Lion of Senet

Second Sons, Book 1

By: Jennifer Fallon

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

On the world Ranadon there is no night as both suns shine brightly. The intervention of Belagren, High Priestess of the Shadowdancers, and the sacrifice of a child of royal blood, has banished the Age of Shadows from the skies. Belagren's position is unquestioned...until circumstances begin to tip political rivalries into a deadlier game altogether.

A volcanic eruption rocks the seas separating the Kingdom of Dhevyn and the mainland Kingdom of Senet, and a mysterious sailor is shipwrecked on the island of Elcast. Badly wounded, his arrival stirs up old hatreds and unravels old secrets. His presence is enough to even bring Antonov, the powerful Lion of Senet, to the island and fear to the Keep of the Duke of Elcast.

A strong friendship develops between Dirk, second son of the Duke, and Kirshov Latanya, second son of the Lion of Senet. But will they, and their friendship, survive the chain of events set in motion by the ambitions of the ruthless High Priestess of the Shadowdancers and the domineering Lion of Senet?

This first book of the Second Sons Trilogy establishes Jennifer Fallon as one of the most unique voices in fantasy fiction, as she creates full characters, and takes intelligent plotting to a whole new level in order to establish unparalleled complexity and tension.

©2002 Jennifer Fallon (P)2014 Audible Studios

Critic reviews

"A complex, epic adventure that leaves the reader entirely immersed in another world. There are many threads woven through the story, including a huge cast, but Fallon keeps them from tangling with deft plotting, strong world-building and stand-out lead characters." (Book Reviews)

So excited! One of my favorite fantasy writers

Would you consider the audio edition of Lion of Senet to be better than the print version?

Read the books and they were great and I am also loving listening!

What did you like best about this story?

This series is extremely intricate and the twists and turns all come together perfectly at the end.

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

Only stopped listening to sleep.

Any additional comments?

Excellent writer, excellent story!

Inconsistent character personalities

I found myself breezing through the first half of the book, throughout the second part I started losing interest in the characters since they started acting less and less like humans and more and more like tools the author used to progress the plot, doing things that aren't really what I'd expect them to do based on my 10-15 hours of acquaintance with them and all of their previous actions. The ending wasn't as bad as the climax of the book, which I think I generally disliked.

I find that there were a bit too many coincidences and out of character actions for me to make the story believable.
The writing and narration themselves are good, which is important to note.

All of that said, I'd lie of I'd say I'm not invested in the plot, and chances are I'll pick up the sequel and listen to it as well. Though I don't entirely feel like it.

Really enjoyed it

This book started out a little slow, it took me a while to get into it. But then, somewhere towards the middle, it picked up pace and I could hardly "put it down". There's no magic or dragons in this book, mostly characters and politics. But as someone who doesn't enjoy politics-driven plots, this book has a rather different approach to it. While the storyline is being driven by politics and events, you're taken onto this ride with the characters rather than with the plot. You feel their pain and frustrations, their friendships and their losses. Overall, the book is well written and compelling. Most of the characters feel round and believable.
As for the narration: Joe Jameson did an outstanding job with this. He is an amazing actor, and he has such a skill for storytelling, he really makes the story come to life. He's one of the best narrators I've listened to.
On to the second book in the series. ;)

An all time favourite

This series is so extremely underrated and more people should know about it.
I have read and reread this book and entire series. Now I've also listened to it and it was a whole new experience.
I absolutely love the writing style. I was gripped from the start and could not wait to find out what happens.

Amazing character development and a plot full of twists and revelations.

Simply amazing!!

What an incredible series of coincidences.

I don't understand all the good reviews. The performance is great, but even Joe Jameson can't make something out of nothing. First of all, the plot of this book is thin to the point of non-existent. No spoilers, but lets just say the action is...n't. In addition, what little there is revolves around a series of incredible coincidences, childish political plots, and is heavily dependent on the fact that, despite all the political intrigue, apparently no one in this universe can conceive of being overheard or seen from a distance. It's bizarre. Plot holes abound. Deus Ex Machina rears its head once or twice.

The characters themselves aren't flat, which is what kept me reading. That said, I kept hoping for some sort of growth, some sort of arc...but there really isn't any. They're different in the end, but not because of any internal process, but a series of (see above) incidents that seem to shoehorn them into being certain ways.

The prose is of a fine quality, and its read by a very good performer, so its not a complete waste of time. I'm not normally someone who needs a lot from a plot, and before reading this book I might never have considered it further. The reflection was forced on me, and I see now that indeed, a good craftsman can spit out a pretty poor story.

stunning performance!!

I fell in love with this series years ago so naturally when I learned that it had an audiobook I couldn't help myself. Joe Jameson does an amazing job narrating this already brilliant piece!

Too Many Plot Issues

Not really a "fantasy" novel - more like a historical, fictional tale set on a planet with 2 suns. Explanations are missing about the oddity of a place with 2 suns in which a spinning planet somehow has one or both suns in the sky 24/7.... until about 2 decades earlier when the greater sun disappears for around 15 years. Political and religious turmoil erupt and continue through to this 1st novel. I suppose I could overlook the flawed science behind the premise as the 1st half of the book is OK. The 2nd half loads nearly EVERY character with such dislikeable traits that you'll think everyone has a split personality. I'm about 30 minutes from the end as of this writing and have gotten to the point that I no longer care enough to have any interest in the rest of their series.