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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.
The world is falling to the burning shadow of the Possessed and only the power of a battle mage can save it. But the ancient bond with dragonkind is failing. Of those that answer a summoning too many are black. Black dragons are the enemy of humankind. Black dragons are mad. Falco Dante is a weakling in a world of warriors, but worse than this, he is the son of a madman. Driven by grief, Falco makes a decision that will drive him to the brink of despair. As he tries to come to terms with his actions Falco follows his friends to the Academy of War.
They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come. An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear. Roan Loren is one of the fatemarked, but has hidden his mark of power his entire life, fearing the damage it might cause to those around him. A great evil is coming. He can't hide anymore.
Raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds of the Kingdom of Ashai, a young warrior called Rezkin is unexpectedly thrust into the outworld when a terrible battle destroys all that he knows. With no understanding of his life’s purpose and armed with masterful weapons mysteriously bestowed upon him by a dead king, Rezkin must travel across Ashai to find the one man who may hold the clues to his very existence.
When Soren is plucked from the streets and given a place at the prestigious academy of swordsmanship, he thinks his dream of being a great swordsman has become a possibility. However, with great intrigues unfolding all around him, Soren discovers that he is little more than a pawn to the ambitions of others.
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.
The world is falling to the burning shadow of the Possessed and only the power of a battle mage can save it. But the ancient bond with dragonkind is failing. Of those that answer a summoning too many are black. Black dragons are the enemy of humankind. Black dragons are mad. Falco Dante is a weakling in a world of warriors, but worse than this, he is the son of a madman. Driven by grief, Falco makes a decision that will drive him to the brink of despair. As he tries to come to terms with his actions Falco follows his friends to the Academy of War.
They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come. An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear. Roan Loren is one of the fatemarked, but has hidden his mark of power his entire life, fearing the damage it might cause to those around him. A great evil is coming. He can't hide anymore.
Raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds of the Kingdom of Ashai, a young warrior called Rezkin is unexpectedly thrust into the outworld when a terrible battle destroys all that he knows. With no understanding of his life’s purpose and armed with masterful weapons mysteriously bestowed upon him by a dead king, Rezkin must travel across Ashai to find the one man who may hold the clues to his very existence.
When Soren is plucked from the streets and given a place at the prestigious academy of swordsmanship, he thinks his dream of being a great swordsman has become a possibility. However, with great intrigues unfolding all around him, Soren discovers that he is little more than a pawn to the ambitions of others.
A chance encounter with an ancient and mysterious object awakens a latent gift, and Wulfric's life changes course. Against a backdrop of war, tragedy, and an enemy whose hatred for him knows no bounds, Wulfric will be forged from a young boy into the Wolf of the North. This is his tale.
It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs, once thought of almost as gods, were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets.
The young nation of Fatrasta is a turbulent place - a frontier destination for criminals, fortune hunters, brave settlers, and sorcerers seeking relics of the past. Only the iron will of the lady chancellor and her secret police holds the capital city of Landfall together against the unrest of an oppressed population and the machinations of powerful empires.
Allystaire Coldbourne travels a treacherous path toward his Ordination as a holy knight of legend, a Paladin, a savior of the people. But to fulfill this role, he - and the unexpected allies he finds along the way - must face the demonic, sorcerous evil that stalks the land, the wrath of gods and men, and his own dark past.
From the international best-selling author of the Broken Empire Trilogy comes the first in a brilliant new breakout fantasy series. A searing novel set in a brand-new world, this series follows a young girl who enters a convent where girls are selected to train in religion, combat, or magic. Nona is selected to learn combat and finds herself at the center of an epic battle for empire on the outer reaches of a dying universe.
Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best, the most feared and renowned crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk, or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help - the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.
The entire Legends of the Nameless Dwarf Tetralogy in one set.
When Dante Galand was just a boy, his father, Larsin, sailed away to make his fortune. And never returned. Since then, Dante has become a great sorcerer. A ruler. A destroyer of kings. And he's just learned that his father is living on a forbidden island at the edge of the known world. Where he's dying of a mysterious plague. In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father.
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....
The all-powerful immortal being, Trinos, created the world of Bish for her own amusement. There, an eternal war rages between good and evil under the gaze of the bored goddess. Humans battle monsters and each other in a savage, never-ending conflict. And there is one who is charged with maintaining the delicate balance between light and darkness: the warrior Venir, the Darkslayer.
Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, enjoying what was left to them by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the error of their ways and realize a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennia - elves are superior! They are faster, stronger, and connected to the magical world in a way that man could never grasp. Illian is their birthright. The six kingdoms of man are fractured, unallied and always clawing at each other's doors for more power.
Magic is outlawed. Those caught wielding it are taken to the White Tower. They are never heard from again. After the chaos of the Wizard Wars a thousand years ago, the people turned their backs on magic. It was deemed evil. Those born with it will stop at nothing to remain hidden.
Some are born to power, some seize it and some have the wisdom never to wield it.
The Red Knight has stood against soldiers, against armies and against the might of an empire without flinching. He's fought on real and on magical battlefields alike, and now he's facing one of the greatest challenges yet. A tournament.
A joyous spring event, the flower of the nobility will present arms and ride against each other for royal favour and acclaim. It's a political contest - and one which the Red Knight has the skill to win. But the stakes may be higher than he thinks. The court of Alba has been infiltrated by a dangerous faction of warlike knights, led by the greatest knight in the world: Jean de Vrailly - and the prize he's fighting for isn't royal favour but the throne of Alba itself.
Where there is competition there is opportunity; the question is, will the Red Knight take it? Or will the creatures of the Wild seize their chance instead?
The story in this book was the best of the series yet. While i was offset by the change of narrators, Dickson still well enough job. Had the started the series i would not have minded but when coming into established characters it gets rough. Overall i really enjoyed it and was on the edge of my seat many a time, think i listened to atleast 5 hours straight at one point.
Where does The Dread Wyrm rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I really love this series, but why change the narrator? All the characters sound different and their personalities have changed with the new narrator and it is like reading a different story. I think I may have to return this one and read it instead of listening. Very disappointing.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dread Wyrm?
I haven't finished it yet, can't get past the terrible accent that Tom and Gavin are given by the new narrator, or the way that Gabriel has a lost a lot of his personality.
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Neil Dickson?
Matthew Wolf. Having listened to about thirty hours of Matthew Wolf reading the first two books in the series, it just doesn't work having a new narrator. With Matthew Wolf, I really enjoyed his laconical, understated Red Knight, the way he said 'you loon!' in mad Tom's accent and I find myself going back through whole passages and trying to hear those voices in my head over the new narrator.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Nope, too long.
Any additional comments?
Please don't change the narrator mid series. If I had started off listening to the new narrator at the beginning of this series it might have worked, but it is too much of a change now and it has ruined a brilliant story for me.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of The Dread Wyrm to be better than the print version?
Having both Audio & Kindle versions I would say they both have their advantages.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dread Wyrm?
For me, it was the death of de Vrailley. After having his preconceptions of his own holiness shattered by the revalation he was being aided by the wild, he sought a death that would give him back his self recespect. The rescue of the Queen at the tournament and of course the climactic battle that allied men & the wild on both sides.
Did Neil Dickson do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?
Sadly, I was disapointed with Neil Dickson's narration. He seemed to pay no attention to the characterisations created by Matthew Wolf. Tapio Hatija seemed to stutter and the Galles had lost their Gallic accents and Bad Tom seems to have become Welsh! Interestingly, the cover does state that Wolf is the narrator, wich makes me wonder why Dickson is reading it now.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Only the narration! Sorry. I couldn't resist that cheap shot
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
It's so annoying when the narrator changes - all the accents change and it disrupts the story massively. Scotsmen become northern, young men become middle age men, Welshmen become Scotsmen etc.
Also false advertising as the cover clearly says it's narrated by the previous two book's narrator.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of The Dread Wyrm to be better than the print version?
Have not read the print version.
Have you listened to any of Neil Dickson’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No. I find his narration to be annoying and very pretentious. I am very disappointed that Matthew Wolf is not narrating this story. Neil is not as good as Matthew. Neil messed up many things, such as Bad Tom's accent has been changed to a Welsh accent, but in the first two books he sounded Scottish. Plus he has changed the pronunciation of many character names.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
If you could sum up The Dread Wyrm in three words, what would they be?
good as the rest ,,u like the others u will like this
Any additional comments?
i got the two books and was loving the narrator ,then the third book is good but WHY O WHY change the narrator, it ruined it for me
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
What did you like most about The Dread Wyrm?
I have listened to all three book they are all gripping, the inter-linking of story lines across the narrative keeps you on your toes. 90 hours very well spent!!!
What did you like best about this story?
The story line and the inter-linking of the various sub plots
Which scene did you most enjoy?
ALL
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, just rapt attention
Any additional comments?
When are Audible going to release the remaining books????
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
It was such a shame that the narrator was changed. The previous narrator held me spellbound over both books. This one left me cold.
another great epic of a story as this one had much action and was mostly focused on the main character.
look forward to what happens next.
Best one in series masterpiece on a par with tlotr and grr Martin series brilliant total epic
Best in the series so far. as detailed and exquisite as ever! I look forward to the next.
loved this edition, author makes it easy to immerse yourself in the fantasy world he's built.
Now into the third book of the Series i can understand the narrators comand of the book hes been given to read to us. and enjoy the coming battles of the Red Knight and his heroic crew of battle knights and followers as he rescues a Queen and battles the Magic of Thorn and the Wild plus also the hidden black magic of the Dragons that bind them all into a web of valour , honour and brutal slaughter that has only one ending and hope .To live.
bit gutted the narrotor changed from the first two books. i still enjoyed it though
Oh wow, I absolutely love miles Cameron. The dread wyrm is possibly my favourite of the series. Well read. Highly recommended