The Red Wolf Conspiracy

By: Robert V. S. Redick

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Already a publishing sensation in England, marks the debut of a remarkably gifted young writer. Robert V. S. Redick has been compared to Philip Pullman, George R. R. Martin, and China Miéville, among others, and like them he is a spellbinding storyteller, unafraid to sail his imagination into uncharted waters. With The Red Wolf Conspiracy he launches the first book of a trilogy destined to take its place among the classics of epic fantasy.

The Imperial Merchant Ship Chathrand is the last of her kind. Six hundred years old, the secrets of her construction long forgotten, the massive vessel dwarfs every other sailing craft in the world. It is a palace with sails, a floating outpost of the Empire of Arqual. And it is on its most vital mission yet: to deliver a young woman whose marriage will seal the peace between Arqual and its mortal enemy, the secretive Mzithrin Empire.

But the young woman in question - Thasha, the daughter of the Arquali ambassador - has no intention of going meekly to the altar. For the ship's true mission is not peace but war - a war that threatens to unleash an ancient, all-consuming evil.

As the dark conspiracy at the heart of the voyage unfurls, Pazel Pathkendle, a lowly tarboy with an uncanny gift, will find himself in an unlikely alliance with Thasha and her protectors: Hercól, a valet who is more than he appears; Dri, the queen of a race of tiny stowaways who have their own plans for the great ship; and Ramachni, a powerful sorcerer from another world. Arrayed against them are the Chathrand's brutal captain, Nilus Rose; the Emperor's spymaster and chief assassin, Sandor Ott; and the enigmatic Dr. Chadfallow, a longtime friend to Pazel's family whose kind words may hide a vicious betrayal.

As the Chathrand navigates treacherous waters to complete its mission, Pazel, Thasha, and their allies - including a singularly heroic rat - must also navigate a treacherous web of in...

©2009 Robert V.S. Redick (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Redick's debut presents a unique setting for an epic fantasy and includes memorable characters. With comparisons to George R. R. Martin and Philip Pullman, this is highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

Good book, but a little disappointing.

This book is good, but I won't go into detail. The story is the very typical fantasy Sci fi plot. For those of us that have read the great authors in this genre it is a bit disappointing. I will read the next book as the reviews are better but I expected more from reviews I read.

Simply a weak story with weak characters

What disappointed you about The Red Wolf Conspiracy?

I've listened to this series through two and a half books before I finally gave up. I very rarely stop in the middle of a series, but when there's little or no character development through two novels, when the action is a serial, episodic trip on a boat from mildly bleak situation to vaguely bleak situation, I have little incentive to continue. I don't care for any of the characters (the woken rat might be an exception, but he's a minor character), and I find their decisions and behavior to be frequently idiotic and juvenile. Life is too short to spend more time on this story.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I think I'll go back and listen to Watership Down to cleanse my audio palatte.

What three words best describe Michael Page’s performance?

I love Michael Page. His Scott Lynch readings and his Three Musketeers reading are superb--some of my favorite audiobooks ever (and I've listened to hundreds). Some of his voices in this one are just so over the top and annoying (the "woken" falcon, for instance) that it breaks the spell for me--and I start thinking more about the reader than the story--which in this case, is probably a good thing.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and apathy.

overly dramatic naration

Was hoping for a good series to get into- this was not it. I found the story lacking, could not get a hold of me and the overly dramatic narration was a little distracting as well. Did not finish

Sudsy

Reads (listens?) like a soap opera or bad play for children. narrator uses shrieking voices for some characters that are grating but the main problem to me is every scene is literally a seemingly endless dialogue revealing (gasp) deep dark revelations while every character ignores the apparently extremely violent situation literally engulfing them. Like "oh my goodness we are being attacked by overwhelming forces, someone is swinging a sword at my head literally right now. Let's monologue and explain the plot". The little pixie people are a crutch to explain the story and literally do nothing but pop in and reveal big secrets out of nowhere. it's a kids book and not a great one. if you are looking for that go for it.