The Falcon Throne

By: Karen Miller

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 35 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

When kingdoms clash, every crown will be tarnished by the bloody price of ambition.

A royal widow plots to win her daughter's freedom from the ambitious lords who would control them both. An orphaned prince sets his eyes on regaining his father's stolen throne. And two brothers, divided by ambition, will learn that the greater the power, the more dangerous the game.

A masterful tale of the thirst for power and the cost of betrayal. Epic fantasy at its bloodiest, action-packed best.

©2014 Karen Miller (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Well-constructed fantasy.... This is a dark fantasy that should appeal to fans of Game of Thrones." (RT Book Reviews on The Falcon Throne)

Enjoyable, dark epic tale

Would you consider the audio edition of The Falcon Throne to be better than the print version?

N/A

What other book might you compare The Falcon Throne to and why?

Other epic fantasy works by Miller (but not her lighter, funny "alter-ego" K. E. Mills), Joe Abercrombie, Richard K. Morgan, K.J. Parker, Scott Lynch, and yes, George R. R. Martin. And in a good way!

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator was okay with morally "good" characters, but I agree with someone's line that he made all the villains sound like evil cartoon characters. I wish I had read it instead. But if he scales that nasally-villain voice back for the next book, he'd be fine.

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

The anti-Jane Austen story-- do not marry. Under any circumstance.

Any additional comments?

Too many reviewers are claiming this to be a "Game of Thrones" rip-off, but I guess have never read any of Miller's earlier series like Kingmaker, Kingbreaker or "Empress." All her epic fantasy is dark and grim, and her world-building is wonderful. Yes, "The Falcon Throne" has the same pseudo-medieval feel as "GoT" and other epic fantasy, but the story (which kept me listening almost non-stop despite the narrator) varies enough between different characters that I enjoyed it a lot. If you're a fan of this genre like me, I can recommend "The Falcon Throne" highly.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Karen goes straight for your feelings

I am a huge fan of Karen Miller, so when I saw this book I immediately used a credit. The narrator grows on you after a chapter or two, and my only complaint with him would be that some of the characters sound so much alike that it was almost comical when they were conversing with one another. Like all of her books, be prepared to have all of your emotions trampled on. her tendency to put her heroes through absolute hell almost drives you crazy, but hungry for more. I cannot wait for book 2 so I can devour it as well

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

An Awesome Audio Adventure

I had started reading the hardcover edition from my library and realized it should lend itself well to the audio format, after which I purchased the audio version from Audible and thoroughly enjoyed it. The reader, whom I believe I had heard on a number of other, unrelated books, gave a tremendous performance, giving each character a special, unique voice. It took many car rides to finally finish the book, and I look forward to more once the next work in the series emerges.

Some reviewers complain that it's not _Game of Thrones_, but, having read those books in print, that is OK by me. This story is similar in some ways but does not give me the impression that I came in late. Rather, I felt that I was in on the ground floor with this series and found it so much easier to keep the story straight and to follow it.

As pointed out by at least one other reviewer, a lot of the characters are unlikable, but I prefer to see them as imperfect, which makes them more realistic. Unlikable or not, the characters had motives which were clearly explained and usually had some redeeming features even if they were pretty much evil. The book ends with a few of the main characters finally together in an odd predicament and without having revealed too many aspects of what appears to be an overarching, vast scheme, the details of which I am sure will be coming in the sequels.

Bravo, Karen Miller! I eagerly await the next book, and please make sure there is an audio version with the same reader.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

wish I could get my credit back for this one.....

The narrators performance was wonderful the story was halfway decent but it seems a waste of time in the end. The story ends poorly and seems a bit rushed. As I stated above the whole book in the end seems pointless. I wish I could get my credit refunded . if you like soap operas similar to the game of thrones then this might be for you, but if you like the Lord of the Rings style story's avoid this one like the plague.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Tragedy and Murder

This book began with high hopes. It was labeled as Science Fiction/Fantasy but was more like 'Dictator in Training'. I didn't like the characters. They ranged from either too evil or too wishy washy. Only the bad guys stood up for things while even the tiny babies were left with nothing. It might have been better if she'd finished the entire story in one reading. The Magic was non existent & what little it had was cruel & disgusting to even consider, think of the Babies again... poor babies, children and horses. So I'll say it was okay, but it never got better as some books do towards the end.

I'll give the next book a go.

Engaging story. Could have left out half the profanity and had the same story though. interesting characters.

An interesting book

I certainly like the concept of the Free marches, but the whole thing seemed excessively dour to me. " audible 20 review sweepstakes entry"

A lesson in fustration.

What disappointed you about The Falcon Throne?

How incompetent the good guys were.

What could Karen Miller have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Karen could have put a little more spine into the main character.

Have you listened to any of Gildart Jackson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No i have not.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Don't be a Figgit

What about Gildart Jackson’s performance did you like?

Excellent narration and character voices!

Any additional comments?

This is my first read by this author and a good start to the series. Even though a print copy would be thick, this audiobook did not seem too long. I will look for more titles by Karen Miller .

Story is better than it sounds!

The narration of this book is let down by the way the dialogue is handled. The characters seem to be shouting at each other about 75% of the time and the voices used would be fine if they were in a fairy tale. Real human beings don't talk like that, however.
It's too bad for the author because the story is quite good and the review would have been much better if it wasn't for the distracting voices.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful