The Child of Chaos

The Chronicles of Chaos, Book 1

By: Glen Dahlgren

Narrated by: Glen Dahlgren

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Readers' Favorite Gold Medalist for YA Epic Fantasy

American Fiction Award Winner for Epic / High Fantasy

Nothing can break the stranglehold the gods of Order have on the world...except a roll of the dice.

An irresistible longing drags young Galen to an ancient vault where, long ago, the gods of Order locked Chaos away. Chaos promises power to the one destined to liberate it, but Galen's dreams warn of dark consequences.

He isn't the only one racing to the vault, however. Horace, the bully who lives to torment Galen, is determined to unleash Chaos—and he might know how to do it.

Galen's imagination always got him into trouble, but now it may be the only thing that can prevent Horace from unraveling the world.

"This is no ordinary sword and sorcery story. This is what fantasy fiction should be. [Glen Dahlgren is a] novelist who I think will become more widely known as his skill is appreciated." (Piers Anthony, New York Times best-selling author of Xanth)

©2020, 2021 Glen Dahlgren (P)2021 Glen Dahlgren

Critic reviews

"This book shows [Glen Dahlgren] to be a formidable novelist in his own right." (Piers Anthony, New York Times best-selling author of the Xanth series)

"An immensely satisfying page turner with some profound things to say about friendship, responsibility and true courage." (Lee Sheldon, award-winning writer of Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Lion's Song)

A great story

I really enjoyed the story. I will say, if you were looking to get into these books, start with game of war. One of the major characters in this book will not make nearly as much sense without reading the prequel novel. My only complaint with the story, was at times it felt like my hand was being held a little too much. Other than that, it was excellent. I really like the characters more in this book that I did in game of war. But again, I think game of war is necessary for this book to shine as much as it did.

Awesome story

Being fan of fantasy this book was a very good story to listen do I have an in depth review on youtube but just to keep this short excellent book.

Loved it!

What a great job. This story was full of magic, greed, friendship & courage. The characters were great. Horace made you so mad & Galen made your heart ache from the abuse from Horace. Mira was so strong & filled her role in the story with ease. The gods were not very helpful but the strength of the group was a force that helped chaos in the end. I read the book as well but I liked the audible version MUCH better. Also a perfect narrator. A must listen!

A Great Fantasy!

This story opens with a captivating beginning, continues with fascinating and surprising twists and turns, and concludes with a satisfying ending, all the elements needed for a great fantasy book. The tale was entertaining and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys this genre. I am looking forward to the next book in the series with great anticipation. Glen Dahlgren is working on finding his voice for this narration and I applaud his journey. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Very Captivating

I have a signed copy of this book as well as an audible copy.

I listened to a large portion of this book on a road trip I recently had, and it made the driving so much better. Glen's voice has so much range and variety. His voice alone does an amazing job at immersing you in the story, and making you feel like you're right there experiencing it all. Overall this book was one that was easy to get lost and completely immersed in. I'd easily recommend this book to anybody out there.

Chaos Rules!

I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of the epic fantasy genre, but I enjoyed this book a lot. Galen is a young boy who seems destined to follow in his father's footsteps and become a fisherman. But, Galen has a huge imagination and is a true storyteller. When he and his sister and friends go to the Charity temple to test for their true calling, things begin to happen.

The author has done a great job in world building with the different Orders. It seems that the gods have locked Chaos away, but is that really a good idea? This book has action, adventure, greed, evil, war, love within families and plenty of chaos (LOL). The characters are well-developed and I found myself getting emotionally involved with their fates. It moved at a fast pace with a lot of characters, but it was written so well that it was easy to follow the action.

The author is also the narrator and he did a fantastic job! His pacing and the different voices, along with the sound effects for some of the voices, made the book even better. I was given the chance to listen to this book and chose to review it.

Audio Masterpiece

Child of Chaos by Glen Dahlgren is enthralling in print; in audio, it is mesmerizing. Thankfully, Dahlgren didn’t trust anyone else to give voice to his extraordinary characters. The voices in his head that he developed for years into this masterpiece of fantasy fiction have finally had their way. It’s like listening to a stage play with numerous actors speaking. Every character has their own unique audio personality that only their creator could articulate with such validity. Child of Chaos is a book of fantasy legend that only gets better when hearing the characters come alive in the audiobook.

The problem with gods

The Child of Chaos by Glen Dahlgren is the sequel to The Game of War, though this book came first. I still recommend starting with Game of War for the sack of continuity.

This fantasy world, like most fantasy world's, is beholden to a pantheon of gods who, unsurprisingly, make the world a sucky place to live.

Galen doesn't fit the mold that this world's Order tries to impose on him. So he is ostracized and picked on at every turn. He is uncalled, faithless, therefore Order dictates that he work a manual job so he can earn a low wage and support the gods' temples with his tithe.

Little do they know that Galen is called to a faith. the faith of chaos.

I was so drawn into this story. Galen is a relatable character who makes you root for him and everyone around him. It is a testament to Dahlgren's talent that at the end I was even relating to the villain. It truly is a fine line between right and wrong.

The narrator for this audiobook was the author himself and I have to say that he does a fantastic job. He gives each character a unique voice and he reads with an understanding of the material that only an author can have.

Another Win

Having already read (and thoroughly enjoyed) the book, I was very eager to hear this. I love it when authors read their own work. As great as it is when an actor interprets someone else's words...there's just something organically special about getting to meet characters in "their own voices" - or as close as you'll ever get. This was no exception...Glen brings this amazing story to life in unexpected and joyful ways. Bravo (again)!

Fantasy at its best.

The Child of Chaos is everything I could hope for from a fantasy novel. Glen Dahlgren does an excellent job narrating and makes you feel like you've stepped inside the world he created. I found myself totally invested in the characters and their choices. This book has magic, good versus evil, love, loyalty, faith, hard decisions, and characters that you can't help caring about. I can't wait to read the next book in The Chronicles of Chaos. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA or fantasy.