• The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches

  • By: Robert Stanek
  • Narrated by: uncredited
  • Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
  • 3.1 out of 5 stars (1,119 ratings)

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The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches  By  cover art

The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches

By: Robert Stanek
Narrated by: uncredited
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Publisher's summary

After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man, or device, shall be cleansed to dust. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond. The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness, a path that required the union of the divided peoples. And so it began.
Listen to more books in The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches series.
©2002 Robert Stanek (P)2005 Reagent Press

Critic reviews

"[A] complex tale...sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike....Stanek will likely draw a cult following....This cliffhanger guarantees fans, and those fans will be ready to wield their swords against the Dark Lord in Stanek's next installment." (Voice of Youth Advocates)

What listeners say about The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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Performance
  • 2.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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Story
  • 2.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

No Wonder it Was a Top BookSense 76 Pick!

Writers like JK Rowling may get all the ink in the press but there are very few writers of Stanek's caliber. The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches is a wholly engaging story, filled with delightful characters. This book gets everything going and sets up the story beautifully for the sequel The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches II.

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300 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Kingdoms and the Elves - book one

This is the start of something special! I've always loved epic fantasy especially when the story is well done. The author not only paints a visual picture, he transports you into another world where the characters are cut from whole cloth and the world is deeply imagined.

There are good books and then there are great books. The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches is definitely a great book. As others have said though this is only the beginning. I would highly suggest getting both the first and the second books before listening. That way you can keep going when the first book ends, and you'll definitely want to.

The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches is four books in all. I can only hope books three and four come to Audible soon. What I'm surprised no one has said in reviews is about how each book gets better. Having read all four first, I can tell you without doubt books three and four are incredible. To understand what happens in the later books you really do need to start at the beginning though (book one).

Over all these books are outstanding. Well worth the price and time. The narrative is very good. I can't wait for the next one.

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210 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent -- one of the best!

I don't usually like fantasy so I was a bit skeptical about this book. My teens wanted it so much I gave in. Apparently they've read all the author's books in paperback and wanted to see how the story would be to listen to.

I agree with the previous reviewers of this book about this being only the beginning of a much larger story. I think someone else said Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was very much the same. Make no mistake, like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Fellowship of the Ring, this is very much an introduction to the fantasy world of the authors imagining.

What I liked about it, and I don't normally like fantasy, is the believability of the storylines and how well drawn the characters are. Each character has a background, a history, wants, needs, desires. If you have no feeling in you whatsoever I guess I could see how you wouldn't like this book. Adrina pull's on your heart strings because she is in so much pain over the loss of her mother. Vilmos experiences much adolescent angst. Poor Seth and Galan get the worst luck of all.

I think this book owns all five stars easily. It's well written with a great story and a good reader who does a good job of telling it.

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182 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Worthy of the high praise

When a book wins as many awards and accolades as this one has, you know it's pretty good, and it is. The reading is superb, with spot on voicing of the characters and the narrative. The author's recent television appears aside, the book is certainly worthy of the high enthusiasm and high praise.

Having read all the novels previously with my sons I can honestly say The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches is one of the best things going. Each book in the series is better than the one before. My favorite of all is the fourth. Don't start if you don't plan on listening to them all, because you won't be able to stop. If you start, you have Edward Tallyback, Erravane Queen of the Wolmerrelle, King's Mate, kingdom trios, the elf queen, king cats, eagle lords, a dragon king, and more to look forward to.

Certainly one of the most richly imagined novels I'm come across in all my years of reading.

Timothy D.
Simon & Schuster
New York, New York

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59 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This adult is VERY impressed!

Very impressed with these wonderful books. Taken as a whole, The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches is one of the best and most well-written series I have ever came by. The many awards this book has won say it all! A fantastic beginning to an impressive series.

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52 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

EXCELLENT!!!

This is an absolutely wonderful book. The story and the characters are very interesting. The narrator does an excellent job. This is an excellent choice for children and adults.

However, this is only the beginning to the story. Here we meet all the characters, learn about their lives and the terrible change coming to their world. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover.

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The best we've listened to

We thoroughly enjoyed this book. The rich details, the sweeping story, the terrific characters -- it's all great. The narrator is very good. I was so sorry it ended that I got the 2nd right away. The 2nd is definitely amazing as well, a better story in many ways.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An epic tale with intrigue, mystery and wonder

Now this is what Audible listening is all about. I found the setting fascinating and the characters lingered in my mind between listenings and even long after the story ended. After listening to this, I got the 2nd. I cannot wait to listen to the 3rd and 4th. If you like fantasy or mystery or a good story, then this one is for you.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book!

How to describe this book? This book gets the whole series going and set up the story wonderfully for everything that follows in books 2, 3 and 4. This is an extremely engaging story with an interweaving of mystery, adventure, and fantasy.

Almost from the minute the story started I was captivated. In some ways this is the story of the Alder family(King Andrew, his daughter Adrina, his son Valam) and their struggle to keep the kingdom from sinking into war. In other ways it is a story of a great evil returning to the world and the people who set out to stop it. There are many mysteries to solve as well, which makes for a better story.

These books are outstanding, and well worth the time. The reading is excellent as well. I would recommend getting the 1st and 2nd book because of how the story continues from one to the next. The final two are the best, in my opinion, but you have to read the first two to understand them.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun enjoyable listen

I'd seen this book in the bookstore a bunch of times, and been extremely interested, but just never got around to buying it. I got a gift card for an audible credit from my wife, and I saw this and downloaded it. I was hooked from the first minute. Not only is this a great book for pretty much all ages, the performance is probably the best I have heard.

The narrator does such a good job that I forgot to miss having the actual book in front of me. I've listened to a ton of audio books, because my wife is a big fan of them, but this is easily the best narration that I have heard. Just wait till you hear the wolm in the second book, Edward the troant in the first book, and the dragon king in the fourth book, and you'll know exactly why. Normally, I get bored listening to audiobooks because the readers don't speak near as fast as I can read, and I've found that readers tend to limit my imagination's involvement. Not so with this book. Bravo on the narration!

The book itself is also a fantastic experience, especially for a first in a series. The characters are well fleshed out, and despite some predictability, the book kept me very hooked. I couldn't wait to get the second, third and fourth books.

In conclusion, this is a thoroughly enjoyable audiobook, and it has really changed my mind about the whole media group. Don't stop with the first one, you have to go on to the second one and the rest to get the whole experience.

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32 people found this helpful