The Berserker and the Pedant: The Complete First Season

By: Josh Powell

Narrated by: Robert Ashker Kraft

Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Gurken Stonebiter, avatar of Durstin Firebeard, templerager of the Stonebiter clan, is in a pretty pickle. He's an axe-happy, grammatically-challenged dwarf on the hunt for blood. Thieves made off with temple property, sending him into a fit of vengeful rage. Seeing as he's a Berserker, it's in everyone's best interest not to get Gurken's hackles up. Gurken often dissolves into a fury of bloodlust, and carnage unlike anything seen in the age of men. When he finds those whom he assumes to be the aforementioned thieves, he is unable to control himself. Thus for our heroes, a master magician named Arthur and a girl-child named Pellonia, the blood flows until poor Arthur is hacked into pieces. It takes all the temple priests (and all the king's men) to put Arthur back together again. Imprisoned for their supposed crimes, Pellonia and Arthur aren't willing to sit around the dungeon on principle, and so promptly escape. They return the following morning to join Gurken on a hilarious and dangerous adventure to the Mines of Moog to recover the sacred Orb of Skzd. Along the way they face gruesome deaths at the hands of enormous arthropods, an amiable Minotaur, and excitable dragons, making them wonder what exactly they're doing on this quest in the first place.

Pellonia, for one, is much more than meets the eye, and although she has the body of a pre-pubescent girl, she is full of snark and knowledge beyond her years. Her past and fate become apparent as they meet mysterious denizens from her childhood. Arthur's ability to frequently engage in death throes only to return once more is to be admired as well as puzzled over. Unfortunately, one too many dismemberments occur and some shortcuts are taken during the resurrection process, to Arthur's utmost shame and revulsion. Gurken, with his brash temperament and willingness to confront anything that challenges them, though it be 10 times his size, is both an enviable asset and a terrible curse along the way.

©2015 Josh Powell (P)2015 Josh Powell

didn't see that ending coming!

In a word: Fun.

This book is split into episodes rather than chapters, each one moves us towards a common goal but each episode contains its own funny little romp featuring our main characters: Gurken, the typically short tempered dwarf (pun intended) with a penchant for hitting things with his axe. Pellonia, an exceptionally snarky young girl with some mysterious secrets and Arthur, a pedantic wizard who finds himself being murdered a lot.

Josh Powell has a certain Terry Pratchettishness about his style of writing, his characters manage to be a fresh take on classics and share hilarious and witty dialogue.

I would say that this book would be suitable for kids aged 8 and up, though it has cartoonish violence the entire story is very funny and very enjoyable to listen to. This story reminded me of  listening to Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett when I was around 10 years old, it has a very similar sense of humour and enough action to keep your attention right to the end.

Our three main characters are on a quest together to retrieve the sacred Orb of Skzd which has been stolen from the temple Gurken is charged to guard. Arthur and Pellonia die several times on this journey, but thankfully they have friends that are able to help them out in that regard - even if resurrection isn't always as straightforward as they might hope.

What did come as a surprise to me was the twist at the end, I can honestly say I didn't see it coming! Put it this way, now there's definitely enough scope to carry on adding books to the series!

Robert Ashker Kraft stands out to me as a narrator after listening to this well produced performance, bringing each of the characters to life with a selection of well executed accents and personalities. The sense of fun he brings to the story lights it up even further and made it a pleasure to listen to, Kraft was definitely an asset to this production!

If you're a fan of the Discworld series and looking for something new to get your teeth into, I would absolutely recommend this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Humorous fantasy adventue

I'm not going to bore anyone with repeating the synopsis, because it is pretty well covered here at Audible. Anyway, I loved this book! Lots of adventure and humor. A little bit too much dying, but at least most of the time, they came back to life! The narrator, Robert Ashker Kraft, was excellent.

I got this audio free from the author via Audiobookblast and the ebook was also free at Amazon (thanks Mr. Powell!).

A wonderful adventure!!

If you enjoy trips into worlds full of fantastical creatures, then this is a adventure for you! Travel along to find the thief, then onto a quest that needs to be finished because the fate of this world depends on this quest being completed! Grab a seat on this journey and enjoy the ride! Oh, and watch out for goblins!!

Fun twists and turns, with a good twist ending.

I was given this title by the author for free in return for an honest review from audiobookblast dot com. There, legal stuff out of the way. I had no idea when I started this book that I would enjoy it so much. It follows the adventures of Gurken Stonebiter, a Temple Ranger for the Temple of the Dwarven, not Dwarfen, God Durstin Firebeard, as he has to try and retrieve the Orb of Skzd, a magical item of great importance. Along the way, he uses his magical ax, which blazes with different Dwarven magic runes (of hilarious names), to berserk rage his way through anything that gets in his way, along with his companions, a wizard, an elf girl, a gnomelike dwarf, and a grown elf. Lots of twists and turns, resurrections, reincarnations, centaur making, and a climactic battle against the evil Phage that shows that reality might not be what everyone thinks it is. The characters are hilarious, the dialogue is witty, and the plot moves along at a quick pace without seeming rushed. The narration was excellent,with Robert Ashker Kraft's narration reminding of one of my favorite narrators, Phil Gigante. Any fans of Yahtzee Crowshaw's Mogworld, or Rob Kroese's Dis books are sure to love this book. I can't wait for the sequel.

A good listen

I chose this book because I'm into sci fi and fantasy and it did not let me down. It was over the top and cut me on my toes I can't wait for the next one

FUN FANTASY LISTEN!!!

What did you love best about The Berserker and the Pedant: The Complete First Season?

It was original and magical!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pellonia...she was cute and brave!

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending was cool..Pellonia aka Penelope ends up on a ship and is in modern times...very creative...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed quite a bit!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This is a great little magical tale with all sorts of creatures! Elves, dwarfs trolls...giant ants...and even a unicorn! They are in search of a magical orb and have a hilarious journey on the way to finding it...if you like fantasy tales, with lots of humor and action...this one is for you!!

Thank You Audiobookblast(dot)com

Witty and Fun

If you could sum up The Berserker and the Pedant: The Complete First Season in three words, what would they be?

Humorous, witty, and fast.

What other book might you compare The Berserker and the Pedant: The Complete First Season to and why?

I would compare it to what I've always heard about Pratchett's books, though I haven't read any, because of the fantasy and humor. And also Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because of the wit that exists within.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite, is actually kind of a cop out, because the best part of the book for me was all the little notes about Gurken being an avatar so every time he was about to do something a different dwarven rune would pop up on his axe. Gradually that showed a shift from playing it straight towards some increasingly convenient runes that would only exist in specific situations. It's that kind of thing where Powell takes a trope from fantasy and twists it ever so slightly that kept me involved as much as any laugh out loud moment.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It's Dwarven, not Dwarfen.

Any additional comments?

I received this for free in exchange for an honest review and that hasn't changed my perspective of the story itself, and was happily surprised because while I knew that it was a fantasy story I definitely overlooked the humorous aspect within. It was both an entertaining fantasy story as well as having that extra level of wit and everything so that was a great part of it.

An Incredibly Fun Fantasy Adventure. And Ants.

Gurken Stonebiter just did what?! Did I hear that right?

"What ... what am I listening to?" was my initial thought about five minutes in. After another five minutes, I understood exactly what I was listening to and settled in for a delicious adventure.

The Berserker and the Pendant is brilliant, funny and addicting. The characters are very distinctive and original. If you like fantasy, unpredictable outcomes, and you have a sense of humor, do yourself a favor and listen to this book. It was like watching a D&D game with Douglas Adams as DM and Monty Python as the players.

The plot was intriguing, the action was fast paced, and some very heartfelt moments were blended seamlessly into the story.

What makes this gem of a listen shine even brighter is that Robert Ashker Kraft did an amazing job with the reading. His voices were distinct and his timing was perfect on the jokes.

I'm ready for the next season!

--I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.--

Awesome - Looking forward to the next instalment

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If they like Fantasy, alt reality books I would definitely recommend this book to them.

What did you like best about this story?

For starters, the dry comedic perspective of the story. The narrator within the story even made fun of not knowing how to pronounce 'Skzd'.

The characters were well developed; I knew their commitment to the quest and each other even if I didn't know exactly why they were committed - because it didn't really matter to the ultimate goal (at least at the onset of the quest). As the story developed, Powell revealed more and more back story/history of the heroes. For example, with Pellonia, we are told she is a 12 year old girl. Well, what is a 12 year old girl doing with a 10th degree wizard and a Mountain Dwarf? It doesn't matter other than the three of them are hilarious together and when we need to know more about her history we learn more because it's part of the story.

I could also envision each of the locations the hero's found themselves in for the different parts of the quest. With fantasy books, I sometimes have a hard time following the actual story line because there is so many details that the story gets lost in the minutiae, but I had no trouble following the story.

Have you listened to any of Robert Ashker Kraft’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to anything by this narrator before, but he was GREAT. He spoke clearly and enunciated the words so I now know how to say 'Skzd'. All of the characters had separate and unique voices so it was easy to follow the story - which is really important when listening to stories based in alterative realities. Because you are not only learning about new characters you are also learning about their reality.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Mines of Moog aren't just a location anymore...

Any additional comments?

I usually pass over books this short, it's a little less than 4 hours long, but the story is so Full (full of action, comedy, and entertainment) it seems like it should be twice that long. I'm looking forward to more instalments of this series.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review from audio book blast.

Watch out for goblins!

Ahhhh, what a fun book! The Berserker and the Pedant: The Complete First Season by Josh Powell is a fun visit. Gurken Stonebiter is a marvelous name! I loved it! This so funny little book! With a length of 3 hrs and 51 mins it is on the short side, but i am almost not complaining since this is the first in a planed series! The Berserker and the Pedant is my first Josh Powell book, and i like it a lot. I feel it is almost a bit to silly to get full score. I feel it is almost a bit to funny! I can complain about that when it comes to fantasy! And i feel Josh Powell wants us to take him serous!

Robert Ashker Kraft Is good, but a little to "goofy" for this material maybe? It is not like i never took him serious, but his "Irish" accent needs work, and he uses that a lot of times. Still i will give him a high score for the other voices he makes, and i am happy that he takes the material seriously enough for my taste! I am a bit tired of people that look at 4 out of 5 like it is bad, it is not 5 out 5 should ONLY be given to things that are close to perfect, and this is not that but i do recommend it on the strongest!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com