The Simple Delivery

Humorous Fantasy Adventure (Chronicles of The Dawnblade, Book 1)

De: Andrew Claydon

Narrado por: Timothy Drennan

The Simple Delivery is the first in a humorous epic fantasy series featuring the most reluctant hero in all fantasy adventure:

Just because you’re chosen, doesn’t mean you want to be.

Nicolas loves his village life just the way it is, everything as it’s supposed to be.

When he is chosen for a task, he finds himself going out into a world he knows little about and feels completely unprepared for. His only comfort is that all he has to do is deliver a message. That should be pretty simple, right?

One near death experience later, Nicolas finds himself in a world of heroes, villains, magic and far too many undead creatures for his liking.

Caught up in events he can’t control, he must, with the strange companions he meets along the way, foil a plot that may destroy his Kingdom as he knows it, maybe even the world. Thousands of lives are in the hands of someone who has never even picked up a sword, but at least he knows not to hold it by the pointy end.

©2022 Andrew Claydon (P)2025 Andrew Claydon

The narrator made this book

*Spoiler-filled review ahead*

The Simple Delivery had me laughing from the first page. I received an advance listening copy and didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but this book completely won me over. Timothy Drennan’s narration nailed the comedic timing perfectly.

Nicolas Percival Carnegie is a 21-year-old village guy who loves his simple life and has zero interest in adventure. When the Oracle “chooses” him to deliver a message, Nicolas tries everything to squirm out of it. The Oracle basically says “chosen is chosen” and sends him on his way whether he likes it or not. Our reluctant hero gets dragged kicking and screaming into a quest he never asked for.

Nicolas is sarcastic, endearingly whiny, and constantly running internal commentary about how utterly done he is with this nonsense. He’s never even picked up a sword before, though at least he knows not to hold it by the pointy end. Watching him set off with just a dagger at his side while muttering about life’s unfairness had me cackling.

Of course, the “simple delivery” becomes anything but simple. The message he’s carrying is tied to a plot against the kingdom, and suddenly he’s dealing with a dark necromancer raising an army of vampires. Nicolas’s reaction to learning this is basically “Are you freaking kidding me?” which was exactly my reaction too.

Nicolas gathers the most delightfully oddball crew of companions, giving the story major Dungeons & Dragons party vibes. Auron of Tellmark is the legendary hero mentor who’s past his prime and loves regaling everyone with tales of his glory days. He’s over-the-top heroic in a lovable way—not to mention he’s a spirit and not everyone could see him at first, which adds comedy to his interactions.

Garaz is an orc mage who might be the coolest orc I’ve encountered in fantasy recently. He’s big, green, can hurl fireballs, and has dry wit that plays perfectly off Nicolas’s sarcasm. Shift is a shapeshifting thief who uses they/them pronouns and serves as the ultimate wildcard. They can change appearance at will and use it for maximum mischief.

This ragtag fellowship bickers and bonds and accidentally stumbles into heroism together. Their chemistry is perfect, creating genuine found family vibes that hit hard by the end.

The pacing is fast and furious—just over 230 pages but packed with action. Highlights include the vampire den scene where Nicolas stumbles into a room full of vampires, frantically looking for “the other human” they’re smelling until he realizes he IS the only human. The dungeon escape involves Shift impersonating a gaoler while Nicolas accidentally knocks himself over with sword recoil.

Through it all, Nicolas remains the most reluctant hero ever. He doesn’t suddenly become fearless—during the final battle he’s still muttering “I just want to go home!” But he steps up when it counts, proving you don’t need to be naturally heroic to become one.

What I loved most was how this book balances genuine heart with consistent humor. The comedy never undermines the character development. Nicolas’s growth from cowardly courier to accidental hero feels both funny and oddly inspiring. The found family dynamics gave me all the warm feelings.

This was a refreshing change from my usual heavy romantasy reads. The humor is spot-on, witty without being silly, sometimes parodying classic fantasy tropes cleverly. I’m giving this 4 out of 5 stars—it’s not life-changing, but it’s absolutely a blast and made me genuinely happy while reading.

Funny Reluctant Hero

The Simple Delivery is a delightful journey through a high fantasy world where the stakes are epic. Nicolas, the reluctant and hilariously inept hero, stumbles through a quest he never asked for. He is only armed with a sword he doesn’t know how to use, sarcasm, and bad luck. The cast around him is equally hilarious, with quirky personalities that keep the pace lively and the tone light.

The single narrator delivers a well-produced performance that matches the book’s humor and heart. It’s a clean listen (no spice), making it perfect for fans of clever fantasy without the heat.

The story arc is solid, the writing sharp, and the laughs frequent. If you enjoy fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still delivers a satisfying plot, this one’s for you.

Huge thanks to Andrew Claydon for the review copy. This was an absolute treat!

Wonderful, humourous fun!

Update: just finished the audiobook for a reread, and it was marvelous! The narrator did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. The voices fit the story so well! I can't wait for the rest of the series to come to audio as well!

This was such a wonderful story! So full of humor, I seriously laughed aloud several times. The humor is this one was right up my alley. I loved how the story was so full of action, yet never felt overly tense. Just a fun adventure with a few fights (some larger scale than others). The characters were all so fun and wonderful too! I look forward to the next book!

Chosen is chosen

I really enjoyed this book! When we first meet Nicholas, he is quite whiny and doesn't want to do the task he is chosen to do because it would require him to leave his safe village. But that isn't an option, and leave he must. What follows is the unluckiest of paths he can encounter. But Nicholas continues to endure, shockingly, and meets companions along the way. The author does a wonderful job bringing you into this world and making you a companion as well. You're tossed in the dungeon, crawling thru tunnels, sleeping in barracks, and crossing swords to save each other right along with our crew. The humor and humanity keep this book from being weighed down too heavily, and the gallows' humor especially keep their imminent deaths from seeming so terrible. I'm not sure what's next for Nicholas Carnage, but I hope for his sake, it includes his companions. The narriation is wonderful and I loved hearing one of my favorite books come to life!!

"Chosen is chosen"

Humorous Fantasy Adventure

The Simple Delivery by Andrew Claydon is an excellent adventure fantasy. Timothy Drennan did an excellent job with the narration and bringing the story to life. The story is entertaining, action packed, interesting, enjoyable, humorous, witty, adventure, and more. The Simple Delivery is the first book in Chronicles of the Dawnblade series. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. Highly recommend