Lassa the Viking and the Dragon's Inferno

De: Dean Yurke

Narrado por: Simon Marks

Lassa Erickson likes normal teenage things, like reading ancient texts on chemical analysis and studying books on advanced alchemy. He's never read anything frivolous like The Joy of Axe Wielding or Uthbert's Guide to Decapitation. So, when he's conscripted into the 11th-century Viking army, and finds himself surrounded by an ocean of the fiercest, toughest, ugliest warriors the world has ever seen, he accepts his hapless brother Sven's brilliant idea of hiding at the back of his first battle, while everyone else does all the fighting.

But, when Lassa trips over a tree root and impales the enemy Saxon leader by accident, he's hailed as a hero. His epic decision of cowardice thrusts him on a terrifying mission deep into enemy territory, where he battles hordes of saber-clawed witches, rescues a princess, marries a leper, and discovers the true enemy of the Vikings: a half-man, half-demon dragon king, intent on wiping out the human race with his army of dragons.

Lassa must rally the warriors, overcome his cowardice, buckle up his breastplate, and rise up as a hero before his world is burned to a crisp.

"This short, fun, humorous novel feels like a cross between Horrible Histories and Game of Thrones, and it deftly combines elements of a comedy of errors and a fantasy epic." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Great for fans of Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants, Terry Jones' The Saga of Erik the Viking." (Booklife Reviews)

©2020 Dean Yurke (P)2020 Dean Yurke

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Vikings, Saxons, and dragons meet in this middle-grade fantasy novel sprinkled with humor and magic... A fast-paced, funny, and adventurous read." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Sweeping atmosphere and a zippy pace will draw adventure-minded middle grade readers to this tale of Viking and Saxon warfare and romance." (Booklife Reviews)

Comedy of Errors and Epic Battles

A young man and his brother are conscripted to fight in the Viking Army during the 11th century. Lassa is a simple teenager who has zero skills and is not a fighter. To avoid certain death during his first battle facing huge, tough warriors, Lassa hides in the back letting everyone else do the fighting. That is until he trips and accidentally kills the Saxon leader. Then he becomes a “hero” that everyone expects brave and miraculous leading. Lassa discovers the true adversary of the Vikings is the Dragon King and Lassa finds he is the one destined to lead the Viking army into battle.

The author, Dean Yurke, is a masterful story crafter of the short and humorous comedy of errors that keeps the listener on the edge of their chair just waiting for the next hilarious misstep by our unlikely hero. Yurke provides strong dialog, rich and vivid details, and strong flawless character development. The plot twists are comedic moments are noteworthy and executed impeccably. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of Lassa and his comedic moments thoroughly.

The narrator, Simon Marks gives a gifted performance providing a unique and expertly timed deliverance. His talented performance gave life to Lassa and other characters, making them real. The unique voices for each character made them more realistic and believable. The injection of emotion was well-time also and appropriate to the character and situation. I hope to hear more by Simon Marks.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

Good

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This book was a bit all over the place and that made it feel just a little disjointed, but towards the end it all comes together.
A good story about deception, adventure, manipulation, royalty, and dragons. If your into these descriptions then this is a book for you. Simon Marks does a very good voice performance as well.

Epic adventure and laugh out loud funny!

The comedy never stops and makes the most dire situation Lassa and Sven find themselves in next laugh out loud funny! It’s a very well thought out comedy of errors and you cheer for the heroes at every turn in the story.

I listen on my morning run around the neighborhood. People would stop and stare as I would bust out into laughter as I pass them by! It made the time fly which is always a good thing. I can’t wait for the next in the series so I can embarrass myself again!

Recommended for anybody who loves swash buckling fun!

I Kind of Felt Guilty for Laughing

This book was surprisingly funny. I found myself feeling guilty for laughing only seconds after the narrator had just described a really sad, gory death, but, the book was funny. The main character is a 13 year old viking, but this is definitely not a story for kids. Too much death and gore. But, if you're an adult, and you love Neil Gaman, or even Douglas Adams, you will love this book. The narrator is spot-on. Fantastic voices, fantastic enunciation, fantastic emotion. You would be hard pressed to find a better narrator for this book. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. At least, I hope it's a series. I loved it so much, I listened to the whole book in one day! I received this book for free at my request from AudiobookBoom.com in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Epic Viking Adventure

I really enjoyed this comedic adventure of a young Viking lad who enjoys reading, science, and alchemy, and his less studious and intelligent brother Sven. When thirteen year old Lassa takes his older brother Sven's advice to avoid danger during battle by hiding behind the largest warrior he can find, he is targeted by the leader of the enemy Saxon army as a coward and inadvertently becomes a "hero" when he trips and the Saxon leader falls on Lassa's sword and dies. Numerous hilarious and tragic adventures follow as Lassa is put in charge of a Viking host determined to avenge a destroyed harbor and take vengeance against the Saxons. Of course, Lassa takes his hapless brother with him, too.

There are so many laugh-out-loud funny moments and turns of phrase, interspersed with horror, sadness, and tragedy. I don't think I would recommend this book/audiobook for children due to the blood and violence, but maybe 13+. I actually think adults might find it more humorous. Regardless, it's an entertaining mix, and I felt myself pulled along wanting to see what would happen next and who would survive. There are so many twists and turns that just add to the suspense. The caricature descriptions of Viking and Saxon characters were offset with genuine pearls of feeling from time to time that were real gems. It was just a real enjoyable and entertaining listen, and I highly recommend it.

The narration was perfect in every way. Mr. Marks got all the humor, the serious moments, the snarkiness and sarcasm, the emotions...everything... just right. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. I would happily listen to another audiobook from this author and/or narrator.

I received this audiobook free of charge from the author, narrator, and/or publisher and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Fantastic Middle Grade Viking Adventure Comedy

This was a bit reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon in the feel of the story, although this one deals more alchemy and a man as the Dragon King. Lassa is on the cowardly side but is thrown into hero status which then pushes him into very scary situations and battles. There is definitely a comedy element to this one and my 11year old son really enjoyed it a lot. The narrator was great, did a wonderful job with all the voices including singing like a woman! It really is a fun listen with only a little mild bad language and not super graphic in violence/fighting scenes.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.