A Quest of Heroes

The Sorcerer's Ring, Book 1

By: Morgan Rice

Narrated by: Wayne Farrell

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

The #1 Bestselling series!

A QUEST OF HEROES (BOOK #1 IN THE SORCERER’S RING) revolves around the epic coming of age story of one special boy, a 14 year old from a small village on the outskirts of the Kingdom of the Ring. The youngest of four, the least favorite of his father, Thorgrin comes to learn he has mysterious powers he does not understand, that he has a special gift, and a special destiny. An epic tale of friends and lovers, of rivals and suitors, of knights and dragons, of intrigues and political machinations, of coming of age, of broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is a tale of honor and courage, of fate and destiny, of sorcery. It is a fantasy that brings us into a world we will never forget, and which will appeal to all ages and genders.

Books #2--#17 in the series are now also available!

©2013 Morgan Rice (P)2013 Morgan Rice

Critic Reviews

“ THE SORCERER’S RING has all the ingredients for an instant success: plots, counterplots, mystery, valiant knights, and blossoming relationships replete with broken hearts, deception and betrayal. It will keep you entertained for hours, and will satisfy all ages. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy readers.” ( Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos)

Good reading if you're 12 yrs. old.

This isn't fantasy, it's a fairy tale. Very simplistic and predictable. I read about 2 hours and stopped. I can't understand the good reviews, except that they must be kids. If you are a kid, you'll enjoy it. If you are an adult, don't waste the credit or your time.

Hackneyed, *and* repetitive

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book isn't for anyone who pays attention to what they're reading or listening to.

What could Morgan Rice have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I don't think a single page of this has ever been introduced to an editor. There are strings of sentences that all repeat the same thing - and using the same words! The author is too lazy to come up with different phrases and just uses the same ones over and over. E.g., the main character is "burning with indignation". Then two sentences later, "Indignation is burning in his veins." And in the next paragraph, he's "burning with indignation" again. As a result the characters have no depth and it's very difficult to immerse yourself in the story. The plot is also relatively unimaginative, but I expected that.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator is a good fit for this author. They both have a very small, shallow bag of tricks to work with. The vast majority of sentences in the story are all voiced with the exact same inflection, as if the writing were metered or in verse. It usually doesn't suite the actual content of the text, and becomes terribly annoying very quickly.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was very disappointed with the whole book almost immediately. And depending on my mood otherwise, listening would sometimes make me so frustrated with the stupid mis-steps by the author and narrator that I had to stop.

Don't waste your money or credits

Would you try another book from Morgan Rice and/or Wayne Farrell?

No.

What could Morgan Rice have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I usually don't review books I listen to. Just usually don't care to take the time. Sorry. But I had to warn other listeners to stay away from this book. Poor writing. Predictable and bad plot. Inconsistencies in the plot. Inexplicable story lines. Shallow characters that you can't engage with. No depth to the characters. I kept listening hoping that it would get better. It didn't. I didn't have any other books to listen to and wasn't where I could download more so I was stuck wading though this book. Would have been better turning it off.

What didn’t you like about Wayne Farrell’s performance?

Tempo and reading style hard to listen to. I listen to about one book each week and I could not recommend his reading.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

Just avoid this book. If you decide to listen to anyway, your choice, but you have been warned.

A bit too simplistic

The book started off really well. I was looking forward to a good listen, but it didn't really live up to the expectation.

I think that the problem I discovered was the simplicity of the story line. The line is too thin and too straight. There's no real branching. Nothing much happens in parallel. There's not too many twists. The plot develops simply. The main character suddenly and inexplicitly rises to the next level after each challenge.

There are holes in the plot which just leaps ahead without much in between and there is a rush of events. For example the protagonist arrives at court and is suddenly the centre of attention. Everything seems to happen within a handful of days, with almost no intervening time for thoughts or emotions to develop. Just struck me as odd

The story had a lot more potential which could have been realised with just a bit more attention. I'm glad that it only cost me half a credit. Not sure that I would pay a full credit for others in the series.

book 1 of15

second time hearing story surprised I alway hear something new or a new way to look at cercomstances.

Good for what it is - a young adult novel

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was probably my least favorite thing about this book. I think he portrayed the voices of different characters well- but he has a tendancy to be overly dramatic and he elongates words - it kind of sounds like he's trying to read poetic verse sometimes instead of a novel. "Soldiers" became "Soooldiers." I will admit that I'm partway through book two and he's kind of growing on me- but every now and then I want to shake my tablet and be like "YES, YES I KNOW YOU HAVE AN AMAZING BRITISH ACCENT! QUIT TRYING SO HARD TO SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE AN ACCENT!"

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Actually I listened to this book strictly during my commute and while at work during mind-numbing data-entry sessions. I didn't feel the need to listen to it while doing more enjoyable activities- and it wasn't one that I just HAD to listen to RIGHT NOW to see what happened next. That being said, I DID enjoy it- I just wasn't rivited by it.

Any additional comments?

Please don't buy this expecting it to be a brilliant example of fine literature. Don't buy it if you're looking for the next Medieval Harry Potter, WOT or the next LOTR. Don't expect sweeping story arcs and completely developed characters.
DO consider this book if you're looking for a simple story and the cliche of "country boy makes it big at the king's castle" appeals to you. I enjoyed this story. I LIKED the characters (even if they were silly teenage kids for the most part and the "older" characters - at 25 years old or so - were either complete asshats or ridiculously melodramatic.) Yes, there were plenty of places where I quite literally rolled my eyes at things the characters said to each other or events that transpired. Yes, there were instances where I giggled at some pretty bad writing ("He was going to face death- in the face!") But I have a 14-year-old kid at home, and this book reads like a Disney movie- it's entertainment, but not a whole lot of substance. It's about a boy having every other young boy's daydreams come true.
So if you're willing to give this a shot- be willing to overlook it's flaws, quit being so uptight with all the "this would NEVER happen like this, not in a million years" overthinking, and just enjoy it. Let Thor have his moments of greatness without whining about all the rest- for the sake of every young person out there who ever thought "wouldn't it be cool if this happened?"

A great start

The book is well paced and does a good job in establishing a new world for the series. Can't wait until the next one.

Outstanding performance

Would you listen to A Quest of Heroes again? Why?

Yes, I've already read the book several time, but this audio book really helped bring the characters it to life.

What other book might you compare A Quest of Heroes to and why?

Eragon, both books create a wonderful world that you can picture yourself living in.

Which scene was your favorite?

I particularly enjoyed the scene where Thor was accepted into the legion

Any additional comments?

Morgan Rice should be really proud of this audio book, an already fantastic book was really brought to life by this performance.

Good but...

Where does A Quest of Heroes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The story is well written and very well performed but there is 11 books out in the series and only two in audio format I do not recommend getting this title until the rest of the series is out in audio format. The second book seems unfinished and stops at a bad point leaving the listener hanging.

I love the coming of age and quest fantasy books

Where does A Quest of Heroes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love this epic story it give me all that I need in a fantasy trilogy. the coming of age and discovery of self is magnificent. Though some actions are predictable I love it. there is not long details just action in every chapter.

What other book might you compare A Quest of Heroes to and why?

Terry Brooks Shannara books.

Have you listened to any of Wayne Farrell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I don't believe I have; but I will be looking for him from no on.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes!! I found my self holding my breathe with hand over month and eyes wide open with fear. Self splitting laughter I like these books and am waiting with bated breathe for the last one.

Any additional comments?

I wish I could find more like this.

Should I read it?

Where does A Quest of Heroes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book thus far ranks 3.5 out of 5

What did you like best about this story?

The complexity of the numerous characters.

What does Wayne Farrell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Imaginative fantasy with a childs perspective and attitudes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

While an interesting read unfortunately each book could have easily been combined with the following book in the series thus, while marketed well it does little for the wallet.

Poor effort

Any additional comments?

Don't expect much from this book! The narrator makes it much the worst for it. This particular idea could have been made good if written better.

Has no redeeming qualities.

Terrible writing. Flat characters. Boring world. (And then, two hours after meeting him, I realized that he was going to be my very best friend forever) The whole thing is god awful. Just. Don't. Save your time and your money. If you do decide to download it anyway listen on the x1.25 setting because the reading is so slow it's unbearable.

A light fairytale

Some plots are ridiculous but it is just a fiction after all. Decent fantasy book.

A real page turner

Brilliant story cant wait to read/hear the next book in this series. Couldnt stop listeniing to it