The Red Knight

Here's an unusual surprise...

As anyone following my reviews, you know that on occasion, I'll randomly purchase an audiobook, without much evidence or pretense, other than to "roll the dice," if you will. Sometimes, it's a complete loss - You've seen the reviews, and they're MERCILESS. If it's bad, it WILL get the ax. On occasion, I get a pleasant surprise, worthy of a solid review.

This is one of those pleasant surprises.

Cameron has crafted the first in The Traitor Sons Cycle, that if the rest are as strong as this tremendous beginning, we are all in for a LOT of very good listening down the road.

Okay, let's cover the premise. Think Game of Thrones, add a more courtly and chivalry-driven medieval system similar to England, throw in an abundant, intriguing and complex magic system. Now top this off with INCREDIBLY complex characters and plots, and plots WITHIN plots. Drape a landscape RICH in monsters and creatures, some familiar, some original and new. Finish up with a killer story that builds, which i will NOT give away. It's definitely a great listen, and yes, I'll listen to it again. And maybe again.

Now, I'm fully aware that you may get frustrated with the lack of detail. No complaining. I WILL tell you a few things, however sparse.

First, let's get this out of the way: It's not 100% flawless. It has a VERY few minor inconsistencies, but you'll really have to hunt hard to find them - Nothing at all to negatively affect the audiobook.

On to the reasons to crack open that dusty wallet, and scrape out your Audible credit.

You'll get an extremely engrossing fantasy sandbox upon which Cameron uses to maximum storytelling benefit. He provides an interesting point of view listening aspect for a good number of characters in this work, both good and bad, and I believe this was one of my favorite takes on this audiobook. You'll relate to either side of the fence. And THAT, Audible listener, is what excellent writing is all about: Engaging the reader/listener, especially in regards to both sides of the moralities in the work. And Cameron does the job, at least for me.

Now, the monsters/creatures in this audiobook are exceptionally described and employed. That's all you get from me on this - When you listen, you'll understand. I want to leave a lot of things on the shelf for you to discover.

Finally, the battle scenes are, in a word, awesome. Detailed, with perspectives of both sides during the fighting, detailed, and, well...extremely graphic.

Also, think of a Gardens of the Moon listening experience. You are NOT going to do a casual listen on this one. There are a ton of complex characters and a twisted complex machiavellian plot line. Again, no whining. Only the truly demanding listener need apply.

Enjoy this wonderful and random discovery.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love rolling the dice here at Audible!

There are some authors that are a cut above the rest: Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks, George RR Martin, Peter Brett, Pat Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, and Mark Lawrence. With these authors, you can be assured that a pre-order commitment won't turn out to be a waste. The Red Knight solidly places Miles Cameron in that "cut above" category.

Loved his performance. The lead character sounded like Sean Bean from the Lord of the Rings.

The author has so many major characters that it takes time to meet, describe and understand who they are. My advice is take the time. The narrator keeps the flow going and there is lots of action to hold your interest. Has the making of an epic series if Book 2 is as action filled and interesting.''

Yes I would since Matthew Wolf is a very good narrator.

I would compare it to Joe Abercrombies books. It is the same gritty fantasy.

Yes.

I am looking forward to listening to more from Miles Cameron.

On the surface, The Red Knight is an epic fantasy about a troop of mercenaries hired by an abbess to hunt monsters. There are a lot of awesome, huge battles, lots of exciting action, and the best tactical descriptions I've read in fantasy. It's an excellent beginning to a series. Dig a little deeper--not much, honestly--and you find its a retelling of sorts of Arthurian legend. Miles Cameron deserves all the success for this novel.

Some parts of the story are imperfect at best. There are too many point of view shifts... or at least they happen way too quickly. And the world building is strange at times--a version of Catholicism is alive an well in this secondary world. If you can get past these annoyances you'll enjoy what this tale has to offer. It certainly left me wanting more.

If you're an epic fantasy reader you won't want to miss this one. If not, this probably isn't the book to introduce you to the genre. Start with Sanderson.

The book follows a group of characters from the Queen to a slave and tells some of their backstory's as it goes along, while telling the main story of the book. It is well written and I couldn't stop listening to it. I was involved within the first few minutes and stay throughout the book.

Depending on how long it is between this book and its sequel, I may have to read it again. If this were a stand alone novel, though, I probably wouldn't.

I would recommend it to my general fantasy reading friends. This book is above average in terms of quality of prose and story, but it does suffer from repetitive language and the occasional anachronistic phrase, so recommending it to a friend who loves more literary type fantasy is out of the question.

The Red Knight was probably the best performed character in the book. Mr. Wolf is a very good narrator. All his character voices are consistent and appropriate to the character type. I would definitely listen to another book read by him. Yes, sometimes I will pick which book I read by narrator, alone.

I wouldn't say I felt moved at any particular point in the book. This isn't a book for heavy thinking. It does bring up some interesting religious arguments, but its attempts at philosophical discourse are immature, which is perhaps more reflective of the characters in the book, rather than the fault of the author.

While, in a general sense, the prose in this book is above average, the author is in bad need for a good editor. The number of times characters "shrug, shrugged, shrugging" in this book nearly drove me out of my head. There are many things I enjoyed about this book--from strong female characters who aren't simply adjuncts to the men, to the somewhat esoteric approach to magic--and due to those reasons, once the second book in the series comes out, I'll likely read it. I would say, though, that while the approach to female characters in this book is enlightened and well done, this book still, overall, feels like dude lit, which is fine, if that's your cup of tea, just be aware.

I liked that the characters had a lot of back story, some of which gets explained and some doesn't.
I liked the magic combat systems too.

Have to think about that one.

Well narrated with different voices and verbal punctuation.
Never left wondering which character is speaking.

Yes, if it weren't so long.
Made good car-listening though.

I'd definitely recommend both the author and the narrator.

The story was good but a lot of military ramblings that allowed my mind to wander. I like to know whats happening in the battle and how the characters set the scene but sometimes a little less is better.
And a lot of strong language, but I guess in a military camp there will be strong language. - - - I did keep wondering though 'Did they use that particular cuss word when the knights were around', then I'd think it's not actually earths timing but fantasy". As I said, This book did not keep my interest enough to keep my mind from wondering. It was like when you are cornered by someone at a gathering and they go on and on, and on and on, And you think "I really should pick up some milk on the way home"... And then they actually say something interesting or ask you a question, that's when you back the book up 30 seconds or so to hear what happened.
I gave it an overall 4 stars because although it's not my cup of tea, the main story itself was enjoyable (once you get past the babbling) and I'm sure there are some out there that would appreciate all that military babble.

I bought this book because it was on sale. I was pleasantly surprised to find a new author and his characters to love. May I have some more, please? The story was so well written that I cried at the funeral of the Mother Superior. I even cryed when the Red Knight's horse was killed. I cared about the characters. I hurt, struggled and triumped when they did. The narrator had perfect delivery. He went from an ancient nun to a rowdy solidier seamlessly. I laughed at the rough soldier humor and cringed when they cussed in front of the nuns. I really appreciate a villian that is written sympathetically and a hero that is written with a dark side. It makes the story so much more interesting. I really had doubts how this would end. At any time it could have gone several ways. If you enjoy swords, knights, and fantasy then you will enjoy this book.