A Sellsword's Compassion

The Seven Virtues, Book 1

By: Jacob Peppers

Narrated by: Steven Brand

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

War sweeps the land as the sons and daughters of the late King Marcus battle over who will claim their father’s throne and able-bodied men and women flock to one cause or the other in the hopes of a better tomorrow. At least, most of them.

If life has taught the jaded sellsword Aaron Envelar anything, it’s that hope is for fools and causes are a sure remedy for breathing. But when his latest job leads him to the corpse of a prince and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the entire realm, Aaron is forced to choose sides in a war he doesn’t want, between forces he doesn’t understand.

Thrust into a world of mythical assassins, a madman with superhuman strength, and a nagging ball of light with a superiority complex who claims to be the embodiment of compassion, Aaron takes on his hardest job yet - staying alive.

This debut novel from Jacob Peppers is a new entry in the great epic fantasy tradition of Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Joe Abercrombie.

©2017 Jacob Peppers (P)2018 Podium Publishing

I like this author and performer.

it is always good to find a new source for stories. To tell the truth, authors are easy to find. Performers are the tough part for me. This performer has a good dialect for the time period and does not have any annoying speak issues.

Gambled on this and

I took a gamble on this series and I am not disappointed. Nice story progression. It’s great for my short attention span. No long backstory before it gets fun. The book just hurls you into the action as you meet the characters. It’s really awesome and I’m glad I gave it a try.

Loved it

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I have always been a big fan of this narrator.

Very Solid Book

The story was alright, nothing particularly special but the writing was clever and the voice actor really made the experience enchanting. It has been my bedtime routine to listen to chapters before bed and so many nights I found myself hitting the play button for the next chapter when I should've been sleeping.

Have you ever noticed...

Have you ever noticed that the imagery of accomplished writers is so vapid? It is like it all has been spent. Sure they can tell a good story, but it is almost like it is done by rote, or by the numbers. The stories can be good, but the writing itself is languid, lacking the excitement that it once may have had. Well, Jacob Peppers still has it, and it is really enjoyable to get caught up in the language itself, and not just the story. So if you enjoy stopping for a moment every now and then, as you replay and appreciate what has just been said, then I recommend him to you.

You can hear when Steven started getting into it

First few chapters were a bit rough to get through because the narrator, Steven Brand, was fairly monotone until the book started to pick up more. It was nice to have a narrator that got into it as much as the reader would.

The book was incredibly well written, and as much as I want to harp on the ending and say "It felt rushed", I understand that there are 6 more books to be read so I will definetly be getting the next one!

Really like this series

Aaron the main character is gritty and hard. I love that he struggles with his compassion in an open and honesty way. Ko the light being makes the innermind conversations interesting.

Mostly great

for being a great swordsman and fighter, Aaron sure gets his teeth kicked in... a LOT my only complaint with the book is just that, and it's not small injuries, its things that would cripple a man, which some of that works for me, but at a certain point it just becomes torture porn. Otherwise great characters, I like the world and I look forward to the next book.

Very Good First Book, A Few Plot Holes

This was a good start to a promising series. It's a bit clumsy transitioning the Main Character to different Mental Phases of his life, and there are a few GLARING Plot Holes (IE: Fighting in an Arena with acoustics designed to let EVERYONE in the spectator crowd hear the slightest WHISPER of "Yield" from a combatant, AND allow "The Powers That Be" to hear EVERY word said by ANYONE in the crowd.. Yet, later, NO ONE can hear the assassin confessing everything to the Main Character in the fighting arena while baiting him)... Overall its a GOOD listen, and I'm sure the "Mental Transitions" made by the Main Character will smooth out, and the holes in plot-lines will tighten up, in future books.

Steven Brand does his usual FANTASTIC Job of Narration!

Read the Silent Blade first!

I read this and the prequel novella a little over a year ago. The MC is a true sellsword with few scruples and a vague sense of honor. This novel starts him down a path where we get to see him grow into something more. The author does an excellent job of presenting a dark world in constant strife, but the characters really make the story worth reading. Steven Brand delivers his usual killer performance, making the audio version even more enjoyable.