Ahren

13th Paladin Series, Book 1

De: Torsten Weitze

Narrado por: Gildart Jackson

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.

I'm hooked

I can't listen to these fast enough! if you are a fan of Tolkien, give these a try. the story is engaging and the narration pulls you in.

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!

Great series!

Intricate world building, original magic usage. Well narrated and very enjoyable listening experience. Highly recommend!

Overall good

I enjoyed the way the author drew the picture and colored the world he created. The book was what I expected and was looking for. An adventure book that is an easy read/listen. It is a firm YA book so don’t expect super deep context however. For what it was it’s a good if not great YA book from a new writer.

A Worthwhile Read

If you prefer a well rounded story with some action then this is a great book for you. If you prefer a lot of action with scant development of the characters then you probably will not enjoy this book. The story starts off a little slow but holds your interest because you are seeing the development of Ahren. Then once the story has your full attention as you begin the adventure.

Good Read

I really enjoyed this book and will continue this series. It wasn't a top 5, like the last one I read. Yet, it was still a very enjoyable read. We don't want bad things to happen to the good characters, but when it does it builds a sense of comradery between the reader and the characters involved (as long as they survive). I still feel close to the characters, but they feel a little bit like super heroes, too. In any case, it isn't a bad read. I am distracted at the moment as I want to continue the series, but have a rule that I have to leave a review for a book after reading it.

not bad

it's a good listen the story lines pretty good the characters are interesting the battle scenes are decent kind of reminds me of The Lord of the rings a little bit

Somewhere between pretty good and great

Good Story, well told, very good narration. A little bit slow paced, but overall, I enjoyed the story immensely and will most likely get book 2 once I've caught up on my backlog of books.