• The Stone Knife

  • The Songs of the Drowned, Book 1
  • By: Anna Stephens
  • Narrated by: Joseph Balderrama
  • Length: 23 hrs and 34 mins
  • 3.6 out of 5 stars (5 ratings)

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The Stone Knife  By  cover art

The Stone Knife

By: Anna Stephens
Narrated by: Joseph Balderrama
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Publisher's summary

A fantasy epic of freedom and empire, gods and monsters, love, loyalty, honour and betrayal, from the acclaimed author of Godblind.

For generations, the forests of Ixachipan have echoed with the clash of weapons, as nation after nation has fallen to the Empire of Songs - and to the unending, magical music that binds its people together. Now, only two free tribes remain.

The Empire is not their only enemy. Monstrous, scaled predators lurk in rivers and streams, with a deadly music of their own.

As battle looms, fighters on both sides must decide how far they will go for their beliefs and for the ones they love - a veteran general seeks peace through war, a warrior and a shaman set out to understand their enemies, and an ambitious noble tries to bend ancient magic to her will.

©2020 Anna Stephens (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"The Stone Knife has everything you’d hope for in a Stephens novel: sharp action, cracking pace, and a brutal disregard for our poor feelings. A compelling story of clashing cultures, of duty and ambition and change, that will leave you desperate for the next instalment." (Sam Hawke, author of City of Lies)

"A brilliant, grim, and joyous opening to a bloody new trilogy." (Stewart Hotston, author of Tangle’s Game)

"An epic tale about the bloody repercussions of expansionism. The Stone Knife explores the cruelty of empire through the eyes of characters from vastly different backgrounds, weaving a tapestry of conflict, injustice, and determination." (E.J. Beaton, author of The Councillor)

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Stand out in a genre glutted with Euro fantasy

Here are some of the things I loved about this book!

1. PoV Characters who are deaf and visually impaired, characters with a variety of sexualities, and subversion of common gender stereotypes and roles
2. Solid grim dark setting
3. Intense and well written violence, and depressingly miserable situations
4. Compelling and believable characters who I became deeply invested in
5. Exciting, intriguing, and well paced story in a variety of locals and political settings
6. Tight worldbuilding in a geopolitical region I'm excited to dig my teeth into as the series progress and more history and lore is revealed
7. Believable, understandable decisions and choices by main characters
8. Heroic characters who still deal with tragedy and confrontation
9. Building suspense and tension throughout
10. Dynamic and well acted narrative performance with a great range of tone, accent, and delivery by voice actor Joseph Balderrama

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