Edge of the Woods: An Epic Fantasy Adventure

The Lost Edge, Book 1

By: Andrew Rowe

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A young swordsman must retrieve a magical blade—and learn the truth about his past—in this fantasy adventure set within the Arcane Ascension universe.

A young man lives among the trees of a primeval forest, raised by a wizened old sage and friend to the faeries and spirits of his home. He bears only half a name—Lien, an ancient word meaning "blade" or "edge"—and no knowledge of his heritage. As he grows, so too does his need for independence and answers. Thus, he begins his adventure, seeking a shattered sword and the truth behind the mysterious mark on his right hand.

To earn his freedom from his adoptive grandfather, Lien will seek to complete the trials of Anathema, a long-hidden weapon of devastating power. To succeed, he must master his own burgeoning power, learning swordplay and magic from fractured figments of ancient legends. Though his training will push him to the brink, failure comes at an even greater cost. For only with his talents fully forged will Lien stand a chance against his true foe: destiny itself.

Set within New York Times–bestselling author Andrew Rowe's Arcane Ascension universe, and inspired by Japanese manga and role-playing games, Edge of the Woods is the first volume of an epic new fantasy series perfect for fans of The Legend of Zelda.

©2023 Andrew Rowe (P)2023 Podium Audio

Amazing delivery once again. Not disappointed

once again a great book! Very well written and exceptionally narrated!!! if you are new or into any of his series you will enjoy this book!
I absolutely loved the mechanics and in depth detail what a great way to see things a bit differently

Storytelling with Scribe

Another banger by Andrew Rowe. Same world, 3rd continent.

15 word minimum. 15 word minimum.

Fantastic

My favorite work of Andrew Rowe so far. Already cannot wait for the next book!

Not up to previous standards

Honestly, I really like Andrew Rowe's magic system, but there is far, far too much explanation here. I'm parts it reads like an instruction book for something we'll never be able to use. It would be different if it advanced any plot point, but it doesn't. I was really hoping for a return to form after the utter abomination that is his Shattered Legacy collaboration, and this just isn't it. It's much better, but still mediocre at best. Nick Podehl is fantastic, as always, and I shudder to think how bad this would have been without his verbal heroics. Rowe really needs to examine his writing and I'm guessing get out of his echo chamber of prepublication criticism, he's getting worse, not better. I will not even consider following his Shattered Legacy series, and while I'll pick up the next one on this series, if there's not marked improvement, it'll be my last.

Never grinned so much

Following the adjacent stories will give you so many moments to cherish in this one! It is great as a stand-alone, and the mechanics of technique manufacturing were fascinating. Loved every second, and I’m already wishing the next one was ready!

I used snarky aspected typing essence to write this review.

Let me start by saying that I’m a big Andrew Rowe fan. He’s the author that I most consistently re-read/listen. This book was exhausting though. So. Much. Magic theory. Beyond that, so much train of thought and running through various possibilities inside the narrator’s mind. From Eratar to Adon, we know that Rowe likes hiding things in plain sight, but in this book, it just felt silly. The handful of characters that we already know from other books were hinted at but not specifically named… or given random names that are different from the ones they use later. The unreliable/intentionally deceptive narrator part is also kind of exhausting. I think that this series has great potential in terms of filling in gaps, telling backstory, and introducing us to some of the broader behind-the-scenes issues, but this first book felt like a chore.

If You Like Learning About Magic, You're In Luck

This is the latest book I've gone through with Andrew Rowe. Most of is other series are well paced. With good humor, wit, action, and world building. This was not one of his better books. That's not to say it isn't good. But you're subjected to listening to the main character explain how the magic system works. And how he adapts it to his skills. So the bulknof the book, you're just "learning". The chapters where it's good, it's good. But unlike other series, this one lacks the action and weight. All in all, it's a good but not great addition to the rest of his world. The other thing, which bothers me since picking a second series, he doesn't give a time-line of when his story take place. With one book exception, all his characters run into one another. And could be at any point. This is definitely after War of Broken Mirrors though. But this is an issue, especially in Acance Ascension and Weapons & Welders series.

Uneven... and detail heavy.

There is a good story written in here, if you can get past the morass of unnecessary rpg character building details. If the author could separate out the "here's my game mechanics" from his "here's my story of character development" it would be a much better time for all involved.

More of the Same and not always in a good way.

It's a fun premise for the book a child raised on the edge of Fey lands who has ties to both. A child seeking answers it's a great formula.

But it quickly becomes Keras 2.0 and while I've enjoyed him in other stories a minime with more or less the same arc isn't that interesting. Yes maybe Edge is the child or a memory or a reincarnation. But he's effectively the same character in a slightly different wrapper.

We've done this before and I liked it more then. Plus who keeps giving these crazy powerful children to wildly irresponsible adults? Gramps should seriously be up on neglect charges and learn how to give real advice about things. Yes he's bound but if he is who we're lead to believe then he should be much better at this.

Then there's my more controversial part. Andrew's need to cram in several LQBTQ+ characters. Not because they shouldn't exist but because it starts bogging the story down every time you have to have the same explanation about how yes it's ok they exist.

Just make them exist have them be who they are and move on. If someone is going to have a hissy fit that's a them issue. I don't need you reaffirm basic human rights two to three times a story every story. Let them exist them them be who they are no call outs no digression. That's how you properly normalize minorities. By just having them exist with little to no special commentary. They're a part of the world and since they're so normal they need no explanation.

In the end keep fighting for them but don't derail paragraphs or pages to do it. You break the flow of the story to get out an soap box it hurts our cause more than it helps. Let folks be folks and just go on with the story.

In the end it's on the edge of being good but doesn't quite tip over because of the problems I listed.

If you haven't read all the prior books it might well be right up your alley, but if you have it's probably a coin toss if you'll get as much enjoyment out of it as something like the Weapons and Wielders series.

Too much technical and woke…?

I usually really enjoy books by Andrew Rowe. However this one was tuff to get through. While I liked Edge it felt like there was a bit too much about the theory of the magic systems, almost felt like a university level lecture at times. And while I appreciate this is fantasy, the pushing of the gender fantasy unfortunately prevalent in our real world is getting to be a bit much. The woke fantasy push is now spanning several books and characters. I listen to books like these to escape the real world, and while the idea of magical gender fluid beings of incredible power isn’t offensive, it doesn’t need to be a defining aspect of multiple charters across multiple books. If I wanted this woke story telling I’d listen to more recent works from Disney.