Black Stone Heart

The Obsidian Path, Book 1

By: Michael R. Fletcher

Narrated by: Michael R. Fletcher

Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A broken man, Khraen awakens alone and lost. His stone heart has been shattered, littered across the world. With each piece, he regains some small shard of the man he once was.

He follows the trail, fragment by fragment, remembering his terrible past.

There was a woman.

There was a sword.

There was an end to sorrow.

Khraen walks the obsidian path.

©2020 Michael R. Fletcher (P)2020 Michael R. Fletcher

Fletcher's Best Novel to Date

Black Stone Heart is Fletcher's best novel to date, and that is really saying something coming from someone who can't stop talking about Beyond Redemption.

An unforgettable story; one that cuts with the sharpest of blades and heals with the finest of salves. You will not be unmoved.

Khraen may be one of the best protagonists to hit the fantasy scene since Logen Ninefingers.

I had the opportunity to read Black Stone Heart (The Obsidian Path #1) a couple of years ago before it even had a title. The fact that I still remember every aspect of this story should tell you how much of an impact it had on me; not only an immersive read, but an emotionally charged one.

very original story

very good book. looking forward to seeing where book 2 leads. very well written.

Who were you? Who are you?

Who might you become and what will that journey demand of you?

I love this story. It asks some very compelling questions about what it means to be and how we define ourselves over the course of a lifetime. It then wraps them up in grit and grime and obsession and serves them up to you in an all you can eat buffet.

I adore author narration and this book does not disappoint. I'm so excited that someone recommended this to me.

Peak

Peak story, peak author, peak narrator (also author). 100% recommend this pure masterpiece of fiction.

Great story but terrible performance

That story was great but the narrator made it almost unbearable to listen to. I wish they chose someone with better narration skills.

authors are authors, narrators are narrators.

I usually look to make sure this doesn't happen but I missed it this time. I couldn't get through the first chapter much less the whole book. that's why I gave you the benefit of the doubt on the story. You read a book like an evil Clint Eastwood.

A Good Story! Topped with a stellar Performance

overall a good story! It does get repetitive when the main character questions his every decision but that's part of general story.

The author does an amazing job building the world and is able explain the lore easily as we journey with the MC.

The performance of the author is superb! I love how he was able to give each character voices and the emotion/passion that comes with them.

“You’re not going to understand, at least not at first.”

Jet Li’s - The One, Pokémon, Highlander....All potential influencers and inspirations yet move over Frankenstein, Fletcher has made his own monster. In a tale told so well, so twisted and dark, you couldn’t see the foreshadowing. It was everywhere. This book has you questioning, again and again, “what is evil?” “How far is too far?” “If I root for this behavior, am I evil? Graphic at times, it’s darkest moments are done off camera and leave you to your own imagination. It contains lines like...

“Maybe I can give you the stab test.”
“Stab test?”
“If you don’t die, you’re a demon.”

“Not evil. Not evil at all, I chided myself.”

“Silence reigned like a terrible god.”

And every avid reader can relate to...

“I wanted to stop here, to spend my last days reading, to lose myself in their pages.”

So Mr. Fletcher I say to you, finish the series, so I don’t have to spend my last days losing myself in THESE pages...at least not on the first read through!!!

The author made a clutch decision to narrate the book himself and also crafted and a really epic rock intro and outro. While begrudgingly listening to it he informs us that he is still Michael R. Fletcher. Which is a relief after reading the contents of this book.
He did a great job and I hope he decides to narrate again.

*I was given an advanced reader copy for an honest review.*

Juvenile and gross. Idiots moving a plot forward.

Awful, awful book that was painful to listen to. The main character is a massive idiot for the sake of the plot moving forward, and the relationships he has with any woman are just gross. Skip this one. There's a good idea there but the vastly unlikable cast of characters and especially the disgusting way romance is portrayed isn't worth it. I can't believe how much I hate this book.

Don't bother, this is only 12% of an actual book

Let me be clear, Beneath the reiterated endlessly repeated contemplation of 'What is and or am i evil' and sex scenes. There is a book with potential. Sadly never realized.

Spends most of its time padding its runtime with repetitive moral speculation on things we already speculated last chapter. Between that and the 'sex' scenes there is very little left to enjoy. I will be trying my best to return this and get my credit back. Woefully i cannot get back the hours i spent hoping an actual book would come out of this.