Pages: 416
Main Characters:
Arlen/The Painted Man,
Leesha, Rojer
I was suggested this book a while ago by Billy who is a
follower on my Facebook page. He said that since I’m such a fan of Mark
Lawrence’s epic fantasy books that I would probably love this novel. I decided to take
his advice and download this book as my free credit on Audible.
Now I have to say that as an audiobook I really didn't like
this book. I think this was down to the narrator- Peter Joyce. Now don’t get me
wrong, Joyce did have a great voice for narrating a fantasy novel, it was eerie
and slightly dark which fit in with the atmosphere of the novel perfectly.
However, when it came to acting the characters’ voices, they were somewhat…
random. In a village that is populated by a few hundred people there was
English, Irish, American and German accents and many of the men in the novel
always sounded like they were out of breath? I just thought this let the
audiobook down a little. Plus, the audio quality wasn’t that great and it
made me glad I hadn’t paid for the download. Nevertheless, I did finish
listening to the audiobook in about two weeks which I think shows how good the
actual novel was!
The novel takes place in Thesa, a world of magic and ancient
legends. By day, the inhabitants of Thesa are driven hard to
scratch a meagre living out of the earth and by night are tormented by the evil
Corelings. Corelings are magical demons that appear every night to hunt humans.
The Corelings come in many different forms such as fire, wood, wind and rock
and the only thing that protects humans from the demons are magical ‘Wards’.
Wards are painted over door frames and on walls to stop demons getting into
houses. However, many of the secrets of Wards have been lost over the centuries
and many humans are killed nightly because their Wards are not strong enough.
Out of this terrible world, three stories emerge. The first
is that of Arlen who is a very skilled Warder, even though he is still a young
boy. After the death of his mother at the hands of a Coreling, Arlen runs away
from home. He vows that he will fight the demons one day and to do this he
becomes an apprentice warder. With his new profession Arlen hopes that these new skills will help him
become a ‘Messenger' and ultimately, help him kill Corelings.
Leesha is a young girl who is abused by her mother and told
that she will never become something. However, after a Coreling attack, she
finds herself helping the local Herb-gatherer Bruna. Bruna sticks up for Leesha and takes her on as
an apprentice, teaching her secrets that many healers have forgotten. After
seven years, Leesha finishes her apprenticeship and travels to the city to
further her knowledge about the art of herb gathering. After spending a few
years in the city, Leesha hears of a flux that is affecting her home village of
Cutter’s Hollow and returns as quickly as she is able, with a Jangler called
Rojer.
Rojer, like Arlen, is the victim of a savage Coreling attack
in which his mother and his father are murdered and in which Rojer loses some
fingers to a Coreling’s bite! Rojer is taken in by a famous Jangler called
Arrick who agrees to raise Rojer after the murder of his parents. However, because of his weakened hand, Rojer
is seen as a poor Jangler as he cannot juggle. However, his skills with a fiddle gain him
recognition and even gain him the nickname of Rojer ‘Half-grip’. His skills are
so great that when on the road between the hamlets and the city, Rojer’s
fiddling even manages to calm Corelings. Unfortunately, on this same trip,
Rojer’s mentor is clawed by Corelings, forcing him to return to the city in
which he meets Leesha and agrees to travel with her to Cutter’s Hollow.
This was a good novel and I really enjoyed it. It did start
a little slow for me and I don’t think it really picked up until ‘The Painted
Man’ was introduced. Nevertheless, from then on is really fast-paced, action
filled and exciting! I can’t wait to read the second book in the series The Desert Spear, however, I think I
will actually read that book instead of listening to it as an audiobook.
I would suggest this book to anyone who is a fan on fantasy novels
such as The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, Prince of Thorns by Marl Lawrence or It Began with Ashes by D. E. M. Emrys as they all have the same fantasy feel to them and they are all
great books!
For author’s official website click here.
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