Talon the Slayer

Tales of Talon, Book 1

By: A. A. Warren

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A warrior without a past is the galaxy's only hope for a future....

Talon is a man without a past. A slave, a gladiator. His only memories are a lifetime of bloody combat in the arena. But when a chance encounter with a seductive alien sorceress plunges him into an intergalactic war, he finds himself fighting for the ultimate prize...his freedom.

As Talon and a rag-tag crew of allies embark on a vital mission for an exiled prince, they are pursued by an ancient warlord who has unleashed the most destructive force in the galaxy. The key to stopping it? Talon's lost memories....

If Talon cannot unlock the secrets of his past, his newfound freedom will be lost, and the fires of annihilation will consume the galaxy. Wielding a plasma axe and an indomitable will, he must triumph over the evil forces that stand in his way. He must be more than just a warrior. He must become...Talon the Slayer.

Dive into a galaxy of high adventure! Fans of Conan the Barbarian, Flash Gordon, and Guardians of the Galaxy will love this high-octane mix of science fiction and fantasy action.

©2019 A. A. Warren (P)2019 A. A. Warren

Fun!

This is a truly fun filled, action packed adventure... I knew that I was in for a good time from the very start!
It was advertised as a "Conan the Barbarian meets Flash Gordon" pulp fiction, but I don't think that's quite right... it's close, but more like Conan meets Star Wars, and when I figured that out, I kept hearing John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra in my head! LOL
I can always count on it being a sure thing when I get a book narrated by Travis Baldree! He's really, really good at his craft!
Grab a plate of snacks, and sit back to enjoy the story! You decide if the London Symphony Orchestra plays out as a backdrop! LOL

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The Slayer is Talon, Talon, Talon!!

Wow! I was really impressed with this story. When I received it on AudioBoom, I was not sure if this was something that I would enjoy. But wow! I am really amazed at how this story grabs you and does not let go! Lots of exciting battle scenes and last second saves. And the Author is not afraid of killing off some of the main characters either. All in all, I was very happy to receive this Audio book for free in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks!!

Great book, great performance

This series is great! I own the paperbacks and now the audio. Great voice performance.

Pulp Sci-Fi At It's Finest!

I'm a huge fan of pulpy sci-fi. Ate it up as a kid. Movies like Star Wars were my gateway drug, but then I discovered flicks like Battle Beyond The Stars, Starcrash, Hands Of Steel, Yor: The Hunter From The Future, and Spacehunter...just to name a few. A. A. Warren brings us Talon the Slayer; a cross between these imaginative sci-fi flicks and the crazy "Barbarian" flicks I also loved (Conan, Beastmaster, Sword and the Sorcerer).

What REALLY sells this is Travis Baldree's "tough as nails" gritty narration. He really brings the character of Talon to life as well as all the supporting characters. I'm excited to see where this series goes!

Interesting

I received this book free of charge in return for an unbiased review and honestly I'm glad I did. I was unsure at first but it reminds me of the animes i watched as a teenager. The story was interesting and the narrating is amazing, well worth the listen.

A Blast To Listen To

Warren's book - Talon The Slayer was a book that I'm having an impossible time figuring out what genre it lives in. At it's heart it's a story about redemption.  A story about finding yourself.  But it's set in a futuristic world where aliens are the norm (honestly, humans are the aliens in this world). Where slavery is very real again and Colosseum like fights to the death happen all the time. Talon is one of those fighters and he's about to eclipse his 100th match.  The match that will set him free. Little does he know that things are about to hit the fan once he finishes his battle.

The story was a blast to listen to.  I absolutely flew through it - doing far more yard work than I needed to do yesterday just so that I could listen to another few minutes.  Warren created a fantastical world that he described in vivid details without being boring about it. He created characters that I not only liked but I was fighting in my head for them to succeed.

The story itself was also great.  Talon's inner struggles, relationship confusion, and overall "vibe" were perfect for him.  If you threw him into a battle-like situation he would take control. But once you gave him some personal freedom he wasn't sure exactly what to do.  It made for a unique and interesting main charter.

Travis Baldree was perfect for the narration of this.  Warren created a slew of characters that all had different and unique voices and Baldree is able to shine when he's voicing at least 4 different people.  His narration definitely made a good book even better.

I can't wait to get into more stories in this universe. Though I have no idea where Warren is going to take us!

There's also something to be said about the cover of this audiobook.  When creating a new and unique world - sometimes it's hard to picture what the characters look like.  The cover of Talon The Slayer shows three of the main characters and I'm ashamed to say I'm glad they did because it made the book even easier to listen to. I didn't have to go "who do I think Talon looks like?" Or "a mask, well, what kind of mask?" I was just able to read and enjoy the story that Warren laid out for me.

Talon in Space Space Space

Talon made me think of one those horror movies that jumped the shark and had a in space episode. This absolutely felt like Conan the Barbarian in space. His crew didn’t really remind me of Guardians of the Galaxy outside of them being a ragtag crew of mismatched aliens who happen to be trying to save the universe. I think it is easy to try to make that association when really they are as unique in this story as the Guardians are in theirs. What started out as a swords and sandals type story quickly evolved to a pulpy space style fantasy. The marrying of the two made for a fun and unique experience.

The overall plot felt fairly typical of a save the world type science fiction story. This one had a few twists that helped to make it stand out from the others, but I would say it didn’t stray too far from the middle of the road as far as plot. You definitely get the B movie feel which appeals to someone like me who used to stay up late as a kid watching sci fi movies on TV. The dialogue and interactions between the various characters solidifies that and you can’t help but be brought back to that time.

What really stood out in the story were the characters. Talon, dressed like He-man, complete with baldric and axe, was a great focal point of the story. Like the modern day one last job type stories, Talon, has one last battle to gain his freedom and it is an epic battle. I liked the supporting characters, although by far my favorite was Zobel, a wolf-like alien who is snarky, arrogant, and a total bad-ass. Selena’s story was another favorite of mine and I hope that as the series progresses we may get to hear more about her.

Travis Baldree is a master at character voices and he could make a medical text book full of life and fun to listen to. Baldree adds that layer to this story that makes it go from a decent sci fi story to an exceptionally fun one. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Baldree, you owe it to yourself to check out his narration. As always, he nailed this story and I look forward to hearing him narrate the next book in the series.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

A fun Pulp Sci Fi/Fantasy

This book feels like a 70's/80's B Movie but in only the best possible ways. The description of Conan the Barbarian mixed with Flash Gordon feels pretty right on. This book is filled with action and adventure from the start and never really lets up on the throttle. The characters are fun and all have their own distinct flavor. The book is filled with action from hand to hand battles, gun battles, spaceship battles and a mix of all of those from time to time. It has an interesting mix of weapons from very high tech to somewhat lower tech weapons, axes, swords, whips but also with added tech to them such as Talon's plasma axe. I found the overall quest interesting and it really kept you entertained throughout.

Travis Baldree was a great narrator and really seemed to nail Talon and Zobos voices especially.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Absolutely predictable!

Everything in this story was absolutely predictable down to every crisis that the MC had to face. But I guess if that’s what you’re looking for and this is definitely the story for you. Lots of action and one narrow escape after another. In fact there are so many escapes that I would have to say his patron god is that of luck. In fact it was so predictable and so many narrow escapes that by the time the story ended I was hoping that the main character would die just to surprise me.

Pulp Space Opera at its best

First, to get it out of the way.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
If you like space opera in the tradition of Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, and Lin Carter you will enjoy this book. A. A. Warren has written a rich tale that equals any of the great pulp fiction.
For one who grew up reading magazines like Analog, Galaxy, and others this story was a wonderful find.
Travis Baldree's narration only enhances the experience. I look forward to more from A. A. Warren and Travis Baldree.