Dreamwalker

The Ballad of Sir Benfro, Book 1

By: J.D. Oswald

Narrated by: Wayne Forester

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Ballad of Sir Benfro: Dreamwalker, the first installment in the new fantasy series from JD Oswald, read by Wayne Forester.

Miles from the great cities of the Twin Kingdoms, a young boy called Errol tries to find his way in the world. He's an outsider, and no one, not even himself, has any knowledge of his true lineage.

Deep in the forest, Benfro, the young male dragon begins his training in the subtle arts. Like his mother, Morgwm the Green, he is destined to be a great Mage.

No one could imagine that the future of the Twin Kingdoms rests in their hands. But it is a destiny that will change the lives of boy and dragon forever ...

©2015 J.D. Oswald (P)2015 Penguin Books Limited

Entertaining, albeit predictable

The book description promises more than what is ultimately provided. I will have to read the other two installments to get the complete story. The Sir Benfro series was probably submitted as one complete work of fiction, and the publisher likely chopped it into three books. Mind you, I am enjoying the story--it's easy going and the narration is good. I do need SOMETHING to listen to while I wait for the next books from Diana Gabaldon and George R.R. Martin! And, yes, I know the writings of Gabaldon and Martin are in a completely different class.

Failed to grab me within the first two chapters.

Would you try another book from J.D. Oswald and/or Wayne Forester?

Nope.

Has Dreamwalker turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, it's just dull

How could the performance have been better?

Better source material

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dreamwalker?

Meh, I wouldn't bother....

Any additional comments?

I'm getting a refund and moving on...

why haven't I heard of this author before?

I love Sanderson, Martin, manning, Brett, Goodkind and similar. I had a very pleasant surprise when I listened to this book. I often read blogs trying to find new good adult fantasy authors and am frequently disappointed. I expected to be disappointed here since the books are so cheap and I've never heard of this author. I never write reviews but I thought this author deserves more recognition for his work.... there are also very few reviews of his work. don't hesitate here if u like the authors mentioned above and like dragons, this book may be the best $11 u spend all year!

The Spark Ebbed and Died...

The author is creative and the book is well-written. However, too much time was spent introducing us to the many characters, their history and the world they live in. While reading I often got excited by some of the concepts presented, but they remained unformed ideas and possibilities when the book ended.

At first the dragons came across as wise and noble, then a bit unconventional. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but in my opinion their natures were too human and too relaxed.

There were interesting points, but very little action at all and the pace of the book was too slow. Even though I wouldn't mind finding out what happens next I can't chance that book two might not start where book 1 left off, with a continuation of world and character development. Perhaps there will be the development of interesting concepts that hint at potential which won't be realized until book three. Oh did I forget to mention the slow pace?

Everything's There

This book has everything you'd want in a Fantasy Novel: Magic, Dragons, Knights, Honor, Dishonor, etc. But you start to get bored after a while and disappointed by the Dragon's themselves.

Errol has all the potential in the world and he actually starts to take over that potential in the end. Benfro though comes off as whiney. Morgan and the other Dragon's are less than desired, but you do grow a happy hatred of Freknah (I'm sure I spelled that wrong). Klum is a welcomed sight on Knightliness. And the rest of the story fits into place just fine. But in all reality, by the end of Book 1, I kept finding myself the most interested in Queen Beulah and Inquisitor Melyn (the main protagonists)

So I guess it's all there, but it's just short of really drawing you in and wanting more. I'll keep reading hoping to find the true spark.

Oh, and the narration was okay, not great, but not bad either. Worth the money/credit I'd say.

hard to

Narrator was great but really had a hard time with getting into the story for some reason.

Decent but too long as a series.

It's a pretty decent, entertaining story, but could have been condensed to 2, maybe 3 books. Initially I figured it would end in the third book but reaching the end I realized there was a fourth. It was getting rather drawn out already but I figured I might as well get to the end of the series now. Made it through 4, turns out it STILL didn't end there.

So overall, could have been good but was too drawn out and wasn't able to keep my attention. I'm returning the books.

fantastic

loved it fantastic narrating and story with little to be desired for a fan of dragons and fantasy.

Even better than I remembered.

I read the first two books as a kid when those were the only two in the series I could get my hands on. I always wanted there to be more and I was excited to find it on audible and even more excited by the quality of the narration. I always thought this series was so uniquely crafted and I’m so excited to finally get around to finishing the series more than a decade later.

Slow start!

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The story started out slow but picked up momentum at the end. I'm excited for next book.

easy

Beautifully narrated easy listening good storytelling. ..i dont need 8 more words thanks very much

Absolutely Outstanding!!!

Wanting to take a break from Game of Thrones, I decided to venture out and listen to another fantasy series that wasn't such a heavy listen, and lo and behold I came across this one. Being a dragon fanatic I just had to give this one a go.

And I'm so glad I did! This story is just fantastic! The story of a young boy and dragon finding their place and purpose in a world where men rule and dragons are reduced to beings who are not even half of what they used to be is well - written, delightful and intriguing. There were times where I actually had to force myself to stop listening. In other words, I couldn't put this one down, especially later on in the story when things really get going!

And its all read by the truly wonderful Wayne Forrester, who gives out such a first class performance. He is quite easily one of the very best narrators I have ever listened to. His voice is incredibly calm, clear and easy to listen to, whilst at the same time doing a great job of providing each character their own voices. I particularly liked his voice for freknok (pardon me if I spelt it wrong), which sounded very eerie and always put a smile on my face!

Overall, this is a great story, and I really can't wait to listen to the sequels. Love fantasy? Got credits to use up? Then WHY are you still reading this!? Go and give this a listen. You won't regret it!

Epic

I first read the kindle version when they were first self published by the author and loved the series. Revisiting the audible version brings new depth to the characters and the story. Onto the next in the series 😁

Absolute dream

Wow. Okay. At first I was regretting buying as I was trying out different genres a d wasn't feeling this. But I ended up listening to it because the books I was listening to ended and I was waiting for a new credit. And boy was I mistaken
This book is pure magic and wonder, it is amazingly written, captivating and the narrator is just as grand, well chosen and very talented. I'm hooked and I'm on the 3rd book so if you're reading this, give it a go. You won't be disappointed!

a slow burner but worth the time

can't wait for the next instalment ! slow paced but the depth of the characters and world is wonderful if you have the patience.