The Sixth Strand

A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 5

By: Melissa McPhail

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 36 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

"The strands are as interwoven as the visible spectrum, yet upon closer inspection, one may be found to bind the rest." (Isabel van Gelderan, Epiphany's Prophet)

The First Lord's game has reached a critical apex. For the first time in millennia, the teams are equally matched. The field itself holds a kind of equilibrium. It is the task of Björn's Players to unbalance the field in their own favor in their great game to restore Balance to the Realms of Light. But with Malorin'athgul and now Warlocks returned to the realms, the game - and the stakes involved - has elevated to an entirely new order of magnitude, requiring Björn's Players to do the same.

In Illume Belliel…after millennia of exile, the Demon Lord has regained a foothold in the Realms of Light, thanks to his ally, Shailabhanáchtran. Shail is expecting Baelfeir to stay in the cityworld, but the Lord of all Warlocks doesn't need Shail's help to reclaim the realm of Alorin - or his permission.

In T'khendar…the last bastion between Chaos and the Realms of Light is being unmade. The Malorin'athgul Rinokh has been voraciously deconstructing the realm's fabric, and without the drachwyr to counter his efforts, the world is coming undone. Björn and Isabel val Gelderan and their allies are doing all they can, but will their efforts be enough to withstand the onslaught until the Balance can shift?

In Shadow…Ean val Lorian has finally recovered his memories from his life as Arion Tavestra, but what may prove even more lifechanging is his new binding to Darshanvenkhátraman. If Ean can learn to wield deyjiin through Darshan's binding - an ability Arion never even envisioned - might it shift the entire balance of the game?

In M'Nador…Trell val Lorian succeeded in rescuing his father's soldiers from the fortress of Khor Taran, but he also learned at last what the Goddess Naiadithine requires of him in return for her many graces: ending the war between M'Nador and the Akkad. But what chance has he of ending a feud that's been raging for decades when he can't even convince his own commanders to get along?

From the dimension of Shadow to the realm of T'khendar, from the Empire of Agasan to the fire deserts of Avatar, Ean, Tanis, Trell, Sebastian and the rest of Bjorn's Players will be holding their positions against immortal enemies in a game where mortal consequences hang in the balance of every choice.

Melissa McPhail's epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow & Light has won a collective nine awards for outstanding fantasy and (even more importantly to the author) the devotion of thousands of listeners and readers.

©2019 Melissa McPhail (P)2019 Podium Publishing

Wonderful story!!!

I have loved every book in this series. This one is no exception. Although not every character gets a lot of time in this book, the story moves forward in a very satisfying way. I have to admit that I shed a tear at the end of this one, which is a good thing. That said, I’m not sure why McPhail chose to include so many explicit sex scenes in this book. I’m not offended by any of the scenes or anything like that. It just seems to be a shift in style that doesn’t add much to the story itself. In the end, though, it’s a minor quibble for me. Podehl’s performance is amazing, as always. I’m always awed by his accents and his ability to differentiate characters. I highly recommend this book, and every other book in the series. I can’t wait for Book 6!

Excellent and Very Unique

This book (and the series) is complex, but in a good way. There are so many characters and story threads (that ultimately weave together masterfully). It’s difficult to keep track of everything if you are listening while multitasking on something else. I can see how the complexity of this book can turn off some people, but it’s very well written and engaging. McPhail is brilliant as a writer, and Podehl is exceptional as a narrator (and who is so capable of many voices across characters and genders).

Another Home Run!

Melissa McPhail does it again with one of the most compelling fantasy series I’ve ever read. Her writing, which has been fantastic all along, gets better with every installment. The energy that she creates with characters constantly converging and diverging makes it so hard to put down (or stop listening), and I’m so excited to see where their paths take them. Nick Podehl is one of the best in the business and doesn’t disappoint.

are you serious

what and ending, tears and rage bound up into one exquisite pattern. now it will be a terrible wait to drink in the ending of this series!

Outstanding adventure!

This series by Melissa McPhail is one of the best series I have ventured upon. The character development is exquisite giving depth to characters rarely seen. With introduction after introduction of new characters Melissa hooks you in and leaves you wanting to follow their journey. With just the number of characters so far, I Believe Melissa could write for the rest of her life on this series alone. God willing it is a long life. This is the 5th book so please start at the beginning. What a wonderful adventure! I cannot wait to see what is next!

Frustrating at first but got better

The beginning of this book did not really feel connected to the end of the last one. I listened to them back to back in order to refresh myself on the story when this one was released and was very frustrated for the first 6-8 hours. That whole time felt like characters were inexplicably different than they were at the end of the last book, despite, in some cases, mere seconds passing. While avoiding spoilers, it seems like main characters suddenly have different thoughts or emotions about events than they did just moments (in the story) ago. In addition to this, another difference the characters seem to experience without the reader is a sudden jump in their ability. Multiple characters suddenly become much more capable with explanations as to why seeming to be convenient ways to skip ahead, leaving me feeling as if I missed out on parts of the story.

I also have a small gripe with the performance. Nick Podehl is always great and is genuinely one of the most talented narrators in my opinion. With that being said, listening to the last book and this book back to back made it very apparent that many of the character's voices were different. This wasn't a drastic change; it felt more like someone was doing a close but not perfect imitation of the voice he was doing before. For specific characters, this was jarring, as their voice was one of the primary elements of their character that benefited from an audio format. I understand that its not like he performed the series all in one sitting and I understand it would likely be difficult to pull out a voice you haven't used in a year or two, but it did affect my enjoyment and immersion at first, as I had to adjust to the change.

As I mentioned, by the end of the book the characters seemed to catch (mostly) back up with themselves in a way and I got used to the slightly changed voices. I *did* enjoy the book as a whole by the end. The last 10-12 hours were great.

The universe keeps getting better

Another absolutely wonderful performance from Nick Podehl. Looking forward to the next book in the series

Like the story but a bit wordy

Good and evil finding balance through a game with so many players is fascinating. Arthur likes to explain every thought the characters have and can be a bit repetitive. I found myself using the 10 second fast-forward feature at times.

One of my favorite all time series

I am one of those scumbags who read reviews but am generally too lazy to write them.... But.. I love this series, and I fricken loved this book. Is it a bit happy-go-lucky? Sure it is, but the story is beautiful, the characters are beautiful, and the way they interact is just a joy to listen to. Between the narrator and the story itself, this is one of my favorite all-time books, and definitely a wonderful series.

I won't bother going into details because others have already done it and if you're on book 5 you don't need me to tell you this series is awesome. So this is more for the author; please keep writing this story, even when this series wraps up, please bring us more of these amazing characters. Thank you for writing these books and telling this story, I adore it.

I love this series and the narrator is amazing

I am a sucker for a good series and anything Nick Podehl narrated. Its a bit long and some unnecessary flash backs but a great listen