Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Far West  By  cover art

The Far West

By: Patricia C. Wrede
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Patricia C. Wrede, the fantastic conclusion to her tale of magic on the western frontier.

Eff is an unlucky 13th child...but also the seventh daughter in her family. Her twin brother, Lan, is a powerful double seventh son. Her life at the edge of the Great Barrier Spell is different from anyone else's that she knows.

When the government forms an expedition to map the Far West, Eff has the opportunity to travel farther than anyone in the world. With Lan, William, Professor Torgeson, Wash, and Professor Ochiba, Eff finds that nothing on the wild frontier is as they expected. There are strange findings in their research, a long prarie winter spent in too-close quarters, and more new species, magical and otherwise, dangerous and benign, than they ever expected to find. And then spring comes, and the explorers realize how tenuous life near the Great Barrier Spell may be if they don't find a way to stop a magical flood in a hurry. Eff's unique way of viewing magic has saved the settlers time and again, but this time all of Columbia is at stake if she should fail.

©2012 Patricia C. Wrede (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Far West

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    827
  • 4 Stars
    306
  • 3 Stars
    53
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    812
  • 4 Stars
    228
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    733
  • 4 Stars
    265
  • 3 Stars
    70
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I hope this is a series and not just a trilogy.

I have now read all three books in this trilogy and I sincerely hope that Wrede's readers will convince her to turn this into a series. I can see plenty of paths she could take towards turning out more books about this interesting young woman.

Over the arc of the trilogy, I really enjoyed the unfolding of her personality, from a disregarded and dismissed child to struggling adolescence to blossoming young woman. I don't want to provide spoilers, but I find that while Lan is an admirable and deserving young man, Eff is by far the more creative and interesting character.

I enjoyed the interplay between events in our history and how they differ in Eff's. And I really enjoyed learning that both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were seventh sons of seventh sons. (We should have guessed.) 8-)

I kept thinking during the first book in this trilogy that she kept hanging revolvers on walls and then not shooting them (see Wikipedia article, "Chekhov's Gun") It was revealing in this book to see all those guns being taken down and used. Clearly, this entire series was mapped out before she completed the first one.

To sum up: Don't start with this book. Read them in their proper order: "Thirteenth Child", then "Across the Great Barrier", and then this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Mostly Satisfying Conclusion

If you've listened to the first 2 books in this series, then you won't be too surprised by this one.

As usual, the story plods along, with remarkable scenes littered amongst the pretty mundane. Oddly though, it's enjoyable. You never feel like you're rushing anywhere; you're just along for the ride, taking in Eff's daily life as we meander to the end game. It's a bit similar to some of the earlier Harry Potter books in that way.

The downside of this type of story telling (aside from it being slow, which can be a pain if you're not enjoying taking it all in), is that there is much discussed and revealed during the story (indeed, the entire series) that never gets resolved.

In most stories, most of what you hear about is fairly important. In these types of stories though, you hear about so much that it can be hard to figure out just what's important and what is just a tidbit. Sadly, many of those tidbits that seem to be going somewhere never do, and you're left to fill in the blanks in your mind. A shame for such a wonderfully-crafted universe.

Overall however, I enjoyed it. For the shippers, Eff finally "settles down" in this book, and thankfully those parts of the story aren't mushy or annoying. In fact, it doesn't interfere with the story at all; it adds to it.

I'd hoped this wasn't the end, but given that there's an epilogue, I guess it is. Great series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Frontier Magic Series is an incredible set!

Where does The Far West rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This series is easy to read and totally captivating. Patricia's ability to create a world that is both magical and familiar makes her one of my very favorite writers.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eff (of course) is my favorite character because of her mild mannerism as well as her sarcastic wit.

What about Amanda Ronconi’s performance did you like?

Amanda Ronconi's performance quickly draw's the listener into the plot.

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

I was hooked from the very beginning of the first book and wanted to listen to them all immediately

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Reads like a travel log.

I really like this author, but aside from the first book this series has been a bust. There are a lot of great characters and the world the author has created is fascinating. However, the plot reads like a very boring travel log with lots of unimportant details included. There is also a lot of repetition. I understand that on an expedition there might be a lot of arguing, but the arguments are always presented the same way. The whole book was tedious to listen to. I do not recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed all 3 books

I enjoyed all 3 books and the narrator was super. I would recommend this series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wraps up nicely

I wasn’t sure that the author would be able to wrap up everything satisfactorily in one book, but it seems she did. I wouldn’t mind more adventures in the far west, but I’m satisfied with the conclusion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Satisfying Conclusion

Patricia Wrede's storytelling is unhurried yet sets a good enough pace that makes you want to keep going.
She also imbues her characters and the setting with an integrity that remains consistent through all three books.

The series has been compared to "Little House on the Prairie", and I agree - in all the good ways.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Far West

horse and carrot
a beautiful horse and a wonderful carrot.
if I liked carrots and if the carrot was anything like this tail, if I was a horse I would be deliriously happy to book 4

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

wonderful for young and old minds

I love this series and really anything Patricia Wrede writes. This series is satisfying and gentle with out being too romantic. There is a bit of a growing subgenre of Western Fantasy often featuring complex heroines that I really love. Some of the grittier urban fantasy writers could learn something from the gentle more life like but equally challenging characters of Patricia Wrede.
Amanda Ronconi's narration was spot on. She's one of the best narrators going for Americana oriented stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Patricia Wrede is always just plain fun!

This is the third in the series and wrapped it all up brilliantly. Since each book is short, I listened straight through, and I did get tired of all the recap at the beginning of each new novel, but it does mean you don't have to start with the first. Though I'd highly recommend doing them in order.

Amanda Ronconi did a good job of narrating. I thought she slightly overdid the accents, however. I got very tired of that folksy, frontier accent and with the Scandinavian accent of the Vinland professor. On the other hand, I thought she did great with Wash's southern drawl.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful