House of Assassins

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

23 of 25 people found this review helpful

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.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

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.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Yet another Grand offering from the ILOH.

Continues from the first book flawlessly, Mr Reynolds is excellent. 5 words remaining not enough.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Larry is always good...

I will admit knowing this author has several series on going makes me reluctant to start one but his stories are always great! This is no different.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

masterful !

Once again Larry Correia has built an incredible saga with deep characters and storylines!!! Thanks!

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

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.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

One word... EPIC

This is an excellent continuance of the first book of the series. Don't miss it!

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

Excellent!

I loved it even better than the first. Keep it up. We need more

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Incredible follow up to Son of the Black Sword!

This was a phenomenal sequel to an already excellent book. It built on an interesting universe all the while driving the story forward. Ashok is a great character, but Jagdish, Devedas, Sikasso, and Omand steal the show. I cannot wait for Destroyer of Worlds!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great sequel

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