The Shadow Sect

By: Peter Hackshaw

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Falken Calder dreams of becoming immortal.

But as a mere scullery boy in service of the fabled Ardent Lunar Sect, his chances of rising through the ranks are slim. There is only one way he can take up the title of cultivator - to awaken before he comes of age. Time is already running out.

When a grand tournament for the magicking arts is announced, bringing old foes to Albion’s shores - rumours of betrayal and war send Falken on a journey in the unknown. There he unearths the mysteries of an ancient, long-forgotten sect - whose secrets offer hope - and the chance for Falken to develop powers that none have seen in an age.

But Falken’s newfound powers may not be enough, for nightmare creatures, dark assassins and even the undead stalk the lands of Netherdei.

And this is only the beginning....

©2021 Peter Hackshaw (P)2021 Audible, Ltd

Was a fantastic adventure.

The world building was fantastic, and the narration was excellent!! waiting for next installment.

Best wordplay

this book is written so well, I love this book so much, and I can't wait for book 2. This was a really good cultivation book, this is a good cultivation book.
I'd also like to talk about the wordplay added in this book, Peter hacksaw can write so well. I love how this book is written, it's some of the best wordplay I've actually read, and for that Peter deserves some props.

Let's talk the narrator.
Alot of the reviews are talking about how his accent doesn't really match with a cultivation story, I'd say that's true. His voice isn't really what you hear on a regular basis, that being said Joe Jameson is a good narrator. I actually really like him as a narrator, and when you get past the fact this is a cultivation story and he doesn't really fit he becomes really good for this book. one of the reasons I do think he matches with this story is, how it's written. You hear phrases and whatnot that do not match with other narrators, whether you'd like to believe it or not, Joe Jameson fits this book for a myriad of different reasons, and he's also a top tier narrator.
he's talented, and has some other accents, With alot of other voices at his disposal. With all this included, I'd say the narration for this book is a 5 star. with that being said, I can't wait for more!!!.

Now let's talk about the characters, I think they're pretty good, I don't have any problems with any of them. the side characters have depth to them, and they have unique personalities. The mc is pretty cool. He's 14, but he's smarter than most, he's headstrong and I like his personality. He's not a bad mc, and he's actually written very well.
Now let's talk about character development. it's pretty good, you can see falcon change throughout the story, from a kid who didn't really know anything about the world, to a young warrior who understands respect and responsibility.
The side characters also grew with him, every one of them grew.
Overall I think the characters are written very well, and they have some depth to them.



Now let's talk about the plot, I like this also. In my opinion, it's not something over the top or something game changing. it follows a good direction, and I want to see how it progresses. it has some depth to it, and it's pretty solid. I will admit, I was looking forward to the tournament... Then it just took a BIG change, and I was like "what?" . it wasn't particularly a bad thing ( the way the story changed) but it was something I didn't expect, and I think more came out of it this way. But hopefully in the future, there is another tournament where he can test his strength.
The world building is good, I like how netherdei is built and what it has to offer, the world is pretty detailed, and it has a type of thing about it that I really like.
Overall the plot and world building is pretty solid and well written.

Now let's talk about the cultivation aspect and the action.
I feel like they're is some cons when talking about the cultivation. One such thing I don't like is the lack of techniques. We don't really see any magic till the end of the book (when the Mc forms his core) and I feel even if the Mc couldn't do any magic maybe we could see some from side characters? but no, I think/know there will be more magic in the second book, but in this one its very fleeting.
I also want to talk about the levels of the cultivation, there is only like 7, and most people only get to the 5th stage. I kinda feel it's short, it's not really a con or something that bad. just a personal complaint.
Other than that, I think the cultivation aspect is pretty good in this book, he progresses alot as a cultivator, and you don't have to worry. this book isn't one of those books where the author claims its a cultivation story when there's basically no cultivation in it at all.
now let's talk about the action, I like it alot, it's detailed, and there's enough of it. I like hearing him train, and how he uses his sword in stuff its just awesome to listen too. I think there's gonna be more action in book 2, but there's enough in this book to keep me interested.

I really liked this book, and I think it's 5 stars all across, I think it's a pretty solid cultivation story that alot of people would like. I recommend this book to anyone who likes cultivation books.
I think the author did pretty good, and the narrators Is also pretty good.
I honestly can't wait for the release of book 2.

pretty good

I have to admit it was a bit off a slow burn to start, but once they hook you it doesn't let go until suddenly it's over. looking forward to what's next.

no idea, couldn't finish it

The English accent is irritating to me. It's cool from a woman but I can't get into it when it's a dude. sounds overly pretentious and grates on my nerves.

Good story, great writing, great narration

So many great lines and memorable moments. Many spots that really capture the human condition and the beauty of human relationships. Not as action packed as some, and more focused on the story rather than reveling in power-ups, but even if that’s what you’re here for it’s definitely worth a listen.

Excellent book

Excellent book, only complaint is that the next book in the series isn’t available yet

nope I just can't do it

I can't I just can't listen to it for fuck sake swallow your spit and back away from your the domn mic, and way too long winded I don't need every little detail of the day sorry it's not for me

A good coming of age/cultivation story.

This Is a well written book that has a slight slow burn to it, but the build up to something great in the next book is there.

It's worth a credit if you like a slightly unique cultivation story and/or coming of age.

Deific Writing, Eminent Narration!!

I am an avid listener audible stories, especially within the fantasy genre. As such, I came to this new work with a bit of cultivated trepidation due to the myriad of interesting and novel, albeit somewhat mediocre, LitRPG and Cultivation style series popping up of late. There are, however, some gems in this new blood and this first in series, by author Peter Hackshaw, is one of them. I must say that I have been very pleasantly refreshed by the immersion and eloquence that a good writer can breath into a story and a world, specifically, his world of Netherdei. Additionally, I found the narration by Joe Jameson, counter to the many reviews claiming the contrary, to be superb! Audible has a new voice to add to its lineup of wonderful narrators in Joe and I look forward to hearing him throughout the rest of this series and others to come. Well worth the listen. I highly recommend it!

A phenomenal cultivation story

Absolutely loved this book! It was such a treat to have the incredible prose that this book used. Not a criticism, but a lot of litRPG and progression fantasy that I’ve been reading recently have had more straight forward language. The feel of the book has more of the grandiose feeling that fantasy usually goes with, and I loved every second of it. The prose was enough to keep me captivated, so it didn’t hurt that the story and characters were top notch as well.
I loved all the characters, they each grew on you in their own way, and it was hard not to get invested in them. I loved Warmund Trip. He was a fun character who I viewed as a comedic relief, but then became one of my favorites. Eminent Grey was also fantastic.
Joe Jameson did an absolutely amazing job with the book, I really can’t speak higher about it. Just from this one series, he’s become one of the narrators that I’ll be keeping my eye on.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. I’ll be jumping into book 2 now.