Reign of Madness

King's Dark Tidings, Book 2

By: Kel Kade

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

The mysterious, indomitable warrior? Ruthless criminal overlord? The Riel'gesh - mythical demigod? Dedicated friend and protector?

Equipped with skills far beyond those of the outworlders, Rezkin has been suddenly thrust into a foreign world. The young warrior clings to his only known purpose as he continues his search for any information about his identity and the reason for his existence.

While the hardened warrior scorns both dueling and tournaments, he believes some of the answers he seeks may be found at the King's Tournament, the greatest dueling championship in all of the kingdoms. As he searches for the elusive Striker Farson, who may be the only person alive who holds the clues, the young warrior and his friends embark on a journey fraught with danger, mystery, and intrigue.

Amid fears of the kingdom's economic collapse, rumors of an eminent military draft, and the machinations of a mad, tyrannical king, a new revelation threatens to upend all the warrior's plans.

This book is intended for adult listeners. It contains graphic violence, creative language, and sexual innuendo. This book does not contain explicit sexual content.

©2016 Kel Kade (P)2016 Podium Publishing

Oh, very WELL DONE!

If you could sum up Reign of Madness in three words, what would they be?

Only need two: VERY SATISFIED

Who was your favorite character and why?

I stated in my review of the first book in this series that the main was my favorite because the other characters didn't have much to them. I am very happy to see that the author has had his cast of character grow! I thoroughly enjoyed the maturing of these characters, all of them.

What does Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration of this book was done very professionally. Nick Podehl brings much to this medium. Each medium has its pluses and minuses and I don't like to say one is better than another.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yup and did! I don't regret that in the slightest.

Any additional comments?

It is painful to leave the immersion of this story and I will be checking a lot for the next in the series! BRAVA Kel Kade! Keep going!

Must read for epic fantasy fans

With a healthy mix of character development, amazing battles, humor, and some mystery, it is definitely a must read. While it is a little "i know what will happen next," it still draws you into the story. I liken it to the Kingkiller Chronicles, but with less mystery and cliffhangers, and, so far vs the KKC, more battles and a faster paced story.

While I do prefer the mysteries of KKC, Kings Dark Tidings is more than worth a read. (plus, books are actually released so you don't have to wait SIX PLUS YEARS between installments... I'm not bitter.)

As always, Nick Podehl is a five star narrator, and his voicing of characters makes the story that much more interesting.

Dexter in the dark ages... with magic.

The character growth in this story never ceases to impress me. Rezkins' childlike, and psychologically stunted, mindset keeps the horrid situations strangely lighthearted while the actions of his personas show sociopathic logic. it's devilishly entertaining.

Nooooooo

it's one of those books that you hate when it's over!! I enjoyed it better than the 1st.

Main Character is OP

not a bad story overall, but some of the characters do fail the common sense test, the over explanation grinds on a bit (it is more boring academic baby steps then adding insight and wonder/potential in exposition), and Op main character is OP. It is very lacking because of that 0 tension the MC has when faced with anything.

Not bad overall, but there are just too many parts where I just cringe or roll my eyes and just get annoyed. Had potential.

Written and Performed Flawlessly

If you could sum up Reign of Madness in three words, what would they be?

Very well written

What did you like best about this story?

The entire book is excellent. There was always something exciting happening and you didn't have to wait long for things to get interesting. Just when you thought things couldn't get more exciting it does. The tournament was very well written and was very satisfying. Thankfully the ending didn't leave you a huge cliff hanger but still leaves you excited for the next book.

Which character – as performed by Nick Podehl – was your favorite?

Rezkin by far.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nearly did so. Yes

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for book three. I will probably read book one and two a few more times which says a lot from me as I hardly ever re-read books.

Still Fun

Any additional comments?

Does it make sense if I say that this is a better book, but a less entertaining book?

I don't really get the point of reviewing books in a series past the first one. That is unless the series becomes terrible. So here is all you need to know: If you like the first book, you'll like this one. If you didn't like the first book, this one doesn't improve enough to make it worth it. If you are on the fence, read on.

The biggest difference is that the supporting characters of the first book, such as Frisha and Tam are basically minor characters this time around. This is probably a good thing because Frisha kind of becomes a jealous cardboard cutout. However the new supporting characters are quite enjoyable. There is a bit more depth to Rezkin and the story this time around. In fact, the overarching plot seems to have had rockets strapped to it! It moves along non-stop (in a 98% logical way).

If you were on the fence after the first book because you wanted more depth or disliked the characters of the first, grab this one. If you were on the fence because Rezkin is perfect and faces no true challenge, then pass on this sequel.

Was I entertained? Yes. Is this still a great, light-hearted book to enjoy after a long day? Oh yes. Do I still recommend it? Definitely. The third book will be a day one purchase for me.

Please don't make me wait for the 3rd book

this was amazing!!!! i greatly enjoyed every part of this book. a bigger than life character i found fascinating!

another hit

better than the first book. just after two book where rezkin searched for farson, he finally finds himself, they talk for about only 5 minutes?!? what's up with that!

Wow

I read a review for the first book claiming the nature of the main character did not allow for suspense. I disagree.

Magnificatly awesome

I've never commented before on a book, but this one capture my imagination and conjured up such great images in my mind I had to leave something behind.
I listen via audible books, the narration was perfect, the characters in the books were well form and link together perfectly. I just didn't wanna stop listen.
At points of the book I had shiver of excitement. I will now read the books aswel, can't wait for book 3 and hope there will be more after that.

My first ever review - this needed it!

I have been an avid audible listener for some years now, with my focus on heroic fantasy (LoTR started it). I have listened to all of Sandersons, Rothfuss, George RR Martin, Anthony Ryan, Joe Abercrombie etc and this one came out of nowhere like The Name of The Wind or The Blade Itself. If you like this genre, give this a listen. A different writing approach to the others but thoroughly enjoyed it. I was gripped from the start and used every moment I could to listen to that extra little bit. The narration of this story is one of the best yet, the characters are clear and concise and you know exactly who is talking. I wish someone had put me onto this series before, I'm going straight onto Book 3!

One of the greats.

This book and the previous one are in my top 10. The story starts slowly and keeps building to a brilliant ending that left me begging for more. I cannot wait for the next instalment. The characters and story are extremely well written and Nick Podehl is a master reader, each character is recognizable throughout and he reads with such passion, I enjoyed his performance thoroughly. This book is one I am glad to have chosen and the author should be proud, five stars from me!

Fantasy at its best

A very enjoyable series. Well written and maintains a great pace throughout. Looking forward to Book 3. Narration was also good.

absolutely brilliant

the first book in the series was great fun. the second builds on the first and is even better. a brilliant listen. struggled to stop listening. can't wait for book 3.

Just as good as the first

Beautifully crafted book that is gripping from start to finish can not wait for more.

love love love this

from start to finish this story had me, its the perfect continuation for the series. as I said LOVE LOVE LOVE IT

A satisfying slasher of adventure

Books like this: Six of Crows, Night Angle, The Dagger and the Coin

TLDR: An improvement on Book 1 in all the right ways. Our naive killing machine is about to get his hands dirty yet again, and once more, satisfying is the only word to describe it.

I’ll assume you’ve read Book 1, because what monster would start a perfectly good fantasy series at Book 2, right? I’ll avoid spoilers as best I can but there are some aspects of Book 1 that I’ll no doubt give away. So, what to say about Reign of Madness. Well, if you liked Free the Darkness, you’re going to love this one. As I said in my review for Free the Darkness, I’m fairly sure that originally these two books were supposed to be a single long novel, and that the publishers drove a hatchet down the middle to spare the reader such a substantial read on a series’ first volume. That said, Book 2 would have been the half that had the climatic finally that Free the Darkness was painfully lacking, but its improvements go far beyond just that.
The thing that has kept me gripped to Rezkin’s story thus far was the brilliant, diabolical logic with which he either physically or mentally dissects his adversaries, and in Reign of Madness that delightful characteristic is turned up to 11. This time Rez is able to come out of the shadows somewhat more than before and flaunt his abilities to beat down a selection of opponents in a very public stage as well as finally confiding in a few people about some of the labyrinthine aspects of his polygon of personalities, and damn me if it wasn’t a joy to listen to. More than this, both his character and those of his friends are fleshed out a lot more, made far more human than the somewhat empty trope-tastic vessels that seemed to float around our leading lad in Book 1. They start to become far less of the vapid hangers-on that haunted Rezkin’s story and begin to gestate into their own beings, something that was desperately needed. This is epitomised in the arc of one specific character who I went from hating to loving. It really shows a writer’s skill if they can flip the opinion switch like that on a character in a organic manner.
Again, this book is just laden with satisfaction. Every time someone even comes close to turning the tables of Rezkin, he’s already ten steps ahead of them hiding in a shadow with both swords ready to artfully dissect his adversaries. The plot of this book thickens significantly, but I will admit to there still being some of those simple things that Rezkin is ‘supposed’ to not know about that still annoy me. Yes, they highlight the fact that he was raised in seclusion and all, but come on, you’ve written a character who is effectively a god amongst men who has been trained to mimic any person from any strata of society, and yet there are still basic things that he doesn’t know which could all be learnt from an afternoon of asking surreptitious and innocuous question to his friends. That aside, the book was an action-packed ride that beautifully builds upon the world of Free the Darkness and adds to it in bundles. I couldn’t stop listening to it even when I tried, which in my opinion is a sign of masterful prose.
As for the narrator, Nick Pedehl’s performance is what really knocks this series out of the park. The plethora of additional characters we are introduced to in this book continue to have their own individual voices which simply brings the words to life. He is quickly racing up my list of favourite narrators, and frankly, I might just listen to a couple other books that he’s done just for the pleasure of hearing him read.

Personal rating: 4.5 stars
Professional rating: 4.25 stars

Excellent

Excellent, couldn't stop listening. Going straight into the third book.......Dark Tidings by Kal Kade awesome

Brilliant

Loved it! Nick Podehl has an amazing vocal range that is suited to so many strong characters.