Book of Names

Casters of Syndrial, Book 1

By: Rain Oxford

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Nathan, who has been plagued with a strange and dangerous curse since he can remember, just wants a normal life. His brother, Luca, wants nothing to do with normal. When they fall through a portal and end up on a foreign world with magic, monsters, and gods, Nathan realizes that normal is relative.

In a world where names are power, a book has been stolen that can destroy more than just Syndrial. Being safe from the book puts him in the path of two powerful forces, both of which have no problem using his brother against him. To protect Luca and get home alive, Nathan will have to master magic, find the Book of Names, and defeat a devastating enemy.

©2017 Rain Oxford (P)2017 Rain Oxford

What is your true name?

Nathanial, and his brother., Luca, are transported to the alternate world filled with Magic, mythical creatures, and gods. What I found interesting is how Earth’s Egyptian gods play a major role in this “new” world “. When the brothers land in a sacred temple, they are not welcomed immediately. Without some godly intervention, they would have been in a precarious position. Why were the gods interested in Nathaniel and Luca?

At times, the story may seem long, but it is packed with details that help explain what’s going on, provides some motivations, and creates new questions before providing answers. There are numerous surprises along the way... at least twice my jaw literally dropped! I don’t get caught unsuspecting very often.

If you enjoy a great story wrapped in Magic, mythology, intrigue, suspense, this is one that will capture your imagination. I fully recommend it.

Through Audiobook Boom, I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This I have done.

Good start of a series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

All things considered, I thought this was an enjoyable experience. The book is well written. The characters have depth, and there is even some plot twists. The narrator was good, but not great. His voices for different characters were not very different. That being said, he has an interesting voice and kept the story interesting. I would definitely be open to more from this series.

Brothers Battle for a world not their own

This is a story about two brothers we get transported to a world where magic is real and they might fight to save it. While this might be a typical story in fantasy nowadays, you are right. You've probably read a dozen fantasy books about people from Earth sucked away to a mystical land. BUT, you've never seen a world like this.

The magic system here is pretty cool, and while true names have always been a thing in fantasy, the way that real and secret names are used is pretty cool. Also, unlike most fantasy styled books this has an Egyptian flair. that helps to make it tonally different from standard fantasy tales.

The book sucks you in quickly, and keeps your attention with a series of twists and turns that you don't see coming. The main character has to make a lot of hard choices, and his last decision is a killer.

The narration is solid, performed well, and does not detract from the story at all. I've gotten some older audiobooks, and there the important thing was to just enunciate clearly. Bennett does the story and characters justice. I will certainly look for other things he has done.

I actually got this book after I had gotten the second in the series. I haven't listened to that yet, but will start it soon. That said, if I hadn't known there was a sequel I would have been very satisfied with how the book ended. It could have been a solo stand alone novel and worked just as well. In other words, in spite of knowing there would be a sequel, Oxford tied up his story lines, and I appreciate that a great deal. I hate books that leave a lot unclosed, but takes years for the next book to come out.

Get this book, you will be happy with everything, and once you are sucked in you will want the next book in the series.

Book of Names

I have to admit that at the beginning I was comparing this book to the author's previous series The Sorcerer's Saga. As the story progressed, I was able to separate the two and enjoyed this book on its own merit. I was not disappointed in J. Scott's performance. I really do enjoy his work. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Oxford is good with different

I've listened to several of Rain Oxford books and they are always different. Some of the plot was easy to see coming, but, with good characters, the story was still enjoyable.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

A new take on Egyptian gods... and magic:)

Rain Oxford is a new author for me - and I will definitely look for more books from her.

Book of Names starts in a seemingly classic way: brothers Nathan and Luca are trying to find a way to escape from a wizard's tower - or the wizard will kill them. What we don't know at first is that this is not a real wizard and not a real wizard's tower, it's just an escape room the brothers are testing for their friends. This is only the first surprise that awaits the reader/listener on the way throughout the book. The real story starts, though, when Nathan and Luca unexpectedly travel through a portal and find themselves in an alien world of Syndrial, where ancient Egyptian gods are a reality, where words do carry power, and where your name really defines who you are... Thrown in the middle of an on-going battle for power, forced to become an unwilling saviour of the new world, Nathan must learn fast to control what magic he has while trying to protect Luca, finding out the rules governing the culture of Syndrial and avoiding being killed himself - all this while preparing to fight and kill a mysterious spellcaster called Painter... quite a lot to do in a very short span of time, really:)
The world of Syndrial created by Rain Oxford is both complex and fascinating, with elements of ancient Egyptian culture and religion thrown into the picture. The book, a fast-paced magical adventure full of plot turning points, besides being a well-developed fantasy tale also touches on issues such as discrimination, child abuse, morality... And it does that in a subtle, unobtrusive way, leaving space for the reader/listener to think those issues over and absorb them... I like that a lot.
I also like the fact that although it is the first in a series, it doesn't end with a ciff-hanger but has a certain satisfying kind of closure. It doesn't force you to read on to find out what happened to the main characters - but encourages you to do that in a very clever way:)

As for the narration by Mr. J. Scott Bennett, it's very good. In his interpretation each of the characters is recognizable and their emotions are conveyed impeccably. Also, the pace of his reading is perfect for the listener not to lose focus.



DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great new fantasy

I really enjoyed this captivating fantasy story; it was complex with twists and surprises, as well as having great characters, humour and unusual magic. Your heart breaks at some points and you can not help but feel sad for what brought them to where they are and choices they made. Even though this is the first in a series, it is still a stand-alone story, and the author has managed to successfully blend characters and aspects of his other works, “The Sorcerers Saga,” with this story; forming further depth to an already great world. The narrator was perfect for the audiobook, he made the characters seem real and you could feel their emotions in his intonation and tone. He also further solidified the links between the two different stories by using the same voices for the characters the two series have in common. I really enjoyed this story and will look forward to future audiobooks in this series

New Series by Rain Oxford

I like this series but not as much as the Sorcerer's Saga.
Some new characters to meet and enjoy!

I love J. Scott Bennett's narration. He has a wonderful voice.

This is a promotional copy and this is my personal review.

Nothing is as itappears

Synopsis:
The brothers Nathan and Luca are mysteriously transported to a foreign world which is very different to Earth. The new (to them) world is called Syndrial, and it is ruled by priests and gods and goddesses. 

Nathan finds that he has magic, and that he is considered to be the saviour of this world if he can learn to control his magic and find a powerful book: the book of names.

He and Luca face great danger in trying to achieve that goal.

What I think:
Although the idea that the real, secret names hold power, and that whoever knows them can wield power over the person holding them is not a novel idea, the way it is presented in this book is novel and intriguing. 

Syndrial is a colourful world, and it is a world of inequality. The ruling priests pretty much do what they want, and they don't shy away from being very cruel in order to get even more powerful. The gods don't usually interfere, and it is up to a couple of semi-gods to stop the priests. 

I was drawn into the book right from the start, and there wasn't a dull moment. 

There are very many twists and turns, and nothing is as it appears. Poor Nathan has to learn the hard way, and in the end he has to make a very difficult decision about a loved one. 

Scott Bennett did a marvellous job at narrating the story, his characters were convincing, his pace exactly right, just the way I like it. 

Going by the subtitle (Casters of Syndrial, Book 1) it seems to be the start of a series; however, it can well be read as a standalone -- there's no mean cliffhanger, which is great.

This was my first book by both the author and the narrator, and I'll certainly check out more of their works. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this audio book and I chose to willingly post an honest review.

Book of Names

I enjoyed this tale of a boy who did not know how to tame his magic.He then learns he isn't alone and then that his life could have been quite different.It was a good story with a fine narrator in J.Scott Bennett.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.