Ascension

The Trysmoon Saga, Book 1

By: Brian K. Fuller

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Gen was a bard's apprentice, his nimble hands meant for the lute and his voice for a song. Then the half-mad and completely bored Shadan Khairn invaded Gen's village to winter there and start a war. He shoved a sword in Gen's hands and tormented his body, shaping a bard into a warrior to be killed for sport. As the days of torture pile up like the snow, Gen searches for death. But the day is at hand when the shattered shards of the world will knit together again, and the world's slain god will be reborn. The mighty Ha'Ulrich will be the father, the mysterious Chalaine the mother. In dangerous times the holy couple doesn't need a bard. They need a warrior. And Gen needs a reason to live.

©2014 Brian K. Fuller (P)2015 Podium Publishing

Wow. Just Wow.

I don’t pass out 5 stars on a whim, nor do I offer high praise lightly. This book, author, and narrator have earned it all.
The story is fresh, inventive, with strokes of originality, and surprisingly free of cliche (while acknowledging it is a good vs evil, orphan with no background must rise to meet his destiny and save the world Fantasy story).
I sought more from author Brian Fuller after enjoying another of his books, “Dread Uprising,” narrated by RC Bray. I am glad I did.
I confess to being a fan of the SciFi/Fantasy genre, with emphasis more on the SciFi. Good Fantasy stories are almost impossible to find. Too often, fantasy authors are compelled to try an “one-up” Tolkien. Mages and knights, lords and ladies, forced medieval dialogue weighed down with an over abundance of “methinks” and “I doths,” while never developing the characters.
Here you will find well developed, likable characters you can cheer for and brutes, scoundrels, and bores to “boo.” The dialogue does not get in the way of the story, or compete with it.
I was genuinely surprised the end of the book arrived so qu I don’t pass out 5 stars on a whim, nor do I offer high praise lightly. This book, author, and narrator have earned it all.
The story is fresh, inventive, with strokes of originality, and surprisingly free of cliche (while acknowledging it is a good vs evil, orphan with no The fastest eleven hours weurse, I have already purchased the next installment in the saga. I am hopeful it is equally well written.

My new favorite hero & story

This has become my new favorite fantasy series with my new favorite hero. I highly recommend the Author & Narrator as they are both at the top of their skills.

Well worth the listen

Simon Vance is a great narrator and does a masterful job relating Fuller's promising work. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I already preordered the next installment.

will go down as an alltime favorite

narrator is my absolute favorite.
really did this fantastic book justice.
the book is the real gem though.
this is my second time reading through it and it had me just as engaged as the first.

Fantastic Epic Fantasy

Where does Ascension rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think in the top 10 books.
My top two favorite Epic Fantasy genre books are:
Eye of the World
The Name of the Wind

More books I liked very much.
Eye of the Moonrat
The Way of Kings
The Warded Man
Harbinger
A Game of Thrones
Wizard's First Rule
A Crucible of Souls
The Way of Shadows
Jhereg: Vlad Taltos
Foundling: Monster Blood Tattoo
The Godling Chronicles: The Sword of Truth
Thief's Magic
Jaunten
Circle of Reign
Riddle in Stone
The Blacksmith's Son
Beguilement
The Shadow of the Torturer
Poison Study
Luck in the Shadows
Circle of Reign

Some of these books (above) are for younger ages some are more for adults...

What other book might you compare Ascension to and why?

"Ascension" is like "Eye of the World" in that we are cheering for the hero! A honest good guy. We want to see a romance develop (yet none in this book). Bad people, yet not that we hate them yet.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I am a fan of Simon Vance. He is a high quality performer.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Fell asleep listening then finished next day on a road trip. I listened to this on a road trip.

Great story!!

I loved this story, I got this one on a whim, after listening to half of this book I bought the other 3. I'm a couple hours into the second and I really like this story. I think it could be made into a show. Back to this book though, the narrator does a great job telling Gen's story, I feel he brought life and zest to the book. Take a chance on this one, you won't regret it!

Great book, wish it had better character development

I really enjoyed the book, and the story. I just wish that it had better development in the main character. It went directly from poor farm kid to unbeatable swordsman.

Phenominal Begining to a Great Saga

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend this book to anyone who has time to listen. Simon Vance does a great job with drawing you into this world through his voice. I must say it took a few chapters for me to get used to his reading style, but once I did, his voice fit the world he was narrating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ascension?

The most memorable moment was when the protagonist steps onto the testing field of the Dark Guard candidates looking like a beggar but has an air of purpose. Loved it!

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first performance I have listened to by Simon Vance, and I was very pleased with his work.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story took a little time to get going, but once it began, I found myself drawn into it and looked for reasons to continue listening. So, in short, Yes I wanted to listen to it all in one sitting

Any additional comments?

A great book that sets up a greater story with a protagonist who is both memorable and skilled. I delight to continue reading/listening to this series.

Elegantly written classic fantasy with a twist

This book is captivating, well written and even better narrated. Book starts off depicting a simple life within a village where Gen (a bard apprentice) had simple life full of adolescence challenges including his crush. Author does a great job providing details about the village life in a beautiful way which hooks reader into the book from very start. Things start to move when Shadan (main antagonist) shows up in village to setup camp for the winter. Even though Gen is the main character and protagonist, Shadan turns out to be more interesting character who moves the story forward in earlier part of the book.

Shadan who is known to be the best warrior anywhere, senses talent in Gen, and decide to train Gen as a warrior over the winter. His motivation is to create a warrior that would provide a challenge in an eventual duel. His methods are brutal but affective, and a good part of the book goes into Gen's training.

My view of the book as a classic fantasy is that there is a prophecy about return of a savior who will fight against a clearly evil being. The leader of the world believe in it, and politics and religion is impacted by it. Gen's rise from being a simple bard from an unknown city to a warrior of great skills and renown makes him a relevant character around the people destined to bring the savior the world.

Books unravels the story slowly, and keep reader wanting for more. It is beautifully written book which I throughly enjoyed. I will be reading the next books in series, and highly recommend this book

Oh Yeah, This One Will Keep You Awake Too Long

Villages pillaged, love lost, Spartan-like training, demons and despots and then ... it gets interesting!