Blood and Empire (The Gateway Saga, Book 1)

By: James Maxwell

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Power is never granted… it can only be seized.

BLOOD AND EMPIRE begins best-selling author James Maxwell’s long-awaited new epic fantasy series, THE GATEWAY SAGA—a gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice, and defiance in the face of destiny.

Young seamstress Bethany dreams of becoming a diviner, one of the select few able to navigate the mysterious gateways that unite the empire. But without wealth or education, and only her mother to raise her, she is on a path to disappointment.

Then Bethany meets Charlton, a cleric, who offers her books and guidance, and she glimpses a life she had thought unreachable. Her problems grow, however, when her ambitions draw attention and her father re-enters her life, confronting her with a past she still needs to come to terms with.

As invasion threatens the empire, and intrigue and betrayal create fault lines amongst the highest circles, Bethany must learn to master both powerful forces and herself, in order to confront the darkness within her own bloodline—and save the empire from itself.

What readers are saying...
“This is ambition, magic, and political knife-twisting that’d make Game of Thrones look like a polite debate club.”
"My one complaint? It ends."

STOP using AI to narrate.

I enjoy being able to read and to listen to books. With this terrible AI narration I couldn’t listen at all. It is so off putting. Please stop using AI to take actor’s jobs away. There are so many talented narrators that would’ve enhanced the story. I will definitely steer clear of any books narrated by AI. I’ll read this one on my own.

Strong Women

I enjoyed the women characters in the book. I was not that fond of this computer generated narration. I've listened to it with other audio Books, but this one was not the greatest.

Couldn't Keep Listening!

Come On Audible. Human narrators are often paid less than $90,000. a YEAR. I love James Maxwell but could not listen to his words read with no inflection, no humor, no characterization! Do Not Recommend!

Good story and strong character development

Characters are well developed. I was surprised at the way the reading software was able to pace the narration. occasional mispronunciations by the reader were sometimes distracting but were few and far between.

Good story but read, instead

Well-written and enjoyable story but I found the narration to be wooden and off-putting. At the end I heard “this story was narrated by virtual voice”. No wonder! If the next book in the series is the same, I will stick to reading it and avoid the Audible version.