The Immortals

Shadows & Starstone, Book 1

By: Cheryl S. Mackey

Narrated by: Rodney Peel

Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Their gods betrayed them and turned them into warriors against their will. Now, the Immortals must do everything they can to stop a 15,000-year long war.

Immortals Ivo, Jaeger, Jadeth, and Emaranthe are tasked by the Unknown Sun to protect a desert village to keep its secret. Their mines hide starstone - the power source used to create the great portals that can transport entire armies across the lands.

The Dro-Aconi and his tainted horde of zombies, demons, and dark mages will stop at nothing to get it.

Welcome to Ein-Aral...where nothing is as it seems.

©2014 Cheryl S. Mackey (P)2020 Cheryl S. Mackey

Great Opening Story

Cheryl S Mackey has created a universe where humans were made into immortal beings, who are asked to fight for their world against armies of the undead. This is the first part of a new series and after hearing book one, I'm very interested in finding out what happens in the rest of the series. Rodney Peel's narration is good. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

An interesting thought on immortality

Narrator: pleasant voice, differentiations could be better
Language: bitch
Violence: battles with zombies, charring flesh, skeletons
Sexual content: attention is paid to physiques, described “budding breasts”
Parents: ideation of death is a major theme but makes sense given the nature of the characters immortality. Dungeons and Dragons type battles and characters, I would advise readers be at least 16.
Story: the story is slow yet passes quickly, this is primarily a set-up type of novel so I’m more forgiving of the choppiness and lack of clarity in favor of reading the sequel.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A great short story

This was a pretty good short story. The author did a great job with the characters & an interesting story.

A great start to The Immortals series!

Cheryl S. Mackey does a great job with The Immortals. This novella-length part one sets the stage for the entire series. Character development and relationships take center stage while the world depth takes a back seat. The world is better developed as the story moves on but is lacking in the first half. That said, there is a lot of setup for the rest of the series and it's looking promising. I look forward to book 2! Audio Version: Rodney Peel does a great job with the narration and brings each character to life in their own way.

Fantastic book!

This book was fantastic. It has new twists on some old ideas of fantasy fiction, but the characters are the best part. Seeing their insecurities, their wishes, and their struggles as well as their power and strength truly brings them to life.
Before I even finished the story, I had decided I really want to read book two!

The audio is excellent, it was so well read I could easily listen at 1.7 speed. Often I am forced to listen at 1.25-5, but the tone, enunciation, and volume in this performance are awesome.

A great beginning

Four immortals are tasked with defending a village and the mines of starstone. Details emerge as to who or what is behind the attacks.

Cheryl S. Mackey has built a very detailed world and storyline. We are left with an insight of what it to come in the next book, and I’m hooked. I’m looking forward to continuing on.

I really enjoyed Rodney Peel’s narration. He performed with so much feeling.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Great Short Listen

I really enjoyed this short listen. The narrator was spot on and the story was a different one from what I usually read/listen to. There are zombies, elves, necromancers and gods all the fun things. The story is well written and you kind of feel sorry for the immortals because they live forever. They all lost something when they became immortal, but one of them still remains a mystery. The narrator did a good job with the change in pitch for each character. I look forward to the other books that will come after this one.
I received this audiobook from StoryOrigin for free, for an honest review.

Incredible Tale

Wow. I can tell this is going to be one incredible series! It has a unique plot with “the Immortals” who come to earth to help fight a battle against evil. The ideas, plot, and dialogue were very well developed and kept me intrigued throughout the story. Although it is a saga involving a journey, it did not disappoint or seem closely related to other such tales. The narration of the audiobook was excellent. I would highly recommend this series to anyone.

A Great Introduction to the Storyverse!

This book dives right into the story and builds up the actions quickly. This story and setup is not what I expected but the twists and turns in a shorter story like this easily draws me in. The magical backdrop is wonderful and it gives a great image of the world everyone is in for this story. I honestly cannot wait until I read more of the series!

Beginning of great series!

Liked the opening - jumped into the main setting, and provided background via look-backs. Also, the major conflict was suspenseful and well defined to a realistic conclusion (setting the stage for more character discoveries).
Was slow moving at times, and tended to over-emphasize the same emotional feelings of the 2 key characters for each other.
The author has created an interesting world and story line - looking forward to next book in the series!