Prince of Fools

The Red Queen's War, Book 1

By: Mark Lawrence

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Hailed as "epic fantasy on a George R. R. Martin scale, but on speed" (Fixed on Fantasy), the Broken Empire trilogy introduced a bold new world of dark fantasy with the story of Jorg Ancrath' s devastating rise to power. Now, Mark Lawrence returns to the Broken Empire with the tale of a less ambitious prince.

The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister - unseen by most and unspoken of by all.

The Red Queen's grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth - drinker, gambler, seducer of women - is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war is coming. Witnesses claim an undead army is on the march, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jal thinks it' s all a rumor - nothing that will affect him - but he is wrong. After escaping a death trap set by the Silent Sister, Jal finds his fate magically intertwined with a fierce Norse warrior. As the two undertake a journey across the Empire to undo the spell, encountering grave dangers, willing women, and an upstart prince named Jorg Ancrath along the way, Jalan gradually catches a glimmer of the truth: He and the Norseman are but pieces in a game, part of a series of moves in the long war - and the Red Queen controls the board.

©2014 Bobalinga, Ltd. (P)2014 Recorded Books

Not my usual fair but this book is a hoot!

Where does Prince of Fools rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 20. I read a lot.

Any additional comments?

I have to say that the narrator (Tim G.Renolds) did such a smashing job that I wonder if I would appreciate reading the book as much. His timing is impeccable. I think I love him. Smiles..... all that being said I would have enjoyed one or two more graphic sex scenes to bring the book to perfection. I am a girl after all.

love it. I suspect, better, after prince of Thorns

some people seem to think the narrative style gives away too much, knowing it's all be told in past tense. I don't mind. it's not about what happens in the end. it's about the discovery of how.

Good - not great - but good.

It’s pretty good. The story line is well thought out. Character and world building is handled well. Now for a little criticism: it tries a little too hard to be witty and funny - occasionally it succeeds. Also I found that the blasphemy and sex was gratuitous.

So the story was good but could have been better if the author had left some distractions out.

another good book

the author kills it with the stories hes created in this world hes thought up. loved the anti hero or the prince/king/emperor of thorns. the anti hero of this book is completely different than jorg but done very well with few redeming qualities. love it

amazing

Mark Lawrence doas another amazing job with this series. wonderful anti hero, that's afraid, but shows they are truly brave, even though in their mind they think themselves cowardly and self serving.

great listen!

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen. it hit all of the friendly and familiar tropes that I am accustomed to with fantasy, well adding enough mystery to keep me engaged. all the characters are beautifully develops throughout the story, enough so that every tragedy it's home. there were multiple times I had to stop and pause and just contemplate what happened.

I will say that the ending was a little frustrating, not that it was necessarily bad. no spoilers, but I hope the situation is rectified in the following books.

Hilarious ,Spoiled, selfish Prince Grows up

Prince Jalan is spoiled, lecherous and the grandson a Queen. Unfortunately for him he goes on an unexpected journey that over time he grows up a little and becomes something he never thought would happen to him, He becomes a hero and a leader to some degree. He Meets Snorrie and learns a great deal about himself and his new friend. Their adventure (to find Snorrie's wife) happens over a period of time, trying to survive different situations. They change and grow closer on their adventure together. A wonderful listen and highly recommend.!!

slow start but a solid finish.

left a lot to the imagination to fill in gaps. big swings in action. got down right bored at times but right when I was going to put it down great action erupted.

Tim Gerard Reynolds is a marvel

This narrator can bring any world and any character to life with an arsenal of voices that take all the guesswork out of audiobooks. I now search for books with his narration and that has introduced me to a new (to me) genre. Thank you, sir, for your fine work.

Great book and great job as narrator

next series in the broken empire love jal evening more than Jorg looking forward to liars key