Lacuna

By: N.R. Walker

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

Twenty-five years ago, the hand of fate marked four newborns and sent them to the four corners of the Great Kingdoms. They were schooled and trained as rulers of their lands in preparation for the Golden Eclipse ceremony: a festival to celebrate a thousand years of peace and prosperity since the Great War.

Crow, ruler of Northlands, a skilled swordsman and expert tactician, is as reclusive and stoic as the mountains that surround him. Tancho has spent his life in strict discipline, governing the Westlands with a fair mind and gentle hand. Quiet and unassuming, yet lethal in combat, he is the embodiment of the waters he lives by.

Yet the same hand of fate unknowingly linked Tancho to Crow in ways they cannot comprehend. Ruled by the stars, the brother sun and the two sister moons above them, and marked by an alchemical sorcery as old as time, their destinies were never their own.

As the eclipse draws near and the festival begins, word comes of another threat. Invaders from unknown lands bring a war no one was prepared for, and Crow and Tancho must decide on which side of the battle line they stand.

In life or death, their destinies will see them joined either way.

Lacuna is a 92,000-word story of swords and sorcery, action and adventure, and romance.

©2020 N.R. Walker (P)2021 N.R. Walker

Escape into an interesting world

I really appreciated the worldbuilding IN this one. Very descriptive and Nick's narration fit the story rather well. Wish the author would do more like this one. Thank you.

enjoyed it

Would I listen to it again: yes ✔
Did the story keep me engaged: yes ✔
Was I invested in the characters: yes ✔

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, nice flow, more story than sex.
I really liked the concept behind the story (kind of "Stargate-ish", being able to step through a 'doorway' to another location, and the rulers of the four kingdoms working together as equals.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable performance and he bought the characters of Lacuna to life

Really struggled to get through this

I find that N.R. Walker books are hit and miss for me. There’s several I’ve rated 5 stars, but some are mediocre... but this one was really bad. I found myself eye rolling so many times, and nothing really happens for hours and hours other than them meeting someone new and telling them everything that’s happened before. Again and again. Then it all gets a bit pantomime. Then I felt like I’d invested so much time I should get to the end. Really this was like a good first draft, then an editor needs to go through it and highlight the areas that weren’t strong enough, and give suggestions on rewrites. Instead it was published far too soon.