The Splintered Crown

Tankards and Heroes, Book 1

By: Larry N. Martin

Narrated by: Tristan Morris

A medieval fantasy with a party of adventurers all ready to make a name for themselves and earn some gold.

Tankards and Heroes is set in the city of Kortufan, where spies, assassins, mercenaries, arms dealers, rebels, smugglers, and informants do dirty deals dirt cheap.

The Poxy Dragon is a rough bar outside the worst part of the medieval Silk Road. It takes serious courage just to walk into the place, not only from its reputation, but because of the rough clientele, questionable food, awful beer, and abysmal hygiene. Lots of taverns in Kortufan are home to ruffians and illegal dealings, but the Poxy Dragon is the proving ground for heroes - with a cemetery out back for the ones who don't make the cut.

Lady Leota, the resident demigoddess at the Poxy Dragon, sends would-be heroes to different realms on quests. Once committed, there is no turning back, and if they want their reward, every party member must return through the portal - dead or alive.

©2019 Larry N. Martin (P)2021 Tantor

Fun D&D Campaign

Likable characters and a familiar story formal made this an enjoyable book to listen to.

Formulaic and forgettable

The attack house was the only somewhat original item of interest. Otherwise, it was stock characters going on a stock Macguffin quest, spouting stock dialogue and meeting stock monsters. There was zero suspense and nothing interesting to invest me in the characters. Without the narrator’s accents and enthusiasm, I don’t think I’d have made it through.