Quill

The Cartographer, Book 1

By: AC Cobble

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

The fate of empire is to crumble from within.

A heinous murder in a small village reveals a terrible truth. Sorcery, once thought dead in Enhover, is not. Evidence of an occult ritual and human sacrifice proves that dark power has been called upon again. Twisting threads of clues lead across the known world to the end of a vast empire, and then, the trail returns home.

Duke Oliver Wellesley, son of the king, cartographer, and adventurer, has better things to do than investigate a murder in a sleepy fishing hamlet. For crown and company, though, he goes where he’s told. As the investigation leads to deeper and darker places, he’ll be forced to confront the horrific spectres rising from the shadows of his past. When faced with the truth, will he sacrifice what is necessary to survive?

Samantha serves a church that claims to no longer need her skills. She’s apprenticed to a priest-assassin that no one knows. Driven by a mad prophecy, her mentor has prepared her for a battle with ultimate darkness, except, sorcery is dead. When all is at stake, can she call upon an arcane craft the rest of the world has forgotten?

The fate of empire is to crumble from within. Do not ask when, ask who.

©2019 AC Cobble (P)2019 AC Cobble

Supernatural Horror, Delectable Pacing

I thoroughly enjoyed this title - Simon Vance is an excellent narrator as always!

A slow, secret build up of bloody murder, supernatural intrigue and fairly well written (and somewhat subversive) sex scenes. The characterisation at the start might cause a wince, but all the main characters grow on you, and the minor ones are well voiced.

If you enjoyed The Aching God, definitely give this a stab.

Started slow ended great

At first I wasn’t sure I’d like it however it turned out that it’s one of the best I’ve ever read. I’m old I’ve read thousands of fantasy books. I started reading them in 1973 while in the Marines in San Diego after getting back from the jungle. Thanks

A great start

I'll have to say this is a great start to a storyline that has mystery, Magic and Technology all in one. The characters are a lot more developed than I thought they would be but the one thing I found to be bothersome was some of the glaring hints that were left behind that weren't picked up on by the characters. If those issues are fixed I think this will be one for the ages. I am looking forward to the next book and hoping the story continues to get better.

Engaging

This is a classic storyline with great details. If you're wanting a story to keep you interested this is it.

Great occult book!

Great book and narration. If you like occult mystery/fantasy/steam punk books I highly recommend. Also not childish meant for adults.

Why

I’ll never understand the need to switch to vulgarity and sex with the fantasy world. It is a well written book but leave the sex out there’s no reason for it and it’s just dumb to include it.

I never give 5 stars ...

But this story was superb. There was a some sexual content that some might not appreciate, and I was a bit taken aback by it initially, but it led to character development which I think was important in the end. I just figured I’d give people a heads up.

I honestly can’t wait for the sequel to come out. Simon Vance was as awesome as he always is. They better get him to read the sequel. It just wouldn’t be right without him. He’s literally perfect for this story.

Great Mix of Adventure and Mystery

Loved the story and the performance. Simon Vance has the perfect voice for this and does his usual excellent work. It's a little bit murder mystery, a little bit high seas adventure, a little bit drunken bar brawl, a little bit epic fantasy, and a lot of fun. I really loved the interactions between Oliver & Sam and can't wait to hear more about them. There is a good bit of sex in the story, so be aware of that if you're coming from the author's Benjamin Ashwood series. I thought it made things more exciting, though, so if that doesn't bother you then jump in with both feet!

Meh, Just Meh

I actually bailed with about 2 hours remaining. Too many glaring plot holes made it impossible to care about the ridiculous characters.

the sex was annoying...

You can tell the smut was only there to up the page count. I found myself extremely frustrated by it because almost all of the sex felt forced and random. The worst part is the this would have been a five star book had the soft porn been cut out. Nevertheless, when the characters aren't attempting to get in each other's pants the plot was truly enjoyable. I guess I'm trying to say I hope book two will be more plot focused