
Son of the Black Sword
Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Book 1
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Buy Now for $37.53
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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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About the Creator
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.
Creditable Gritty Fantasy
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Very entertaining
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In depth world with interesting characters.
definitely worth a read
Best story I've read in a while
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By far, the best book, story, and voice combo
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fantastic
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great story
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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.
Unbridled Badassery Done Right
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