A Plague of Giants

A Novel

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels, Xe Sands

From the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a thrilling novel that kicks off a fantasy series with an entirely new mythology - complete with shape-shifting bards, fire-wielding giants, and children who can speak to astonishing beasts

Mother and warrior

Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons - all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men.

Scholar and spy

Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light.

Rebel and hero

Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all - if it doesn’t destroy him first.

Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine - and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend.

Includes a bonus PDF with a map, the Dramatis Personae, and additional resources.

“A spectacular work of epic fantasy...an absolute delight.” (Shelf Awareness)

“If you’re looking for some entertainment before Game of Thrones returns to television, this could be the series you need to read.” (Newsday)

“A genuine page-turner.” (Kirkus Reviews)

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2017 Kevin Hearne (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"You'll laugh and cry and crave mustard as you're immersed in the literal magic of storytelling in Kevin Hearne's vivid new epic fantasy. I have experienced acute withdrawal symptoms since the book ended. I don't want to leave this world." (Beth Cato, author of Breath of Earth and The Clockwork Dagger)

"A Plague of Giants is an absorbing epic fantasy, with clever storytelling that allows its many threads to each feel important, personal, and memorable. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel!" (James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost)

Still Digesting... and Savoring the Palate Linger

*** Spoilers***

I'm a big fan of Kevin Hearne. Not only did I have the pleasure of watching him share a bottle of Redbreast with other fantasy authors on stage at DragonCon, I was able to meet him briefly after I learned that one of my favorite literary characters, the Widow MacDonagh, is based on a real life strong female character. I've listened to the Iron Druid Chronicles and the accompanying short stories five times as of the time of this review and I rarely go back to revisit a world unless it is something special.

I know it is customary for an author to be working on multiple projects at the same time which helps them to not fatigue from spending so much time in a singular world. It flexes the creative muscles and shows the diversity of their storytelling, but I was not prepared for such a significant departure from the series that I have grown to love and be thrust into a new one that I just finished with such a feeling of both departure and familiarity. Here are some first impression pros and cons:

Pros:

- Punchy and engaging writing style that we know and love from Kevin

- A diverse world that is inclusive of multiple races, cultures, sexual orientations, governmental structures, religions and a rich tapestry that it creates in each of its peoples (mostly... to be explained later in the review)

- A vignette-style storytelling that allows for rapid jumping from the present to the past through various perspectives that is a bit confusing at first, but settles in eventually. This was made much more manageable by the performances of Luke Daniels and Xe Sands.

- Complicated and nuanced character development that provides a platform for a long life to this newly constructed world assuming that additional volumes will follow

Cons:

- No Oberon equivalent, even with a sixth kenning... shame on you, Kevin

- The story structure jumps into the action and takes a really long time to provide context and understanding of what in the world is going on. It took me longer than it probably should have to realize that the Bone Giants and the Lava Born were not the same people.

- Not being prepared to have some of the most investable characters bite the dust

- With such vast character and world building, I hope a lexicon or longer companion guide is released at some point. I would love a supplementary text that would help detail the timeline, different locations, religions, kennings, level of kenning user and their corresponding abilities. This isn't GoT complicated, but it's not a story for those who aren't okay with the idea of following a narrative from a variety points of views.

- Somewhat one-dimensional villains. I feel like an attempted genocide and a near-genocidal retaliation from a continent of peoples from an invading force that was not well explained can create a lack of empathy. We heard from so many different perspectives that the lack of a Bone Giant perspective is strange. I was waiting for the entire book to find out that the crushing or drowning en masse of an invading force was understandably justified from the perspective of those who were being invaded, but not knowing the motivations of the invaders made me feel like their demise was without a significant loss of life. These mass killings were somewhat belittled and the impact to those who died was very one-sided. Also, those who sacrificed themselves to kill off thousands of invading warriors were not put into context because we didn't really know who they were killing. A Bone Giant perspective is needed in order to develop sympathy for the ‘devil’ and make the triumphant victory and sacrifice of the heroes that much more impactful.


I have every expectation that I will continue to invest whatever additional time is needed to see this world through to its conclusion as crafted by Kevin at some point in the future, but I do not know if I will be revisiting this world with the gusto and frequency with which I have in the Iron Druid Chronicles. To those who enjoy Kevin's style of storytelling, I think you will enjoy this new world. However, I suggest that you listen to this while not doing something that will distract you too much from being able to pay attention to the storyline.

Slow start

Took me a bit to wrap my head around how the story was being told, but once I grasped that I was disappointed that the book ended. Fantastic book I hope he writes many more.

Naration was AMAZING

Naration was AMAZING!!! I wish all books would be done this well! Great book!! Wow!

Kevin Hearne does it again!

Fantastic book, a more mature story and writer. This is Kevin becoming one of the greats!

Very different delivery than IDC for Hearn, yet...

Kevin Hearn delivers again! What an enchanted introduction to what could easily become a rich, layered, expansive new saga! The new magic of this new realm is wonderfully imaginative. The unwavering resolve of the characters to their call, even unto the ultimate sacrifice, is inspiring!
Luke Daniels' experience fully shines in this narration. I completely appreciated that I couldn't tell it was him other than the reading of the chapter names. He is truly gifted with altering accents and inflections for each character.
Xe Sands has a truly sultry voice that I love to listen to! I wish there had been more diversity between the different female characters as they all seemed unnecessarily hesitant and unsure most of the time.
I cannot wait for the next book and will definitely listen to this again before then!

perfect for those who love epic fantasy

The Kennings are gifts or magic individuals hold. The magic comes from the elementals and mythology which quickly made me feel at home. Those who are gifted the kennings, use them with care as doing so drains their lifespan. When the story begins there are five known kennings, and they will soon discover a sixth. No one knows what the seventh kenning offers. I liked the magic and rules established within the world. We get to see a few characters come into their powers and witness them trying to master skills.

While the story contains multiple POVs and shares both present and past accounts, I felt the bard and scholar Dervan Du Alöbar who is transcribing the story being told, pulled all of it together. Kind of like a giant play with intermissions by Dervan. The stories surround the invasion of the Hathrims, the Bone Giants invasion and political unrest or indecision among those in Teldwen. I quickly became connected to the multiple characters and felt their happiness and loss.

Luke Daniels narrates much of the story and as always he is a masterful storyteller with a wide range of voices. He brings Hearnes charters to life, I even heard a little Oberon, and it made me grin. Xe Sands was a new-to-me narrator, but she compliments both Hearne and Daniels wonderfully. She typically took on the female roles and her pacing, tone and connection to the characters only enhanced Hearne’s story.

Another amazing story!

It was confusing at first because I went into the story without expectations (except that the writer is one of my favorite storytellers) and it took me a second to catch the rhythm of the story. However, once I caught on I was hooked!

Luke Daniels is also a favorite and did awesome as always! Ms Sands did well on her parts and the switch between narrators was smoother than expected based on previous comments.

I look forward to the next release of the bards tale!

Just getting warmed up!

there is a lot going on here and it definitely takes a little while to get the scene set, but there is a rich interesting world here that is begging for more to be written. Kevin Hearne knocks one out of the park, Luke Daniels is awesome as always and the performance by Xe Sands was fantastic as well. Looking forward to the next in the series!

A Wonderful Adventure in Storytelling

This is a great book filled with enchanting characters and gripping adventures. I automatically chose the Audible version because I listen to all of Kevin Hearne's books instead of reading them, simply because they are narrated by Luke Daniels. But I’ve now realized there can’t be any better way to enjoy this story. I mean really, what could be more epic than having an amazing narrator read out loud to you the words of the bard, telling you the tales of old. It would not be the same to read it to yourself. It's like being in the bard's presence. Amazing. I loved this book and may just have to go listen to it again.

pdf file helps

Listened twice, with the second time checking the map and character list in the pdf file. helped keep the story straight. loved it!