Ahren

13th Paladin Series, Book 1

By: Torsten Weitze

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Ahren can hardly believe his luck. His normal life consists of being beaten up by his drunkard father or bullied by the village lads. But at the annual suitability tests for apprenticeships, the young boy finds himself selected by Falk, the guardian of the forest, to be his apprentice and his world is turned upside down.

From his new master he learns the skills of archery and how to fight the Dark Ones. And then, on the day of the Spring Ceremony there is another unexpected turn of events. He touches the Stone of the Gods and it illuminates for the first time ever. It isn't long before a cantankerous wizard turns up and urges Falk and Ahren into action. There is no time to waste, for something evil is awakening.

The unlikely trio begin their dangerous journey to Evergreen, the elfish kingdom to get the elves' help. But time is running out. He, Who Forces has his eyes trained on Ahren and nothing will stop him from destroying the young man.

©2017 Torsten Weitze (P)2020 Tantor

Worth the listen

One review I read criticized this book for being a cookie cutter fantasy title. But the first cookie is just as tasty as the tenth. Don’t pass this book up. It really was quite good and enjoyable.

Loved it. Hard to put down..

Saving blood Wolf adds greatly to the story. Good way to add character.you haven't seen anything about this game and I'm sure that is amazing how

I wonder how... Gildart chooses WORDS to emphasize

I like the sound of Gildart's voice. I find it incredibly hard to deal with his very odd inflections, pauses (or lack of), and overall disconnection from the material he is reading.

I get the feeling Gildart was pushing through this narration as far as possible. As though this was the first time he was reading the source material. The first chapter starts off incredibly painful as he reads like a bulldozer pushing the heap of words out of his way in the path to a paycheck.

I almost returned the book at this point. Gildart Jackson gets a better. Maybe as he reads the story he gets more invested? Still. I'm not sure I'll continue the series now.

As for the story itself. It is pretty good. Like others said, it isn't incredibly engrossing. It is interesting enough though and parts are solid and show promise for the series. But again, I am on the fence about buying book 2. I am, however, going to start a new Audiobook right now, after finishing this one. So that's why this is 3 stars.

I believe a different voice talent might have made the story better to listen too.

Great book!!!

I really loved this book!! I’m not the best at words but I will try to express my full feelings about this work of art, this book series reminds me of one of my favorite book series, “brother band” the over all story is wonderful and while some things are a little predictable I loved the story line and characters traits!!! The ending was rather like able, loved the first part can not wait for future books!

A series you need to see or hear

What a great story, it develops the characters well, and you feel as though you are right there with them, following them on their adventures. I have spent many hours with quivering ears as i listen to what happens next. I am positive this will be a best seller and i say with due humility, only a fool would pass this story by without reading or listening. They will miss being away from reality while being swept away into a world of adventure and excitement if for only a while, but oh what a journey it is.

Another Young Chosen with a Old Master to Guide

This is another story about a young chosen boy with an old master there to guide him. There is magic and a wizard... Not the worst nor the best story I've read.

Spectacular!

It’s a great story and the characters are so varied! Would absolutely recommend the read!

for the epic fantasy lovers!

great adventure with engaging characters. Good vs. Evil . magic. quest and mysteries to solve.

lots of details

Great book/listen. kept hear the book in my head later in the day. couldn't wait to dive back in.

Nostalgic, classic, but NEW

If you don’t want to read something long:
This is by far one of the best coming of age books I’ve ever read and I am very excited to see where the rest of the story goes from here.

For something longer:
Torsten Weitze does an amazing job with spinning our most classic tales and creatures while still keeping some aspects that make them familiar and comfortable. In my opinion, he also does an amazing job at reminding the readers that Ahren is a young boy who is slowly becoming a young man - especially with his use of emotions. I also adore that his mentor figure Falk is shown to have flaws of his own.

On top of that, it is greatly appreciated that the common perception of males leading everything isn’t so prominent. I was happy to see the “masters and mistresses” and other mutual titles used and even more happy when it continued to persist. Don’t let this mislead you into thinking that his female characters are not feminine in their own rights. I cringe when I see authors pushing strong female characters into more masculine personalities and types, but Torsten Weitze balances it well. The best balance I’ve seen in a long time.