The Four-Part Key

The Aldoran Chronicles, Book 3

By: Michael Wisehart

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Length: 35 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

An ancient proverb holds the key to restoring the long-awaited wizard fortress of Aero’set. 

Ty

Sitting in the front room of his family’s cottage, Ty listens intently as Nyalis conveys the urgency of his upcoming quest. Having agreed to search out the four missing pieces of an age-old relic, Ty soon discovers how unprepared he is for a mission of this importance. Not only must he find the missing pieces and assemble them, he must survive long enough to figure out how to use them before the White Tower closes in.

Ferrin

Desperate to reach Rhowynn ahead of Chief Inquisitor Sylas, Ferrin pushes his small band of convicts to their limits - his twin sister’s life depends on it. On foot, they fight their way through the harsh winter countryside of Sidara, hoping to find someone willing to help. But the help they find is not what they expect, and the battle that ensues will likely mean the end of them all.

Ayrion

Still struggling with the loss of his memories, Ayrion and his companions travel north, eager to find a safe haven in the rugged mountain community of Wellhollow. Instead, they find an army of Black Watch purging the town of wielders. And,, when a local seer reveals a disturbing prophecy that directly links his fate to hers, Ayrion finds himself donning his black leather coat and twin blades once again. 

Adarra

Meanwhile, in Easthaven, Adarra makes a shocking discovery. Not only were the Tallosians who attacked her home part of Mangora’s scheme, but it seems they are also part of a much larger invasion—an invasion Easthaven isn’t prepared to withstand. 

The third book in this award-winning epic fantasy saga continues where the second left off, with a world in desperate need of saving as powers beyond their control threaten to bring the Five Kingdoms to its knees. 

Please Note: If you have not yet listened to the Aldoran Chronicles prequel, entitled Shackled, or the first book in the Street Rats of Aramoor series, entitled Street Rats of Aramoor Volume 1 & 2, you need to put this book down and listen to them. The characters and storyline in those books play a very important role in this third addition to The Aldoran Chronicles.

©2021 Michael Wisehart (P)2021 Podium Audio

A long slog

First, Michael Wisehart writing skills are still top tier level, imo. With that stated, book 3 was a challenge to finish. The author decided to split the story up into 4 to 5 major plot-arcs, each disassociated with the other except being on-the-run from the White Tower inquisitors,magic wielders and soldiers. A few of the plot-arcs came together at the end but then there was a rush to explain each other about who they were, their travails and their talents. There was also entirely too much environment building and repetitive battles where neither side decisively wins and eventually come to battle again.

This book would have been much easier listening to if the author would have shortened it by half and moved the story more decisively forward at a quicker pace.

Tim Gerard Reynolds performance was quite good, especially considering the plethora of different characters he was mimicking but, alas, too long is still too long, even for a narrator with his well-earned skills.

Great installment

I like the series. This, in all, was one of the best. It meanders a bit. By the time you get to the end, you may wonder why some chapters were included. IMO, some seemed to have absolutely no connection to the events that led to the end, or the final event itself.

Also, Ty meets a Princess during his adventures, and...well, personally, I didn't like how she was written into the story. Her choices and dialogue were...I very nearly stopped reading.

Otherwise, it was a great book.

FANTASTIC FANTASY 100 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s

The first book I read by Michael Wisehart was Banished and I was hooked, then Hurricane and Rockslide, I am so glad I did as the stories lead into the Aldoran Chronicles.
These books are total page turner The Author make a world of fantasy and magic seem real in the reader’s mind. Michael Wisehart is truly one of the greats. His stories will be appreciated for generations to come
I highly recommend reading or listing to the books in order, from Street Rats of Aldoran through the Aldoran Chronicles for maximum enjoyment. You can’t go wrong with this author.
Can’t wait for this story to continue. If you love fantasy and adventure, don't miss these book or any in the series. Definitely a must reads!!!!!!

Epic

This has jumped in as my new favorite book on here . Book one was good , the second was great and this one was even better . I need another one .

Way too long

The pace of the various stories is slow, plodding; lots of prose where nothing really happened. And for the stuff that happens, it's very similar to what happened before. Ferrin, in particular, is caught in a Groundhog Day where he runs into White Cloaks over and over again. We could do with less of Ferrin's story because he's not very interesting.

Ty's story should be more interesting than it is; where the author fails is by making Ty so timid, endlessly and repeatedly describing how terrified he is, which gets old. He should have shown some more growth by now. And he demonstrates an irritating characteristic of teenagers on a hero's journey: he seems to have no real interest in his magic and doesn't practice with it. He uses it only in great need and with some reluctance. I guess that ratchets up the tension in the story, but that makes it a plot device.

I frankly don't see how the author can bring this series to a close, given how slowly the plot moves along. I may have to pass on the next in the series.

A solid addition!

👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 installment. a couple repeats from the narrator and that's being very very picky. the story added a few dynamics that were not fleshed out well. Felt like the author needed to add for next trilogy in the land of in-between. I hope so as then some things would make more sense. I see this end adding a lot of potentials while being a great listen.

Great!

Fun adventures of all the fronts. Great ending with opening fir next book. Keep the books coming. Narrator Tim always awesome.

Oh wow! So good!

There’s so much to say about this book. I finished it way too fast as I have no idea when the next book will be out!!! 😭😭 I hate when I do this, but Mr. Wisehart’s books have a way of pulling you in.

It’s hard to write a review without spoiling plot lines, but I finally got part of what I was wanting to happen! There’s a lot of characters, but they get pulled together nicely and it’s good to see most of it come together.

TGR does an amazing job narrating—as usual. The book is safe for most families, meaning no cussing or innuendo. However, there are people getting chewed on, beheaded, eviscerated, etc. If you’ve gotten this far into the series, that’s nothing new.

Overall, I’m dying to know when the next book is coming out! The book doesn’t end on a true cliffhanger, but kinda does in a way. You’ll see when you get there! Definitely worth the listen.

epic

I love the storyline and overall fictional universe, but I wish the next book would be released sooner.

Such a disappointment for a promising series

Feels like an entire book of filler. Struggling to get through despite loving the prior books.

Great

Easy to pick up , not as complex as say Sanderson or as brutal as abacrombie but a great series so far ❤️

Fun & enjoyable

Although, at some points the dialogue became a bit puerile ( where I couldn't believe a character was so stupid ). Nevertheless it was a good story, and moved space. Will I buy the next part? Probably.

A great escape from reality!

Really enjoyed this book. Enjoyed the series.
A great read.
Is there more to come?

captivating

really good book whit good twist and turns.
jumping betvile character really smotley .
i strongly recommend it

Brilliant read

Love the series so far, relieved that all the good characters had escaped so I can wait for the next audio book to be released with a semblance of patience

Narration excellent, book ok.

It’s a nice enough story - and I’ve listened to the previous ones and the short story - but it gets a little predictable, although it does have some minor twists and turns. Characters all likeable, plot generally logical - my main gripe is that the ever-excellent Tim Gerard Reynolds makes the baddies so bad they raise my blood pressure and make me turn off. He’s better than the book probably reads. Good book to listen to while you’re doing the commute or (in my case) the school run.

Long story without a proper ending

Overall, I mainly enjoyed listening to this book because of the great narration. The story itself… nice enough tale, but it was dragged out way too long (especially with Ferrin’s constant recapture). Also, I had been waiting for the main story plots to be joined ever since book one, but it only happened at a veeery late point. And then, suddenly, ... the end. So many questions remain unanswered. Does Ferrin ever get around to meeting his former cell mate’s son? How does Ty get rid of his princess again? What happened to Mangora? Etc, etc… rather disappoint end.