House of Assassins

Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Book 2

By: Larry Correia

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Larry Correia's best-selling epic fantasy series, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, continues.

Ashok Vadal was once a member of the highest caste in all of Lok. As a Protector, he devoted his life to upholding the Law, rooting out those who still practiced the old ways and delivering swift justice with his ancestor blade Angruvadal. None was more merciless than he in stamping out the lingering belief in gods and demons among the casteless. His brutality was legendary and celebrated.

But soon Ashok learned that his life to that point had been a lie. He himself, senior member of the Protector Order, was casteless. He had been nothing more than an unwitting pawn in a political game. His world turned upside down, and finding himself on the wrong side of the Law, he began a campaign of rebellion, war, and destruction unlike any Lok had ever seen.

Thera had been first daughter of Vane. A member of the Warrior Order, she had spent her life training for combat. Until a strange sight in the heavens appeared one day. Thera was struck by lighting, and from that day forward, she heard the Voice. A reluctant prophet with the power to see into the future, she fought alongside Ashok Vadal and his company of men known as the Sons of the Black Sword, until a shape-shifting wizard with designs on her powers of precognition spirited her away. He holds her prisoner in the House of Assassins.

Ashok Vadal and the Sons of the Black Sword march to rescue Thera. With his sword Angruvadal, Ashok was unstoppable. But Angruvadal is gone, shattered to pieces on the demon-possessed husk of a warrior. Now, Ashok must fight without the aid of the magic blade for the first time. Thera’s life depends on it. But there is much more at risk in the continent of Lok. Strange forces are working behind the scenes. 

Ashok Vadal and the Sons of the Black Sword are caught up in a game they do not fully understand, with powerful forces allied against them. Ashok no longer knows what to believe. He is beginning to think perhaps the gods really do exist. If so, he’s warned them to stay out of his way. They would do well to listen.

About House of Assassins: “Correia piles on the intrigue, action, and cliffhangers in the invigorating second Saga of the Forgotten Warrior epic fantasy.... Correia also weaves in elements that question the value of belief and the cost of giving authority to those who find more profit in preying on the weak.... Brisk fight scenes, lively characters, and plenty of black humor continue to make this series a real pleasure.” (Publishers Weekly)

Larry Correia is the creator of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times best-selling Monster Hunter series, as well as urban fantasy hard-boiled adventure saga the Grimnoir Chronicles and epic fantasy series The Saga of the Forgotten Warrior.

©2019 Larry Correia (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

The Saga Continues

House of Assassins is the second book in the best-selling Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by award-winning author Larry Correia and it is brought to life in audio format by the amazing Tim Gerard Reynolds. Three years ago I discovered both this writer and this narrator when I listened to Son of the Black Sword, the first book in this series, and since then I spent many excellent hours with their works. It was great to be back in this beautiful world again for the last 16 hours.

In order to put things in perspective we need a little insight into the first book, which I strongly suggest that you read as it is absolutely amazing and doing so will help you understand much better House of Assassins. Don't worry, there are no spoilers.

The story of Son of the Black Sword revolves around Ashok Vadal, the most renowned warrior in the Protector’s Order and he defends The Law! The Protectors are called in to defuse conflicts between the Great Houses, they fight Sea Demons and, from time to time, they hunt down and execute traitors and religious fanatics. The Law is the most important thing to Ashok! He will never do something that goes against the letter of the law! Everything is black or white, there is no middle ground, no excuses, no exceptions. If someone breaks the law, Ashok will be there to deliver the appropriate punishment, and yet, all he knows to be true is a lie… it’s against the law.

House of Assassins picks up right where the previous book left off and we see a changed Ashok Vadal, stripped of his rank, of his powers, but fighting to help his very few friends as The Protectors and other enemies hunt him down.

This is a World filled with swords, warriors, casts, slaves, politics, magic, wizards and shape-shifters. Its history is as impressive as that found in The Wheel of Time series of A Song of Ice and Fire, aka Game of Thrones. The book is fast-paced, the action switches between Ashok and some other important characters and the story is nothing short of amazing. Although Ashok is a coldblooded murderer, I really cared about him and I absolutely loved the entire idea… Don’t want to spoil anything for the potential readers and I hope that newcomers will take the time to experience the first book before jumping into this one. For me, House of Assassins was thrilling, unputdownable, immersive and very, very entertaining.

As I said above, the audiobook version of House of Assassins is narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. He delivers a great performance bringing all the characters to life with his refined British accent and a huge array of different voices and tones. I spent hundreds of hours in the last three years listening to Mr. Reynolds reading and acting great fantasy books and I think he is the best narrator for works in this beloved genre.

I said it before and I'll say it again, Larry Correia is an amazing author and always manages to deliver great entertainment for his fans.  If you like A Song of Ice and Fire, Ryiria Revelations and The Wheel of Time, you’ll LOVE The Son of the Black Sword and House of Assassins,the first and second  books in the Forgotten Warrior Saga. 

If you found this review helpful please vote below and find more of them here and on theAudiobookBlog

Fun but getting a bit boring

The book is fun. Lots of vengeance and great combat. Characters are a bit meh. Ashok is maybe softening which is cool, but goddamn the bad guys in this book are just total psychos. The author spends a ton of time just building their evilness; as they commit atrocity after atrocity. I'm a bit bored of it, not sure if it's even in service to the plot any more. All in all though it still gets good marks.

Conan meets Musashi meets Geralt

Man, this book was so good. If the first book was setting the table for the reader, this second one was Larry bringing out a feast. The lore is deep, the magic is unusual, the monsters are weird and scary, and of course the action is incredible. It’s not often you get to read a modern fantasy like this with a basis in Indian mythology, and I had a lot of fun researching the Hindu terms to better speculate what’s REALLY going on.

So if you want a cool book set it in a completely novel setting, pick this one up IMMEDIATELY after you read Som of the Black Sword.

glad to see the series back

as a fan of Larry glad to see this series back it's a good hold over until the next monster Hunter book

Not bad but not good

Book one had some good parts and I thought it was going to blossom; however book two simply dragged on and on. A couple of times I was like here it comes but it never happened. When it ended, I was happy it was over and doubt I would listen to book three assuming one is coming.

50% Sci-Fi, 50% Fantasy; 100% FANTASTIC

This book delivers in a big way. Continuing on from the first book, it expands upon the universe and further engrosses the reader with its enthralling storyline and characters!

Excellent second installment!

Loved it! Book 2 takes place over a shorter time frame than Book 1. It expands our view of the wider world and deepens our knowledge of existing characters.

Same narrator, and he's excellent. (He does mispronouce one character name very early in the story, but it only happens once. Thank goodness--I hate when pronunciations of names change between books or narrators (Ahem. The Way of Kings series).

Thank you for a great book, Larry Correia.

Awesome!

A great follow up to its predecessor. Correa really outdid himself on this. I loved “SotBS”, this is the “Empire Strikes Back” of the Forgotten Warrior Saga.

Excitedly waiting again

I was waiting for this book for nearly 3 years and it was well worth the wait. Now the wait begins for the third book.

Incredible

Larry made this series just for me. his character Ashok was great. I am hoping that the next book comes out as soon as possible.

Even better than the 1st book

Wow what a story and the narration complements so well it all. I can't wait for book 3

Highly enjoyable.

I've really enjoyed this series so far. Good well-rounded, three-dimensional characters and a really excellent story. I in particular like the main character, who was hero to a nation and now the villain of that same nation - with the only exception the lowest classless of their society. Book if full of old gods, good versus evil, hero's and villain's, magic, battles and of course a house full of assassins. Narration is top draw with all characters distinctly voiced and well-paced throughout. If I was to pick any faults it is a little cliché in some areas and I'd like to see the magic system gone into more, but that might be coming in the next book. Clearly at least a third book, and I find myself hoping there will be more than that.

Pacing issues

Author does the classic thing of trying to be too clever in Book 2 with frequent character switches like those that ruined Anthony Ryan’s Raven Shadow trilogy. Pacing in book 1 is mostly OK, best at the start, but 70% into book 2 and only mildly interested in the slowly unfolding story. Also the constant reminders of what happened in Book 1 are annoying. Perhaps a tactical move to draw the plot out for book 3.

Also I find the premise that the ruling class think it's a good idea to wipe out the subservient "non-people" who do the majority of the hard labour unrealistic ("Hey guys lets wipe out our GDP and throw the world into complete chaos and somehow make other casts who're already busy with their own work and don't want to do the 'lower' work pick up the slack", all to quell a tiny rebellion). Will update if it improves.

Great follow on from the first book

I like this author's style of storytelling and the reader lives up to the high standard which makes for a great audible book. Will definitely be getting the next book in the series.

Another decent chapter

Another decent chapter in this trilogy, I quite enjoyed it though some parts were slow but hang on and it’s worth it.

Again the narration is spot on without fault

Highly recommend if you enjoyed the first audiobook of the trilogy

A miserable tale

The story is a disappointment. Mostly a tale of misery without substance. The whole idea of the characters and their commitments is senseless and utter rubbish.

Great sequel

Another great Correia book. Great story and setting the scene for the next one. Loved it.