Thraxas

Thraxas, Book 1

By: Martin Scott

Narrated by: George Weightman

Thraxas ekes out a living as a private investigator. He lives in the poor part of town, with a barbarian for a landlord, and a female ex-gladiator to help him when the fighting gets rough. Thraxas might be too jaded to feel any desire for the beautiful Makri, with her Elvish and Orcish blood, but he appreciates her lethal combat skills. Thraxas once learned a little magic, but he's a hopeless sorcerer. On the other hand, he's brave, loyal to his clients, and he's a legend at the dining table. Thraxas can out-eat and out-drink anyone. When his investigations involve hostile sorcerers, sword-wielding thugs and murderous assassins, Thraxas knows the value of a flagon of ale and a good bowl of stew.

©1999 Martin Scott (P)2026 Audible Ltd.

Finally! Thraxas the Investigator on Audible!

I love the entire Thraxas series by Martin Scott aka Martin Millar. Please start with this book, Thraxas, the first in the series because there's an overriding story arc. I've reread most of the books twice as a panacea to the soul, for me much like Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Thraxas is a detective mystery (Thraxas the Investigator) novel and epic fantasy (humans, elves, orcs, sorcerers) and quasi-historical fiction (Scott's world is based on ancient Roman society). If you enjoy the novels by Steve Saylor, please try Thraxas. It's funny but it also has heart. Makri's growth as an individual is one of my favorite things about the series and she's my favorite non-magical warrior in any fantasy series. Thraxas, like Sam Spade & just about any other private Investigator I can think of, is a flawed man: a gluttony, drinker, bad gambler, and mostly failed sorcerer. He's a veteran of harsh wars against orcs and dragons, and he's done with that life. But he also has a moral compass that 9 times out of 10 points him in the right direction.
I hope all the Thraxas books are made into audiobooks because I'll get them all. I like the narrator, though he sounds a bit too posh for what I imagined Thraxas sounding like. But that's just my opinion. It didn't detract from the story. So, I recommend this book highly--it's very entertaining, funny, and has heart without ever being too sweet. Thraxas is a bit like Sam Vimes before Sir Samuel sobered up. Since Pratchett is my favorite author of fantasy, that's the highest praise I can give.

Light fun adventure, memorable characters, good story.

This is a well written romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously. High fantasy meets noir detective with a balanced magic system lets magic be powerful while allowing physical prowess to still be both useful and impressive. The world building is solid and allows for a lot of political intrigue that feels earned and yet doesn’t dominate the story. I look forward to listening to more… hint hint audible!

A D&D style crime drama

It was getting predictable around the last hour, but it was still fun to listen to. I would have liked more characters, but the few that were in the story were done well.

Get a job!

Good preparation for Hugh Jackman’s “Death of Robin Hood” coming out. Keeps you locked in and feels well paced. I would collect this entire series for my library as an eccentric pick I draw much attention towards during house parties

Its witty, comedy, action. It’s really good

I’m excited to listen to the rest of the series whenever they dropped.
This is a good fantasy world PI.