The Mercenary Code

The Shattering of Kingdoms, Book 1

By: Emmet Moss

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2020 Society of Voice Arts Award for Audiobook Narration - Fantasy.

Break the Code. Shatter the World.

Centuries ago, the murder of a beloved king tore apart the Kingdom of Caledun. The land was plunged into chaos and thousands perished in the aftermath. A new order was established in an attempt to return Caledun to its former glory. It failed, but in its place rose the beginnings of the Code.

During this same period, the mystical caretakers of the Great Wood retreated from the world of Kal Maran, their disappearance an ominous harbinger of the suffering that was to follow. The Great Wood now grows out of control. Cities, towns, and villages have fallen before the relentless march of the forest. Without the former guardians to keep her tame, the wood has become a place of peril, and dark creatures of legend now hunt beneath its leaves.

The summer season is now a time of armed conflict. The fall of the old monarchy has brought about a ceaseless cycle of combat. Grievances are settled by the strict tenets of a binding Mercenary Code and the men who would die to preserve its honour.

However, change is in the air. Political rivalries have escalated, and dire rumblings of a revolution abound. Thrust to the forefront of the shattered land's politics, a mercenary fights for more than just riches. In the north, a borderland soldier wrestles with his own demons and looks to find his true purpose. And in the shadow of the Great Wood, a young man's chance encounter with a strange visitor gives hope to a land divided.

©2019 Emmet Moss (P)2020 Podium Audio

Amazing

I absolutely loved this book it was well written and had many interesting stories. I loved the separate characters introduced into the story my fav has to be Captain Gaven and his company.

Slow starter, but intriguing

Story line extremely hard to follow for first half of book. But second half easier to follow and leaves you wanting to know what happens next

Good story

it's a good listen and I
would recommend for a long drive.
I liked it OK!!??

Frustrating that all the strong leads are male

Simon Vance reads well, and the story is enjoyable. Just heartily sick of having so many key strong roles being held by men in Fantasy. Yes, there are some with strong leads, but vastly outweighed by men. Also sick of a strong or important lead needing to be beautiful and so much emphasis on her looks. Emmett is not alone in this, but the complete lack of strong female characters made it harder for me to relate to the story.

Very Enjoyable

I've listened to many an epic fantasy series and so I say with confidence, this book is a fantastic start to a new series. Most of your typical fantasy races such as goblins, elves and dwarves are involved but to me it still felt new, interesting characters and great writing truly make this a worthwhile read!

Don't hesitate to get all four books

I don't have the time to write a review for each book, so I'll do it for all of them at once. I don't usually do reviews, but I couldn't let these books go by without praise. Book one starts slowly, but it takes time to build a solid foundation for a story, so be patient. By the third chapter, I was hooked. Charters were easy to like. You'd like to tag along to find out what happens next. All the characters seem to stand out and pull you into their part of the story. Mr. Moss did an excellent job of making the elf and dwarf races different than the traditional norm. They seemed natural and not so magical. The magic system was believable, and there were other answers to some problems.

The story moved along nicely through each book, and you never felt lost when you started the next book. They seemed to flow seamlessly forth. Sometimes the second or third book in a series can be slow in pulling you back into the story. Not so in this case; I loved every book.

Simon Vance is an excellent narrator. I could and do listen to and enjoy most books he narrates. He always seems to make each character's voice different and believable for that charter.

I hope you find my comments helpful and will take a chance on all four of these books. Happy listing.

Interesting Book 1 with some flaws

I was torn as I read thru the book. Much of the character development and story was lacking the traditional polish I am used to from more veteran authors. This is the authors first major publication so that is understandable but still left me wondering about some of storyline. I normally don’t feel as though a book leaves out things but I felt a bit lost reading some of the material. If you’re going to name your mercenary company the Fae Darin make is clear that you’re not referring to a group of Far (class of people) but too a group of mercenary humans. Perhaps it’s my personality but as was dying for some kind of map, no matter how broad or rough to follow the story. Just things like that for me made it difficult.

At the end of the book there was some great resolution and positioning. Ultimately I am going to move forward and try book 2.

Ps Simon Vance is magnificent.

Story line pretty good, Simon made it better.

The story had 3 separate lines and became confused on which was where - will need to listen again. However, Simon Vance is such a great narrator that I'm looking forward to revisiting the story again.

A Great Story!

Loved the book and story. I'm about to embark on the second book immediately, as I can't wait for it to continue!

Excellent beginning to a hopefully great Series!

I really enjoyed this book amd I'm excited the there are so many more already finished, so I can read on...