The Forever King

The Scalussen Chronicles, Book 1

By: Ben Galley

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Length: 23 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A brutal war against a vast empire. An immortal mage. Soul-drinking daemons. A trickster god with chaos in mind. And a girl with the future of the world in her hands. The Forever King is the start of an epic, blood-soaked fantasy saga.

In Emaneska, to consort with magick is to court death. Banned by the Arka Empire, magick's purging has finally brought peace to war-torn Emaneska.

Like any dutiful citizen, Mithrid Fenn wants nothing to do with magick. But when an illegal spellbook washes up on a beach after a battle between giant, unknown ships, Mithrid Fenn is thrust into a war she never knew existed. Her family slaughtered, Mithrid finds herself hunted by daemons and the emperor's assassins. She is dragged inexorably north to Scalussen, where mages, dragons, beast-people, and witches doggedly wage a war for freedom against the tyrannical empire. But Mithrid only cares for revenge and nothing nobler. If killing the emperor means helping the Outlaw King, then so be it. Even if it means drowning the world in fire.

©2021 Ben Galley (P)2021 Podium Audio

MC is missing.

This book has a great start of an epic story line, but there is not a clear main character. It is trying to develop 2 MC and 1 is always lacking.

Outstanding!

Rip snorting tale, superbly read! I can’t wait for the next instalment and I hope they make the movie

Absolutely lovely

Just a lovely story that is beautifully read. Really enjoyed listening to it while working on my own fantasy crafts

Good story, ok narrator

Story is good and well thought out I believe. Narrator was doing great until he tried to do the dragon and demons voices. As they are bigger creatures you would think their voices would be stronger and not croaked out like a tiny goblin or imp. Did ruin those parts for me but otherwise worth a listen.

Fun and refreshing fantasy!

The descriptions are brilliant and the characters’ experiences are both palpable and endearing! Definitely worth enjoying the whole set! Laura G. in Hawaii

Resolution to Unresolved - Keeps you wanting more

Coming off of the Emaneska Series with a bitter taste in my mouth for the antagonist(s), wondering how Fardden would bullheadedly strong arm his way to victory, it was refreshing to meet a new protagonist in Mithrid.

This book allowed me to have resolution from how Emaneska series ended, and immediately fall into the new fight. Villains old and new, allies old and new, a legion against the cobbled-together alliance of survivors that makes up the new Kingdom of Scalluson.

The author masterfully builds suspense along multiple lines; introduces new, or clarifies unclear, elements of the world he built up in Emaneska Series; and keeps the reader engaged with a wonderful balance of dialogue, drama, action, and magic.

———-
Different Narrator from the Emaneska Series, which was slightly disappointing.

The new Narrator did great, but it took time for me to get used to my favorite characters having different voices and tones.

it was worth the listen, an enjoyable story

I can't wait to see where the next book and the journey it's going to take us on.

A solid story

Ben Galley's The Forever King has it all - history, war, adventure, magic, and mystery. You can feel the author's creative passion seeping through the pages. Fans of epic fantasy will be thrilled. Sadly, I'm not one of them.

Arka Empire banned magick (yes, with k) and kills those who possess it. Sure, there is a rebellion (there's always one) led by the Outlaw King, but they operate near the empire's northern fringes. Mithrid Fenn leads challenging but overall enjoyable life until the spellbook washes ashore. Then, things go terribly, terribly wrong, and she loses everything she holds dear.

She joins the rebels, learns valuable lessons, discovers her inner potential and appetite for revenge. Of course, it's much more complicated than that, what with dragons, politics, precarious balance of power. You'll find out for yourself if you give it a try.

Mithrid is a fierce female protagonist. Not always likable, sometimes headstrong, but focused and determined, and I appreciate those qualities. Her development and acceptance of her potential to do magick is gradual and convincing. Kudos for that.

Side characters are relatable and magic inventive - it's based on words and sounds, and some mages have spellbooks carved into their backs. Fascinating stuff.

While The Forever King's world is quite captivating, the amount of information can feel cumbersome. Readers have to consume a lot of lore to understand where the story takes them. Of course, fantasy readers want lore and worldbuilding, but it sometimes feels like the story doesn't always come first. That said, I'm not too fond of epic fantasy precisely because of this. I may be just the wrong reader to appreciate Ben's work; extensive worldbuilding tires me quickly.

Although the story takes some time to get going and wrap up toward the end, it feels structurally balanced. However, the story's pacing may feel uneven to those who like a faster pace; the extended passages and some repetitions slow it down. I think (but it's strongly subjective) that cutting off 20 % of the text wouldn't hurt it—quite the opposite.

The Forever King will appeal to fans of dark and epic fantasy. Even though it drags, it still packs a punch and provides solid entertainment. The evocative setting, relatable characters, and intriguing events create a memorable story. Not surprising or original, but hitting all the right epic fantasy beats. Additionally, the audiobook version is excellent, and I highly recommend this format to those who enjoy audiobooks.

needs more editing and rewrites

1. the villain was basically a cartoon i was waiting for them to twirl mustache

2. way to many useless characters that did nothing for the story

3. all the titles and nicknames made it hard to follow at some points

4. the world building at parts lacked consistently

Generic and a bit of a slog

I feel like this book suffers from three problems:

1. Even though it is a new series it is written in a way where a lot is lost if you haven't read his other works (which I hadn't)
2. The villain is almost comicbook evil and every chapter from his POV felt like a slog to get through.
3. Too much filler and battles. This is perhaps linked to the first issue, but if you start a series with a battle that you would normally spend a series building up to then it just doesn't make me as a reader feel anything.

The narration wasn't bad but I didn't like the narrators female voices and the "croaking" voices of the dragons and deamons felt like they lacked audiobalance and made some scenes unpleasent to listen to. I also felt like the narrators weakest scenes where the battles feeling a bit flat which is an issue with the amount of battles.