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.

Great plot, very sexist

Awesome plot details and hooks, the world is filled with inventive, interesting and believable depth.

Unfortunately, every woman (and they are in leading roles) is either a sex object or dismissed.

predictable

i guessed All but One Plot point
... which is pretty boring in the Long run

Intriguing Story, worth the listen

What did you love best about The Emperor's Blades?

The world is really interesting. In this novel we focus on three distinct places. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the world looks like. The main thing I liked most was the Kettral and Hal's trial.

What other book might you compare The Emperor's Blades to and why?

I would compare this book to The Way of Kings and Lamantation: The Psalms of Issac. All stories revolve about key characters and hit on the overall depth of what is going on in the world. There is political intrigue but not to the point of A Song of Ice and Fire or Wheel of Time. It is the amount needed to advance the plot without diving into each character or too deeply into the back story of the world.

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

No I haven't but now I want to. My main worry about audiobooks is the reader. You can have an A+ story but if it is read by a F- reader then the story just fails to reach it's intended audience. My top super favorite A+ readers are Roy Dotrice, Kate Reading, George Guidall, and Michael Kramer. Simon Vance has now joined that team of A+ readers.

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

No, it made me ready for the next book in the series to see how it all turns out.

too much profanity

it was a really good book, but too much profanity. reduce the f word and it would have been amazing

One of my new favorites

This story is amazing. The tention building is out of this world, and when it comes to a close, extremely satisfying. I ended this book really looking forward to listening to the next one, but not in a place where I need to to feel a sense of completion. Well done!

Amazing

Really well written. Enthralling story.
I really enjoyed every moment of this book can't wait for the next one to be finished.

The narration is really REALLY good too.

5/5

Flawless Victory... Kinda...

Staveley is brilliant in all that he does. Glad we eventually get more narrators though. It's no fault of Mr. Vance, he does an excellent job, just lending animation to such a wealth of characters takes a toll and at times the diction and accents run together.

George R. R. Martin better write faster

If you are angrily waiting the next Game of Thrones book, than The Emperor's Blades is your book. The story is often stronger and more relatable that George R. R. Martin's stuff. Plus Simon Vance's narration is fantastic as always.

A bright Light In the Fantasy Sky!

Brian Staveley is a bright new light in the Fantasy genre. I thought it sounded good from the publishers summary but wow, it was so much better. The characters come alive in your mind, they are so well written.The plot is well set up, with 3 POV characters that have distinct experiences that make sense and are consistent. No slow spots, the story moves along with thrills, disappointments (for the characters) Successes, failures, love, loss and revenge all making for compelling reading. I can't recommend this highly enough! I can't wait for the next books in the series. Simon Vance does a great job narrating as always. He is a top 5 narrator in my opinion.

Enjoyable but slow

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

This is not my favorite book but it does draw you in if you can stick with the slow start. It does pop in later chapters and does a very good job of leaving you wanting more in the end.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

He was a very good reader. Gave a very good sense of emotion to both male and female chars. Well done.

Any additional comments?

Cant wait for book two. As much as I was bored with the start of this story, it builds as it goes and in the end makes you care for the chars and waiting to know more.