The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles, Book 1

By: Alexandra Butcher

Narrated by: Rob Goll

A beautiful young elven sorceress flees for her life in a dark world where magic is forbidden and elves live as slaves. Watching her are the Order of Witch-Hunters, the corrupt organization that rules by fear and ignorance, and a mysterious, wealthy nobleman, lord of an idyllic valley who is not all he seems. As the slavers roll across the lands, stealing elves from what remains of their ancestral home, the Witch-Hunters turn a blind eye to the tragedy and a story of power, love, and a terrible revenge unfolds.

©2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Alexandra Butcher (P)2016 Alexandra Butcher

Hard to listen to

All the dialogue is read like little kids doing a play . Really takes away from the story

Had to give up, just couldn't listen to the narrator any longer.

The narrator was especially bad. Way too much sexual description. The story would have been good otherwise.

A Rescue Quest Fantasy

A classic fantasy "quest" novel where a band of heroes set out to find and recover a group of elves and humans stolen by slavers. The cast is peopled with elves, mages, humans, halfbreeds, forest and city dwellers. The story is as complex and as rich as the landscapes, full of romance, intrigue, betrayal and no shortage of truly evil beings our heroes must battle. There even a few happily ever after endings although not everybody's story is a happy one.
A.L. Butcher's story is NOT for children. It has moments when it's very stark and graphic. There's sex and bad language and violence that's not for the faint hearted but, if you like fantasy that tells it like it is, this book belongs on your TBR.

Brilliant narrator and author make fantasy breathe

Would you consider the audio edition of The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles, Book 1 to be better than the print version?

I savor A. L Butcher's works. Their depth and quality, as well as their honesty, are rare. In choosing Rob Goll, the up-and coming Shakespearean actor, Butcher has played to her strengths: author and narrator both excel at myth and drama, and both love delivering a truthful tale. If you like fantasy with a bite, the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles, Book 1 is for you.

What did you like best about this story?

Let's see: power, love, revenge, all bubble in a cauldron of suspense when an elven sorceress ventures where magic is a crime. Where elves are slaves, our elf girl fights fear and ignorance, personified by the Order of Witch-Hunters and a mysterious nobleman. In a world where idyllic often means treacherous, and slavers lurk behind every bush of a land elves once called home, vengeance brews...

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

Listening to Robb Goll is a pleasure, and I've listened to several of his audio-books, and loved each, because each performance seems perfectly tempered to the tale he's telling. In his narration of Heroika 1: Dragon Eaters, this flexibility and range is particularly well displayed as he goes from one story, one author, one world to the next, while giving each tale both individuality and connectedness to the whole. Impressive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't listen in one sitting, but I found myself sneaking away to listen to parts, until finally I reached the end and wished I had another like this to hear.