Black Powder, Black Heart: A Dark Flintlock Fantasy Novel

By: Seth Hobbs

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Zachariah Garbius has seen and done terrible things during his time with the Sendyne Army. However, he awakens to find himself in a new kind of hell. Trapped in a foreign land, chained to a chair, he learns that he is now the prisoner of some mysterious, bespectacled captor, but why?

Several centuries ago, General Rotilla Voxinus and his allies saved their world from the evil despots running the Sendyne Empire, and the demonic Vannunkye race that those deviants served. The old, false gods were put away in favor of the martyred Messiah, and now the nation states of the West largely serve the Arch Vestry, the church devoted to the religion of the Messiah's Couriers.

Other heretical religions, such as that of the Planetesians, were hunted down more ferociously than ever, yet some still remain. Though the political leaders of the West are forbidden from consulting and sheltering with such dissidents, they might be the only key to understanding new planetary developments-- developments that could usher in a whole new multitude of powers and problems.

Karina Von Oceanskimmer is one of the few women lucky enough to land a job as secretary to Primary Marshal Jerovius Cathus. Her darker skin, curious habits, famous last name, and connections to a Prog city are more than enough to draw the suspicions of fellow workers in the Coil, the executive government building that houses Cathus and numerous other bureaucrats under his domain.

Lorelia Garbius, the sister of Zachariah, was once living it up big in a penthouse paid for by her successful lover. The only problem is that his wife found out and threatened to take the matter before the Arch Vestry. Now, Lorelia sinks to new lows. Her and Zach's parents are dead, she is hopelessly addicted to gabbrano and jogga dabar, resorting to selling herself and slumming around the Carcass, an impoverished and crime-ridden cesspool of Ecstasy Bay.

Bertram Vidayo was once a hero of the Sendyne Army, but his actions have landed him a dishonorable discharge and a terrifying sentence in the Ecstasy Bay Prison. Lucky for him, he might just have one friend left in this world, and a few tricks up his sleeve.

War has largely been kept at bay for some time, though Sendya has recently gone through a civil war and a tense peace, but when mysterious meteorites begin to fall in both the East and West, war will erupt with all of the rage and fury that characterized the tumultuous past. Flintlock weapons and gunpowder, new technologies, political intrigue, forbidden loves, brutal warfare, dark secrets, mysterious agents, and much more await...

Praise for Seth Hobbs' books in the same universe:

"Seth Hobbs has done it again!"

"Hobbs engrosses the reader in his vast realm. Well-written and complex world building with plenty of bloody action in a techno-magical saga."

"A whole new perspective of world-building that is both vast and horrifying in scope."

"Hobbs is a master teller of these ambitious, complex sagas!"

"Rome (including the origins of Christianity) meets Game of Thrones meets Conspiracy Theory meets Outbreak."

"An exciting page turner!"

"The World-Building is exceptional!"

AI🙍‍♀️

Couldn't get through the narration. I guess AI narration is to non something for me.

The virtual voice narration destroyed the story

This is a good story. An interesting set of characters in an interesting world. The dialogue is engaging. It’s common speech the way troops talk to each other, warts and all. Great descriptions of the action. An intriguing plot that keeps you listening. And thank God for that because the virtual voice narration RUINS the whole evolution. If you can shut out the voice and concentrate on the story then you’ll enjoy the story. Otherwise this is like an excellent dish the cook forgot to add salt to.