The Cycle of Arawn

The Complete Trilogy

By: Edward W. Robertson

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

The White Tree (book one): In Mallon, the dark magic of the nether has been banned for centuries. Its users have been driven out or killed. Its secrets lost.

But the holy book of the nethermancers has just been found by a boy named Dante.

As he works to unlock the book's power, he's attacked in the street. The nethermancers aren't gone—and they want their book back. Caught between death cultists and the law, Dante fights for his life, aided by his growing skills and a brash bodyguard named Blays. Together they're drawn into a centuries-old conflict that brings Mallon to the brink of civil war.

Surviving won't be easy. But if they make it out alive, they'll step down the path to becoming two of the greatest warriors the world has ever known.

The Great Rift (book two): Dante and Blays have averted war against their new home of Narashtovik. But they didn't do so alone. It's time to repay their debts.

The norren who helped them remain enslaved by the Gaskan Empire. While arming the norren clans for rebellion, Dante hears one of them is in possession of the legendary Quivering Bow. If he can track down the weapon, it could secure norren independence.

But the wheels of war have already begun to turn. As Gask moves to crush the rebellion, Dante and Blays find themselves at the head of a campaign for survival—for norren and Narashtovik alike.

The Black Star (book three): Narashtovik has been saved—but Dante and Blays' friendship has been destroyed.

Blaming the Gaskan king for the loss of his love, Lira, Blays infiltrates the enemy nobility. There he schemes to bankrupt Gask and drive its ruler from the throne. But Dante's been waiting for Blays' return. If he finds and exposes him, Blays will be executed as a spy.

As they squabble, strange lights shine in the east. Harbingers of a long-forgotten threat. If the signs go ignored, Narashtovik will be annihilated by an enemy it never knew it had.

©2012 Edward W. Robertson (P)2015 Podium Publishing

65 hours of awsome for 1 credit

Would you consider the audio edition of The Cycle of Arawn to be better than the print version?

yes, Tim Gerard Reynolds voice will forever be Dante and Blaze

Have you listened to any of Tim Gerard Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

he did as good on this as he did on The Riyria Chronicles, one of the best fantasy stories I've ever listened too on audible.

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

dark fantasy with a side of snarky humor

Any additional comments?

if you've read The Riyria Chronicles, and loved it, you'll like this slightly darker world with two similar pals. Dante and Blaze are a lot of fun to listen too as they go back and fourth with each other and the others around them. your crazy not to spend one credit on 65 hours of fun entertainment.

Enjoyable but a little meandering

Unlike most fantasy series, the three books don't all work toward one major event or conclusion. Instead, they all have their own particular plot and climax. I enjoyed the books and the characters but it wasn't the best fantasy I've ever read. Sometime the books meander and other times the plot is a bit jumpy. Overall worth the listen for sure. I also LOVE Tim Gerard Reynolds as a narrator. He does an excellent job as usual.

Patience is a virtue

Basic fact is this book is 66 hours long. If you're not prepared to put in the time or tend to let your attention drift in and out while listening, then try something shorter.
The story has a lot of parallels with other books but has enough apart from these to have it's own unique feel and atmosphere.
There are plenty of interesting, fun characters and I have bookmarked numerous locations throughout where the dialogue is excellent.
Character development however is somewhat limited. This doesn't really affect the story though as the pace (slow in parts) is driven by events rather than people.
All in all, it is interesting, humorous and worth it when you get 3 books for one credit.

Super Goth Magic

What other book might you compare The Cycle of Arawn to and why?

In another review someone compared these books to the heel of Time series and that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Cycle of Arawn has nothing in common with WoT and, in fact, is a very original story. The characters are unique and interesting. The magic system is fresh and cool. The story is a little recycled (no pun intended) but the author does a wonderful job of making it feel brand new. I can't really think of a series that I would compare the Cycle to.

Any additional comments?

I thought this series was super fun and totally cool. As I mentioned before the magi system is super rad and wicked goth. I love the whole wide of blood powered shadow magic. The characters are well written and develop over time. There is a surprising amount of humor in all three books which made them that much more fun to read. I highly recommend thiss series and to get all three book for only one credit is one hell of a deal!!! Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!!!

fantastic.

This was a fantastic story and a wonderful performance. I really just wish it wasn't over...

Excellent Books!

Where does The Cycle of Arawn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Cycle of Arawn trilogy ranks in the top 5% of the hundreds of audiobooks that I have listened to so far.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Cycle of Arawn?

There are many to choose from, and I won't spoil a good read by divulging plot points that may ruin the experience for those who haven't read the books.

What about Tim Gerard Reynolds’s performance did you like?

Reynolds does an excellent job of differentiating characters' voices with different pitch, cadence, and accents. It helps the listener track the conversations better. You'll be laughing at the witty banter before he gets to the "Dantes said" or "Blays said" part of the sentence.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, if you happen to be like me. I like to savor conversations, think about the plot, and fill in the small details that necessarily had to hinted at in order for the story to progress without adding another 65 hours. This is a fairly long listen, but it is worth it. Don't eat it all up in one sitting or you will have a stomach ache. Or a bad headache caused by sleep deprivation!

Any additional comments?

This was a great listen. I enjoy lengthy books. The characters are fleshed out in broad strokes at first, and details slowly develop on their own. The banter is always witty, and the construction of the sentences is awesome! I found myself laughing many, many times. The plot develops into an arc that can be appreciated once the reader reaches the end and looks backward. I am going to check out other Robertson books while I wait for the next Sanderson book to become available.

Couldn't Stop Listening!

This is by far one of my favorite trilogies to date. It took a little while to start going, but once it did; I found myself pushing other tasks aside just to listen to these books.

completely underrated

I bought the series not expecting much because who gives 3 books for 1 credit. man I was wrong. loved it amd picked up the next in the series!

I will listen to this again

It's like all my favorite (insert Sanderson, Goodkind, Jordan....) novel meets Douglas Adams and then spends the next 70 hours telling you about it. So much fun to listen to.

Great Characters, Bad story.

I have very mixed feelings about this series. The characters are excellent. I cared about all of them and they are well written and believable (outside the romance parts). Most of them are quite similar in personality though. The only thing keeping me listening was the character interactions not what they were doing. The story however is not nearly as good. Most conflicts end in unsatisfying ways and by the end of the 65 hours It felt like nothing really got accomplished. Mostly because there wasn't really a reason for what the people were doing. It just felt like things were happening, but I guess that's like real life.

The narrator was very good, he also kept me going. If I was just reading this I don't know if I would have made it through.