Forgotten Ruin

An Epic Military Fantasy Thriller

By: Jason Anspach, Nick Cole

Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant

Tolkien meets Shock and Awe

Orcs. Trolls. Wraith riders. Dark wizards. Together, they form an unstoppable force. Or so they thought.

Dark Army...meet the US Army Rangers.

When a Joint Task Force of elite Rangers are transported to a strange and fantastic future where science and evolution have incarnated the evils of myth and legend, they find themselves surrounded, pinned down, and in a desperate fight for their very survival - against nightmares of flesh and blood made real. Which means only one thing.

It’s time to Ranger up and stack bodies.

The forces of evil have no idea how dangerous a Ranger has been trained to be, and once the action starts, it won’t let up in this no-holds-barred, full-auto, epic battle for survival in the Forgotten Ruin.

From the creators of Galaxy's Edge....

Buy in, and jock up for this thrilling WarGate adventure. A battle unlike any other is calling.

©2021 Jason Anspach & Nick Cole (P)2021 WarGate Books

Reviewed on an advanced copy due to preorder.

When I first saw the concept of the book I was expecting to read an American version of the anime GATE, I was pleasantly surprised. Anspach and Cole were able to take the modern equipment and tactics of the US military and show how it would preform in a realistic way when met with an enemy that either doesn't feel fear, or fears the bark and bite of rifles far less than the magic of the new world.
The way this book integrated high fantasy and military fiction was a sight to behold and I cant wait to get ahold of Book 2.
Be Meaner than it!

A rafhed unique look on post apocalyptic genere

When you get a book by Anspach and Cole, you know that you are in for a wild ride, but this one exceeds many of their other works.
While, in general, it is not that hard to predict, how the story will go, the really good part is in how that story is shown, and the point of view of protagonist is much more interesting than many of the typical "action fantasy" heroes, who have pretty much superhhman powers. In Ranger company our hero is at the bottom of the "pecking order" in his combat skills, but he makes it up in other areas, making the story much more relatable (honestly, how many of us could claim to be equal in capabilities to an US Army Ranger? Or any special forces soldier from most countries? the linguist specialist however...)
All in all, very solid book with a unique look on the genere, and sven more enjoyable thanks to my knowledge of D&D.
Eagerly awaiting the next installment!

The story I didn’t know my life was missing

I grew up in a military family, watching every military movie I could, G I Joes in hand. I also had a dad who was a nerd so the earliest books I remember reading we about drizzt do'urden. I’m a veteran myself and a dnd nerd. I have high standards you might say. Jason Anspach and Nick Cole have by and far exceeded those standards here. Again. Somehow they have created a world so fantastical that it scratch every dnd itch I didn’t know I had. I found myself listen and thinking ahead “I wonder if there will be this or that” and then it shows up. I’d hear a description of a creature and have to double back as I realized I knew what they were describing without actually naming it.
On the more realistic side, they get the military aspect dead on. The banter, the tactics and equipment. It’s all so real that I could easily see myself having the same conversations with buddies I’d served with. It’s genuine and refreshing. Not everyone in the military is Hoot from black hawk down. There’s a few but for the most part they’re just people and that’s something I think this book gets perfect.

As for the performance, I’ve been spoiled by R.C. Bray over the years and every time I find a book and he’s not narrating I’m a little sad. That feeling lasted all of 30 seconds when I started this book. Grant does such a good job of brining Talker and all of the other characters alive in this book. Aside from proper pronunciations of military terms and lingo, he breaths life into every scene. Even if it’s just the way he talks, like a ranger embracing the suck, even if it is orcs and fairy dust.... like yeah, it’s crazy but what am I gonna do. Or the ranger creed. Man I’ve heard that read so many times but Grant embodied the scroll life when he read it. I half expected him to yell KTF at the end.

If you’ve enjoyed any of Jason and Nicks other work. You’ll love this. If you liked lord of the rings. You’ll love this. If you liked black hawk down. You’ll love this. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for more.

if you liked Gate, you'd love this.

Fantastically read this take is amazing. Like Gate the Rangers find themselves in a different darker world if Fantasy. Cannot wait for another installment. Thanks for the great listen.

Story was great, inner monolog is too much.

Big fan of the authors all the way through Galaxies Edge. This story is completely different but has some of the same nitty gritty flavor of GE. The story is written in the 1st person and has some extensive inner monolog tangents that can be distracting. I found myself yelling at the audio book to get back to the story. I do enjoy them, but they could be dialed back and not right in the middle of the action. You guys did good on this, but get back to work on GE! I need to know what happens the girl and her war bot. But seriously you guys did great and I'm ready for more.

Fantastic!!!!!!!

This is a realistic, highly factual book about the US Army Rangers and the way we both operate and our interpersonal relationships. I just sent this book to a Seal brother,(the bad guys$.. hahaha. Enjoy!!!!

They did it again.

Anspach and Cole have done it again. Created another story line/Universe that is really great. Now a fan knows this is going to focus on some form of Ranger Detachment. Which as a Veteran I enjoy. And it explores the age old deployment question, " What if we did run into Vampires, Werewolves or other mystic creatures?" It's a great read. My only negative comment is at some points in the story the narrator's inner monologue does go a little wild. A few of those could have been cleaned up. But a great start and a great job Universe building. Keep them coming.

This is a great listen. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I loved this story. From start to finish this book kept me involved. The characters are treated as living individuals who have their own personality. I think that’s one of the great strengths of the book. Each character has it’s own backstory that leaves the reader wanting to know more. The story telling is consistently excellent, as Cole and Anspauch build their world piece by piece unfolding a world that is rich in history. Well done! Lastly, Christopher Ryan Grant did an amazing job on voice acting. I need to look up his other work and grab another story narrated by him. Gentlemen, I can’t wait for the next volume.

Surprisingly good.

This was a way better listen then I had expected. Very recommended for change of pace from military sci fi.

Fantastic Listen

The nerd in me loved every second, author is a bit long winded at times