com in digital formats. This is a must read if you like fantasy.

While listening to him live on blog talk radio podioracket.com he did mention he might go back and write another book. You can listen to here or at the flowing links. I hear he is coming back to the show in October. He is an amazing author and nice guy.

Check out the sidebar for his great quotes from his book.

Dragon Ore by Brian Rathbone

Author Promo and Podioracket Blog Talk Radioshow

Clinging to life, Catrin Volker struggles to regain her strength as her foes go in search of even greater power. Ancient enemies threaten and forgotten alliances emerge in the exciting conclusion of The Dawning of Power trilogy.

Darkness, no matter how powerful it may seem, can be driven back by the tiniest spark.
unknown soldier

This one of the most philosophical fantasy fiction books I’ ever read. The quotes which head each chapter add to the depth and character of the story as well as feeding my need to hear the next inspiring or wise thing Brian Rathbone has to share with his audience.

Inherited Danger by Brian Rathbone

Inherited Danger by Brian Rathbone
Catrin leaves her homeland behind as she goes in search of knowledge and peace, unaware that she will face the greatest evil her world has ever known.

Some of the quotes Rathbone used were thought provoking and I found then as inspirational as Tolkien’s!!!

Life is the greatest of all mysteries, and though I seek to solve its manyriddles, my deepest fear is that I will succeed.
—CiCi Bajur, philosopher

 If peace cannot be made, then peace shall be seized.
—Von of the Elsics

Just to name a couple.
This podiobook is a great listen that gave me a mix of emotions and an intense ride into Brain’s world. I gave this a 4 star rating because of a few recording issues.

Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone

Echoes of the ancients’ power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind’s deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war. In times such as these, ordinary people have the power to save the world . . . or destroy it.

Call of the Herald is Book One of The Dawning of Power trilogy. A World of Godsland Novel.

Let me start off by giving a standing ovation to the author P.G. Holyfield and the full cast of talented voices for a job well done on one of the best audio books I have ever consumed. I put this book in the same category as Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, just to name a couple of profoundly successful authors.

This story was so good I didn’t want it to end but like all good things the end must at some point come. I just hope Holyfield has a lot more books to make this a very long series. With all that said back to the story.

The way P.G. puts together the story line with half orcs, elves, vampires, and moon-beasts just to name a few, took this listener by storm with its lightening strike plot. Yet, his story is not, “about” magic or unearthly beasts. Murder at Avedone Hill is about a human detective, who happens to be sensitive. not only to the land and its mystical currents, but also to the nature of the humans.

Brother Arames will need all his logical, diplomacy and magic-sensitive skills to solve a Murder at Avedon Hill. So Arames and his appertance Arrin can go through the pass to get to the other side of the mountains. The obstacles the author uses jettisons these characters into confronting all kinds of problems, while trying to solve this murder.

His website is full of additional information including art and maps. I also understand that there is a print release deal signed with Dragon Moon Press.

http://www.pgholyfield.com

Lord Avedon has a problem. Generations of Avedons have watched over Avedon Hill and controlled the only pass through the Lantis Mountains. Traditions are important to the Avedon family, but one tradition has tragically come to an end. Gretta Platt, Housemistress of Avedon Manor, has been murdered. A member of the Platt family has always served the Avedons as Housemistress. until now. Only a handful of people live at Avedon Hill, and most are suspects. Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, arrives at the gates of Avedon Hill, hoping to gain access to the mountain pass. Lord Avedon is not in a giving mood, however.

This is the story of Arames Kragen and his attempt not only to discover who killed Gretta Platt, but also to uncover the truth about a town that apparently has more secrets than inhabitants.

The Land of Caern: It is a world where the gods, the Children of Az, can choose to be born as mortals to directly affect events in the world, and often do. It is a world where the Priests of Caern frantically search for the mortal incarnations of any of the Children, in order prevent the Prophecies of Iberian from coming to pass.

Welcome to The Land of Caern. Welcome. to Murder at Avedon Hill, the podcast novel by P.G. Holyfield. 

I would like to pay my deepest respect and condolences to Robert Jordans family.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is by far the best book series of all time. The books tell the tale of a large cast of characters living in a fictional realm battling forces of evil. This description is extremely simplistic and generic, especially since the cast of characters, factions, societies, cities, customs, and events of the book are described in great detail and are very complex and intertwined. There may be some characters in the series that are inherently good or evil but everyone has complex and detailed personality and history, which leads them to have their own initiatives and tendencies

When you read a good book or watch a good movie it can often be hard to explain to others why it was so great. When you try explaining you often fail and explain that the other person will simply have to read or watch it for themselves. I won’t even begin to explain The Wheel of Time series beyond what I already have, it would be far too complex to even try and I would never do the series justice through any explanation. However, I will explain my feelings regarding the books. These books are the kind of books that leave you yearning for more. You feel connected and attached to certain characters, while at the same time you genuinely despise others. When you start reading them they become almost addictive as you can’t wait to find out what unfolds next. The story line is always complex and never predictable and as the story matures so do the characters and the plot. In my opinion The Wheel of Time series far surpasses other fantasy book series in terms of complexity and just outright brilliance.

While Robert Jordan will be sorely missed by all of his fans, it is a blessing to know that with the help of Brandon Sanderson and the guidance of his wife Harriet the final chapter in his epic tale will be brought to a close.

For more info and about the last book http://www.dragonmount.com/