Path of a Novice

Silvan Series, Book 1

By: R.K. Lander

Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

A fearless warrior. An implacable traitor. The path toward a destiny only a god foresaw.

Fel'annár is a gifted immortal warrior embarking on his first patrol into the Deep Forest. Half-Silvan, half-Alpine, he battles the enemy from without, and the prejudice from within. But he learns more than just warfare when an arcane power begins to emerge, one he cannot control.

While friendships are forged, a destiny unfolds, one that is tied to a past he knows nothing about. For others, though, it is only a matter of time before the truth is revealed, and the danger becomes real.

If you love high fantasy worlds with compelling characters on a dangerous mission, you can't miss Path of a Novice, book one in the epic fantasy series The Silvan Saga.

©2017 Ruth Kent (P)2019 Tantor

ONE OF THE BEST!!!

I have almost 900 books in my library, and that doesn't count on all the 100s of books I've listened to on the romance/escape package. I have taken the time to write maybe 3 reviews, not because I don't care but when 1000 other people are saying the samething, I don't really see the point. I just happened to go back a check if the the final book had been added and noticed that there are still very few reviews. What is wrong with you people, buy the book, it's worth a hand full of credits. I'm not going into the stories details, but the author is truly gifted and you will not be disappointed. I am not one of those people who goes back to re-read/ re-listen to a lot of books (probably why I have so many in my library) but for the books in this series I will definitely make an exception. Hope my review helps with your book choice. Happy listening :)

An epic story!

I read Path of a Novice several months ago, and was immediately drawn into the story, the characters, and the world they live in. Once the audiobook was released, I had to listen to it - it brings the book to life even more.

I love that Path of a Novice is written with a style that is more reminiscent of Tolkien than many of the more modern fantasy stories. There is a level of detail that paints each scene on a canvas, while the story itself grabs hold of you and refuses to let go. I don't mind that the point of view changes, because it helps the reader become more invested in characters that are important to the continuing story, but who might otherwise be overlooked or sidelined. Having that glimpse into the larger political and social background adds gravity to what might otherwise come across as a simple coming-of-age story.

Overall, the narration was well done. The only time I felt distracted from the story was when Daniel May voiced female characters (of which there aren't many) - they didn't sound as natural as the male voices. For that, I deducted one performance star.

Path of a Novice is a compelling start to the series, and I look forward to reading and listening to the rest of the story!

Excellent Audiobook, Wonderful Story

This is an excellent audiobook that brings book 1 of this wonderful, epic fantasy story to life. Kudos to the narrator for daring to give a different voice for every character that speaks, his range is impressive. Don't believe any negative reviews of this audiobook. Be patient as the author gradually builds up the story to its apex in the later chapters. Chapter 15 is my favourite to listen to, it's so dramatic & heart-wrenching and can bring tears to one's eyes. A worthy purchase.

Way too much "TELL" and Way too little "SHOW"

Let me start by saying, I’ve returned it to get my credit back. It had the makings of being a decent read but has way too many major distracting flaws. The biggest flaw of this book is that the author tells the reader what to think about the major character through the POV of the side characters and that is unacceptable. There is zero character development that the reader gets to see, you have to learn it from what the side characters have concluded which is really lazy of the author. The pacing of this story is way too fast, there are time jumps all over the place, another lazy way imho for the author to move the story along and avoid developing the main character.

This book also suffers from having a way too perfect main character and it actually makes me dislike him. The author focuses too much on the beauty of the main character, I don’t understand why that was so important. I saw other reviews mention that this was done for women readers, this is very insulting. And btw, I’m a woman and I don’t find this focus the least bit appealing. The writers prose is “too much on the nose” in an annoying ingratiating way. It was very predictable and feels like wish fulfillment on the part of the author. I really regret having taken the time to listen to it. This is my first and last book by this author.

Just bland..

I have restarted this three times because there is not much story compelling the reader. It’s like a few conversations to hint at pushing a plot forward then a time jump; new characters, another vague conversation and a time jump and a character jump. No real reason to follow the protagonist other than he’s evidently beautiful (repeatedly beat into the dialogue), fights well (because he spent his time dancing, or training in the woods alone) and the mystery of why he looks like the other guys, but that gets revealed pretty early on. Hard to want to keep reading about a vapid but apparently good looking blonde bastard with green eyes who had no real conflicts other than being a orphan and a bastard. Neat.

Fantastic

The last half of the book is indeed epic and SO glad I spent the credit and a book with a fraction of reviews. Solid and really can’t wait for more 👍🏼👍🏼

Fantastic!

Oh, this was so good! Great story and great performance. I can’t wait to see what else this writer will do.

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL SERIES

Fantastic story and well performed by Daniel Thomas May, one of the best narrators! Excellent plot with interesting characters. Lots of action and kept me awake the whole night to finish it. I'm purchasing the next two books - thank goodness the rest of the books are already published. Bravo to R K Lander, a brilliant writer. Most enjoyable.

A Wonderful Story told by A Talented Narrator!

I had read the book several times in anticipation of the next addition to the story. wait for young Fel'annár's tale to unfold. R. K. Lander has created a world full of wonder and strife. I was honestly sad everytime the book would be near its end.
No matter how many times I read the story I would get lost in the tale. As if each time was my first. I would get lost in the life like characters and their entertaining wit. In the different cultures of Silvan and Alpine.
All the Narrator did was bring the story to life!
Through him I watched Fel's story unfold in my mind. I could see the Great Forrest and Silvan villages. I could see Alpine cities and warriors at work. I could see Sand Lords and Deviants attacking and seeking Immortality.
All I can simply say is I can't wait for the next installment of Fel'annár's life to unfold!

Could not get into it...

Way too little action for me. And way too much jumping around.
Give it a listen, I'd recommend this for female listeners but not so much for male.

easy listening

if your a DandD or fantasy fan,you already know the formula.
predicable so far definitely no challenges or surprises but im really enjoying it.
elf coming of age meaning a young adult for and elf being 50 yrs old.
narration has a lot to do with how much im enjoying this book and the characters.
off to download book 2.

Kick-arse hero drives great coming-of-age story

Enjoyed binge listening to Felannar's adventures immensely. Some wonderfully gratifying action scenes in which our hero more than proves his worth, but was also moved to tears on occasion by the emotional story arc and immensity of his destiny. Solid characters, fully-realised world building, promise of more to come in the next episodes, this is the start of something great!

An excellent start

I've so far listened to the first three audio books (two of which were free with an audible subscription).

The Path of a Novice is excellently written and does a fantastic job of setting the scene for the tail. The language is nuanced and considered and the characters develop at a steady pace. The tale isn't rushed but nor is it too slow, it strikes the right balance to keep the reader engaged throughout and the author does a good job of drawing the desired emotions for the characters.

There are moments of difficulty. The protagonists progress feels earned. There is, of course, a sense of plot armour around certain characters but that's true of almost any fantasy book.

If you enjoy the fantasy genre, I'd highly recommend giving this a listen (or read).

Holding people hostage

So you make this available but not book 2 but book 3 is also available. Pathetic tactics that can surely only work on idiots.

Had the best night's sleep listening to this book

Needless to say, I had to relisten to it while awake. But it was really soothing to listen to while sleeping. While awake, I still found the narration and story very relaxing. It's good for times when you don't want to be on edge all the time, and just chill. It's something easy to listen to that lets you concentrate on other things you are doing, but still keeps you company.

What prompted me to pick this book out of Audible Plus selection, was the awesome cover and the fact that the story is about elves, who are usually just side characters in the books I have read, and I have been wanting to read stories where they are the focus.

That said, I am not quite sure how I feel about the story itself, though. I guess it was overall alright. Narration was nice, just some of the character voices sounded a bit weird.
I liked the book, and yet I think it could be better and more compelling. It was a good time and a nice change of pace. It's a story that rushes nowhere, and at every corner we are reminded how the hero is so talented, so exceptional, gifted with rare abilities, a born leader and his destiny is so great. No intrigue yet. There are some hardships and dangers, but we know they will just end up showcasing how exceptional he is. He is not unlikeable, yet not a character I would care about, because his character traits seem too fluid. But there is also enjoyment in following a character like that (very much like your rpg game character) and his pretty certain path. And I cared about the world as a whole because it was interesting.

The fact that the story is told from many different POVs and  characters know things that the hero and other characters do not, definitely adds to the story and is one of my favorite aspects of it. Nice to get to know other characters and the world through them.

The start is, unfortunately, not that capturing. I wondered what age readers are this targeted at. Seemed really juvenile, as if it's meant for young readers? And maybe it is, not that sure. The villains seem pretty one dimensional so far, but we don't know much about them. Our hero, a teen (50yo, because elves), always knew that he wants to be a warrior and protect everybody, lives in a remote forest village until enlisting, has no parents and, therefore, is shunned by other kids, has 2 bestie sidekicks, one thick and one smart, and is a really talented and gifted in everything in every warrior related skill, and he trained himself in them. And being parentless is the biggest tragedy of his life, and the biggest conflict, until he experiences war. Oh, and he is also really beautiful, with his mother's eyes and everything else from his father's side. Which is kinda expected from an elf main character, I just wish it was delivered with more grace than characters gushing about him.
One last thing: why on earth is this book categorized as Magical Realism???
I have no plans of continuing the series in the foreseeable future. Maybe if book 2 was on Plus as well, but it's not.

Wow

Great book well read once you get over who’s who it’s a very enjoyable read love the characters give it a try it’s worth it 😀

Great series!

If you want to sink your teeth into a fantasy series this is the one for you. Really enjoyed everything about these books. The story kept getting better and better

Really enjoyable!

I got this book for free under the plus category as I needed something to listen to while I waited for my credit date.

I thought I would give this a try before purchasing the book I wanted with my credit and really enjoyed it! I am now going to use my credit to buy the next book instead of the other book I wanted as I enjoyed this so much.

I will probably get the whole saga as the 3rd book is also free and no say it will draw me in!

Great world and great characters. The performance was great too easy to listen to not an annoying narrator like some books.

Great story

I really enjoyed this, the narrator is fantastic. The storyline isn't "epic", but the characters are well written and it got me interested. Definitely listening to book 2 immediately.

I liked it a lot

Not the most eventful fantasy story so far, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and the narrator did a great job bringing them to life.