Bastion

Immortal Great Souls, Book 1

By: Phil Tucker

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Scorio will rise from the ashes to conquer the 10 layers of hell.

Reborn without memories, Scorio learns that he is a Great Soul, a legendary defender of the ancient city of Bastion. That within the hallowed halls of the Academy and under the stern eyes of the underworld’s greatest instructors he will enjoy enormous privilege, rediscover unique and wondrous powers, and one day return to the millennium-old battle against their infernal foes.

Until he is betrayed. Singled out and sentenced to die for crimes he can't remember, Scorio is hurled to his doom - and forgotten.

But from even the dimmest spark an inferno may one day rage.

Clawing his way back from oblivion, Scorio vows to return to the Academy at any cost. To emerge from the ruins and within those golden walls defeat his elite classmates in a quest to ascend the ranks and change the course of history. For only then will he learn about his forgotten past and why his enemies have rightly feared him since the day he was reborn.

©2022 Phil Tucker (P)2022 Podium Audio

Great book, hampered by a few flaws

The themes explored in the story are injustice, starting a new life, friendship and exploring the world. Unfortunately this is hampered by the power system, which takes up a huge amount of the runtime and boils down to being almost identical to the Cradle series. We know almost NOTHING about the fascinating world the characters live in because the characters themselves either don’t care or are completely ignorant. Ultimately, a good book that I recommend but by the end you’ll be sick of hearing the different ranks and the nonsensical powers some characters have.

Unexpectedly sucked me in

It took a couple hours but after the 3rd hour I was hooked. Such a great story and well read. Would high recommend. Now I’m off to listen to the next one!

Slow start but worth the grind

So the first 10 chapters are very slow. Feels like 10 chapters of nothing but L's for the MC. Outcast, broken, poor and alone... what else can you throw at the guy?

Once you get over the absolute beat down of the MC the book really begins to roll. It's a great book of cultivation that is well written. Nick does a gray job bringing this book to life. Can't wait for the next book.

Massive entry to what promises to be a fun series!

I immediately picked up this title to be treated to 38 hours of another one of Nick Podehl’s masterful performances. His emotive, clear and thoughtful voice acting for all of his characters always bring longest slog of a read to life. Time and again, Nick saved a book that I would have put down due to somewhat wooden characters and slow pacing typical of other stories of the cultivation genre. But, after many chapters in, a wonderfully realized fantasy world showed itself through two full story arcs, and I found it impossible to stop listening until the end. I eagerly await the next installment. I hope to see complex character growth, a more tightly edited narrative, and of course Podehl's voice for book 2.

Awesome

I absolutely loved it! I can't wait for the next book in the series!