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Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. All the thieves' guilds of the city are under his unflinching control. If he has his way, death will soon spill out from the shadows and into the streets. Aaron is Thren's son, trained to be heir to his father's criminal empire. He's cold, ruthless - everything an assassin should be. But when Aaron risks his life to protect a priest's daughter from his own guild, he glimpses a world beyond piston, daggers, and the iron rule of his father.
The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone - just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous. In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago - when her name was Artemis.
Lusam grew up in the relative safety of the Elveen mountains with his grandmother. She taught him the basics of magic and discovered, quite by accident, that he possessed a unique skill never seen before: the ability to hide his magical aura from the mage-sight of others. Dark secrets surround Lusam's origins, and the dark agents of the Empire will stop at nothing to kill Lusam.
Twenty-eight florins a month is a huge price to pay for a man to stand between you and the Wild. Twenty-eight florins a month is nowhere near enough when a wyvern's jaws snap shut on your helmet in the hot stink of battle, and the beast starts to rip the head from your shoulders. But if standing and fighting is hard, leading a company of men - or worse, a company of mercenaries - against the smart, deadly creatures of the Wild is even harder. It takes all the advantages of birth, training, and the luck of the devil to do it.
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well. Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news.
In his junior year at college, the only things on Sean's mind are doing his homework and getting out of college to get a real job. A gamer and a bit of a nerd, Sean's philosophy in life has been to keep his head down and get his work done. But when a failed kidnapping attempt leaves him with a gaping hole in his memory, his oldest friend dead, and his mother missing, Sean suddenly finds his whole world turned upside down as he's thrust into the hidden world of magic and the supernatural.
Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. All the thieves' guilds of the city are under his unflinching control. If he has his way, death will soon spill out from the shadows and into the streets. Aaron is Thren's son, trained to be heir to his father's criminal empire. He's cold, ruthless - everything an assassin should be. But when Aaron risks his life to protect a priest's daughter from his own guild, he glimpses a world beyond piston, daggers, and the iron rule of his father.
The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone - just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous. In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago - when her name was Artemis.
Lusam grew up in the relative safety of the Elveen mountains with his grandmother. She taught him the basics of magic and discovered, quite by accident, that he possessed a unique skill never seen before: the ability to hide his magical aura from the mage-sight of others. Dark secrets surround Lusam's origins, and the dark agents of the Empire will stop at nothing to kill Lusam.
Twenty-eight florins a month is a huge price to pay for a man to stand between you and the Wild. Twenty-eight florins a month is nowhere near enough when a wyvern's jaws snap shut on your helmet in the hot stink of battle, and the beast starts to rip the head from your shoulders. But if standing and fighting is hard, leading a company of men - or worse, a company of mercenaries - against the smart, deadly creatures of the Wild is even harder. It takes all the advantages of birth, training, and the luck of the devil to do it.
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well. Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news.
In his junior year at college, the only things on Sean's mind are doing his homework and getting out of college to get a real job. A gamer and a bit of a nerd, Sean's philosophy in life has been to keep his head down and get his work done. But when a failed kidnapping attempt leaves him with a gaping hole in his memory, his oldest friend dead, and his mother missing, Sean suddenly finds his whole world turned upside down as he's thrust into the hidden world of magic and the supernatural.
For eons, conquering dungeons has been the most efficient way to become a strong adventurer. Although not everything is as straightforward as it seems. Several questions have always plagued the minds of those who enter these mythical places of power: why are there so many monsters? Where do the amazing weaponry and heavy gold coins come from? Why does the very air fill with life-giving energies? Cal has all of the answers to these age-old questions, for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Heart.
Would you be prepared to work for free? How would you like to bust your hump for a large corporation 60-plus hours a week without a wage or a single day off for the vague promise of some mysterious perks in the distant future? You'd refuse point blank, wouldn't you? But what if the job in question was playing a state-of-the-art fantasy MMORPG game? And what if this was the only thing you're really good at? Especially considering that your in-game partner is someone really special to you - and this person already lives a virtual life?
Audie Award, Fantasy, 2016. As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don't cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.
Reclusive college student Jonathan Tibbs wakes in a pool of blood, not a scratch on him. His life is about to undergo a massive shift. A violent and merciless otherworldly enemy unleashes slaughter in the streets, calling out in a language only he understands. And it is seeking its challenger. In order to defeat the threat, Jonathan must become a temporal weapon...while remaining completely anonymous. Unfortunately, harnessing off-world powers has its own special challenges...
Emma is an artificial intelligence with a love of science, insults, and devilish traps. When her systems are booted up, she finds herself in control of a long-abandoned facility in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The world is filled with dangerous threats, granted great powers by the same cataclysm that befell the world.
From the very first hour Cayden had set foot inside the massive, real-life game that was the Tower of Babel, nothing had gone according to plan. A unique skill, a handful of new friends, and the wrath of an ultra-wealthy, patricidal lunatic were just some of the complications to his best laid plans.
So why was he even surprised when a special event trapped him, his companions, and dozens of other players inside the tower, squaring them off against a murderous army of stone-faced warriors?
Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail. But when gods are involved.... Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should....
Tharis doesn’t know who he is, what he is, or what he will do. All he knows is that he must fight and kill, as that is what his IRL player tells him to do. Soon, Tharis realizes he can taste, feel, and even think on his own! With life becoming more real every second, Tharis finds that he can take control of his own destiny - literally - against the will of his creator. Yet, all decisions have consequences, and with awareness comes the fear of death. And for Tharis...there is no respawn.
A knight of Cygnar follows a strict moral code. His integrity is beyond reproach. He holds himself to the highest standards whether dealing with friend or foe. And he values honor above all. The year is 606 AR, and Cygnar has been sorely pressed by its enemies both at home and abroad. In Caspia, the conflict with the Protectorate is about to erupt into full war with the looming invasion of Sul. The Cygnaran military is desperate for soldiers with the skill, strength, and bravery to take up the devastating galvanic weaponry of the new Storm Division.
Carentan, France, 1944 - Ethan Martin, a soldier in the 101st Airborne, is fighting for his life. But soon he will learn what peril truly is when he is ripped from his world and transported to a land of magic, swords, and dragons. And though the Nazis are now far, far away, danger is closer than ever.
Death came on swift wings. A soul, blessed by a goddess, falls to the land and enters his new life. He clings to a single memory, the defining moment of his previous life. Now he learns how to succeed in his new life as a new dungeon heart. To become the best dungeon he can be, he partners with the one existence all dungeons need: his bonded dungeon pixie.
Abandoned at birth, DL has tried to cut himself off from his past as much as possible, lying if necessary to conceal what little he knows about himself. Then he starts to have strange, unsettling dreams of goals he must reach before shadowy enemies can stop him. When these dreams begin to intrude into his waking life, and he starts to develop unusual abilities, he realizes that he may be more than human. Unfortunately, others realize the truth about DL, and they want his blood - literally!
The first in an all-new fantasy series from USA Today best seller David Dalglish.
Six islands float high above the Endless Ocean, where humanity's final remnants are locked in brutal civil war.
Their parents slain in battle, twins Kael and Brenna Skyborn are training to be Seraphim, elite soldiers of aerial combat who wield elements of ice, fire, stone, and lightning.
When the invasion comes, they will take to the skies and claim their vengeance.
Seraphim
For more from David Dalglish, check out:
Shadowdance
Where does Skyborn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
By far one of my favorite books that I have listened to in a long time. It provides a comfortable change of pace from other fantasy books, without making it feel forced.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Skyborn?
The moment when Bri decides to avenge her fallen love, not only is a huge turning point for the character, but also a huge turning point for the story itself and you can feel the tension through the speakers.
What does Joe Knezevich bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He read the book with a very nice flow to it, making the story feel fluid. I admit there were a handful of moments when it was difficult to understand him, but overall I quite liked his performance.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Spread your wings, and be free.
Any additional comments?
The story is quite compelling, giving the perspectives of two siblings with alternating chapters gives the reader several opinions on specific events. I also loved how intriguing the initial story was, and on top of which Dalglish teased at an even darker plot without revealing hardly anything, but just enough to the point where I can't stop thinking about the possibilities. Highly recommend.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I absolutely love Davids books and writing styles. This book has highlighted his improvements as an author. the story is fun and compelling. I highly recommend it and am already waiting for the next two!!
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
I struggled to finish this story as the characters became rather annoying to me after the first couple chapters but the world was interesting enough for me to finish it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to Skyborn again? Why?
Absolutely, I have listed to it three times now.
What other book might you compare Skyborn to and why?
There are elements of this series that remind me of Mistborn or the Rithmatist. Like Mistborn, you can't really appreciate all the depth of this book, until you read book two. It also has some themes that reminded me of the Star Wars Trilogy.
What does Joe Knezevich bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He stays out of the way and lets the story tell itself without distraction.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Definitely
Any additional comments?
David Dalglish has always been great at action and creating heroic backstories. In this series, he shows off his world-building and mystery skills.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The main characters pissed me off. Brenna is a spoiled child always whinning and crying about something and Keal is kind of a lame coward. This book could have been better if the author gave the main characters better personalities. It was a struggle to keep listening to this book.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
What would have made Skyborn better?
I didn't think it was possible, but David Dalglish has written a terrible book. After the Shadowdance series, I didn't think that David could do a bad book. That series was great and ever moment of was worth it. This though, this is just a terrible book, and after listening to it I have to say I don't see myself getting the next one. It's shame because the world and premise are pretty cool. And some of the characters, while all of them are kind of shallowly developed, are kind of interesting. But I just can't get around the main characters.
Fair warning - there will be spoilers from this point forward, so if you are going to read/listen to this book, I would say stop here.
So starting with the least of the things that make this book bad, Kael, one of the 2 twins that make up the protagonist of this book, is annoying because of how weak he is. I don't mean weak physically or anything. I mean personality and character wise. His twin sister, the main reason this book is bad and I will get into that later, is implusive, strong willed, and determined, and for some reason because always seem to figure that if one character is that, then the other has to be self-conscious, timid, and unable to take care of themselves. I get that you don't want to have all the characters the same, but I don't get why they have to be the complete option of the spectrum. This isn't the first book to do this; it's a common trope in books right now (just like love triangles) and it getting kind of overplayed now (also like love triangles). Kael is somewhat of an interesting character, but the it overshadowed by how often he just can't stand-up for himself or see himself as anything special. But honestly the book could be tolerable if he was the only issue. The real problem is with the other protagonist.
Brea, where to start? Well like I said she is impulsive, strong willed and determined, which can be good traits, but she is also brash, and doesn't back even when she is wrong which she is often. And she just gets away with or is actually rewarded when she does something wrong. From the get go there is nothing endearing about her. In the opening of the book she drags her brother out to watch a battle and then abandons him when he wants to seek cover (which is smart and sensible), calling him a coward. She is very pushy and selfish. She never thinks about why something might be wise to do or why she should just get to do what she wants. When she get kick out of training for not following orders cause she is bored (this is the military where it's not just about knowing how to do something but about how well you can follow orders too) she just goes off and does what she wants. And she even gets reward for it in a way by meeting her love interest because of it. She continues do what she wants, and then when her brother is being picked on she jumps straight to violence with no thought about how it will affect anything. And if you think "at least she is looking out for her brother" she later reveals that she didn't do for him at all but only cause they also made fun of her. I can deal with a protagonist that has some bad traits if they at least start to learn from them or have to deal with the consequences when they make bad choices, but Brea just keeps rampaging along without a care in the world about how it affects anyone but herself.
And the nail in to coffin for this book is when she kills a person in cold blood for no just reason. In this world people can request a dual to setting issues between them. This is a governed and legal method allowed in this world. So Brea's boyfriend issues a dual to a man who killed his brother. This man killed the boyfriends brother also in a dual, but it is never said who issued this dual. The man might have or the brother. Either way, you are allow to refuse a dual. So no matter who issued the dual, the brother always had a chance not to fight and chose to fight. The man won. The boyfriend has a right to be mad and want to avenge his brother through a dual which he does. He choses to issue a dual to the man. The man is only responding to it. Duals are watch over by the governing body and offical. They are to the death. The boyfriend knows this going into and so does Brea. He wants to fight this man. The man ends up winning fair and square. Brea being upset attacks and kills the man. Not in a dual, not in a official or legal way. For all we know the boyfriend and the brother just hate this guy for no reason and keep requesting duals from him. There is nothing this man is guilty of other then defending himself. And she kills him in cold blood. And you may say "but she was upset about losing her love" which is true. But what she thinks that pushes her into action isn't how much he meant to her or how much she loved him. No what gets her to attack the man is that it's not fair that he gets to have a normal life and her life has to change now. She's only worried about how her life is affected by this and thinks it unfair. And the best part? Nothing happens to her. She doesn't get punished. She doesn't get killed out of the military. She doesn't have to face any consequences for wrongly killing a man in cold blood right in front of the governing officials. She just gets to continue on being selfish, implusive, and brash with out a care in the world. There is nothing likable about her. Oh and just so you, it also barely even phase her that her boyfriend is dead. Like 2 chapters later she doesn't even care anymore.
Sorry for the long rant and spoilers, but I was just stunned by how terrible of a book this was after coming off of David's other books. I would recommend almost any of his books to anyone who enjoys fantasy, but I would say stay clear of this one.
Has Skyborn turned you off from other books in this genre?
No not at all
What character would you cut from Skyborn?
Honestly the protagonist, or at least Brea and maybe just retune Kael.
9 of 14 people found this review helpful
I started this book because I wanted a new series to listen to. Was finished in one week! Really great performance from the reader and the story is one you don't want to stop. Can't wait for the second book.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful
After the main character murdered someone I could not and it was past off with no consequences for her I could not finish
Great book with interesting and unexpected twists that provided a engaging story the whole way through!
A well told entertaining story. Quality sci fi & fantasy all in one. I'll eagerly await the sequel, and check out Daiglish's other work.