Lord of the Isles

Lord of the Isles, Book 1

By: David Drake

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

With Lord of the Isles, David Drake returns to fantasy with a towering and complex epic of heroic adventure in an extraordinary and colorful world where the elemental forces that empower magic are rising to a thousand-year peak.

In the days following an unusually severe storm, the inhabitants of a tiny seaport town travel toward romance, danger, and astonishing magic that will transform them and their world.

©1997 David Drake (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Fantasy Popcorn at its Best

I first read this book in 2008, and perhaps have listened to it 3 times since. The characters are all wonderfully fleshed out and the culture and history of the isles the book is named for has a depth and detail I dont think I've seen in anyone but KJ Parker's novels. The only thing discerning readers might gripe about is the magic and the way it's used to solve basically every problem the characters face, invariably without them understanding precisely how they manage to get past every obstacle. but the internal monologue afforded to each character, their overall proactive approach to the events they face, and the deft narration all work towards a satisfying and entertaining story of good vs evil where the heroes triumph in the face of catastrophe and tragedy. I recommend the entire series to anyone who wants a good read. Drake's best work!

The start of an epic

Well told story told in the classic fantasy style of myth, magic, and mayhem. Michael Pages does a great reading creating distinct characters as he introduces us to the Lord of the Isles saga. David Drake lays out a solid foundation to build his world. Great ear candy if your looking for a good fantasy tale.

Epic Fantasy-Lite

Where does Lord of the Isles rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its decent. It deserves more of a 3.5 star rating than a 4 but it didn't deserve a 3 star. The strength is in its pacing which is quick and requires close attention from the listener.

Drake does not spend as much time in characterization as authors such as Robert Jordan or GRRM. However, in doing so he also avoid the traps that Robert Jordan and GRRM both fall into which is repetitive characterizations that get really boring when you're binge listening.

What other book might you compare Lord of the Isles to and why?

This can be considered a lighter version of Robert Jordan.

You REALLY have to pay attention.

I drove and listen to books. this is the first one that I could not follow along with because I would miss a word or a sentence. overall a decent story, but I could not fully understand what was happening all the time

AH-May-Zing!!

Absolutely love this book and the detailed world created here, however I very nearly went bonkers over the narrators' pronunciation of key words that were repeated over and over, for example.... Athame... ath-ah-may... not Ath-ame!!

Normally that would kill me for an audio novel, but the writing was so well done that I just made myself ignore it!

I really enjoyed it and it's was original

I really enjoyed it and it's was original. I'll listen to all the series now.

a fantastic journey

loved it, 4 young villagers learn their past as they journey into the future facing evil the never knew.

Confusing, bloody, poorly read.

This book was very confusing and annoying. It switches about every chapter between three groups of characters. The groups are similar enough (he-man and girl) that it takes a while to figure out which group he is talking about now. That doesn't get better as you go along. It just gets very annoying!
Another bad part is the bloody animal and human sacrifices. You have throats cut and blood spurting. It's really disgusting. David Drake also talks about how there is no morality, and what is past is past. Nooo we wouldn't wand to judge anyone would we?

The reading: There is a female character that Michael Page has to read. He completely fails with a tortured high male voice. It's revolting. Fail!

Adventure book

Great plot and characters.
Beginning is hard to get into at least on audible because so many new characters are introduced.
Drags on a little but once you know everyone it speeds up.

Corny, cheesy, immature....

I've been through 5 of the books. Not because I love them, but because I travel a lot and need something to listen to.

The story itself is average, mostly the same thing happens in each story, with slight variations. Now, why this book earned my review title.

The characters are a sad joke. All of the male characters have super human strength and are unbeatable. So there's never any doubt who will win. They are essentially a group of bullies, although bullies who bully normal people and other bullies alike. They're also not very bright, and the author repeats things over and over to tell you how amazing his characters are, or in one case how the wizard Tenoctris is a weak wizard...he tells you this 50 times I guess in case you forget.

The main characters Garric and Caschal are sheep hearders. He tries using this to explain their awesomeness over and over again, and it is laughable. They are both as I said earlier endowed with super human strength constantly carrying adults in the crook of their arms long distances. Caschal is an expert with a quarter staff (I guess the sheep taught him) and has no flaws, well except that he's a bully and borderline retarded. But he easily defeats every foes, including a dragon (still laughing at this) although the author attempts to explain it's because the dragon was wizard made, he still goes on to defeat many demons without much effort. This is how all of his characters are, character flaws, but super amazing from herding sheep, or working in an Inn.

Really some of the most pathetic characters I've ever read about.