The Towers of the Sunset

Saga of Recluce, Book 2

By: L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s latest novel in the Saga of Recluce series tells the story of Creslin, son of a powerful military matriarch, who chooses exile rather than an arranged marriage. Creslin sets out on a search for his true identity as a man, developing his magical talents through constant conflict with the enigmatic white wizards of Candar.

©1993 L.E. Modesitt (P)2013 Tantor

OK The story is getting better

What three words best describe Kirby Heyborne’s voice?

He is mono tone but better then last book. Also he likes to yell louder then necessary to get the point across during action.

Was The Towers of the Sunset worth the listening time?

I do like the story

Any additional comments?

This book goes back to the past to the founding of Recluse with little in common with the first book if I had to go back i'd read this one first. I think I will follow the story in print versions of the books. If they put more on audio I will listen

great sci-fi

Part of the beginnings of a great series. Not the first written nor the first in the tale, but a step in the legend from what began and what was to come.

jumps around a lot

the story is hard to follow at least it was for me. I think the gist of what I cleaned out of it was good.

good story

I liked this book a lot, but after reading the 1st book, I feel that this should have been the 1st one since it seems to be more of a beginning. .. we'll see what the 3rd holds. I had expected the characters to continue from one book to anither, but this is not the, as yet anyway. Looking forward to the next book...

How to build a city as a wizard

Interesting story. It's goes into a lot of detail on the economics of starting a new civilization. Characters are done well. Fun action too. Moves a little slow like the last book.

good

this is probably my last favorite recluse novel, because mageara is just so mean. but it's well performed and an important story in the timeline.

The Struggle

Where does The Towers of the Sunset rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very good. It took me a bit to get used to Kirby's reading style. I now like it quite well.

Any additional comments?

This being the second book in the series I struggled to put the story into perspective of a time line. It got worse as the story went along. Please see the following reviews. That being said the book is great. At this point in the series I am hooked on the story line and I expect that it will only get more intense.

I am not in the authors head.

I was lost for too much of this book. He does not go into how the world works. I had to pick up bits and pieces. One of the main characters keeps wailing you don’t understand and I did not understand. I kept thinking why don’t you clearly explain. It was very tiring. I had to take a break from the book. I liked the narrator’s voice. If you read other books by this author first so that you understand the world it would be better.

Gripping story, “real” characters

well written. Gripping story, “real” characters that you can identify with, rejoice with, weep with.

A solid novel but not as good as the first one.

Would you listen to The Towers of the Sunset again? Why?

I enjoyed it, but I'd have to go a long time before listening to it again. It was ok, but fairly formulaic and the romance angle gets pretty aggravating at times because it is so repetitive. Still this book is like a chef following a well-established recipie. it isn't ground-breaking but it's a standard dish done very well. A coming of age book like Heinlein and all the others, but is well crafted. I would have prefered to give the book 3.5 stars as it is a bit better than average but nowhere near as good as the first book in this series. Unfortunately, that isn't an option and I didn't honestly feel it rated a 4.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the depth of the world created.

Which character – as performed by Kirby Heyborne – was your favorite?

I didn't really have any particular character as a favorite. The narrartor has a very high natural voice so he is great at speaking as a female or young boy.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

I had heard the narrarator do another book and hated it because his voice was too high and effeminate. However, as this book's main character is a young man it works and he does a very good job. He has good mature male voices at his disposal, it just isn't his natural speaking voice. So as a young adult or female he is great, but wouldn't want to hear him voice a main character who is an adult male. My only other complaint is that he audibly does the sound effects which can be reall annoying. For example the character rides his horse swings his sword as a fireball comes past would be neh, swish vroom thud, arg!. The scenes with crows are aggravating as hell. This book starts out a bit disjointed but after a few chapters the author hits his stride and it's a solid read. The romance angle is repetitious and gets to be pretty nerve racking for a large chunk of the book. That is why I rated the story a 3.5. The world and back ground are a solid 5.The story is more like a 4 and the rough start and annoying romance angle drop it a bit further. Still it is a good addition to the series and worth a listen.