9 Tales of Raffalon

By: Matthew Hughes

Narrated by: Jack Wynters

A thief in the dying Earth.

In an age of wizards and walled cities, Raffalon is a journeyman member of the ancient and honorable guild of Purloiners and Purveyors—in other words, a thief. His skills allow him to scale walls, tickle locks, defeat magical wards. He lifts treasures and trinkets, and spends the proceeds on ale and sausages in taverns where a wise thief sits with his back to the wall. But somehow things often go the way they shouldn’t, and then Raffalon has to rely upon his wits and a well-calibrated sense of daring.

Here are nine tales that take our enterprising thief into the underworld and overworld, and pit him against prideful thaumaturges, grasping magnates, crooked guild masters, ghosts, spies, ogres, and a talented amateur assassin. Includes “Inn of the Seven Blessings”, from the best-selling anthology, Rogues, and “Sternutative Sortilege”, written specially for this collection.

©2017 Matthew Hughes (P)2022 Matthew Hughes

A worthy successor to a Grand Master!!

How gratifying it is to have found this author, particularly for one who has read and re-read all the works of the—until now—inimitable Jack Vance.

But Matthew Hughes is no imitator. His vivid imagination and luxuriant prose style are all his own. They are matched with a keen wit and a true storyteller’s gift of character development and world-building through unfolding plot and dialogue rather than lengthy preamble and descriptive asides, making him a worthy successor to a Grand Master of the fantasy genre.

Raffalon is decidedly no Cugel the Clever but his own very well-rounded character, and these nine beautifully crafted tales will leave you, as they have me, wanting more!

The narrator is absolutely superb! His characterizations are so acutely defined and fully formed that one can easily picture the speaker’s very features and expressions—at least it seemed so to me. After just a few words from the remarkably taciturn main character, and purely through the tone, timbre, and timing of the narrator's delivery of Matthew's wonderfully Vancian prose, the listener will learn so much about the thief, Raffalon, and the same holds true for every character. A stellar performance by Jack Wynters!

Enjoy!

A Mastery

Hughes is a master of short fiction and long, though I am particularly fond of the former. indeed, his Tales of Raffalon remain one of my foremost pleasures in short fiction and played no small part in helping develop my love for the form. This audiobook, narrated wonderfully, was a heartily enjoyed third experience with Raffalon and his exploits (the first being as they came out in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science fiction and the second when released in paperback collection). I exuberrantly recommend it.

Fantastic

I felt like this book was straight from The Dying Earth by Jack Vance...with a touch of Discworld. I love books like this. I want more please...with a cup of pundge!

Old English Charm

This read took me away from some of my normal magical tales although there was magic within the stories. When I first started this book, I felt like I was reading a Charles Dickens novel. It definately has an "old English tale" feel to it.

At first I found all the old world names hard to remember and had a tough time keeping the wizards and theif characters straight but with each chapter (which are each one of the 9 tales) I got deeper into the stories. By the very last tale, I was sad it was over. Raffalon is kind of hard to care about but by the end, I was rooting for him.

I think anyone who liked The Tale of Two Cities or stories like that would really find this book entertaining.

The narrator really set the feeling, with his voice and tamber of speech, of old England with its muddy streets filled with small orphans, beggers and theives. I could picture the scenes quite well.

The book cover fits that same sort of feeling although it does not really beg reading upon the first glance.

All in all I enjoyed this book and would be happy to read another Tale of Raffalon.

great story

The longer you listen, the better it gets. The humor use of vocabulary is fantastic

Fun suspenseful Fantasy

Raffalon is a thriving thief and a connoisseur of spirits (the drinking kind). In these nine tales, Raffalon travels this world and the mystical one where he finds himself facing different characters and situations that force him to rely on his wit and his talents as a thief.  His survival depends on his ability to outwit his adversary human and otherwise.

Matthew Hughes, the author, reveals his story set in the era of wizards and mystical experiences.  Although the main character is a thief and not honorable, he is a rich character that listeners are drawn to.  The storyline divided into nine stories featuring different entities makes the audiobook easier to follow and builds suspense. Vivid details enrich the story and characters.

The narrator, Jack Wynters enriches the story with his tonal inflections and unique voice. He speaks clearly and with enthusiasm reflecting the emotions of the characters and situations.  His delivery is smooth and steady drawing the listener into the story.

If you enjoy stories of the fantasy genre, this is a don’t miss; fun yet suspenseful.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.