The Drowned Vault

Ashtown Burials #2

By: N. D. Wilson

Narrated by: Thomas Vincent Kelly

It's been almost a year since Cyrus and Antigone Smith earned their places as Journeymen at Ashtown, home of an ancient order of explorers that has long guarded the world's secrets and treasures. While their studies go well, Cy and Tigs are not well liked since losing the Dragon's Tooth to the nefarious Dr. Phoenix. The Tooth is the only object in the world capable of killing the long-lived transmortals, and Phoenix has been tracking them down one-by-one, and murdering them.

The surviving transmortals, led by legendary warrior Gilgamesh of Uruk, descend on Ashtown in force, demanding justice. Cy and Tigs find themselves on the run in a desperate search to locate Phoenix and regain the Tooth. In the process, they uncover an evil even more dangerous than Phoenix, one that has been waiting for centuries to emerge.

The second book of N.D. Wilson's Ashtown Burials series delivers all the adventure, excitement, and suspense of the first—and more!

Critic reviews

School Library Journal, October 2012:
"This action-packed sequel to The Dragon's Tooth (Random, 2011) promises--­and delivers­--as much magic, mystery, and mythology as its predecessor. Thanks to Cyrus and Antigone Smith, Dr. Phoenix now possesses the Dragon's Tooth--­and he's been using it to hunt and kill immortals worldwide. Phoenix has a dark agenda, but an evil alliance of immortals, Ordo Draconis, also seeks the tooth's power. Worse, the Ordos have a centuries-old vendetta against the Smith family. Circumstances within the Order of Brendan are already shaky when fearful immortals, led by Gilgamesh of Uruk, storm Ashtown, demanding Smith blood. The siblings narrowly escape. To help retrieve the tooth, they recruit the infamous immortal, Captain John Smith. Cyrus has a plan, but will it work? Characters are well drawn, and the story's many interwoven plotlines, although complex, are easy to follow. This absorbing guy-friendly adventure will appeal to fans of Michael Scott and Rick Riordan.­"

Booklist, September 15, 2012:
"Cyrus and Antigone Smith have a lot of problems. Their mother is still unresponsive in the hospital. The Ordo Draconis was stopped the last time out by their ancestor, Captain John Smith, but the cabal seems intent on rising to power again. The siblings should be training to become explorers, but there isn’t enough time. The leadership of the Order of Brendan is changing, and the transmortals--like Gilgamesh of Uruk--want revenge on Cyrus because he inadvertently put the Tooth of the Dragon into the hands of Dr. Phoenix. It’s no wonder the Smiths are on the run with the other Polygoners. They must fight their way through physical and emotional torture as they seek to release Captain Smith and stop Phoenix. Beginning where The Dragon’s Tooth (2011) left off, Wilson’s second installment is fast-paced and creatively plotted. New characters, such as Arache and her spiders and a mysterious red-winged blackbird, add complexity in relationships and prevent the story line from feeling contrived. In exploring the idea of what
it means to be truly alive, this novel will take your breath away."

Great book by a Christian author

Great series just finished relistening to them all rereading the news papers too. Top ten favorite books number 7

Raucous Adventure

Loved every minute of this fun and exciting adventure. Mystery and humor abound. This whole series is great. It would be great to read the next one.

Fantastic!

This is a new favorite author for our house. Well written and incredibly creative. How often do you get to say, "There is nothing else quite like it." I am so glad that the publisher/author chose a wonderful narrator. We will look for more read by Thomas Vincent Kelly. Well done!

great story is ruined by TERRIBLE narration

This is a great series, not just for young readers, and it is a total shame that such a poor narrator was given this book. It is truly awful, one of the worst I have heard. Speeding it up a bit helps but only a little. This series is totally worth reading so if the audio version is your first and only experience with it, do yourself a favor and get the physical book. I want something that I can listen to but not really have to pay attention to so I'm keeping this book in my Audible library . . . still, if only this had been read by someone with more skill and nuance, it could have been such a great listen.

So good!

My kids (9, 11, and 15) and I are just loving this series. Exciting story, well developed characters and the narrator is amazing! So many interesting characters from real or mythical history brought to life. As fans of history and epic fantasy adventures we are really enjoying hearing the author's interpretation of Gilgamesh, John Smith, and the Vlad brothers. Thomas Vincent Kelly does an incredible job with an extensive cast of characters ranging from young girls to ancient transmortals, with a wide range of accents. My 9 year old son is totally enthralled by the series, and doesn't mind the violence, but he's been listening to The Lord Of The Ring and the Redwall series for years now. I think 12 would be a good age to start this series, and I'm sure most adult fans of fantasy would really enjoy it.