Ibenus

Valducan, Book 3

By: Seth Skorkowsky

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

After surviving a demon attack, disgraced police detective Victoria Martin tracks down the Valducans in search of answers. Recognizing her potential, and despite the warnings of the other knights, Allan Havlock, protector of Ibenus, takes her in as his apprentice. As the Valducans travel to Paris to destroy a demon nest infesting the catacombs, the knights find themselves hunted by an Internet group intent on exposing them. Victoria, who belongs to this group, must desperately play both sides to protect not only herself but Allan, whom she has begun to love. Ibenus, however, has other plans.

Ibenus is the third book in the Valducan series, for which Skorkowsky was short-listed as Best Debut Author in the 2014 Reddit Stabby Awards.

©2016 Seth Skorkowsky (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

You know you want to read it.

This series is fast paced. The story is a pretty awesome departure from the paranormal fiction you see everyday. Bravo Seth. I want to meet every single weapon and their protectors. I want to see the Valducans win.

More. I need more.

Damn you Seth. You have me hooked. I require more of this series. Well written and my favorite this far.

Another outstanding book by Skorkowsky!

This was definitely the best one in the series so far. The monsters in the book were literally terrifying and the action had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go have a pineapple Fun-ta while I start this book over.

Amazing Book

I never realized how much I would love a book featuring Alan as the main character but even 50 pages into this book I was enraptured with the character and plot. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys urban/modern fantasy.

captivating story line.. Great audio <br />

Travelling across Kansas, I used more than one exit. will go back and read the first 2 books!

Another great addition to an amazing series

This book is another addition in an already great series. I highly recommend it to anybody who's enjoy the previous two books. Great narration and a great story.

wonderful story

nonstop action and fascination. The Knights finally come to fight the betrayer in that catacombs of Paris.

excellent story

this is truly a excellent story! really enjoyed this. looking forward to hearing moore book.

Inventive & Creative: Angels, Demons and Magic!

This is the third book in the Valducan Series, the knights who are connected to their angel infused weapons. As with books one and two, the main characters shift and many new ones are introduced. The old favorites are given supporting rolls giving the story a familiar feel, but keeping the characters fresh and interesting.

Ibenus is Allan’s sword, giving him the ability to transport short distances in and out of striking range. It is fascinating to hear the inventiveness of the author as he comes up with more and more magical skills, while still keeping the knights human and vulnerable. They are generally overmatched against their opponents, where only skill and courage can win the day. The knights are as unique as their weapons.

Victoria Martin, a disgraced policewoman is introduced as villain and hero, and possibly Allan’s lover. Her conflicting motivations for revenge and honor keep her in the thick of the tangled world of angels and demons. The Valducan knights sworn to protect and honor their weapons are forced to make moral choices that challenge the core of their beliefs. They must allow the weapon to decide its master despite their misgivings. It all makes for a complicated and intriguing story.

As with the previous volumes, the story stands alone, giving various references to past exploits. Though not critical, it is helpful to have read/listened to the previous books. There is plenty of demon killing action and some truly evil humans too. Assuming you’ve listened to one or both of the previous books, you’ll want to continue on. The overarching theme of enchanted weapons is the same, but the characters and plot is completely new.

R. C. Bray continues to perform the series with his unique voice and deep talent. He is clearly one of the best performers working today and meshes beautifully with the mood of the story. His character voices and accents are admirable. A true pleasure to listen too.

It is tempting to compare each of the Valducan books against one another: is this one better than its predecessors? Too difficult to answer as each volume is so different (besides the weapons theme). Simpler to say that if you enjoyed the first two, book three will very likely be just as entertaining. Recommended.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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More solid work from Mr. Skorkowsky

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

Above average

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ibenus?

There's a somewhat shocking death about 3/4 of the way in. Loved it.

What about R. C. Bray’s performance did you like?

I think Bray does well with accents and character voices. He's not one of the greats, but his work never veers into the groan-worthy territory.

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

Yes. There are some parts that get slower, but overall, it has nice pacing.

Any additional comments?

It's really something to see Skorkowsky come into his own and find a more confident voice. His choice to focus on weapons other than Damoren and push Matt Hollis to a background character do a lot to alleviate the Gary-Stuishness that Hollis threatened in the first novel. But that was a first novel; we may make allowances for green thumbs.

As Skorkowsky has matured, his books have matured with him. While I found the plot of Hounacier to be much more interesting than the plot of Ibenus, the character development throughout Ibenus was very much superior, and Skorkowsky was able to focus on and develop several characters at once, rather than simply Malcolm (who was I was happy to see return in Ibenus!).

If I had complaints, it would be that Paris is nowhere near as well drawn as New Orleans or even the various settings of Damoren, and the insight into our villain comes too late to really be of effect. Virginia's moral struggle also never really felt like a struggle, not like Matt's struggle to fit in or Malcolm's struggle with possession. As I said, Skorkowsky handles his characters better in this novel, and his prose is much more confident (and improved!), but plotting got shorter shrift here. However, given the constant advancement of talent and quality I've seen throughout this series, I am eagerly awaiting the next volume, which is more than I can usually say for urban fantasy. Well done, Mr. Skorkowsky. Well done indeed.