• Stormwielder

  • The Sword of Light Trilogy, Volume 1
  • By: Aaron Hodges
  • Narrated by: David Stifel
  • Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
  • 3.6 out of 5 stars (106 ratings)

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Stormwielder  By  cover art

Stormwielder

By: Aaron Hodges
Narrated by: David Stifel
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Publisher's summary

For 500 years the Gods have united the Three Lands in harmony.

Now that balance has been shattered, and chaos threatens.

A town burns and flames light the night sky. Hunted and alone, 17-year-old Eric flees through the wreckage. The mob grows closer, baying for the blood of their tormentor. Guilt weighs on his soul, but he cannot stop, cannot turn back.

If he stops, they die.

For two years he has carried this curse, bringing death and destruction wherever he goes. But now there is another searching for him - one who offers salvation. His name is Alastair and he knows the true nature of the curse.

Magic.

©2015 Aaron D. Hodges (P)2016 Aaron D. Hodges

What listeners say about Stormwielder

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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    29
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    9
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Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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    24
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A Slow Start Fantasy Adventure

This was an interesting audiobook with a theme that (for some inexplicable reason) reminded me of Lord of the Rings. They are quite different books, but I think it might have been the writing style. The book was pretty slow to start and I found myself confused for quite awhile when I started listening.

A young boy abandons his family in order to protect them from his uncontrollable and destructive powers. When he finds himself in a deadly situation in a nearby town, his powers are released, destroying the town and killing most of its inhabitants. He is rescued by a strange man who offers to help him control and use his powers in exchange for his help defeating an ancient enemy.

As I said, the book was a bit slow to start, but I think that it made up for it toward the end. I also think that future books will be a little more eventful...

The narration was average in my opinion. It took me a few minutes to get used to the narrator's voice, but I was fully used to it by the end. He did a decent job and I will not be disappointed if he narrates the future books.

All-in-all, I give the book a 3.5 out of 5 (rounded to 4) stars. I think that a future book will probably get a better rating since most of the backstory is now out of the way.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Stormwielder

Any additional comments?

The story started out interesting, but never really grabbed hold of me and kept my attention. In the end I had a really hard time with this book. It took me a long time to finish it.

The story follows Eric through his journey/quest to control/master his magic. Even though there is a lot of action, a good story line, great world building and a wide cast of characters in the end I just felt like something was missing.

A narrator can make or break a story and in this case the narration just did not work. Although he has a pleasant voice his narration of this book is very monotone/slow most of the time. I just don’t think he was the right narrator for this story.

I think I would have enjoyed this much more if I read it instead of listening to it.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Stormwielder

If you could sum up Stormwielder in three words, what would they be?

Stormweilder is a very interesting audio book from beginning to end. This is the first in a series. The book follows Eric through a somewhat adventurous, somewhat scary, somewhat enlightening endeavor where he is perceived as evil. I am following this series

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not your typical coming of age story.

When he was 15, Eric had a bad dream, about a dark force coming after him. As he awoke, he sees that his house is burning around him, that a storm is raging around his house, and that lighning has struck the house and his village, and that he is the one that has summoned the storm. Thinking him cursed, he is cast out by the villagers, and for 2 years he has lived in the wilds, trying to avoid people. He breaks this habit and enters a walled town. A nice man offers to help him in the village, and leads him into a trap, where he is beaaten. during the beating, he loses control of his emotions, and summons the storm, Unfortunately, he cant control it. Even though the Lightning kills the muggers, it also wreaks havoc, death and destruction on the village. He is rescued by an older warrior named Alistair, and so starts an adventure that has to deal with the gods of their land, a monumental evil threat thought defeated, and personal challenges as Eric learns just what his "curse" is: Magic, and AListair starts teaching him to harness it. Along this journey, they meet a host of interesting characters, and travel a land raveged by the war the benevelent gods of Earth and sky fought against a mysterious evil that is more powerful than they are. It seems Eric has a bigger part to play that it seems, and the fate of the world may rest with him and his friends. With a fully realized world, a plot with non stop, well thought out action sequences, and realistic characters, this is a story any fantasy fans should be able to get behind.

David Stifel did a nice job narrating, bringing each character to life, and keeping the story flowing nicely. I especially liked his voice for Alistair, it really resonated. I am anxious to start book 2 now, and see where this talented author takes the story.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Boy, A Knight, & An Assassin Maybe a Goddess Too

Stormwielder started very slowly. Alastair didn't find what he was looking for in the prologue. So the readers/listeners doesn't really know what Alastair is looking for. The prologue was so brief.

Enter Eric in Chapter 1. Eric has believed that he is cursed and has fled his family. After destroying the town Oaksville in self-defense and having no control over his power, Eric is hunted once again until Alastair saved him.

Alastair offered to train Eric in controlling his power if Eric is willing to accompany him in his quest to defeat Archon and save the three kingdoms from Archon. During their quest to Chloe, Alastair and Eric picked up three more allies to aid in their quest.

The story took awhile to understand. The pieces of the story came together when the goddess Antonia showed Eric of the three kingdoms and the two gods came together to defeat Archon. From that moments, Archon has plotted against the two gods and has turned friend against friend. There is also the mystery of why one of the gods left, leaving only two gods to defend the three kingdoms.

Only one person, a descendant of the bearer for the sword of light, can defeat Archon. Finding this descendant would be difficult. Eric is being hunted with accusation of being a demon by bounty hunters. Alastair is being deterred by the forces of Archon. Allies are made. The fellowship is faced with dragons. Friends become enemies.

The story is worth reading/listening. The hardest part is to get through the first few chapters before the story takes flight. The story is similar to Tolken's Lord of the Rings. Tolken fans: give this book a shot.

The narrator, David Stifel does a very good job with the story. There is only one part that makes the characters sound alike is on the "No, no, no...." exclamation. There isn't any difference to distinguish the characters.

I receive an audiobook copy for a voluntary review. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun and exciting fantasy

Epic tail about a boy on a journey to save the world. Fun characters and the reader's performance was delightful. Already making my way through part 2 which is also good!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's OK.

My actual rating is 2.5 stars but I'll round it up to 3. In all honesty, I don't know what to say about this book. I hate giving negative reviews and rarely do but since this is a review book, I have to write something!!

All I can say is that it started out good, with Eric losing control and destroying the village. It sounded promising but I don't know what happened then. I just kind of lost interest in both the story and the characters. It was dull and boring and I wanted so much more from this!

The narrator also didn't help, he read it in a very monotone voice and didn't seem like he enjoyed the reading. I may check out more by him, but I'll have to try the sample first.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A little dull.

What disappointed you about Stormwielder?

There was no one single thing that disappointed me while listening to Stormwielder. I just found the tale a bit dull and did not really connect with any of the characters.

What was most disappointing about Aaron D. Hodges’s story?

I wish there had been a bit of humor. It might have added to the story. The dialogue was a bit too boring to hold my interest.

What three words best describe David Stifel’s performance?

I can only think of one word: competent.

What character would you cut from Stormwielder?

I never really had a strong dislike for any of the characters. The problem was that I was totally indifferent to the lot of them!

Any additional comments?

I got the audio of this for free when I signed up to the AudaVoxx newsletter so it was a pity I did not enjoy it more.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Bob @ Platypire Reviews

*I received a copy of this audiobook to be honestly reviewed*

So, this was pretty good! It was very engaging, the characters were good, and tempo to the story was good, too. I loved the variety of creatures and how everything interacted in this. The narrow escapes and constant running kept me hooked until t was over, and I mean that I was in it enough that a certain bit made me cry.

The narrator was okay. His voice and speed are pleasant, but I wasn't thrilled with his character voices. He had three voices: one for narrating (which was great!), one for men, and one for females + Eric. He wasn't bad at all, it just threw me out of the spell some.

If you like epic adventures, you'll most likely enjoy this.

Bob says: 4 Platypires

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Beginning

What made the experience of listening to Stormwielder the most enjoyable?

Lots of action in the fighting scenes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Alistair. He was loyal and trustworthy and showed great compassion for his fellow travelers.

Have you listened to any of David Stifel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first book I've listened to that is narrated by David Stifel. I have mixed reactions to his performance. While his voice is clear and effective for adult male characters, I didn't really care for the voices he used for women and older teens--they all sounded like children.

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

I found all the battle scenes to be exciting!

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next two books.

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