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.

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!!!

Humorous quips with lots of action

“The Crimson Claymore” is the first book in the “Claymore of Calthoria” series written by USA Today’s bestselling author Craig A. Price Jr.; known for his “Dragonia Empire” book series. The audiobook edition is quite well narrated and performed by Ian McEuen who receives rather high ratings for this other works. The story is set in a fantasy world and it centers around a man who is out for revenge. He will do almost anything to see those who hurt his family either come to justice through the hands of the law or by his own hands; or blade. In some ways the story felt more like a LitRPG than a standard fantasy tale and is not a bad thing. It is more about the progression of the character and not the experience and leveling parts. We have the classic man vs. man (revenge style) tale, but this one also takes a few surprise twists and turns along the way. There is plenty of mystery, suspense, and wit making it a well-rounded adventure. If you are one who enjoys a well-written and narrated fantasy exploration piece, I recommend you pick up this book and give it a listen.

I like that the author included a prologue chapter giving the listener some insight and background before dropping you right in the world. What is not to like about a revenge story? As you listen to the story, you can feel that the main character oozes with hatred and the desire to seek revenge no matter the cost. There is almost a heightened level of despair throughout the story and one wonders if he will ever be satisfied. The author includes flashbacks giving the listener more details on who our main character is and why he is what he is. I like the addition of the characters having familiars. The main character had his trusty steed while another character a jaguar. The story flowed in a very vibrant and colorful way. It is as if one started with a black canvas and as the story unfolds, we begin to see the splashes of color building a scene. Not only the setting, but the characters were multidimensional, and each had a personality and skills that complemented one another; except for that annoying wizard. One is able to see that the main character needed to depend on his companions for help in achieving his goals. For me, the story felt well planned and executed from both the writing and narration. Good job.

Although the story was quite complex, at times it felt more Young Adult (YA) than I would have expected from our characters. I think some of it feels this way due to some of the character interactions and conversations. The story has a more traditional fantasy world along with the expected classes and creatures; many our party discovers along their travels. We are presented with mages, wizards, warlocks, magic, and plenty of fighting. I even liked how the author wrapped in some humor with the subtle events like the discovery of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There are a number of other humorous quips and pokes that pop-up and surprise you while listening. I found the game within a game an interesting component and brought me back to my childhood some. Our main character plays a strategy game, like Stratego, which they played as youths growing up. If he wins, he gets to control an army. If he loses, revenge may have to wait for another time.

The audiobook’s narration was solid and performed professionally. Each of the characters voices felt unique and distinct. There is even a point where the narrator sings, and he does a decent job here as well. Although I was not a fan of the Wizards voice, I think that was both the author’s and narrator’s intentions. He was intended to be an annoying character, and this was done well. I do not recall any issues with audio artifacts (swallows, background noise, etc.). The pace of reading and audio volumes remained consistent throughout the book.

For parents or younger readers, there is some light romance between characters and I do not recall any vulgar language being used. I feel it would be a good story for a pre-teen and up. The writing style was not overly complex and the narration clear and well-paced. However, younger readers may not fully grasp some of the sarcasm and snarky comments thrown around in this book.

In summary, the book had a fair amount of mystery and suspense while wanting to find out what happens with our main character. Revenge is a powerful motivator, but one has to be reminded that actions have consequences. Sometimes, these consequences can be deadly. If you are looking for a new fantasy series to listen too, I can say that I think you will enjoy this one; apart from the wizard that is. I look forward to listening to “The Obsidian Arrow” which is the title of book two in the series when it is released.

Forces of good against evil

Overall the story is very good. Introducing a world full of different races, monsters, magics and histories. Some characters come on with more depth than others though. Some times it felt like stuff just appeared out of nowhere, with no reason or explanation, like most of the monster races. They seem to have no reason for killing everyone else. It kind of emphasize the lack of information transfer in the age the story is set. Like the world introduced in this first book was too big for the explanations to enter into details. Expecting to see this series get better as it goes on. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A good book.

This is a book I can listen to again. I received this audio book for free at my request and voluntarily reviewed

Unrealized potential!

At a high level I enjoyed this story quite a bit, but the deeper I looked into it the more inconsistencies or missing information was found. Our protagonist, Searon is a warrior on the path of revenge and self-destruction. His family was killed by human-sized creatures called draeyks (drakes? since they are referred to as resembling dragons). Since then he has been on a one man crusade to kill every draeyk he crosses paths with. Obviously he comes from wealth as his manner, diction, horse, armor and enchanted claymore sword are of high quality, but much of his personal background is missing. In his travels he acquires companions of like mind who have no liking for the draeyks either. One such is the wizard, who is somewhat interesting and quite annoying, but there is just something strange about him. My favorite character was Starlyn the Elf. She brightened the picture and improved the story whenever she took focus. Her character was kind, compassionate, level-headed and uniquely beautiful to boot. The underlying story is one of inner strength, growth, and social acceptance. On the surface it was your basic good versus evil, with differing peoples coming together to defeat a common enemy. I did truly enjoy the premise of the story and the characters, but I feel there was so much more that could have been included to make it even better. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Solid start to a new fantasy series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

First of all, I have to say how much I loved the sarcastic and witty dialog in this book. I'm a big fan of snark. That aside, I also liked the story and characters in this book. The overall fantasy world concepts used in the book are nothing new to the genre, but I thought it was well executed. The narration is good, too, so I will definitely be interested in contunuing the series.

Wonderful adventure!

Let’s start off with the good stuff.
This story was pretty original in my opinion. Although it’s the classic good vs evil it’s a version I’ve never heard. It was very easy to listen to and lose yourself. Like most all good books I found myself not wanting to turn it off. Lots of great characters, and a few twists that will have you hanging on.
The narrator was great. His character voices were clear and distinctive. You could tell he did his homework and read the story before recording. His tones and influxes were spot on.

The bad. There were a few redundancies in the writing. Nothing horrible, but they were noticeable.
There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered. Like why is the main character and his brother and a few others so different from the other humans. I know there is a deeper back story and hopefully it’s explained in the next installment.

Overall I have it 5stars because the good was so much better than the bad and I’m banking on my questions being answered in the next volume.

Thanks

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.

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.

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.

World building epic fantasy

This book is multi faceted, it feels like a revenge saga in parts with elements of what I would now class as RPG classed characters.

It has a feeling of a full world with multiple stories and subsets that you could happily follow up on.
The author has created an entire world and shared a sliver of it here with you in the main characters story.

I truly enjoyed it and have listened to this multiple times in the time I have had it.
The narration is well executed and only serves to support and further immerse you into this story.

Pick it up for a wonderful and rich story that will keep you listening or turning page after page.

Promising start to a new series

This book wasn't from an author I was previously familiar with, so I was interested to see how well he would get this series started and on the whole it was fairly well done. At times it did almost feel like the author was putting together a fairly stereotypical team of adventurers for an rpg game with your range of tanks, melee dps, casters etc, but there was enough personality to them that this did not detract from the story.

The narrator did a good job of conveying the distinct personalities of the various characters and races in this book and nicely enhanced the overall story with the narration.

Overall, a good start to the series and I'll look out for subsequent, if for no other reason than to find out why the claymore is so deserving of top billing in the title of the book and series.

[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]