King of Duels

The Wandering Inn, Book 16

De: pirateaba

Narrado por: 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

A devastating DNF

I feel heartbroken that I was unable to finish this book after getting so far in the series. I tried listening from the beginning 3 times, but I just cant.

The Wandering Inn has been one of the best series I've listened to in a while. As its progressed, its become very complex and has many charecters, which is something we all love.

The complexity does however call for an exceptional narrator that can bring each charecter to life. Erin Bennett, who is still a good narrator and clearly put in much effort, is unfortunately not exceptional.

I found it difficult to distinguish between character voices, especially female ones. This became a big problem in scenes with Erin and Lyonette, where I could not distinguish between who was saying what.

When the charecters started blurring togeather the scenes did as well (especially because there is no change of pace or feeling between scenes), and every time I found myself at some point where I had no idea what was going in anymore.

I am sad to say I will not continue with this amazing series. Maybe one day when I have time to read again, I will read the webseries.

A Jarring Shift in Voice and Tone. I am still trying to like it.

I’ve been a long-time fan of The Wandering Inn—listening to every book, sometimes more than once. This world, these characters, and the emotional depth have kept me coming back for years. That’s why King of Duels was such a tough experience for me, and I think it comes down to two things: the narrator change, and the tonal shift in content.

Let’s start with the narration.

I completely understand that change happens. Andrea Parsneau’s performance over the previous books was iconic, and any replacement would have a steep hill to climb. Erin Bennett is clearly talented, and you can hear how much she’s trying to honor the original performances—there are a few characters she really nails. But in other cases, I found myself genuinely confused about who was speaking—something that’s never happened to me before in this series.

The most disappointing part, for me, was the new voice of Erin Solstice. If there’s one character you absolutely have to get right, it’s the main character. Erin’s voice used to have this high, slightly whiny, chaotic energy—full of emotion, uncertainty, and fire. That pitch made her come alive. In this version, her voice feels more smoothed out, calmer, and less distinct. The emotional intensity—the stubbornness, the vulnerability, the spark—it all feels muted. And once that anchor was gone, the rest of the story started to feel unfamiliar too.

That alone might’ve been enough of a challenge. But this book also shifts in tone in ways that felt unexpected and honestly a little jarring. There’s a stronger focus on sexuality and emotional intimacy, including a chapter that many readers have been talking about—one that felt out of place compared to the tone of the rest of the series.

To be clear: I’m not against those themes. I’ve read a few harem-style books in other genres, and I’ve enjoyed them for what they are. But The Wandering Inn was never about that. It’s always been about found family, emotional healing, humor in the face of tragedy, and complex worldbuilding. That’s the tone I came here for. So when Book 16 introduced more sexual content and shifted focus—at the same time as changing the narrator and presentation—it felt like the book suddenly belonged to a different series.

This doesn’t mean the book is bad. Pirateaba is still a gifted writer. The story is still ambitious. Erin Bennett clearly cares about the material. But for me, as a long-time listener, King of Duels didn’t feel like coming back to the world I loved. It felt like visiting that world through a strange lens—everything familiar, yet distant.

I’m not giving up on the series. I still care about the characters, and I know stories—and storytellers—evolve. But I do hope future books find a way to reconnect with the emotional voice that made The Wandering Inn so special in the first place.

sad

The story is great the narrator is not. I tried so hard to listen but her tone and the way she pauses... is like my computer was reading it to me without emotion.

Welcome Erin I look forward to listening to hours and hours of your narration.

I have been seeing a lot of undeserved and cruel comments about the new narrator for this book. Will Andrea be missed? Absolutely. But Erin Bennett is doing a phenomenal job at was is certainly a very difficult project. Keep up the good work Erin! You are appreciated!

Very entertaining, but too woke this one

Since the couple of first books you see that the author is woke in his/her views, but this one it was a lot more pronounced. That does not take away the fact of the great history that it is been told. In this one we got a lot of the inn interaction that a missed in the later ones and we see what became of Toren. Nice book. I have scored it 3 star in history due to the woke nonsense and the graphic sex that it described. In the begging of the chapter we are given a warning about the graphic scenes, but it also said we will lose crucial history if we don’t see it. Well, it is worth tolerate it in order to keep following our beloved characters.