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  • The Emperor's Blades

  • Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
  • Written by: Brian Staveley
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (684 ratings)

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The Emperor's Blades cover art

The Emperor's Blades

Written by: Brian Staveley
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's Summary

Now includes special bonus content. Stay tuned after the audiobook to hear “The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan,” a short story by Brian Staveley.

The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late.

An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test.

At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing - and risk everything - to see that justice is meted out.

©2014 Brian Stavely (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about The Emperor's Blades

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Quality storytelling and narration

The reader is excellent- varied voices, correct emotional tones.
Characters strong and well differentiated, placed in credible perils in different parts of a tangible world.
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • bls
  • 2022-11-15

Amazing Narrator Brings the Story Alive

The narration is terrific and the story so well written that it is like watching a movie. I cannot wait to have time to listen to further installments of this tale. The three siblings relationships to each other and the means by which their paths intersect is a bit forced but otherwise an engaging adventure.

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interesting right from the get go

I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. already purchased part 2 and am looking forward to listening.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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on to book 2!!

I'm hooked. the stroy, the words and performance. incredible. i just used a credit for book 2. I couldn't stop listening. I enjoyed everything even the short story at the end.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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loved it. absolutely loved.

didn't expect much from this considering it was free, and free titles usually aren't great but I loved it all. I loved the characters, loved the story and I enjoyed the performance as well though I did feel that he used the wrong voice for different characters by mistake a few times which threw me off and made me rewind to confirm that another character hadn't jumped in. all in all very excited to move onto book 2.

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Good book

It’s a good book
Easy to listen to and to follow with a nice build up to get into the characters

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another Simon Vance

I now look for books read by Simon. He's the best and always makes the stories come alive.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Villans

Genuinely hate one of the bad guys, which is rare. Main characters are very interesting as well

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Narrator has no range

Narrator didn't do this story justice. Accents were lacking in authenticity. A good story though with engaging characters.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Emperors Blades

As my first fantasy book on audible it was great. The hours flew by. I enjoyed it enough that I can't decide whether I'd like to hear the next book, or buy the whole series on paper and finish it that way. the mysteries, twists, and action are smart. Nothing about this book is slack, or lazy. The magic use is subtle and subdued. Which i enjoy, as stale magic use is what steers me away from heavy Fantasy. 10/10 would recommend.

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