Keeper Martin's Tale

Ruin Mist Chronicles, Book 1

By: Robert Stanek

Narrated by: Robert Stanek

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

For the first time ever, Robert Stanek's Keeper Martin's Tale is available in audio and with lost scenes and chapters of the original restored. Discover a magical world and be swept away in the adventure of a lifetime!

After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man, or device, shall be cleansed to dust. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond. The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness, a path that required the union of the divided peoples. And so it began.

Keeper Martin's Tale is the adult release of Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books 1 and 2.

©2009 Robert Stanek (P)2009 RP Audio

The Tale

Mr. Stankek's book is a very interesting story and I'll probably buy the books to read at a later date. However, I found it difficult to keep track of where the narrator was in the story if I let my attention "wander" for any amount of time. I spent a lot of time "going back" to a section to try to get the 'gist' of what had happened. The cadence of the reader and lack of pauses between chapters/events made it difficult at times to recognize one character/event had ended and another picked up. I think the story is well worth re-accomplishing the recording with a different orator/narrator.

Painful Narration

As a previous reviewer said, please listen to the sample before you buy. Although I found the story moderately interesting, the candence and tone of the narration made it very hard to focus on the fine points of the book. I might struggle through the next books in the series, but for the price I expected much more from this book.

unfortunate

The reader is just unbearable. I can listen to pretty bad voice, if the story is captivating enough. But this? It's just sad. Not to mention that the use of language is at times just ridiculous. "her tongue went limp in her mouth"? I mean, pulease! She'd just decided not to speak! She wasn't dying of lethal poison.

What a great book!

Not sure why the earlier reviews of this book are so low. I've seen some grumblings from fanboys of other authors which may explain. However, the narration is top-notch and the book itself is exceptional. I found it to be a cut above the average fantasy.

What is the book about? Keeper Martin's Tale is Robert Stanek's debut fantasy novel. It's a character and action driven story told mostly from three points of view:

Adrina - a prince of Great Kingdom
Vilmos - a village elder's son
Seth - a warrior elf

If you like heroic fantasy with adventure and action, I don't see how you can go wrong with this one. It's worth a listen and 1000% better than the earlier reviews would seem to suggest.

Robert Stanek stinks as a narrator

This might be a good book but Robert Stanek is unbearable to listen to. Pure agony!

Poor narration

I made the mistake of purchasing this title without listening to a sample, as suggested by a previous reviewer. My Bad!!! The author is a poor narrator! It often sound as if he were inebriated. He slurs his words and his sentences run into each other. It is often difficult to determine when a new chapter begins. In short...If Audible.com would refund my money, I would be more than pleased!

Warning! Very very bad!

This is, by far, the most horrible book I have ever had the missfortune to come across. That is the nicest way I can think of putting it.
The narration is horrible, but the book is far worse. The story jumps about alot, making it difficult to listen to. There are senseless sentences and bad grammar everywere.
The characters are bad, and come across as incredibly stupid. The plot makes no sense whatsoever. You have been warned! Buy something else, there are loads of really nice books here, this isn't one of them.

lets be clear

this is dross and the only person leaving these rave reviews is the person who wrote this drivel. avoid

Hooked on this series!

It seems that the reader reviews divide into two camps. The readers who really liked this novel and the readers who had bones to pick with the author for one reason or another. For me, "Keeper Martin's Tale" might even be on my "Top 3 Best Books" of all times list -- any genre -- any year. Just reviewing everyone's comments here only confirms why I enjoyed this so much and what I've been thinking this week while falling in love with Adrina, Emel, Myrial, Vilmos, Seth, Xith, and yes, even Ansh. How thrilling to see a book where the great conflicts don't begin 10 books into the series. In this one, the great conflicts begin right out of the gate. There's soon not one but two wars to contend with and the plot moves! I mean really. Readers see Adrina Alder go from a spoiled rich brat to someone they can love, they see Emel come into his own, they see Vilmos accept his shortcomings and move forward against the tides. Real characters, real lives, real actions. This story has real evil, the lust for power, but what's good and evil? Is Queen Erravane a good person, a bad person? Are there bad good people? You bet. It's rich, complex, unpredictable. I am so eager to find our what's happened to my new friends. The story has ascpects of both high and epic fantasy but it's not a traditional "quest" story. There's three main story threads they are interwoven and they all come together from time to time. It has elves and dragons and such, but Stanek's are different. Elves are mortal enemies of men. They are in the midst of a civil war, with the elves of the west marching on the elves of the east. The dragons once ruled the worlds and there are many races of dragons, including dragonmen. There's action a plenty but no gore, graphic stuff.