Thornbear

Champions of the Dawning Dragons, Book 1

By: Michael G. Manning

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Gram lives in the long shadow cast by his father, the late hero Dorian Thornbear. Struggling to find his place in a world where politics and wizardry appear to have replaced the need for men of might and main, he must make his own mark. Trapped within the seemingly safe confines of Castle Cameron, Gram faces both love and tragedy. His choices will not only define himself but serve to remind others of his family's legacy and the reason only a fool threatens those a Thornbear protects.

©2014 Michael G. Manning (P)2015 Podium Publishing

Excellent

I truly enjoyed the story of the next generation, with Matthew, Moira, Gram, and the other characters like Grace, a magically constructed teddy bear who loves romance novels. Moira makes such constructs fusing their bodies with athar.

The only lapse is the She’Har child belonging to Daniel and Lyra (I won’t attempt to write either names since both are insanely confusing and similar) sent to the Illeniels to learn human ways. She was introduced and disappeared. She spoke a few words and the focus went to Gram. I’m sure this is no great loss to the book. One series on the She’Har is enough.

Either way, the next Thornbear is a sweetheart. If you enjoyed the story of Rose and Dorian, you’ll appreciate the books.

Well written. Great story. Great performance

I am going to buy the next one right now. Michael Manning hit a home run.

A story of true heroism

If you could sum up Thornbear in three words, what would they be?

Epic heroic win!

What other book might you compare Thornbear to and why?

Fellowship of the Ring, or the Dragonlance novels. RA Salvatore's earlier works.

What does Derek Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Perkins' narration brings interesting detail to the story, though he could have differentiated the characters' voices a bit. Many of the pronunciations and accents were completely different from the narrator of the Mageborn books, which occasionally confused me. For someone who hasn't read the Mageborn books (Don't be that person--read or listen to them!) the performance is excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end, when we find out Grace's fate, but I won't spoil that. :)

Starts slow, ends you wanting more.

The story starts off a bit slow and then takes a turn for the better

Great characters - Problematic situations

Great story line but it’s frustrating when the author finds it necessary for his characters to overlook the obvious.

Awesome mythical storyline!

Totally enjoyed the 1st book in this series by Michael G. Manning! So many twists and turns from start to finish. I'm so looking forward to the next installment to see what happens next!

No regrets

I liked all the books in the Dawning Dragons series and would recommend them without hesitation.

Different narrator

The last books were narrated by someone different and this guy didn't take the time to learn how to pronounce names in sync with the last guy. So it took me a chapter or two to figure out who he was talking about with some of the characters.

Thoroughly enjoying this book

Let me preface this by saying that I have not yet finished this book. I still have 2 hours left, so maybe something will happen in the last 2 hours to make me hate it... but I doubt it.

This is my first Michael G Manning book. I was reluctant to get it. It came up in my recommended books several times, and every time I was like "meh... maybe later". I typically look for a bit longer books... more bang for the buck. Not long after starting this book, though, I was hooked. I think what first caught my attention was Grace, the talking magical stuffed bear. I think she has become my favorite character. A talking magical stuffed bear that reads romance novels is just too much fun to have in a story.

I'm still a bit confused about the histories and relationships of the characters, but that only makes me want to get the other books to find out more about the past. I just recently got past a part of the story where there's an evil winged shiny golden god that apparently loves tormenting people for gits and shiggles. Whaaaat? And Gram's (why not Graham?) parents dealt with this shiny jerk in the past along with other "dead gods". What is all that about? I want to know! And how did Gram's father die? From the titles and descriptions of the other books, it would seem I can find out!

Aside from my curiosity, the book itself is well written and well narrated. The pace moves along nicely after the first couple chapters and the characters have great depth and personality. I'm looking forward to finishing this book and picking up others to get more history of this world and to see where this current story goes.

Outstanding

One of the best medieval fantasy books! I enjoyed the story and performance. This is my first audio book by Michael Manning. His writing style embraces the listener into his fantasy world through his characters. Derek Perkins brings them to life with his remarkable talent. For me, the only criticism I have is the use of profanity by the teenage boys. Personally, I dislike profanity and somewhat explicit sexual encounters. I feel it is unnecessary in literature. Definitely, not a book I would refer to anyone under the age of 18.