The Godborn

Forgotten Realms: The Sundering, Book II

By: Paul S. Kemp

Narrated by: John Pruden

In the 2nd book of the multi-author Sundering series launched by New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, the shadow legacy of Erevis Cale lives on even as his old foe Mephistopheles seeks to stamp it out at any cost. Cale’s son Vasen - unmoored in time by the god Mask - has thus far been shielded from the archdevil’s dark schemes, alone among the servants of the Lord of Light who have raised him since birth.

Living in a remote abbey nestled among the Thunder Peaks of Sembia, Vasen is haunted by dreams of his father, trapped in the frozen hell of Cania. He knows the day will come when he must assume his role in the divine drama unfolding across Faern. But Vasen knows not what that role should be...or whether he is ready to take it on. He only knows what his father tells him in dreams - that he must not fail.

Enter Drasek Riven, a former compatriot of Erevis Cale, now near divine and haunted by dreams of his own - he too knows the time to act is near. Shar, the great goddess of darkness, looks to cast her shadow on the world forever. Riven has glimpsed the cycle of night she hopes to complete, and he knows she must be stopped.

At the crossroads of divine intrigue and mortal destiny, unlikely heroes unite to thwart the powers of shadow and hell, and the sundering of worlds is set on its course.

©2013 Wizards of the Coast LLC (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Atmospheric and Engrossing

I really struggle to find Forgotten Realms books I like after reading "Brimstone Angels." This is the first book since then I've happy gotten all the way through. Less of an endless stream of "and this happened and then this happened" which is how I found "The Companions" to be.

Author wonderfully describes how things look, the environment and creatures. Fantastically grotesque and creepy. I could do with more female characters and less disparaging descriptions of "dusky skin," but what can you do.

Narrator was excellent! Good pace, I like his deep voice, and he does the right amount and frequency of character voices, only doing it where it really counts for humor or creepiness.

Meh.

Writing was only OK. The action scenes were decent paced however. Voice acting was kinda stiff in most parts and I wasn't a fan.

inconsistent

far too inconsistent story.. 1 minute Riven has rapiers the next sabres.. talking about the world of toril/abir but people are transporting to earth.

Adds to the overall

Has some really good dark story sections that make you really hate certain characters, but they deserve it. Narrator is a bit monotone, but he does a good job later as the book nears the end.

Superb.

Possibly my favorite Forgotten Realms book from definitely my favorite author. Even better the second time.
First time listening to the story, narrator did a rock solid job.