At the Forest of Madness

Chronicles of Cain, Book Four

De: John Corwin

Narrado por: Austin Rising

Gorgons might be stony-faced but they know how to rock.

After his adventure in an apocalyptic alternate dimension, Cain is ready for some downtime and mangoritas. But when a gorgon asks Cain to help her remove the curse of Medusa from her bloodline, he sees an opportunity to learn about his origins. He might even be able to help Aura with her curse.

Three birds with one stone seems like a pretty good deal. Their quest leads them to the Shalthaes Woodlands, a.k.a., the Dead Forest. Somewhere inside lies the lost city of Fyeth Elunore and its ancient library that may hold answers.

The forest is guarded by a small army of drow, and those who get past the drow have never returned. Cain has been to alternate dimensions, fought godlike beings, and faced down Cthulhu himself, but the forest holds secrets darker than anything he could have expected. In fact, the forest has morphed into something otherworldly and deadly.

An Elder Thing has infested the forest with her minions. And at the heart of this cursed place beats a rotting heart full of tentacles and madness. Cthulhu, for all his power, has nothing on the creature who rules here.

As if that wasn't enough, Cain learns that this forest of madness holds a secret that could overturn the balance of power across the realms and there are powerful beings who will stop at nothing to protect it.

There's no turning back. It's do or die, and Cain was never any good at dying.

If you like Jim Butcher, Shayne Silvers, Orlando Sanchez, Sarah J. Maas, Kevin Hearne, Steve McHugh, Michael Anderle, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Shannon Mayer, or K.F. Breene, you won't be able to put down the highly addictive Chronicles of Cain.

Similar Series: Dresden Files, Nate Temple, Montague and Strong, Iron Druid.

Bow before Cthulhu and listen to the Chronicles of Cain.

©2021 John Corwin (P)2021 John Corwin

Great

Liked it although I wish it was longer I burn through it to fast so.

story gets better and better!!

can't wait to see where Cain heads now! Austin Rising once again brings the story even further to life and sounds amazing!

Not bad

I was looking forward to a book without Leila but it seems that wasn't ever going to be the case. she is honestly the most annoying, which says a lot. I don't understand the constant need to make sexual innuendo and reference her body parts. every moment is just some excuse for her to say something that just doesn't make sense for the situations they are in. it really takes me out of the story and it isn't funny. it wasn't cute in the first book and it sure isn't cute three books later.
Corwin seems to be improving his narrative, however. these have been a good time to get through, just some fun slop that doesn't try too hard. Corwin has found a stride for himself and his characters.
I do dislike that, after four books still, we have to deal with the constant rehashing of who Cain is and what he's done prior to the events of the first book.

Book 4

Rank C+
Personal Tags: Urban Fantasy, FR, PR, GP, Fae-Focused, Lovecraft
I binged this immediately after the last book and it's a 3.5-star read for me. I’m honestly enjoying the Lovecraftian gods the most right now, they’re creepy, weird, and easily the most interesting part of the story. Lucifer showing up felt almost like a cameo from the TV show, which made me laugh more than once and didn’t take itself too seriously. I also liked that Cain is finally learning more about his past, which adds some origin story to his character. On the downside, I am getting a bit of narrative whiplash with Cain fast traveling all over the place. It looks like we got another main team member but of course its another woman. Cain needs a Bro on the team. The romance still isn’t really working for me either; it feels flip-floppy and underdeveloped, and I kept wishing it would either commit or step aside. Mc needs to take a break from all the side questing, none of them have ever been simple. That said, I really enjoyed the wrench thrown into the story at the end, even if I feel like I’ve already figured out who the big bad is. Overall, it’s still a fun read, just one that feels a little uneven compared to its strongest moments.

Best in the series so far

Discovered this series earlier this year and enjoyed 1-3 checked again and saw this released. Decided to get it a whirl. Oh boy I absolutely loved this one. This has been a good series but this one I definitely enjoyed this this one most. The introduction of new characters and overall lore drops have been such a delight. If your reading this and enjoyed the other books this is a must listen.