First Rider's Call

Book Two of Green Rider

By: Kristen Britain

Narrated by: Ellen Archer

Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Magic, danger, and adventure abound for messenger Karigan G'ladheon in the second book in Kristen Britain's New York Times-bestselling Green Rider fantasy series

Karigan G'ladheon was once a Green Rider, one of the king of Sacoridia's elite magical messengers. In the messenger service, she was caught up in a world of deadly danger, and though she defeated the rogue Eletian who cracked the magical D'Yer Wall—which had protected Sacoridia for a thousand years from the dark influence of Blackveil Forest, and Mornhavon the Black's evil spirit imprisoned within it—she had nonetheless been tainted by his wild magic.

Exhausted in body and spirit, and determined to take control of her own destiny, Karigan returned to her home in Corsa. But even Karigan's stubborn determination is no match for the Rider's call. Ghostly hoofbeats echo in the deep regions of her mind. When she awakes to find herself on horseback, halfway to Sacor City in her nightgown, she finally gives in.

Karigan returns to the court, only to find the Green Riders weakened and diminished. Rider magic has become unreliable, and she herself has ghostly visions of Lil Ambriodhe, First Rider, and founder of the Green Rider corps.

But why is the First Rider appearing to Karigan? And will Karigan be able to seek the help of a woman who has been dead for a thousand years?

©2009 Kristen Britain (P)2012 Penguin

Bitter sweet ending.

I am quite disappointed that the 2 main characters did not change social norms in order to be together. Otherwise it was a great book.

Slow it down slightly

Essentially an excellent story. Gripped my attention with ease. My only small critique is that the narrator sounds rushed. She reads too fast, detracting slightly from the drama of the storyline. Fortunately, slowing the speed setting down to 0.9 fixed this problem completely. Her character voices and accents are excellent.

Exciting Series

Book 2 in the series and still going strong. This is a great listen. More history of the characters is revealed and there are some surprising turns. You will not be disappointed.

These book are great.

Would you listen to First Rider's Call again? Why?

I read these books and enjoyed the story and can't wait for each addition. When I heard that they were doing an audio book I was a bit Leary. Some are done horribly, but Ellen Archer did a tremendous job. I have enjoyed listening to her and can't wait for the next.

A very plesent supprise!

Its like the Paksennarion series on steriods! I started with this book as I thought the first one might drag. Now I have to decide if I listen to book 1 now or after the end of the series. This is a fast paced book with lots of action. A cross between Paksennarion and Vada. A story of a young lady who is learning her magical abilities while defending her king and country as a Green Rider. A typical war story with a young hero coming into her own.

Amazing story and narration

I would highly recommend this book. It has a beautifully laid out plot and character development. It is what I would consider a gold standard for fantasy and adventure.

It gets better...

Any additional comments?

First Rider's Call starts with a bang, then gets v-e-e-e-r-r-r-y slow. Another irritation is that the main character seems to start from zero, without the history or knowledge she gained in the first book -- she seems too clueless, so you want to whack her over the head and tell her to read her own story from the first book! :-) But the novel improves about halfway thru, and the story really takes off from there. It's worth the wait, especially if you're enjoying the series.

In terms of performance, Ellen Archer does a decent job. My only substantial complaint is that her pacing is also slow -- enough so that I shifted the playback speed to 1.25 and left it there for the entire book (without realizing it!).

Unexpected adventure

As an avid audio book "reader" I took a chance on this book and found it very enjoyable. The main character is not the regular old hero and is reluctant, at best, to do the job she was asked to do, it is a fun listen

The story is great but the narrator is aweful!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story is compelling and fresh.

What did you like best about this story?

The story and the premise is refreshingly new.

What didn’t you like about Ellen Archer’s performance?

The narrator is the worst I've ever heard. After listening to over 100 audible books, the narrator completely ruined to book. I will avoid this narrator in the future. All of her characters are spoken in a high pitched annoying voice. The whole book sounds like it was read by the characters of a Pokemon cartoon.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book but avoid this narrator in any future book.

Even Better than the First!

Any additional comments?

I didn’t think it was possible to write sequel better than the first in this series, I was wrong. This sequel is simply charming. This series is every bit as good and well written as the Lord of the Rings. Just fantastic. Masterful presentation!