A Crown for Cold Silver

By: Alex Marshall

Narrated by: Angele Masters

"It was all going so nicely, right up until the massacre."

Twenty years ago feared general Cobalt Zosia led her five villainous captains and mercenary army into battle, wrestling monsters and toppling an empire. When there were no more titles to win and no more worlds to conquer, she retired and gave up her legend to history.

Now the peace she carved for herself has been shattered by the unprovoked slaughter of her village. Seeking bloody vengeance, Zosia heads for battle once more, but to find justice she must confront grudge-bearing enemies, once-loyal allies, and an unknown army that marches under a familiar banner.

Five villains. One legendary general. A final quest for vengeance.

©2015 Alex Marshall (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Exceptional writing, middle-aged warrior heroine, and organically infused gender nonconformity make this fantasy epic a first-rate trailblazer...splendid storytelling, wry humor, and unresolved intrigue." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Brimming with imagination and invention.... Fabulous!" (John Gwynne)

"An epic fantasy that will surprise you. When was the last time you read one of those? Marshall deftly sets up and subverts expectations at every turn. If you think you know what's coming, think again." (Kameron Hurley)

Terrific narrator

Kept me engaged for a 10 hour drive and more. Hope there will be another.

Strange But Entertaining

A Crown for Cold Silver is a revenge story about a former queen, Cobalt Zosia, who is looking to avenge the death of her husband. In most fantasy books, the story would revolve around this main character, with other characters providing storylines revolving around the central figure. This book takes a bit of a different approach with different sets of characters seemingly following their own adventure, and intermingling in the events taking place. Zosia's story does not receive
any more time within the book than the other storylines. In fact, Queen Zosia turned out to be one of the characters I liked the least. For me it was Moroto and his band of fops, and the story of Sullen and his crotchety grandfather, that kept this book interesting.

There are some strange and sometimes plain weird moments in this book. I don't know if the author is just throwing these oddities in to try and make the world he is creating different, or if it's just an attempt at shock value. There are no real graphic scenes of debauchery though, so it wasn't difficult to ignore. The author also has an obsession with pipe smoking, and seems to spend more time on pipe descriptions and the characters enjoyment of smoking than on any other element of the story.

The narration from Angele Masters was excellent. It was my first time listening to her, and I think she was able to bring life to this story. I hope to find other books from her. Overall. I enjoyed this book and will move on to the next.

Best Narrator Ever! Fantastic Story!

If you could sum up A Crown for Cold Silver in three words, what would they be?

Clever writing. Fun, entertaining story. Witty dialogue. Loved every minute of it! For a little perspective on my favorite reads - because I really appreciate it when other reviewers do this:
JRR Tolkien is the best. Anthony Ryan's Raven Shadow series is Fantastic! Daniel Abraham's The Dagger and the Coin is excellent. I also like GRR Martins first three books until he lost it. Brandon Sanderson is also very good. Peter Clines is great, and I really enjoyed the Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey.

outstanding ride!

An unusual setting with great characters. unremitting treachery and action! Can't wait to listen to the next one. Also superb audio talent reading the book!

Fun and quirky.

Any additional comments?

I love this book. Stick with it. May seem like a slow start, but I didn't want to turn it off. It's funny, dark and wonderful. It's different and it kept me guessing. Not the typical fantasy. Original characters and world. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

hard to put down.

three dimensional and well played , this book is well written and well plotted. there are many characters to love and some who are lost, and the store yet continues. take notice of this book. and I cannot describe how good the narrator Angele Masters is at describing the scenes and beauty and all and horror that are in this book. Don't miss it. I liked it very much and will probably download download the next book now.

Great book

I highly recommend this book. Great characters and storyline. I’ve been in a bit of a book slump the last few months and this was exactly what I needed. Hooked me right away.

Best I've read / listened to for a long time

A great book and the audio performance was excellent as well.
The narrator does a great job with all the voices and accents
Some nice twists, some moving moments.
I've read a ton of fantasy and this is one of the better ones.
Highly recommend.

Horror, Humor, Action and Swords!

What more could anyone ask for?! Great book! I’m so glad that I chose this audiobook! The characters are unique and their adventures very entertaining. The villains are nearly as devilish as their Devils. I can’t even believe how much I’ve enjoyed the group of warrior fops! Tapai Purna is just awesome! A totally unlikely bunch of comrades but I love that about them! Digglby’s pink leather armor mode me laugh out loud! From the righteous vengeance sought by Zosia to the the religious self recriminations of the anathema, Sister Portolés, this novel kept me eager to hear more. The characters are also brought to life on the audiobook version by Angele Masters. She has a lovely voice and does the characters justice, although Portolés could be a bit grating on the nerves. All in all, well worth my time. In my opinion, I would say that this book was like a cross between Cameron Johnston’s The Maleficent Seven and Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy. But also quite unique! I highly recommend it, but if you are offended by foul language, this isn’t for you. Personally, I found it only added to the characters but thought I’d warn the lightweights out there, to save their sensibilities. The villains are the heroes here, so don’t expect them to be good guys. They are ‘good’ bad guys. Some are just plain bad at being good. It really follows a life lesson…. No good guy is without a little darkness and no bad guy is completely dark. People are complicated. Enjoy the ride.

Awesome

What made the experience of listening to A Crown for Cold Silver the most enjoyable?

The author develops a plot that is basically unpredictable. Outside of the protagonist-antagonist formula. The pro is a bad guy or a good guy? The culture is also unpredictable and outside of formulaic fiction. There are almost as many comedic parts as crying dramatic parts. And the narrator is unbelievably awesome. OMG. Her narration also helps make this book. I don't understand why it hasn't gained more attention. It is as good or better than Game of Thrones. Certainly funnier.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It is hard to choose a favorite character, The plot and narration make every character real, vivid, colorful and vital.

Which character – as performed by Angele Masters – was your favorite?

Lord Diggelby was definitely the best as far as narration went.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried. When I cried I didn't feel like it was an affected play for drama. The laughing made up for the crying.