Tavern

By: Deston J. Munden

Narrated by: Rodney Peel

The first book in a heartwarming, epic fantasy adventure series where a tavern owner joins forces with a dark elf assassin, a dragon pirate, a high elf royal, and a talking dog artificer to unravel a political conspiracy that could shatter the kingdom while battling his own inner demons.

Information. Power. Respect.

Xelnath of the Gnarled Root—a tavern owner, information broker, healer, and guild master of the Blackwind Company—has found a place, far better than the forest he came from in the magical metropolis and city-state of Lladad in the Magiian Empire.

When a simple act of kindness draws the ire of a troubled assassin, his love-stricken Archmage father, and an army of magically constructed golems, Xel must scheme with vipers of the high court, mingle with royalty at the castle, blackmail drug dealers in the slums, and fight assassins and mercenaries in the streets.

He needs to lean on the support of his motley crew of a dark elf assassin, a dragon pirate, a high elf royal, and a talking dog artificer to keep him from his own inner demons and doubts.

Perfect for fans of World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, Brandon Sanderson, Michael J. Sullivan, Nicholas Eames, and Scott Lynch.

Great start of a storyline. narrator is doing and excellent job.

looking forward to see the continuing development of these characters. I hope the author keeps the same narrator. excellent job.

Fantastic story!

A fully immersive experience, without the verbosity of a Victorian novel. A great fantasy fiction for our age.

A Beautiful Story

While the book had what I expected from an adventure/ fantasy book, what took me by surprise was the element of kindness. In a world of magic, political intrigue, and trained assassins, to see kindness and friendship as the most powerful force wielded by the MC was wonderful to see.

a hidden gem for world building lovers

I really enjoyed this. I came across the author on IG, an thought he was such a sweet soul. So happy I decided to add this book into my audible list. it's lways great to support authors that are just genuine people, but even better when their work is standalone good. well done Deston!

Gripping character development and narrative detail

From the first few pages, Tavern completely drew me in. DJ Munden has a rare gift for atmosphere—each setting feels richly textured and alive, from the smallest corner of a room to the weight of the world around it. But what really elevates the story is how seamlessly the character arcs are woven into the fabric of the world. The people in this book grow, and you feel it in subtle, powerful ways that stay with you long after a chapter ends.