Obsidian Threads

The Lost Shards, Volume 2

By: Charlie Pulsipher

Narrated by: Keith Michaelson

Rho has awakened. Its acolytes will tear worlds apart to release their deity from its prison. Any hope of Rho's defeat lies with two people lost in a strange universe. Kaden and Aren must learn to harness all their unique gifts if they are to rival the god of darkness reborn. They will not fight alone. A brilliant geneticist, a furry dwaro, two less-than-friendly elves, dragons, and a spunky red-haired computer stand with them. But if Kaden and Aren fail to reach their full potential, all of reality will be devoured until nothing remains but Rho.

©2014 Charlie Pulsipher (P)2015 Charlie Pulsipher

wow!

it makes me so happy when a sequel lives up to my expectations! I really enjoyed the first book and this second book blew me away. I loved how everything came together and made sense, hinting at even bigger revelations and adventures in the last book. I will admit I had sneaking suspicions about the twin gods in book one, and even though that hasn't been completely revealed yet, I'm eager to discover the truth. when the characters began changing in this book things started to come together on what was going on, but I was still surprised and amazed at the end when the truth was revealed. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next book! I have no doubt it will be awesome!

Very curious

What did you love best about Obsidian Threads?

I felt a little lost in the first book with so many points of view, but they see much easier to follow in this book. The story itself is fascinating and unlike anything I have ever read or listened to in the past. The way the story has entwined itself and connected dots that seemed random has me completely intrigued and I am looking forward to book three to see how Charlie pulls it all together.

Did not see that ending coming! Wow

This is the second book in a series, so if you haven’t already read it, read the first one - ‘The Crystal Bridge’. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, the story has a wonderful mix of characters and worlds, and seamlessly melds sci-fi with fantasy. I was gifted this title by the author and was so happy to find out how the cliffhanger from the first book is resolved; and thankfully there isn’t a repeat of that in the second book – yay! The story continues the wonderful weaving of several plot lines together (makes me think of a quilt – taking several different patterns and combining them into something awesome).

This book beautifully ties the things introduced in the first book together…especially the ending! I think it is one of the best ‘bring things back full-circle’ endings that I have read in a long time. It is completely satisfying! The narrator is the same from the first book, and continues to do a good job. Be aware, this is one of those series that rewards the reader for paying attention, so don’t do any intense mental tasks while listening because you will be completely immersed in the world Charlie Pulsipher has created.

A Fantastic Sequel!

Obsidian Threads is the second book in the The Lost Shards series, which started with The Crystal Bridge. So far this series has been a very unique and complex weaving of both science fiction and fantasy, mixing in the fight against evil in a magical land with the science of our world. Where book one set up the conflict, Obsidian Threads jumps head long into it.

We’re back with our two main characters Kaden and Aren, but we get some new characters thrown into the mix and we get to see more of the social inner workings of the Ealdar. The strain between humans and the Dwaro and the Sidra is explained in more depth, and we get to see both sides of the problem. Taggers, a newer character, is a lowly human with a innate ability with magic holds a lot of really cool moments and I look forward to seeing more from in the next book.

The battle with Rho really comes to a head in this one, as both Kaden and Aren are pulled into a battle to help defend and protect all of the universe from Rho ever increasing hunger and darkness. While there is a lot of planning, social maneuvering and added world building there are also some really great scenes with action and some with a more sinister edge to them thanks to Rho’s following and Omegaphile. I really breezed through this audio rather quickly once I got back into it, which was really easy because they author was awesome enough to put a recap at the beginning of the book to help you recall the events and people of book one! ALL FANTASY BOOKS NEED THIS!

Keith Michaelson is a delight to listen to, with his crisp clear voice and plenty of emotion packed into the reading. I’m particularly fond of his voice for Rho and for the ancients, but his Dwaro accent is pretty awesome too.

Overall, I’m glad I finally got to make time for this one because it such a good continuation of the first one. The ending isn’t a cliffhanger which is awesome, but it does leave off in a place where you simply need to know what’s going to happen next!

Complex

Wow, just wow! Did not expect that. The end is the beginning and the beginning is the end, that is the only spoiler I'll give. The narration was good and the action was constant. I really enjoyed the book even though some of the voices were too similar and one of my favorite characters is killed. There is no cliff hanger in this one but there is obviously more to come and I can't wait to listen to the next book.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

I need to add "Epic" to "Science Fantasy"

What made the experience of listening to Obsidian Threads the most enjoyable?

The story is great, and Mr. Michaelson's read is so well done. I like when I forget that there is only one person reading because they change accent, tone, or inflection so easily for each character. This allows the world of the story to take shape, and allows the listener to fall into that world.

What other book might you compare Obsidian Threads to and why?

It's hard to compare this with other stories, because it's not just fantasy (which I would compare to "Eragon" or even "The Hobbit"), and it's not science fiction (which I would compare to "Divergent" or "The Maze Runner"). I would have to compare it to Joel Ohman's "Meritropolis" in terms of genre, but Pulsipher's scope is much larger.

Have you listened to any of Keith Michaelson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to Mr. Michaelson read "The Crystal Bridge", the first book in this series. His read of "Obsidian Threads" was just as engaging, and very well done.

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

There is a section near the end of the book that caught me off guard. I liked that. I thought I had figured out where part of the story was going, and was enjoying that, but then the author went in a direction I didn't expect. This direction was... scary.

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to the next book, read by Mr. Michaelson, of course.

Love!

absolutely loved this book! I read it in ebook format when it first came out, and the audio version is awesome! This story is smart, sassy, safe for older kids (my12 year old loved it too) . truly a world you can get sucked into, and never want to come home.

Questions answered with a surprise ending twist!

So many questions answered, friends reunited and lost, and so many CHANGES! You'll have to read to find out. I love Pulsipher's writing! Great flow and storyline. The setting is like a character in itself. (Michaelson's reading of the story didn't really do it justice, but it was adequate.) This is a trilogy that will sit on my shelves, ready and waiting for me to reread over and again throughout the years. I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK THREE!

Fast-paced action and more character introductions

This novel takes the listener to another world in another universe that is inhabited by folklore elves (both light and dark), dwarves, dragons and a human kingdom. While both Kaden and Aren are still the primary protagonists, James, Penny and Angie end up representing the adult contingent to the story. One area of the story that I found gratifying is where the losses include both significant dark forces but also a few significant likable characters, giving it a more realistic sense to to the unfolding.

The story became a bit convoluted in the end and seemed to suggest the creation of a Möbius strip wormhole.

Book two delivered! Already started # 3.

Wow this one is a continuation of the first book with no space or time skipped. I like that in a series. He leaves you with a cliffhanger and gets right back to it in the second book answering some questions and posing others. This book brings our three humans together and builds the story from there. The fantastical is still believable not too far out there. But is still full of wonder as to how such things can be brought together. it makes me so happy when a sequel lives up to my expectations! I really enjoyed the first book and this second book blew me away. I loved how everything came together and made sense, hinting at even bigger revelations and adventures in the last book.