Thinblade

Sovereign of the Seven Isles, Book 1

By: David A. Wells

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin's arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended 2,000 years ago.

Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man's arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen when viewed from the edge.

Thinblade is the story of Alexander's quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha, and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.

©2011 David A. Wells (P)2014 Podium Publishing

Death appears to be the answer to everything

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

Sure. It's not a bad story. The characters beyond Alexander, the main character, could use a bit more depth. It goes a lot into what he's thinking, but the other characters have no depth or purpose without him.

Would you be willing to try another book from David A. Wells? Why or why not?

Sure. I've read the story before. I knew it's flaws, but it's a good story with a rich universe. Heavy on the detail of the world around the characters, just not a lot of depth in the characters themselves.

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

Nothing in particular. It was a good performance simply because I could get into the story without having to consider the reader at all. I was into the book, not into who was reading it and how that affected my opinion of the book.

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

No.

Excellent book

Any additional comments?

I am always on the lookout for a good series. I am glad I found this one. I enjoyed listening to all 7 books, and never felt bored. It is a good story with a good reader.

feel the magic

I loved this book! If you want a good fantasy book to lose your day, this is an excellent choice! This book doesn't slow down to give you time to breathe! I loved every moment I lost to this book! I would give it 10 stars if I could!

thinblade

Ther is too much narrative and repetition, otherwise the story and reader are very good

Awesome Read!

I was so enthralled with this book I finished it in 2 days!
I haven't run into this type of fantasy in a very long time.
Narration was excellent. The plot was believable.
The magic rules were very interesting and I loved the world
Wells designed.

Good read.... but oh the repetition.....

What made the experience of listening to Thinblade the most enjoyable?

the story

What did you like best about this story?

it was good

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

yes... good job

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

I liked the story, but almost returned it due to the tendency of the author to get hung up in detail of things that would go on and on and on. Crikey! But I stuck to it and am glad that I did.

Good read nothing too exciting

This seem like the regular run of the mill fantasy with a kid discovering he's the long lost king or other. I'm hoping for more twists in the coming books and for the author to stop restating the same moral argument over and over. Yeah we get it evil is bad how could anyone in their right mind choose to do it, now get back to the story.

Derek Perkins should narrate instruction manuals

Where does Thinblade rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I got this book mainly for Mr. Perkins. He hasnt done many books yet, but if he narrated your instruction manual for your TV, you would know everything about it in full detail. That is of course to say, it is a delightful performance even if the material isnt quite there.

Thinblade is a decent story with a few drawbacks and hitches along the way. The biggest one that was a bit of a trainwreck for me was the oddly shallow details about the main characters relationship that develops along the book. The story eludes to that them getting to know each other well, but nothing you would expect of a typical in depth relationship occurs. It reads more like a 12 year old that fell in love rather than an adult with serious real world concerns, especially in warfare. He doesnt seemingly much about his love's political stances more than a brief line here or there, but countless detailings of her beauty or watching her in admiration ensue.

I was also a bit held back from really immersing into the story because some of the choices the author places the characters through have completely puzzling outcomes, things that in no way seem sensible for the frame of mind that should be present in open war, especially with magic.

However, all in all I think it was a fun journey, very interesting detailings for what magic is in the series, something often overlooked during such stories, and I do ultimately recommend it.

Would you be willing to try another book from David A. Wells? Why or why not?

As mentioned above, the story is fun so far, and I am actually very interested to see if the story fixes the aforementioned hiccups. I will continue on with the series and see how it goes, yes.

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

What I love about Derek is that he isnt afraid to play the female voices in character. Many auditory actors feel uncomfortable really digging into the roles of the opposite sex. Now what I mean isnt just that Derek deflects his voice, as most do indeed do that, but he reads the words with a sense of what the character's mood, excitement, or even drollness should be. When the story arc has a character seem bored, Derek seems bored. When the story calls for longing, you can feel the longing in Derek's voice. For same sex characters, many actors sound far more at ease than with the opposite sex, but Derek doesn't feel remotely awkward or "in a second skin" as many others do.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Would you dare to step between the cracks of time and even existence itself?"

Any additional comments?

Is it rude to try and get an autograph from the narrator instead of the book's author?! Maybe I should seek for both just for good form.

Excellent reader, decent story

What did you love best about Thinblade?

An excellent performance by the reader. The characters are likeable and good.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was predictable. Especially so, since this is so obviously part of a larger story.

Which character – as performed by Derek Perkins – was your favorite?

Alexander

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Part 1

Excellent Novel

This is my first David Wells novel and I was very impressed. The characters are well developed and it's refreshing to find more than one capable woman character. The plot is imaginative and keeps you focused., turning page after page, not wanting to put it down. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.