First Truth

Truth Series, Book 1

By: Dawn Cook

Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin

Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Alissa doesn’t believe in magic. Her father’s stories about the Hold, a legendary fortress where human Keepers learn magic from the enigmatic Masters, are just that—stories. But her mother insists Alissa has inherited her father’s magical ability, so she must go to the Hold to be trained.

On her way, she crosses paths with Strell, a wandering musician from the plains. Though Alissa is not sure she can trust a plainsman, Strell has something Alissa needs—one of her father’s old maps. Traveling together, they can reach the Hold before the snow sets in. But they don’t know that the Hold is nearly empty. The Keeper Bailic has sent the Masters on a fool’s errand and systematically killed the other Keepers in his search for the First Truth, a book of magic that will give him ultimate power. And he believes that Alissa and Strell hold the secret of the book’s hiding place.

This is the first book in the Truth Series by Dawn Cook, who also writes under the pen name Kim Harrison.

Listen to more in the Truth Series.

©2002 Dawn Cook (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A beautifully told, simple story that looks unblinkingly at how prejudice unnecessarily reinforces misconceptions, misunderstandings, and hatred." ( Booklist)

wonderful

Good overall story! Enjoyable characters, great plot twist! Another fun story with a great narrator. Love the reading style.

First truth a hidden gem

Loved the book. Been searching for other books written Kim Harrison. can't wait for book 2...

I love Kim Harrison AKA Dawn Cook.

I love this author, as I love Kim Harrison. the performer is also very appealing. give these a try.

A nice departure from the usual urban fantasy

It could very well be that I so love the "Hollow's" series by Kim Harrison that I found myself just a tiny bit disappointed at spots in this book. BUT, Dawn Cook's ability to write characters that you can both love and want to kick in the pants definitely made this an enjoyable story. It may have been better if the cover had not so clearly stated that Dawn Cook and Kim Harrison were one and the same. However I might not have bothered to listen to the book then. The story was entertaining enough that I'll be sure to check out its sequel.

Simple with plot holes but entertaining

If you don't mind a very predictable story line where you can see almost every detail coming or world building so simple it seems criminally lazy, you will enjoy this book. That's not a put down, it's just what it is. Sometimes I enjoy a story like this just for what it is.

Yes, it makes no sense that the main characters mother wouldn't send the map she would need for her daughter to make it to a magic fortress before dieing in the winter mountains but instead sell it to someone who would meet up with her anyway. But that was what move the story along, so that is what happened. Yes, you can't have a pre-industrial country not making a single food item for itself yet surviving completely on trade with another country. Yes, it makes no sense to have an agrarian society that has absolutely no crafting skills whatsoever. A society which somehow manages to spend every waking minute working on food despite the fact that farmers are the busiest in spring and fall, and often work on crafts in winter and summer where they have very little else to do.

I will admit that these details and others such as how a castle full of magic users supports itself with food and supplies while remaining completely secret from the entire world often broke me out of my suspension of disbelief.

Sometimes, though, you can just enjoy an adventure fantasy novel for what it has to offer without expecting too much from it. Especially given that this is currently free for all audible members I think it is worth spending some time giving it a listen.

Great Read

I liked this series a lot. The magic system is pretty neat and it keeps you interested. The books have perfect pacing that lets the characters become well developed without getting bogged down with useless descriptors that just slow down the story without reason.

I will say the second two books are much better then the first two books. That being said the first two books are good too its just the second half of the series is AMAZING. The

Frustrating Narration

This is a book I enjoyed when I read it when it was first published, but listening to this version was a real struggle. The narrator has 3 or 4 sentence intonations she cycles through, none of which match the context of the things she is saying, and about 3 voices. At many points it is difficult to tell who is speaking in a given conversation, as she has given two of the characters the same voice and accent.

I liked the book, but the performance was very grating, and it ruined the experience of a previously liked book.

Far better than expected

The book is a remarkably good epic fantasy. Not something you would notice by the cover art. The art made me think of romance novels, I read the synopsis and decided it was worth a shot. I am glad I did!

Yes, inaccurate cover, and story is only okay

The story is fine, but not very original, and the world doesn't seem believable. The characters have some feeling of dimension and realism, which is redeeming.

First Truth

Alissa doesn't believe in magic, yet her mother states she has inherited her father's legacy. Alissa is forced to leave her home, so she can find the keep. After a disastrous event, she meets a Plainsman named Strell. Strell and Alissa find the keep with help from a map. They find a nearly empty keep, and an enemy from the past. In order to survive they must band together and find The First Truth.