The Emperor's Blades

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1

By: Brian Staveley

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Now includes special bonus content. Stay tuned after the audiobook to hear “The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan,” a short story by Brian Staveley.

The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late.

An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test.

At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing - and risk everything - to see that justice is meted out.

©2014 Brian Stavely (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

you want to know what happens

What made the experience of listening to The Emperor's Blades the most enjoyable?

this book started slowly for me but like most good books, I was captured by the characters and their lives before I realized it. The narrator did a good job of separating the voices with a peculiar asian/english/? accent but it works. The first thing I did when half way through was find out if the next book is out (it's not, but is due in Jan 15); that is a significant sign of the quality of the book (I want to know what happens).

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kaden (he is critical to the success of the realm), Tan (his trainer who must have a continuing role), Trieste (the new girl - she is more than she appears) and Valyn (the younger brother who has been trained and "changed" at his training on the rock)

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

He did a great job with funny but certainly workable accents to separate the characters (I like what he did) and I listen to many books.

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

Steel (Valyn), emptiness (Kaden) and cunning (Adare) to save the empire and the Malkeenian line.

Any additional comments?

nice job - the complexity and multiple plots are what makes it interesting.

Great Story!

All around very enjoyable audiobook! The main characters are well done, believable, and you quickly find yourself engrossed in their stories. The main plot of the story's universe isn't exactly super original, but it has enough tweaks that it is still interesting and brimming with potential. Going to start the next book immediately!

Good read!

This one was very enjoyable, had me on edge towards the end really wanting to know what happens. Just the right mix of reality, fantasy, magic, politics, etc. Looking forward to more in this series.

Fun, Exciting and We'll Done

First book I've read that was masterful in description choosing adjectives wisely. A true artist!

Simply astounding!!

One of the most well written and narrated books I've listened to in over three years. An intriguing plot that keeps you guessing till the very end.

Started to slowly for my liking

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The pace of this book is a bit slow for my taste and almost punted this one from my queue. The book gets is legs about 3/4 of the way through. I am glad I finished it out. This book should build a good foundation for the rest of the series.

Loved it!

Great listen! very engaging storyline & charaters. Can't wait to start the next book in the series.

Bloody wonderful!

Loved this so much I got heat stroke sitting in the car to finish because I forgot to crack a window. Recovering slowly. So worth it!

great story

needed something to fill the void will waiting on something new from Patrick Ruffus, outstanding!

Good read.

Characters are just a wee bit shallow, but the story is a good one. Simon is always a great narrator!