Audiobook Review: Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan
Michael J. Sullivan is one of my favorite Fantasy writers out there, alongside Justin Cronin, George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan. He is the bestselling author of the Riyria Revelations series, Riyria Chronicles series and his latest release is the third volume in the Legends of the First Empire series, called Age of Swords.
Before I get into the review, I want to tell you that I listened to all of Mr. Sullivan‘s books and that I enjoyed each and everyone of them tremendously. There are 6 in the Riyria Revelations collection with them packed 2 by 2 on Audible, so you get 2 audiobooks for the price of one. After that, we have 4 prequels in the Riyria Chronicles series and 6 more in the Legends of the First Empire, of which 3 are already out now. If you want to fall in love with Michael J. Sullivan‘s work, read or listen to the books in the way I mentioned above, although you could start every series at its beginning. There are two Free short stories which I suggest that you grab to see how good this author-narrator team really is.
Age of War continues the epic adventure started in Age of Myth and Age of Swords in which a group of humans fight for their lives as they try to survive an all out war between them and the Fhrey, the almost immortal beings that we know as Elves. To find out how and why this conflict began, you have to read the first two books because I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but let me assure you that it this third book is excellent as well.
Our heroes have to find a way to fight and defeat a more powerful enemy, equipped with better weapons and commanding The Art (magic). Luckily, heroes will rise, they will fight an epic battle in a legendary city, but the are outnumbered and they need help and weapons. This new adventure is filled with deadly perils at every step. Will they survive? Do they have a chance to succeed in their endeavors and win an unwinnable war?
As always, when it comes to books written by Michael J. Sullivan, the story is great, very well written and delivered with such vividness that you can imagine everything in your mind’s eye. The characters feel alive and I deeply cared for them, the threat is terrible, the enemy is merciless and the fate of the human race is in the balance once again.
I found myself instantly immersed into this new spellbinding story set in the world of Elan and that’s in part because of the fantastic performance delivered by Tim Gerard Reynolds and part thanks to the riveting storytelling abilities shown once again by Michael J. Sullivan. The fact that all the other audiobooks by Mr. Sullivan are narrated by Tim has to be mentioned in this review, as you may know that we, the audiobooks fans, love the same narrator on all books set in a certain universe.
The amazing narrator, voiceover artist and actor Tim Gerard Reynolds brings every character to life with passion and professionalism. He uses different voices, accents and subtle changes in tone and cadence to help the listener easily differentiate who is talking at a specific time. He can be in one scene a worried Elf, a frightened child, a ruthless warrior and a treacherous dwarf, switching between them with ease and style.
I want to say once again a big Thank You to both Michael and Tim for the respect with witch they treat the audiobook fans community and for the amazing time spent into this magical world they created and brought to life, with love and passion, for us!
For me, Age of War is another epic adventure in the world of Elan, and this perfect team of author and narrator is amazing as always. I already pre-ordered book 4, Age of Legend, and can’t wait to wrap it around my ears when it comes out this Summer.
Title: Age of War / Author: Michael J. Sullivan / Narrator: Tim Gerard Raynolds / Duration: 16h 47m / Publisher: Recorded Books
Victor Dima
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