The Four Territories

The Dark Assassin, Book 1

By: Stevie Collier

Narrated by: Doug Tisdale Jr.

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

He was like a father to me...and I wanted to cut his throat.

In a world divided into four territories, each with their own unique sun, color, race, and culture, Esh is born and abandoned in the cruelest of all. The red territory of Reah. A land in which every day is an absolute struggle for survival.

One day, an elderly man discovers the boy mortally wounded on the side of the ash-filled streets and takes pity on him, a kindness unknown in the land of Reah. Then, using violent and unorthodox training, he teaches the boy the skills necessary to endure the harshness of the territory. Skills of a master assassin. Combat. Sorcery. Alchemy.

All is going well until a dark and forgotten energy finds its way into young Esh's body. Wreaking havoc on his mind, it threatens to drag his spirit into darkness.

If Esh doesn't use all his mental and physical strength to combat the ancient energy then he will surely be destroyed.

This book is for you if you love:

• Action Packed Sword and Sorcery Books
• Dark Fantasy books about Greatsword wielding Assassins
• The use of Alchemy
• Exotic and Wondrous New Worlds
• A Parasitic Evil Energy that will stop at nothing to control its host.

©2017 Stevie Collier (P)2017 Stevie Collier

Not what I expected in all the right ways

Would you listen to The Four Territories again? Why?

Absolutely, this fantasy series had just the right mix of humor and excitement. A journey that I could take again and enjoy just as much.

What other book might you compare The Four Territories to and why?

Although I don’t like to compare one book to another to answer the question I would say jack of thieves by Ben hale. 4t is purely a good story with twists turns and runs through all the emotions with out having to force it. You care about the characters and what’s going on with them.

What does Doug Tisdale Jr. bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The tones and voices Doug uses gives the characters life. After reading the book and getting to know the characters some the voices that go along with them are spot on and really set you up for a good story.

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

Completely. One thing that drives me crazy in fantasy stories is how they jump around from characters to scenes and different places, however 4t kept on through its plot keeping me suspenseful without having to put a chapter in between cliffhangers.

Any additional comments?

When I got 4t I was ready for another fantasy book to get me through the day, but I got so much more. I actually care about what happens to Esh and cannot wait to find out where his adventures take him. There were parts a actually laughed out loud while having ear buds in. Slightly embarrassing in public but completely worth it.

Great

It was a great book , i’m glad I got a chance
to listen every aspect was wonderful
Thank you
Terri

ok book

it was hard to finish because of the way the guy reads it. I hope the author finds someone better in the future.

pretty much a mess

the story was amusin enough, though it wasnt particularly interesting, but the ending is paramount and the ending was fucking ruuuuuushed.

pretty much the whole book has been cruising at a nice pace until that point. its hard to explain, but just imagine cruising along in a car until youre suddenly in the ditch in a rolling car. seriously, its that abrupt.

Despite that, the book does have a few good moments. The Blue girl has a good personality, and I love the Purple guy. The Red comic relief is okay, but he hardly has any important moments in the book. Finally, the main character...

I have a policy with books I get. No. Assassin. Protagonists.

If there is an assassin protagonist, ESPECIALLY if its a female, you can practically guarantee the book is going to be low quality, derivitive, and there's gonna be a rushed or underdevolped or completely lacking redemption arc while they deal with their edgy feeeeeelings.

This book was okay, and there is only one reason for that. We were there for the assassin training, both before and after. Most authors just use assassins as a way to give their character's Mary Sueish stealth and combat abilities with the minimum amount of explaination.

So that's okay, but there are a few other contradictions with the book, like how members of the assassin order form a guerilla force to kill an army in a flashback, and then bury the dead because of their beliefs. Yet later in the book, the order is stated to be mercenary and assassins dont waste time burying the dead.

I will admit that the territories created by the author is at least interesting. In particular, I
enjoyed the Purple one, and watching the Purple guy gross out other characters is almost worth the price of admission itself.

And now I am just going to trail off because I need to get to work...

Wonderfully fleshed out dark fantasy

In the Four Territories, the author successfully layers an action-packed story with likable characters while also creating a unique fantasy world without ever losing your interest. He weaves it all together without sacrificing the pacing of the plot or overloading you with unnecessary details, and still he manages to wonderfully flesh out this new world and include some most welcomed interest-piquing backstory. On top of all that, this audio narration is perfectly delivered with great intonation and articulation, which allows the listener to experience the story without distraction. Needless to say, the Four Territories will not disappoint and I will be looking forward to the sequel!

Very bad writing

Honestly I don’t really understand what this MC is supposed to be about. He is unwilling to kill someone who did him wrong but a month later he kills and mutilates someone else. He despises slavery and senseless killing of people then basically gets a woman killed and doesn’t care because she doesn’t actively try to save people. I can understand a naive MC and I can understand one that is willing to do literally anything even if it’s morally reprehensible but an MC that is constantly going back and forth on their own core values is ridiculous.

fun

first off I love the main character's hair its my favorite color. the world is amazing and feels fully fleshed out. im trying not to give spoilers but the arena wan one of my favorite parts. it took some balls on our assassin to pull that off.

JarJar Binks as a narrator 😑

I am just beginning this story and I am intrigued. I get it’s geared towards a younger, less judgmental audience and it’s still entertaining. My main problem is that the narrator reads it in a voice that somehow makes it seem as though he is smiling or laughing the entire time. It is incredibly distracting. I want a narrator whose voice can pull me into the world and allow each character the dignity they deserve. This narrator keeps distracting me away from the story by his cadence and smarmy accentuation of characters that obviously should be better respected vocally. It’s like the equivalent of a JarJar Binks reading the LOTR; you never would be able to fully appreciate the story. I might have to just go read it myself-a shame since I have just bought two of these to listen to.

can't believe I wasted my money on this drivel

the whole premise was a wash not enough development and to much because the author said so

Some potential here

I felt the first half of the book was a bit disorganized. We follow the growth of Esh, but the story just sits there the entire time. There's nothing to look forward to in the next chapter. The story doesn't really start until he enters the tournament and meets the blue princess.

The writing annoyed me - too many unnecessary sophomoric jokes and the forced terminology (substituting "day" for "sun-cycle"). It adds nothing to the story except some confusion. Save the complexities for the plots and characters.

I understand how/why some listeners did not like the narrator as his voice can grind on people's ears, but I thought he did a fantastic job of distinguishing the different characters. Conversations were super easy to follow, and he conveyed the emotions pretty well.


Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for this honest review.