Tempests and Slaughter

The Numair Chronicles, Book 1

By: Tamora Pierce

Narrated by: Ari Meyers

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The new, highly anticipated Tortall Legend from Tamora Pierce, the number one New York Times best-selling author who is legend herself, is a must-listen for any fantasy lover!

Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate...fated for trouble....

Arram Draper is on the path to becoming one of the realm's most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a gift with unlimited potential for greatness - and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the "leftover prince" with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram's heart, Arram realizes that one day - soon - he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

In the Numair Chronicles, listeners will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom's future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

©2018 Tamora Pierce (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Tamora Pierce's legions of fans will be not be disappointed with what could easily be mistaken for a full-cast performance of her long-awaited novel by narrator Ariadne Meyers.... Meyers ably provides a wide range of voices for the mages, beings, students, and gods, as well as a light, smooth narrative. Standouts are the three students; Enzi, the crocodile god; and the university's mages. Listeners will eagerly await the next installment." (AudioFile)

"Tamora Pierce creates epic worlds populated by girls and women of bravery, heart, and strength. Her work inspired a generation of writers and continues to inspire us." (Holly Black, number one New York Times best-selling author)

"Few authors can slay so effectively with a single sentence - I mean fist-in-the-air, shouting-at-my-book slay - as Tamora Pierce. All these years later, I still draw strength from her words." (Marie Lu, number one New York Times best-selling author)

great origin story of epic characters

this is a great story that really seems to set the foundation of several epic characters and many more awesome books to come set in a spectacular world. excelent character and world building.

Numair!

I love this production, my only criticism is that there are characters that the narrator portrayed as really old and they are not - like Lindhall Reed. Aside from that, it flowed really well.

Solid new story in an underexplored region

I was really excited to finally get Numair's character fleshed out a bit. Him and Daine were a cute match, though the age difference was off putting, but I always felt he was a bit 1-dimensional outside of his relationship. Hearing Tamora write from a male perspective, which is unusual, was quite enjoyable. Numair seemed overly naive though smart, and seeing his friendship with the future emperor fail (as a reader of her other series would know) added quite a bit of suspense. I'm excited to learn more about some of the unsolved mysteries introduced in this book.

Delightful performance and wonderful story

I really love this book, it’s refreshing when the author switches the POV to a boy character. The performer was wonderful! Many of the characters has their own distinct voice and I was delighted to notice that as the main character got older, the voice changed subtly.

Waited Impatiently

I am not sure about the person who read the book. In a previous series where we first meet Numair (Arram) his master Lindhall Reed wasn't a too old of a man. here the reader makes him sound like one.

This book also made me feel sorry for Orzone. being a prince can't be easy but you see the darkness in him already as a child.

it's great to hear of Numair's past and can't wait for the rest of the series! when i heard it was coming out, I got so excited!!!!

Tamora is the Best!

This writer is talented beyond belief! This book is on course with her others in the series!

A great prequel

I absolutely adore Tamora's writing and this is no exception. this follows Aram through his schooling years at the mage academy. he gets into lots of trouble, and always seems to land on his feet. great cast of characters, old and new.

#sweepstakes #tagsgiving

Not much plot but still enjoyable

I am a long-time Tamora Pierce fan and have read all of her books. Although she generally writes in series, each book usually has a plotline of its own woven into the overall arc of the series. In contrast, this book did not not have much of a plot, which was disappointing, and it also did not have much action. Nevertheless, Pierce's writing style is so easy fall into that the lack of plot and action did not turn me off nearly as much as it usually does. The focus on magic and animals, coupled with the likable main character and teachers, was enough to keep me happily listening. I'll buy the next book in the series as soon as it's available.

Characters flourish, plots lag

This is, absolutely, a wonderful first glance into the backstory of a character threaded throughout the Tortall universe. As a fan who has not visited Tortall in decades, it's refreshing to find that I did not need a great deal of back knowledge and history to them. The story of Arram who will become Numair is a lovely character study. Pierce's character work throughout excels and shines. It takes familiar characters and new ones alike and gives them dimensions, details, and life.

Where this story struggles however, is plot. For such a very long book not very much happens. It suffers from First Book Syndrome in what will undoubtedly become a series, doing quite a bit of legwork and stage-setting. For all it builds, very little comes together within the pages. The big mystery does not get solved, left to fester. The climax of the book itself seemed weak. It was none and over in a chapter or less. Hopefully book two of the Arram series will have far more to give.

Another excellent book by Tamora Pierce!

A wonderful beginning to the backstory for Numair. Ari Meyers' narration was excellent. Well done!