The Phoenix Unchained

Book One of The Enduring Flame

By: Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory first teamed up to write the Obsidian Trilogy, which was set in a wondrous world filled with magical beings, competing magic systems, and a titanic struggle between good and evil. That world proved so popular with the creators and readers alike that Lackey and Mallory have returned to it again, with The Phoenix Unchained, Book One of The Enduring Flame, the opening volume of a new epic fantasy trilogy.

After 1,000 years of peace, much magick has faded from the world. The Elves live far from humankind. There are no High Mages, and Wild Mages are seen only rarely. Bisochim, a powerful Wild Mage, is determined to reintroduce Darkness to the world, believing that it is out of balance.

Tiercel, a young Armethalian nobleman, is convinced that High Magick is not just philosophy. He attempts a spell and draws the unwelcome attention of Bisochim. Tiercel survives Bisochim's attack and begins trying to turn himself into a High Mage.

Next in line to be Harbormaster of Armethalieh, Harrier instead finds himself regularly saving Tiercel's life and meeting magickal people and creatures. To Harrier's dismay, it seems that he must become a hero.

In The Phoenix Unchained, Harrier and Tiercel begin a marvelous journey to uncover their destinies. Along the way, they meet a charming female centaur, several snooty Elves, and the most powerful dragon their world has ever known.

©2007 Mercedes Lackey; 2007 James Mallory (P)2007 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Sets a lavishly detailed stage peopled with intriguing and well-developed characters whose futures hold both promise and peril." ( Library Journal)

Mediocre

Feels like the first or second draft of a story. Not a finished polished product. Narrator was decent, but had a pretty limited range of character voices.

The world was interesting and the magic system was enthralling. But the story didn’t keep my interest and I wasn’t attached to the characters. 5/10

Great story, horrible narrator

I love this series. I love Mercedes Lackey.
However, I cannot stand this narrators voice. Every character sounds whiny, even the dragons and old men.
I usually listen to books when driving, at the gym, working around the house, etc. but it was an absolute struggle to get through this horrible narrator’s voice.

Worth the credit

This book has been in my library for a while now. I have started it once or twice but was always in the middle of another book story line so it was shoved to the back of the pile. I finally restarted it and tho it took a bit to finally catch my attention it took off and now I find I am really looking forward to part 2. The reading style is great and I chuckle when I hear the narrator doing some of the voices. I think this book is worth the credit!

Unfinished Series-what a shame

I'll keep it short and brief, the first and second book of the Enduring Flame were lovely and tantalizing, but apparently all that is offered to us. Purchase only if you are an afficianado of partial storylines, cliff-hangers, or unfinished business..

Wait until series is complete

Mercedes Lackey is a favorite author of mine but don't bother with this book until the series is complete. Book one is one long prelude. It's very unsatisfactory to have a book end without any significant story line complete.

narrator didn't pronounce things the same

narrator pronounced all the names differently than the first series which made it difficult to follow.

Poor narration

It was irritating that the narrator pronounced almost every name for the characters and places differently from the Obsidian Trilogy narration.

Just Eh

Would you try another book from Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory and/or William Dufris?

I would definitely try other books from Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory and I have already done so. However, I doubt I will try other books by William Dufris. I am just not a fan of his voice or reading style. I'm sorry.

How could the performance have been better?

I would have loved to have Susan Ericksen narrate this series as she did for The Obsidian Trilogy. Her vocals were amazing.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes. Oh, yes. Both this series and the one before it, The Obsidian Trilogy.

Pretty good start to a series

I occasionally enjoy reaching back in my youth and reading some YA fiction. always fantasy. And often Mercedes Lackey because her stuff tends to get my brain working. That having been said, I actually re-read this series periodically because it's a fun read and flows really well from book to book. The main characters aren't silly or basically stupid from an adult's perspective like most YA Fantasy. And though this does have the Sam and Frodo dynamic going and it is a Young boy finds the magic thing vide. I would definitely recommend it as a fun read for those who enjoy the trope.

A good book for younger readers.

This book is probably best suited for young adult readers. I enjoyed it. I would have enjoyed it much more when I was 16.

My criticisms are: The viewpoint of the storyteller is that of a very young person. For example, a 17 year old character talks about something that happened to him when he was "a child" as "very long ago." References to "school" seem more like American High School (Lunch for example) then something from Heroic Fantasy. There is nothing wrong with this, but as an adult reader, I stumbled over it and lost my "suspension of disbelief" for a moment. Also, there are so many contractions in the story that the narrator seems to stumble over them. (I didn't so I couldn't.) I counted 7 in 3 short sentences at one point. I think that this is something that we ignore in print but notice in audio book versions much more readily. Also, references to magic spells as if they were something you can look up in an encyclopedia (I tried to cast "Mage Shield" but I failed) come off like Gaming references. I wish the author had invented unique or "magical language" names for these things to avoid that.

Mercedes Lackey seems to be more of an editor then co-writer with "The Phoenix Unchained." She has a very distinct voice, and it does not present itself very often. Her masterful ability to "pace" a story does come through.

Taken as a whole, it was entertaining, and I'll read the sequel.