The Elvenbane

Halfblood Chronicles, Book 1

By: Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by: Aasne Vigesaa

Length: 18 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale. This is the story of Shana, a half-breed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father with a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, Shana was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or human kind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.

©1991 Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A splendid blend of the talents of two excellent storytellers” (Anne McCaffrey)

"One of the season’s liveliest and most appealing fantasy epics.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“A brisk, glittering yarn that packs as much action, suspense, and twisting of conventions into one novel as many writers invest in whole trilogies.” ( Amazing Stories)

Nicely done

Very well developed characters, love the
i interaction between all. Very smartly done. I’m looking forward to the next book.

the elvenbanes are so cool

What did you love best about The Elvenbane?

the closeness of the characters they became partof my family

What other book might you compare The Elvenbane to and why?

mistborne they were a family and worked together

Did Aasne Vigesaa do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

totally awesome there was no doubt who was who

Any additional comments?

i was in the hospital when i listened to this and it made my journey so much easier

exceptionally read. written. love love love. adore

loved this book twenty years ago. love it now. will forever be in my thoughts and heart.

Slow start recovered in great ending!

Wonderful narrator. Such a slow and depressing start. Took a while to pick up but when it did- it had a great ending!

Enjoyed

Enjoyed book, good if you like elves, dragons and magic.ten words remaining before they let me close this screen Ugh!

Good Story

Would you listen to The Elvenbane again? Why?

Maybe, it's not like the Wheel of Time or the David Eddings books, but it's enjoyable.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was very different from other magical stories. The relationship/differences between the 3 races and the multiple struggles for direction were extremely interesting.
I always like watching characters evolve, and I was surprised in this book - pleasantly.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reader brought each character to life quite well. The way the book is written, changes in chapters, context or story are very quick - for example the story might shift from Shana in the desert to Alara calming the weather but there will be no chapter break, pause, nothing to indicate such a shift has occurred and if you aren't listening carefully you can easily miss the context change. This happens constantly thru the book and it's quite annoying, I don't understand why the author has so few chapters or breaks when they change subjects. Maybe for reading this is ok, but for a narrator - they need to somehow pause.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some parts were funny, nothing extreme.

Great Fantasy Fiction!

Would you listen to The Elvenbane again? Why?

Yes. I love this type of book. Mythical Creatures, Magic Powers, and only subtle romantic innuendo.

What other book might you compare The Elvenbane to and why?

The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings. All the "Mythical Creatures & beings". A great adventure.

What does Aasne Vigesaa bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator makes this such a joy. You don't even have to guess which character she is being after the 1st or 2nd time she becomes them. She is extremely versatile with her voice. Also, the story flowed without hesitation. Much like the story tellers of old (before most people could read).

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Enter a world of magic, mystery, and conflict.

Any additional comments?

This is a "Must" to add to your library.

Good book

What did you like best about The Elvenbane? What did you like least?

And book I had read many years ago. I enjoyed in then and it was nice to return to the story in audible formate

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Good ending. Redemption. Revenge. Hope.

What does Aasne Vigesaa bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Audio always bring book to life. And can be heard in the car on my commute

Was The Elvenbane worth the listening time?

Yes

Nice relaxing read.

Thoroughly enjoyable story. Great for listening in the car, as the names & places were easy to remember & follow.
The issue I had with the narrator was the choice of voice for the young dragon. When he was young, the little boy's voice was fine but as the book progressed & the war was raging, it became silly. He still sounded like an 8 year old.
I do want to listen to the next book in the series.

Well written and a good listen

Takes a little while to get through the background character build up but once it gets rolling it is very captivating.