Return of the High Fae

By: Tom Keller

Narrated by: Andrew Troth

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ex-cop turned private investigator Robert Hoskins always enjoyed the stories his grandmother had told him as a child, stories of the Dryad that lived in the tree, the Faeries in the garden, and the magical world that was created in his imagination. He always enjoyed them; he just never thought that they were true. Robert's childhood world of magic becomes real when a chance encounter with a local casino mob boss introduces him to the world he was born into, the world that was hidden from him, the world of the Fae. But he's not easily convinced.

From disbelief to acceptance, Robert encounters a variety of mythical beings. From Faeries and Norse legends to the Oracle at Delphi, from Mermaids to Werewolves to everything in between, Robert's world has definitely changed. While his path through that world appears chosen he soon learns that the beings that reside in the world of his grandmother's stories aren't that much different than those of the mortal world. Good and evil still battle one another and it's time to take sides.

What should Robert do when the world around him stops making sense? When he has to find out from a Dwarf that his dog is descended from Fae hunting dogs. When he knows that corporations and even the mob don't run Vegas, it's the Fae. When the prettiest girls he meets are over 3,000 years old and some of them drink blood. And that stripper, is she really a Faery? Let's not even go there. What should Robert do when he learns that strength in his new world is measured in magic, and he doesn't have a clue how to wield it?

Do Demons, Gods, Elves, and Faeries really exist? Are Vampires truly the children of Lilith? Robert didn't believe it at first either....

©2012 Tom Keller (P)2013 Tom Keller

I Must Be Butter 'Cause I'm On a Roll!

Another winner! I actually found this book on "Amazon" while browsing the kindle selection and was glad to see it was available on audible. For Tom Keller's first effort it's hard to believe how solid and well written this novel is. This book is slightly unique compared to other magic oriented UF novels because in this story the protagonist, "Robert" has lived his whole life without ever knowing or using his magical capabilities. "Robert" learns that he is actually a very powerful "high Fae" (basically a God) and with the help of his Aunt and some new found friends he slowly learns how to use his magic and he discovers (to the extreme shock of everyone around him) just how powerful he is. What I like most about this book is that it's character driven, all the "players" in this story were interesting with very likeable personalities(even the pet dog). The narration by Andrew Roth was very good making the audio experience that much more enjoyable. I was impressed enough with this first book in the series to take a chance with book 2 when it's released. Good job Tom Keller!


If any of you guys are fans of the Iron Druid Chronicles or the Dresden Files you might want to check this book out- they're kind of along the same lines.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Entertaining!

Would you listen to Return of the High Fae again? Why?

Absolutely! Nothing is better than listening to a great book while driving to work or school. The Narrator, Andrew Troth, did a fantastic job. The story was enthralling and had a good mix of humor and action, and I want to see what happens next!You always miss a few things the first time through a book, so I will have to give this one another listen.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the parts when they go over the history of the war between the Lillen (sp? That is the problem with audio books!) and the Fae. But I have to say that the part that gave me the most pleasure was listening to Robert learn how to talk to his dog!

Any additional comments?

I loved how Tom Keller mixed in all of the fantasy elements and creatures into a different, almost True Blood worthy, version of how humanity and fantastical creatures coexist along side each other. I can't think of a mythical beast, or species, that wasn't worked into the story, in one form or another. This is the type of Urban Fantasy I like to read!

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Different

If you are looking for a different paranormal mystery then you might want to listen to this one. There were several times I wanted to put this book down but I continued to listen to the end. I usually listen to books with female main characters but after listening to the Druid chronicles I have been expanding my interests. To be fair, I will say that the world the Tom Keller created was very interesting and realistic. The characters were likable and the plot was interesting. However, I didn't get sucked into the world or really care about the characters. It was missing something. I'm not sure if I will read anymore in this series, but I can't say that it wasn't really good. Another thing is that the narrator seemed to read to fast. That might have been the problem for me. I'm not sure.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Was ok

Any additional comments?

Story was ok but it was the same cliched plot and characters as other stories in this genre. Entertaining though.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An Interesting World, A Lacking Character

As the title suggests the world the Author has built is interesting. I enjoy the lore and background he's built, and the story is a decent one, but sadly the main character is just annoying.

First of all, the main character, a private eye, knows nothing about the world of the fae, but when he does get introduced to the world he finds out he's a God of sorts. He soon gets to be younger, more good looking, stronger, oh and not to mention hot fae women throw themselves at him.

Of course he sleeps with any of them willing to, all the while claiming to have feelings for a vampire girl. So he's a badass, morally a good guy, freeing an oppressed people and has gorgeous women fawning over him. There's nothing about this character that's all that interesting. It wouldn't be so bad if there was something that you could relate to, if he wasn't so morally good or if he wasn't so perfect. Sadly, you're left with a Gary Sue that you kinda just don't care about.

Even if you look past that, the performance is mailed in and boring. There's no life to it. Just spoken words and a half hearted attempt at giving life to the characters. It's as if the voice actor approached this as a chore, as if he held no real interest in the book either.

In the end I would say this book is worth getting if it's on sale, but sadly I'd say it's forgettable at best and I paid too much for it. Three stars for a unique world and background, made the story somewhat bearable.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Keep Goin Tom

I cannot believe if this is his first published book. Where's the second one I say! This was written better than an award-winning author I had listened to. The reader wasn't bad. To me he tried to sound like an old private eye from the 50s/60s. Almost like "hey doll, what's the likes a you doin in a place like this". I want the next book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

great storyline

good story. good marration. was surprised can't wait to read more. la la la la

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I am looking for more

I was so surprised with this book. It was enjoyable to see a different view of Fae, werewolves and the like. This has the added element of being a detective story. Our hero is a divorced, middle aged man with grown kids. He discovers that he is a child of a dryad mother. His mom broke with tradition and chose to have a male child. It was fun watching how he learns to deal with his magic and the new world he is thrust into. I hope that there will be more to come.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fun, Quick and Easy Listen!

This story was a quick and enjoyable easy listen, but don't expect too much. It might be for fans of series like the Dresden Files, but nowhere near the same quality. The writer says way too many times throughout the book "like something out of a bad story" or "like something out of a bad movie", which just makes me think well maybe this is a bad story.

The narrator is just ok, I've definitely heard worse, but he just sounds a little flat and lacks inflection in many sentences that require it.

I don't know if I will listen to the next book, which I don't think is available in audio yet anyway.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

great book

What made the experience of listening to Return of the High Fae the most enjoyable?

being able to read and drive and listen to the book as I work.

Who was your favorite character and why?

malcome Smitt, the computer guy.

What about Andrew Troth’s performance did you like?

He was a little fast at times but did a good job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the entire book was good. Good combination of real vegas ans Sci-Fi

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Return of the High Fae

If I had read this in a book form first then it would have been put on my permenent bookshelf to reread at a later date, as it is on audible then I shall listen again to it later in the year. If you like fantasy which includes the unexpected including a guardian gnome, bad mages and werewolves, with a few other immortals introducing themselves to the unlikely hero who is learning on the job and finding out his heritage. There is humour and I listended to a big chunk of this narrative whilst cooking and I became quite engrossed in the story line. I have given it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because I personally thought the narrator rather rushed the story but after a while the story line came to the forefront I hope there is a follow up soon.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful