King of Duels

The Wandering Inn, Book 16

By: pirateaba

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

King of Duels marks the passing of the torch from our beloved Andrea Parsneau to a new narrator. Erin Bennett, a Golden Voice narrator, will continue to bring the magic of The Wandering Inn to life.

The world is full of adventures, big and small.

From exploring the [Garden of Sanctuary] to the depths of the sea, there are countless fascinating discoveries to be made. Not just in the places people go, but in the things they create... or recreate from Earth. Chocolate, lifting weights, and alcohol all flow through The Wandering Inn with unexpected consequences at times.

However, there's also war, [Assassins], and scams that ruin or destroy lives. For every monster, there is an adventurer. The Stitch Witch may creep forward, and the King of Destruction continues his rampage across nations, but there will always be a champion who steps forward.

Featuring a foreword from Andrea Parsneau.

©2024 pirateaba (P)2025 Podium Audio

So Different

The story is as good as ever, but its just.. not the same. Erin is doing a great job! But.. if you played me 50 one sentence clips of Andrea voicing, I could probably name the character 45 of 50 times.
Now, I'd be lucky if I got half right, so many sound so similar. Some, i wouldnt believe you if you told me who they were. I understand Andrea needed a break after so many, many hours and so many unique voices..
I wish they had just waited. Waited until Andrea was okay to continue, and split the load. Had both her and Erin, made it easier on both. If it took a year, so be it. I wonder if pirateaba has considered soundbooth theaters? A full reboot? Truly unique voices for everyone would make the entire story all the more incredible..

The story continues... with broken pronunciation

I had decent hopes for the incoming narrator she was supposed to have done her homework in taking over the series but it's clear she maybe listened to part of the first book. Aryn now comes across as a nitwit you can almost feel the narrators disdain for her. The momentous moments lack the gravitas they once carried. The male characters do have a decent variety at least. I'd even be willing to let most of that pass but the pronunciation changes for places and people are spirit breaking. I also found the mastering to be heavy handed on the tape compression effect and needing sibilance work. Welcome to just another Podium title... I am a bit heart broken.

It’s not the same without Andrea

Great story just not the same Andrea if feels like a different story now good but not the same it’s missing the magic that was Andrea

hmmmm

Not my favorite. Erin did a great job stepping into huge shoes. Some voices are completely off from what they were but what can you do. Flos went from a cool uncle's voice to more of what you would think a King of Destruction would sound like. Some are more pretentious than they were previously. The writing felt different to me on this one. A bit more scattered than usual. We are used to jumping from story line to story line but, I don't know.

Poor choice on narration

After 15 books, in a story that has many different characters with their own tone, the production team changes the narrator to someone who does not have enough vocal range to differentiate characters’ tone. Now you need to wait until the story identifies each character by context or name before you know which character’s story is being shared. I’m more than a bit disappointed. If it does not change, then this may be my last Wandering Inn.