Feast of the Raven

By: Catherine Spader

Narrated by: Richard Rieman

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

In 782 AD, a beast prowls the forests of northern Germany. He is Wulfhedinn, wolf demon - scourge of the Christian Franks. He is also Gerwulf, the man, a wretched outcast and bastard of a Christian woman and pagan father.

Gerwulf emerges from the shadows to escape his demons and seek deliverance. To redeem his mortal soul, he serves the legendary Charlemagne in a savage Holy War against the pagan Saxons.

Gerwulf's quest pits him against the dark powers of a mysterious Saxon shield maiden and leads to his greatest battle - reclaiming his humanity in a dark age when beasts lurk inside all men.

And the Raven, The Eater of Souls, she soars above...hungering to feast on the blood guilt of all.

©2016 Catherine Spader (P)2016 Catherine Spader

Interesting historical fantasy.

This is an interesting book, mixing fantastic elements with a little written about period of history. It has interesting characters and an exciting plot that keeps the listener engaged. The narration is decent, if a little flat in places, but overall, this is a book worth checking out.
I was voluntarily given a review copy of this audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher through Audiobookboom.

Feast

I didn't care for this book.I found it confusing and just un intsresting.The narrator,Richard Rieman, was ok.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Intriguing

Intriguing story kept me hooked. Gerwulf is one of the more interesting characters that I have come across lately. The narrator was excellent as well. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Pretty good historical fantasy/fiction

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

I'm not usually one for too historical fiction, but this was actually pretty good. I liked the whole redemption thing. The battle scenes were described well and the narrator had a booming, resonant voice that added a lot to the experience.

Confusing

I got this ARC via audiobook boom. The narration was good and kept me listening. The ending made me even more confused than I was at the beginning and the middle. There were several lines that kept repeating throughout the entire story. I could not tell at many points if he was dreaming or this was a reality. His encounter with the monk at the beginning of the story was strange and then he thought he was dreaming or a spell had been cast upon him. This was a very strange story.

The Raven Hungers....

Feast of the Raven was one of those stories that, despite my love of historical fiction and vikings, that wasn't to my taste. One of the biggest things that bothered me was that the verb tense would shift from past to present whenever the story shifted to the main character's thoughts. It seems like such a small thing, but it kept bothering me so much that I wish it was past tense the whole way through. The best part of the story however, was the main character's interactions with the likes of Pitel and Vala. The way both of them challenge the main character and makes him think about his identity was really great! Another complaint was I would have preferred the author take time to describe the world that the story takes place, Like describing the forests, camps, and castles that dot the land of the Saxons. These lacking descriptions made it hard for me to imagine where the events of the story were happening. The narrator had a booming, authoritative voice, which is great for a wolf warrior of the north, however I remember him giving a Pitel what seemed like an Irish accent at the beginning of the story, then his accent changed about a quarter through the story, which was distracting.

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

Different but good

Any additional comments?

Narration is really good throughout, narrator has a different style than most. Story is good, main character's alter ego reads like prose. This was differently different, but a good listen nonetheless.

Unexpected Listening Treasure Right From the Start

I owe the narrator a huge apology right from the start, I saw his avatar photo and made unwarranted assumptions. Please accept my apologies Richard Rieman, your voice was just what this story needed. The author is new to me, but I look forward to more stories in this series. You are a true word craftswoman, but you write with the heart and soul of a beast. Awesome.
Note: This was a review copy given to me by the narrator... How do I repay such a fine gift? Thank you.

A bit repetative

What did you like best about Feast of the Raven? What did you like least?

I liked the idea that someone can try redeem themselves despite what may be beyond a person's control.

I hated the repetitiveness of the story. The same phrase would be used multiple times in a short amount of time.

Would you ever listen to anything by Catherine Spader again?

I would listen to another story of Spader's, but if it was as repetitive as this one I wouldn't again.

Have you listened to any of Richard Rieman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first one I have listened to that he preformed. I believe he did an excellent job despite my overall feelings toward the book.

Any additional comments?

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge.