Ravine of Blood and Shadow: Soldier, Outlaw, Hero, King

Annals of the Nameless Dwarf, Book 1

By: Derek Prior

Narrated by: Mike Carnes

Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018

A babe is born in the shadows of the ravine city, a child who will end the self-imposed exile of the dwarves and usher in a new age of glory.

Years later, Ravine Guard Carnac Thayn discovers a break-in at the Scriptorium. A dwarf has been murdered and a book stolen, but the ruling council do nothing.

Then, when Carn is called to investigate thuds and crashes from the mines, old horror rises from the deep, and the city is threatened with slaughter.

Rumors begin to circulate about a mythical axe said to be lost below the earth, an axe wielded by the dwarf lords of old that might just be the last hope of a race marked to die.

But deception is rife, and unseen forces manipulate all paths to the future.

It is a pivotal moment for the dwarves, and Carn must make a choice that will either save or damn his people.

Blood will flow in rivers through the ravine. Friends will become foes. A name will be forgotten.

And a hero will rise.

©2019 D.P. Prior (P)2019 D.P. Prior

Awesome Fantasy Story!

Story opens well with excellent progression through narrative! Narrator did a stellar performance with great vocal pressure applied! This demands a sequel or four!!
I recommend this audiobook for ages 16 and older due to some violence.
I was given this audiobook for free and I freely give it my rating and opinion

Great YA/Adult Dwarf Fantasy Adventure

So I'm going to start with my morality rating on this one. If it were a movie it would be PG13 to R, there's lots of drinking, language, lots of gore and sexual references/content. This is definitely geared to the young adult and adult crowd. That being said I can't say that I am surprised with the content, as it centers around dwarf society. I was aware that it could easily go that way but it was a really interesting and entertaining story. The narrator did a fantastic job and really was fun to listen to. This is a great book for those into Fantasy, RPG and the mystery/adventure genre.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

In the age of Dwarves...

Most fantasy stories are sprawling epics with many different races. While I do love those, I absolutely loved spending time with dwarves!

Likeable characters and rousing adventure brought to life by narrator Mike Carnes.

Captivating and Engaging!

This is a mystery that my mind keeps trying to solve, who set Carn up? I dont trust his friends or half the council and I want to know more about the magic on that helm! It was his mothers and I feel like some bad magic has been placed on it. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Mike Carnes did a marvelous job narrating, giving voice to dwarves and fey alike! Oh and before I forget, I was given this book free in exchange for my thoughts on it and all I can say is I am ready for more!

Re-telling the story from the beginning

To begin with, let's get some things on the table. First, I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Second, this isn't my first exposure to our Nameless protagonist. D.P. Prior did something I've never seen before: he wrote a highly popular series of books, then said "Good, but I can do even better." He listened to his fans, kept what worked, cleaned up what didn't work, and made an excellent series even better.

This time he starts at the beginning with what was originally a prequal. He does a good job of laying out what I think a lot of authors miss about their characters now days: a flawed hero who will have to strive, grow, and overcome himself (or, at least, his failures) to become a legendary hero. If the hero were already perfect, there isn't much story to tell. The story does have a lot to set up so the action is a little light at first but it does pick up by the end (and I know there is even better to come).

Mike Carnes' narration is good; an improvement over the previous narrator. (To be honest I liked the previous narrator but even I will admit he was an acquired taste.) Each character has a distinct voice and the narration flows well.

In my opinion the Nameless Dwarf is one of the best characters to come out of the self-publishing era. In this edition the author has taken something good and made it better. I look forward to seeing how later editions evolve.

Promising start to a new series

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

I have to admit that I am a sucker for a good story about dwarves. This is my first book to plow through from D.P. Prior, but it will not be the last. This book was great. It started a little slowly and took a little while to pick up speed, but about a third of the way in, I was hooked. I like my dwarves strong, brave and loyal, just a bit cranky and sarcastic while being filled with life and good humor. This story delivered. The narration by Mike Carnes is excellent. I loved the characters and felt deeply about each of them. I will have to say that Prior left me dangling off of a cliff at the end and now I have to find the next book to see what happens next. Fortunately this is the first of five that are written although the audio is not out for the remaining books. I'm intrigued by the story enough to go a head and purchase the books. Looking forward to checking out the next chapter in the lives of the Nameless Dwarf and his friends.

Loved it 💜

Excellent world building. The mythology and character creation with an easy writing style thats easy to get sucked into.

Brilliant narrator, gave a performance worthy of a fantasy this good.

-I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.-

Solid Dwarven Fantasy

I received a review copy of this audiobook. The story is compelling and well-told. The main character is flawed. There are a few things I didn’t care for about this book, but most are matters of subjective personal preference (for example, I’m not a fan of the trope that female dwarves have beards). The most objective complaint I have is the creation of a single Dwarven curse word that is used as though it is nearly every English curse word at one time or another, which doesn’t really make sense. Even that, I suspect, will not bother anyone who thinks about language less than I do.

If you like fantasy in general and dwarves in particular, there’s a decent chance

Kept me engaged

Very good storyline, kept me wanting to know what was coming next. Enough twists to keep you guessing. Mike Carnes did a very good job narrating, whether just leading you through the story or getting into the various characters. One gets the feeling he really enjoys what he's doing. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Bring on the dwarfs!

Great Start to a Fantasy Series about Dwarves

I enjoyed this book a great deal, more than I had expected to. I didn't really think I would be super interested in a book that focused on mainly dwarves but it kept me entertained throughout and wanting more. The Dwarven race has shut themselves off from the outside world for centuries possibly thousands of years and keep to themselves in their mountain ravine after they were betrayed and deceived by a great evil. The book follows Carn who is allegedly the descendant of the great Dwarf Lords of yore on his mother's side. Unfortunately his mother died having him in childbirth. Carn and his brother were the subject of a prophecy given to their father by a member of the Fane and the prophecy said they would bring their people back to the type of power and lives they had during the time of the Dwarf Lords.

The book really gets into the back story and sets a mood and picture of what life is currently like for the dwarves and their might not be a lot of action at the beginning but it is still very interesting and entertaining and the relationships between the characters are done very well. The action definitely picks up and there is a lot to go around as well as mystery, intrigue and death. The story definitely took a turn I wasn't expecting and some pretty messed up stuff happens but it makes me very interested in future installments and to see where this is all going.

The narration by Mike Carnes is very well done, I like his regular narration voice and he has some great accents and voices for the different characters. I do recommend that you read this book and am hoping to read the next in the series.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."