Unproven

By: Drew Briney

Narrated by: Jeffrey Howard

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Shadow, a powerless mage, chose exile to preserve family honor, he didn’t expect a mysterious call to defeat psionic, camouflaging dragons - nor did he expect them to offer him a glimpse into a life wielding a mage’s power. 

Surprises mount when a steampunk army invades his homeland and Shadow is tasked with uncovering the secret behind magic’s evolution while leading a youth team infested with at least one traitor. Distracted by an unwelcomed romance, losses mount as he stumbles through treachery, vampiric vines, ancient disembodied mages, and the legendary Mists of Ishmandool where few escape with their sanity. 

By the time Shadow announces he’s found the solution, it may be too late. Even if it’s not, it risks the complete annihilation of his people and it’s unproven. 

Unproven has drawn comparisons to Ursula Le Guin (Harry Potter’s biggest influence), Elaine Cunningham (the queen of dark fantasy and Forgotten Realms), and Fydor Dostoevsky (psychological godfather of Crime and Punishment). With strong female characters, a dark M. Night Shyamalan twist, dragons on steroids, a Brandon Sanderson-esque tight plot, and prodigious world building, Unproven is destined to satiate listeners who enjoy sword and sorcery, mythical creatures, ghosts, dark fantasy, psychological thrillers, and Dungeons & Dragons.

©2018 Drew Briney (P)2019 Drew Briney

A Reluctant Prophet

I received this audiobook free in return for an honest review.

Honestly, I was surprised at this book. In a good way! The description included terms like “magic versus technology” and Steampunk, and it had a picture of a dragon on the front. Oh good, I thought, steampunk with dragons, how fun!
And it WAS fun, but it was way more than that. First, the characters were all complex and well-drawn, which I find is often not true in adventure reads. Second, this is a story about a reluctant, deity-drafted Warrior Priest with elements of biblical Prophecy. OMG, what a meaty subject!

Poor Shadow, humiliated all his life by his lack of magic among magical peers, suddenly gets powers when the rest of his people lose them; when the Earth, who literally speaks to her chosen people, decides they have become complacent and unworthy, and changes her magical rules to teach them humility. The meek suddenly inherit the Earth, and humbly devoted Shadow must become a hero to save his people from a sudden incursion by the neighboring technological culture. A culture that, by the way, heavily resembles our own.

Shadow, of course, doubts his fitness for the job. He questions himself, questions the Earth’s guidance, but ultimately does what she says because he bows to her wisdom over his own, and suffers the resulting pain and guilt, because that is the burden of Prophets.

I was prepared to enjoy this book, to have a fun, adventure-filled read. And if I had wanted, that’s what I would have gotten. But there are layers here that include a fantastic allegory full of ethical and moral questions and a honking huge mirror held up to my own life and times. And that, I believe, is the true purpose and worth of good fantasy writing.

Bravo, Drew!

1 person found this helpful

Epic

Excellent story, wonderful characters, and I have a new favorite magical beast. Sorry dragons, you are now only second favorite. I hope the author considers a follow-up. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

1 person found this helpful

Unproven

A fantastic read. The Author has brought forth a fantastic read. That had me on the edge of my seat. It has lots of twists and turns that keep you intrigued throughout the whole listen. The Narrator does a fantastic job at bringing the characters to life. This is a big listen but it is worth it. This is definitely more than a 5 star read.
Shauna Joesten

1 person found this helpful

Great story, could use a better narrator

I found this to be a wonderful story! Very well developed characters, great world building and plot twists! I very much enjoyed it and will look for more books by this author. The narrator, in my opinion, wasn't the greatest. He didn't do a terrible job, but I think the story would have popped more with a different style of narration. Overall, I highly recommend this story!

1 person found this helpful

what was illusion and what was real?

Shadow, a young mage, has a confidence problem. He believes himself to be worthless. He is witness to another mage's unearthing of a kotrakoy, a creature that is a threat to his people. As Shadow tries to warn his people of the reemerging threat, he unexpectedly becomes the leader of a group who aren't necessarily his friends. They are sworn to follow and protect him and are key to his success.

As frustrating as the main character's bouts of self-doubt were, he was interesting and believable. I enjoyed the book and found myself going for "one more chapter" before calling it a night. That is my measure of a good book; do I have a hard time putting it down.

This was my first time listening to Jeffrey Howard. His performance was very good. I enjoyed the way he gave each character a unique voice and cadence. I had a bit of trouble, at the beginning, when his voice seemed to trail-off at the end of a sentence. It didn't take long to adjust, though.

Now the question is what was illusion and what was real?

1 person found this helpful

It is a good story.

I was given a credit to review this book. It has a nice story, but it so drawn out. I was lost a couple times and had to go back a chapter to refresh what character they were talking about or who was talking. The narrator was not the best and all the voices all seemed to sound the same which was the reason for the backtracking. The story was not what I was expecting and I was joyfully surprised. There are twists and turns and you really can't guess what is going to happen in the next chapter. I recommend this book for the story.

MAGIC VS TECHNOLOGY – GREED IS ALL ENCOMPASSING

I received this book for free and am giving my honest and voluntary review.

A story of technology versus magic, also machines versus nature. As the long journey of the mages comes to an end, I’m left not knowing if the end came or if it was a fit of madness. The storyline is wonderful and the story is long. It delves into all the characters’ points of view.

The narration is stupendous and I got caught up in the story, even though it was a very long narrative. Well done!

Twists and Turns

Wow, the twists and turns. You think you know where each character is at, turn the corner & off you go in a new direction. Kept me intrigued and wanting more. Great story, performance.

Good concept

This was a Good concept but story was long and for me to slow and drawn out. Cause of this it was difficult to keep my interest. Might be just the book for others but did not keep me engaged.

Good read

Unproven: When Technology Advances and Magic Evolves, No One Is Safe. My third read from author Drew Briney was longer than my first two reads and more enjoyable. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. Jeffrey Howard’s narration adds to the book's enjoyment. I'll be reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Brilliant

This is an intriguing epic adventure. The characters are vividly written. The narrator is great he really suits the book and makes it very gripping to listen to. I would recommend this book.