
Son of the Black Sword
Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Tim Gerard Reynolds
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Written by:
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Larry Correia
About this listen
Audie Award Finalist, Fantasy, 2016
After the War of the Gods, the demons were cast out and fell to the world. Mankind was nearly eradicated by the seemingly unstoppable beasts until the gods sent the great hero, Ramrowan, to save them. He united the tribes, gave them magic, and drove the demons into the sea. Ever since, the land has belonged to man, and the oceans have remained an uncrossable hell, leaving the continent of Lok isolated. It was prophesized that someday the demons would return, and only the descendants of Ramrowan would be able to defeat them. They became the first kings, and all men served those who were their only hope for survival.
As centuries passed, the descendants of the great hero grew in number and power. They became tyrannical and cruel and their religion nothing but an excuse for greed. Gods and demons became myth and legend, and the people no longer believed. The castes created to serve the Sons of Ramrowan rose up and destroyed their rulers. All religion was banned and replaced by a code of unflinching law. The surviving royalty and their priests were made casteless, condemned to live as untouchables, and the Age of Law began.
Ashok Vadal has been chosen by a powerful ancient weapon to be its bearer. He is a Protector, the elite militant order of roving law enforcers. No one is more merciless in rooting out those who secretly practice the old ways. Everything is black or white, good or evil, until he discovers his entire life is a fraud. Ashok isn’t who he thinks he is, and when he finds himself on the wrong side of the law, the consequences lead to rebellion, war - and destruction.
©2015 Larry Correia (P)2015 Audible, Inc.You may also enjoy...
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What listeners say about Son of the Black Sword
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Langer MD
- 2023-05-16
Creditable Gritty Fantasy
Larry Correia does a commendable job worldbuilding a "Swords & Sorcery" reality where a rich magical/martial history is balanced with an - evolved over generations - dystopian public structure. Corrupt elitist Duchies impose "order"; secular sensibilities are ruthlessly imposed (any hint of religion is outlawed); and a rigid caste system is enforced without exception (stepping outside of hereditary roles is punished with instant execution).
Within that matrix, Correia introduces Ashok Vadal, a zealous "Protector" (a kind of wandering magically-enhanced warrior/justiciar). Ashok discovers that he is secretly an "Untouchable" (Casteless) and embarks on a mission to reorganize society - while simultaneously facing sorcerous assassins and confronting a resurgence of Ancient Demons that are trying to extinguish humanity.
Correia's vocabulary & prose are capable, his plotting is "adequate", the pacing of the book is quite good (there are no stretches of tedium), and the author's description is vivid.
Adding exemplary narration from Tim Gerard Reynolds results in an 8.5/10-star audiobook. This book doesn't quite qualify as GrimDark, but it deals with more serious themes than most Conventional Fantasy. Be prepared for some thought-provoking entertainment.
I look forward to further installments in the 'Saga Of The Forgotten Warrior' series.
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- Mike k.
- 2019-03-26
Very entertaining
Fast paced, detailed story. Descriptive battle scenes and excellent characters. I immediately bought book 2 upon completing this one.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Gisella Muller
- 2022-03-07
Best story I've read in a while
Narrator was great and story even better.
In depth world with interesting characters.
definitely worth a read
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- Shane Duquette
- 2021-03-27
Unbridled Badassery Done Right
This book is pure, no holds barred badassery.
And you know what, usually that's a problem. It's boring to read about an unbeatable hero who's good at everything and chopping through everyone. There's no tension, no mystery, no nuance. But this book manages to pull all of that off, too.
The problem with much of grimdark is that the world is full of grey characters who are hard to root for. I'd rather root for someone who I believe is trying to do the right thing. That's where this book shines. The protagonist here, Ashok, is absolutely trying to do what's right. But his idea of what is right is too uncompromisingly lawful, too domineering, too mired in the classism of the caste system he was raised in. And this particular problem resonates with me because I'm perhaps a bit overly lawful myself. I get to see how an unjust system makes villains out of those who enforce the laws.
And that brings us to the setting. This book takes place in a place that reminds me of South Asia, full of jungles, exotic animals, and interesting armour and weapons. And a major theme here is the problem of the caste system, which is no surprise to any of us. There are the eta-like non-people in the lowest caste who are slaves and can be killed on a whim. There are murmurs of an uprising, rulers whispering of a genocide. And then we have the demons of the depths rising from the deep waters to invade. It's a killer setting for an epic fantasy.
This book also has my favourite format: a tough warrior as one of the main characters, driving the plot forward, exploring the world, but also blundering because of a lack of knowledge. And then a fragile, vulnerable scholar hunting for ancient secrets as the other main character, filling in the lore, revealing the twists, giving us readers more insight. This is the same idea as in books like The Waterborn by Greg Keyes, another favourite of mine. What's odd is that the warrior even has the same magical powers: sentient sword + magical toughness and regeneration.
The ending of this book was satisfying, too. It's clearly leading deeper into the series, but it still has a proper ending, and not an entirely expected one, either. I finished it totally stoked to continue on.
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3 people found this helpful
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- T. Anthony Marquis
- 2017-10-29
By far, the best book, story, and voice combo
I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. The voice was perfect and thus a key element in bringing a well written story to the next level. Writer and narrator are on my search list from now on. Thanks to you both.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Eric
- 2021-12-08
fantastic
best book since I finished WoT. picked this series on a whim and never looked back. fast paced, easy to follow and surprisingly captivating.
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- Anonymous User
- 2019-05-10
great story
I always rate my reviews 5 5 5 5 because if the story's good the narrator is into the story and the book entertains me because I don't think it's fair rating lower than that unless the book The story is boring or lame because the effort people take to write these books I don't think they deserve anything less than a five star so if I've rated in a 5 it's because I liked it and I want to honor the author thank you for taking the time to share your imagination with me I appreciate it more than words can express
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