The Red Wolf Conspiracy

De: Robert V. S. Redick

Narrado por: Michael Page

Already a publishing sensation in England, marks the debut of a remarkably gifted young writer. Robert V. S. Redick has been compared to Philip Pullman, George R. R. Martin, and China Miéville, among others, and like them he is a spellbinding storyteller, unafraid to sail his imagination into uncharted waters. With The Red Wolf Conspiracy he launches the first book of a trilogy destined to take its place among the classics of epic fantasy.

The Imperial Merchant Ship Chathrand is the last of her kind. Six hundred years old, the secrets of her construction long forgotten, the massive vessel dwarfs every other sailing craft in the world. It is a palace with sails, a floating outpost of the Empire of Arqual. And it is on its most vital mission yet: to deliver a young woman whose marriage will seal the peace between Arqual and its mortal enemy, the secretive Mzithrin Empire.

But the young woman in question - Thasha, the daughter of the Arquali ambassador - has no intention of going meekly to the altar. For the ship's true mission is not peace but war - a war that threatens to unleash an ancient, all-consuming evil.

As the dark conspiracy at the heart of the voyage unfurls, Pazel Pathkendle, a lowly tarboy with an uncanny gift, will find himself in an unlikely alliance with Thasha and her protectors: Hercól, a valet who is more than he appears; Dri, the queen of a race of tiny stowaways who have their own plans for the great ship; and Ramachni, a powerful sorcerer from another world. Arrayed against them are the Chathrand's brutal captain, Nilus Rose; the Emperor's spymaster and chief assassin, Sandor Ott; and the enigmatic Dr. Chadfallow, a longtime friend to Pazel's family whose kind words may hide a vicious betrayal.

As the Chathrand navigates treacherous waters to complete its mission, Pazel, Thasha, and their allies - including a singularly heroic rat - must also navigate a treacherous web of in...

©2009 Robert V.S. Redick (P)2009 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Redick's debut presents a unique setting for an epic fantasy and includes memorable characters. With comparisons to George R. R. Martin and Philip Pullman, this is highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

Decent story

but as another reviewer pointed out, our main protagonist is a bit feckless. Perhaps it's just a build up to make him more of a hero when he develops more of a spine.

My review is probably colored by the antipathy I feel for the narrator. Every character bellows his lines like he's standing on a Shakespearean stage; there is no sense of anyone having a private conversation. And so many characters cackle like witches around a cauldron.

Few Moments of brilliance

I found in hard to want to finish this book. There are moments of brilliance and the story line is fresh and unique, but overall im not sure id recommend it as a good read.

Sir, May I Have More Please

Like Oliver, I am hungry for more. Need to hear the second installment which, I believe, is out in England already. A book of rare richness; in it's universe, strata of society, and characters!

Feels like a classic story

Honestly surprised these books don’t have more reviews. I definitely recommend them to everyone. It’s always hard to decide on a new book series just hoping it will be good and this one is definitely worth a listen. Yes there definitely times where things get a bit jumbled with information also I’m not 100% sure what age he was going for as it had an overall PG13 vibe that occasionally slips into MA, which I always find confusing. Buttt overall one of the better young adult novels I’ve listened to.

Almost, but not quite, great

I loved this book for the first three-quarters. The conclusion left me seriously debating whether to continue the series. The writing is usually excellent, with only occasional descents into the ponderous dialect of High Fantasy. The world-building is superb and the characters are largely compelling (and Michael Page does a brilliant job of evoking them). For what I understand is an early effort, this is brilliant work. Unfortunately, Redick suffers from excessive ambition. His conspiracies are so elaborate and many-layered that he loses narrative control. At many points, he resorts to "round-table exposition" where a bunch of characters dump information on one another, to explain all the elements that were not coming clear in the normal course of events. For a while, I excused this, since Redick generally shows great creativity in narration (journals, newspaper articles, letters, letters intercepted, in addition to the usual 3rd-person narration). And conspirators need to conspire! But as we approach the ending, these info-dumps come fast and furious, sometimes in the middle of otherwise tense situations. I could feel the author frantically grasping loose threads, reminding of us of plot elements left forgotten for hundreds of pages. For the last hour, I got confused repeatedly and I still don't think I quite understand the thinking of the arch-villain at the end. I wish the editor had told Redick this was a great draft, but that it needed radical revision. Keep the length, but simplify the plot-lines to something more manageable. Then use the extra words to expand the narration. Show more; tell less. Let readers have "aha!" moments as they put things together. Make sure no important element is left forgotten too long. With another draft, this book would have been truly great. Still, I gladly finished it. When Redick sticks to his storytelling, he tells a cracking tale. I loved his characters and his world. I hope his next volume benefits from more experience.