The Crimson Claymore

Claymore of Calthoria, Volume 1

By: Craig A Price Jr.

Narrated by: Ian McEuen

Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

USA Today best-selling author Craig A. Price, Jr., presents The Crimson Claymore, book one of the Claymore of Calthoria trilogy.

Searon wanted revenge. What he got was a snarky wizard and a quest he never expected....

When Searon loses everything he once held dear, he begins a quest for revenge, leaving behind everything except his crimson claymore. He runs into something he doesn’t expect - an arrogant wizard, who won’t leave him alone unless he forms an army - an army that could fulfill his revenge - and save all of humanity in Calthoria.

The Crimson Claymore is an epic fantasy adventure novel that had more than 18,000 votes and more than 1,300 comments/reviews on Wattpad, the social networking platform for readers and writers.

The Crimson Claymore is the first installment in Craig A. Price, Jr.'s, Claymore of Calthoria, a sword and sorcery epic fantasy adventure. If you like Terry Goodkind, R. A. Salvatore, and Brandon Sanderson, then you'll love a series that combines all of their best traits in a fast-paced, captivating, magic-infused adventure.

Buy this epic fantasy filled with magic and sarcastic wit today!

©2015 Craig A. Price Jr. (P)2018 Craig A. Price Jr.

4.45/5 Stars Great Start to an Epic Fantasy

Summary: Searon and Starlyn and company go on an epic quest to save Calthoria from all kinds of evil.


Additional Comments:

- I heard the audiobook version, so forgive me if spellings are a tad off. First, let me say this is a great start to an epic fantasy series and I did enjoy listening to it. Want to make that clear in case some of the rest seems nitpicky.

- Characters 4/5 stars – The main characters are pretty well defined and, for the most part, likeable. The wizard is characterized as annoying and he definitely lives up to that. While good characterization, it still irritated me. Searon’s a tad overpowered like a video game character somebody obsessed over for a few decades and just kept leveling up skills. (He’s good with every kind of weapon he lays his hands on, but then again, so are most of the main characters.)

- Character development 4/5 – Searon does develop a little emotionally throughout the story. He at least learns to let go of the main driving force behind his bloodthirsty rage against the drayaks. Not many others change.

- World-building (4/5) – Starlyn’s race is essentially elves. They’re cool. Pretty in tune with nature. I like how she breaks out of that mold. There are a number of different, terrifying races. Their motivations are murky, and they seem to be controlled by humans or dark wizards or something with a big chip on its shoulder.

The difference between mage, wizard, necrowhatevers, witches, and whatnot got tedious, but I think it would click better if I was wider read in this particular genre.

- Plot (4/5) – While action-packed, it doesn’t really seem like there’s much rhyme or reason to much of the quest. Simply put, bad guys are attacking and good guys have to unite to fight them off. Pretty sure that’s the plot of most epic fantasy stories, yet it still works here.

- Fight scenes (5/5) – many and awesome. Perhaps even overdone in the sense that even if there’s not a wider battle going on, there’s usually a sparring match of some sort.

- Confusing: Not sure why the title centers on Searon’s weapon. It’s a cool weapon, but it’s not immediately apparent in the first story why the crimson claymore matters. I’m assuming it’ll have greater meaning later in the series, but the weapon’s importance seems a minor point compared to the war arising between the various races on this world.


Conclusion:

Fun, relatively clean (I mean there are a LOT of fight scenes) epic fantasy story. It’s a series worth checking out. Audiobook version is definitely recommended.

*I received a free copy of the audio. I have freely chosen to share my thoughts on the work.

This is going to be a good series

This is the second series I have listened to by Craig Price and I very much enjoy his stories. I can see why he is a best selling author.

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

Great ya book

Found this book to be a good fit for young adults. Battle scenes not too graphic or too much adult things going on. The story seems easy to enjoy though I hated the abrupt ending that left me hanging. I received this book at no change in exchange for an honest review. 👍🏻

I'm ready for the next book!

This is truthfully, now one of my favorite books. The characters quickly capture your heart and you're enthralled in the progression of the story. Also, the author does a fantastic job with battle scenes and giving the listener/reader plenty to convert words to images.

A Long Journey

I've been wanting to read this book since I heard about it several years ago. I loved the prequel, Chronicles of Starlyn as it introduced both Starlyn and Arria, respective hero and villain of The Crimson Claymore. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found myself disappointed.

The story began with Searon, a seasoned warrior who is seeking revenge on the dragonesque creatures who killed his wife and child. He soon crosses path with Karceoles, a wizard who is talented but completely obnoxious (and if you are waiting to see if he improves over time, he doesn't), and Starlyn, a Kheshlar who is also trying to defeat the draeyks and find her sister who happens to lead the draeyks in their fight against humanity. The three of them are together for the majority of the story, sometimes splitting up to gather information or recruit help from different cities and they gather various traveling companions along the way. There are many battles as well, some won by a greater margin than others, and cities they pass through (as well as friends and family they seek) that have been devastated by the draeyks. Other than the battles, the story is the journey and the conversations (which include backstories) of the traveling companions.

I liked the idea of this story. You didn't need to read the Chronicles of Starlyn to understand The Crimson Claymore, but I began the story remembering Starlyn as pretty awesome, if a little goody-goody. Not anymore. In this book, she is still awesome, but her attraction is primarily her gorgeous appearance that everyone oogles over when they first meet her. Actually, the function of nearly all the women in the story is to be beautiful. Searon's now-deceased wife, Victoria, caused him to walk away from war and live a life of peace because he was so drawn to her beauty. At one point, Starlyn was advised to dress in a certain way in order to draw the eyes of the men she was trying to win over to her point of view. Near the end of the story both Searon and Starlyn fall in love (with different people), but this deep connection begins with and is mostly focused on the women's great physical beauty. It's unfortunate because to survive in this world, women had to be strong, resourceful, creative, gifted and so many other things that weren't explored as they could have been.

While the treatment of women was my major complaint, I also grew incredibly frustrated with the wizard. He could have been introduced at the beginning as the means of getting Searon to think differently about his quest and then left the story, but no, we were endlessly subjected to his wearying presence. Another small thing (which does not affect my rating) was the way the characters were constantly smirking at each other. Too much! Stop!

I believe this is one of Craig's earlier books and I've heard good things about his other series, so this wasn't enough to deter me from reading other books of his. I did really enjoy the Chronicles of Starlyn. The narrator was also fabulous. I'm crossing my fingers that the female characters will enjoy expanded and much less stereotypical roles in the future.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author but the opinions expressed are all my own.

Solid epic fantasy.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I enjoyed this book. The character development was good, and I was able to understand where each character was coming from. I did have a bit of trouble coming to grips with the fact that a woman whose family was killed by warriors would suddenly run off with one of the warriors and attempt to start a family. That seemed like a bit of a reach, but I went with it. All in all, the writing was solid and professional. The narration was good, if a bit slow for my taste, and brought me into the world that the author created. The length of 12 hours gives the listener a solid bang for their credit. All in all, I would recommend this book for lovers of epic fantasy. Good stuff.

Different

The biggest issue I had with this book is placing the time frame. It seems as if it would be back in medieval times, but sometimes the phrases and wording throws that off. It is your typical fantasy of a group of strangers going on a quest. Another thing I found odd, kind of a spoiler , one of the main characters decides they have go find themselves in the middle of a war? The tales of this author have promise. I would be eager to read future books by this author.

A Treat

I have really enjoyed Mr. Price's previous audios. This is no exception. A group struggle to work together and fight to stop an invasion of the home. Their unique and quirky, but all skilled. Filled with action and humor.
It took a short time to become accustomed to the narrator, but realized he was a great puck for this story.
This audio was given to me free at my request, and I voluntarily gave this review.

A caustic cavalier and his quest for revenge

This books has a lot of ups, and one little down, but it sure as hell entertains you. The story is well paced for the most part, but there is a bit in the middle where you feel like a ship caught in the doldrums. The story slows to a standstill while we get some new characters, and some slight character development. But, gee whiz, when this thing picks back up in the last 1/3rd of the book it is like going down a mountain in a rocket slide on a greased track. Like I said, that is the only negative I could find, but it was noticeable to warrant the loss of a star. Pacing is important. The only other bone that I have, and it really isn't anything major is that the book is titled after a sword that really isn't spotlighted a lot. Maybe in the next book.

And I will be reading the next book. The characters draw you in, from the annoying as crap wizard who you will just want to punch in the face, to the hero who seeks a Kill Bill styled reckoning with the race of beings that killed his lady and son. He is on a mission of utter destruction, and he doesn't care if it is his destruction or that of the monsters he seeks. Blood will rain down like a thunderstorm over the ocean.

I found the world, and the various races to be interesting and a good spot of realm creation on Price's part. You get a feel that this is someplace new, and it really draws you in. I will talk about the book cover. I think it is important to do so. I do not take or add stars for covers, but covers are what pulls a reader in, and in this case I don't think much of it. You get a good shot of the titular blade, but there is literally no action, no movement, no danger, no magic; you just see some guy in armor staring off into the distance. That is not captivating, and that hurts sales. I'd love to see a more action filled cover on the next book, maybe show Searon (sp?) fighting a Drayeck. That might work.

The narration is really good, McEuon manages to pull off all the various characters, and keep the story interesting even in the slow spot. He is crisp and clear and fun to listen to, I hope to hear more from him in the future.

This actually looks to be shaping up to be a great series, and I appreciate that it is a trilogy. Nowadays, it seems that everyone wants to write a never ending series. The way book one ends makes for a great starting place for the next book, and I cannot wait for it! Don't miss out, the adventure is just beginning! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

Nothing special

Ah, The Crimson Claymore. A fine alliterative title. But was it any good?

I listened to the audiobook version, and there was a lot to like about the story. The MC, Searon, had an interesting back story, living a life eking out revenge against the reptilian draeyks who killed his wife and child. A "chance" meeting with a wizard changes his path as Searon sets forth to raise an army to slaughter the draeyks when he discovers they have bigger plans than just raiding villages.

So far, so good, <i>albeit</i> familiar. Here's the rub - the story is pretty good, the world is interesting (if not particularly new), but at times the story is just plain boring. I'm not sure if it's narrator, the dialogue between the characters or just me, but I'd often drift away while listening. The conversations at times seem too forced, too earnest to be real, and it was just too distracting.

The narrator was pretty good, with diverse voice, although the female characters seemed a bit stiff (not entirely his fault).

It's not bad, but it didn't do it for me.