Child of Fire: A Twenty Palaces Novel, Book 1

Yes, I have the paperback novel, and I was glad to get the audio version. I'll probably come back to it several times. I like the relationship between Ray Lilly and his boss, Annalise, and I like the way Ray deals with situations.

Annalise explaining to Ray what his job as a 'wooden man' actually means.

Rummel does an excellent job getting Ray's 'tone' and gave other characters just enough 'voice' without sounding like impressions or over-the-top accents. He sounds matter of fact enough to let you ride smoothly along with the story without ever being jarred out by 'acting'.

Yes, there is a scene near the end where Annalise lays into Ray about their work keeping the predators that rogue magicians call up from destroying the world, and how they can't afford pity, or mercy, and Ray comes to understand what living like that has done to her.

I think fans of the Dresden Files will like this book, though it's not quite as humorous. There are two additional books in the Twenty Palaces series, "Game of Cages" and "Circle of Enemies", and I hope to see them on Audible too.

Definitely.

All of them. I know that's a cop out but I'd rather not spoil anyone and all of them really are memorable.

He did a great job. His voice is very low and, well, kinda sexy. As a woman, I could definitely listen to him all day :)

My only extreme reaction was just surprise at how good it was. I love urban fantasy but much of it isn't particularly well written. Child of Fire has no slow spots. The author doesn't give any exposition, which I loved; I like being able to figure out things by myself.

This book received many glowing reviews from critics and they were well deserved. Download Child of Fire. You won't be disappointed!

Firstly, I liked this book.

This is an urban fantasy novel with a lot of action, and a lot of innocent people die - graphically. It's not a horror novel though and it maintains a level of blood splatter throughout - hence, it's more graphic action rather than horror (despite coming very close).

The book is about Ray Lilly who is an ex-crim working for a secret society ruthlessly trying to get rid of people abusing magic.

To that end, Ray and his boss Annalise travel to Hammer Bay to follow a trail. Both are magically endowed and have power granted by spells and tattoos. What follows is a trail of death and destruction which lasts from the start to the end of the book. .

The narration reminded of the Len Cariou (from Harry Bosch) series - not my favourite, but gave a gritty feel.

I wouldn't necessarily listen to it again though, given the gritty feel and the mass killings in the novel. A good thing is that you can finish this book and not listen to the rest of the series. I am 50/50 about listening to this book's sequel.

I've read all of Connolly's available stuff, and am REALLY glad to see it finally getting some audible recognition. Ray & Annalise are great characters who are intentionally played against type. I like that there's more than one story line and, even though they touch each other very gently in one or two spots, that they're not interdependent.

Since I read all four 20 Palaces novels I had what I thought was a really solid Ray voice in my head, and although it didn't sound like Christian Rummel he quickly usurped it. His portrayal of Ray sounds believable - authentic, even. That description of a guy & his circumstance paired with Rummel's voice was great casting. Initially I wasn't too sure of how he portrays Annalise, even though he followed Connolly's description of her voice to a T; but he does a very, very clever thing as he characterizes her through the progression of the story. I don't like spoilers, so perhaps just listen to it thinking of how someone may seem to you when you first meet and how that perception may change what you hear and see as you get to know them -- even though they may not actually change at all. It's very subtle, and I love how it adds depth to the story.

I'm ready for the rest of the books now, thank you!!!