Malice

De: John Gwynne

Narrado por: Damian Lynch

Winner of the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Debut, 2013

The world is broken....

Corban wants nothing more than to be a warrior under King Brenin's rule—to protect and serve. But that day will come all too soon. And the price he pays will be in blood.

Evnis has sacrificed—too much it seems. But what he wants—the power to rule—will soon be in his grasp. And nothing will stop him once he has started on his path.

Veradis is the newest member of the warband for the High Prince, Nathair. He is one of the most skilled swordsman to come out of his homeland, yet he is always under the shadow of his older brother.

Nathair has ideas—and a lot of plans. Many of them don't involve his father, the High King Aquilus. Nor does he agree with his father's idea to summon his fellow kings to council.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, but now giants are seen, the stones weep blood, and giant wyrms are stirring. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. For if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind's hopes and dreams will fall to dust....

...and it can never be made whole again.

Malice is a dark epic fantasy tale of blind greed, ambition, and betrayal.

©2012 John Gwynne (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Influenced by Gemmell's Rigante and George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones ... Hell of a debut."—Conn Iggulden

"Middle Earth-ish extravaganza with all the usual thrills, chills, spills and frills ... there's plenty of action."—Kirkus

"Three-dimensional characters, a gripping plot, and a world that became real to me ... this is the type of fantasy I love to read and I truly can't wait to read the next volume in The Faith and the Fallen!"—Fantasy Book Critic

Great story- No issues with narration

After both reading and listening to so many fantasy series, this was a breath of fresh air. World building is deliberate and not overwhelming, while still being intriguing. The small character base becomes enthralling, especially as plot lines start to cross. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am on to the next one.

A last note- I have noticed many negative reviews about the narrator. I experienced no issues. Yes there are a few accent/dialect inconsistencies here and there, but nothing was jarring or took me out of the story. From someone who has logged months worths of audible hours with mostly fantasy, to the point where Nick Podehl, Kate Reading, and Michael Kramer feel like close friends now, I really enjoyed getting the feel of Damian Lynch with Gwynne’s work. SO- if you’re scared of the narration downvotes, give it a try. And Welcome to the Banished Lands!

Engaging Characters and a Goo Tale with Potential

This is the first book by the author, John Gwynne that I've read. I'll leave it to others to critique the author's world building skills, and other techniques, etc.
I read for escape, to be drawn into a good tale with characters I care about. All of that can be found in the first book of the series. Are there things I expect going forward?
Yes. I am still not sure what 'the chosen one' is chosen to do. And would like to be told.
Why Corban (story's focal point) isn't questioning why everyone finds his survival so vital at the climax of this first book.
Yes, the author needs to tidy up bits of his story crafting but all in all you will find likable characters, detestable villains and a story that draws you along.
Starting book two tonight.

Good fantasy story

So, I really enjoyed this story. It took me a while to start understanding all of the characters that I was following, but once it started working my way through I really began enjoying this tale. I’m used to much faster paced stories so the beginning was a little tough to get through. When I started “watching” the MC grow, things started getting really interesting.

I will definitely be finishing this series. I enjoyed the different perspectives and really enjoyed seeing how both the hero and the villain were both considered the hero in their own story.

Corbin has his work cut out for him in this series. I was feeling pretty hopeful for a particular outcome, but… well, we shall see in book 2.

John Gwynne is superb...

if the rest of the story is as good as this first book I am in for a real treat. I cannot wait to keep going. Damian Lynch isn't terrible but there are many better narrators.

Outstanding!

This is how you start a series! Epic storytelling that moves along at a nice clip and continues to build and build.

Love the characters and the performance

The world and its characters felt real. Each with their own unique qualities. The performance was stellar. you could tell that the performer was a fan of the text and wanted to do it justice. job well done!

Great find

Being a fan of this genre I had considered this book several times before but always passed after seeing some of the reviews that is was just like GoT or too confusing to follow at first. I finally decided to give it a listen and I am so glad I purchased this!
True to many reviews, it did start out with a lot of characters and each chapter was from another perspective all leading towards the main story.
Early on however I was finding the main characters to be very interesting. By mid point I was fully engulfed in this amazing first book and it turned out to be one of the best finds in several years.
With well written heroes and villains, a touch of magic, great battle scenes and the narration by Damian Lynch really draws you in. IWhat a great book!

My new favorite

Beautiful character development, a stunning world weaved with words. I haven’t loved a series this much since Harry Potter when I was a kid.

An enthralling beginning

John Gwynne serves up one hell of a feast in Malice. Unforgettable characters, engaging plotting, and most of all, lyrical, epic prose. All performed effortlessly by Damian Lunch. I haven't been looking to reading more of an epic series since first discovering Martin's Ice and Fire. If you love great character driven narratives and brilliant battle scenes, you'd do well to pick this up.

a blur of names but worth your time

hard to follow at first with all the names being thrown out but it clears up as the story progresses. good plot and well read. I'm off to listen to the next book.