Runes of Issalia: The Complete Collection

Books 1-3

By: Jeffrey L. Kohanek

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Contains the complete Runes of Issalia series.

The Buried Symbol, book one

Rejecting his role as an outcast, Brock risks his life and obtains a false rune, marking him a member of the Empire's ruling class. Under a veil of deception and backed by natural talent, he then schemes his way into a school where the Empire's future leaders are trained. Can he maintain this charade? Within an academy of magic, science, and combat, he discovers secrets kept from society, among which is a forbidden magic he is able to wield. He is determined to tame his frightening new abilities. One misstep could destroy him.

The Emblem Throne, book two

The return of a forgotten magic sparks a prophecy of doom. A thin thread of hope remains, hidden with a long lost relic. Brock and his friends resume their training at the Academy. However, an expansive web of lies resides within the Ministry. The exposure of one such secret forces Brock and his friends to flee the school with their lives in the balance. Guided by cryptic instructions from the past and backed by a magic they have yet to master, these young heroes embark on a quest to unearth mysteries buried with the legendary Emblem Throne. However, the path is fraught with blood thirsty monsters and unsuspected danger. One mistake could seal the fate of everyone in Issalia.

An Empire in Runes, book three

A powerful magic. An unstoppable army. The final battle. Mankind's fate hangs in the balance. The eastern cities of Issalia lay in ruin, destroyed by a horde mindless monsters. Led by a teen named Brock, a squad of young heroes seeks a means of stopping this dark force from consuming the rest of the continent. The future of mankind hinges upon a powerful yet destructive magic. As foretold in an ancient prophecy, this rag-tag force gathers upon the Tantarri plains, prepared to face an army of giants. All the while, they must remain vigilant against a secret organization within the Ministry, who will do anything to prevent the return of Chaos.

©2021 Jeffrey L. Kohanek (P)2021 Podium Audio

Another good one picks up halfway through

I read this AFTER the wizardom series and also the first available audio book of the prequel the first wizard. Comparing is apples to oranges but I got big Harry Potter school vibes in the first half of the 3 books and then it settled into the stuff I was used to and love. Ultimately it was important enough to have the first half the way it was in the end, but I felt like the first book alone entirely could have captured what was needed in order to let the big grand adventure and epic lore stuff happen on a slower scale. Loved it either way. Can’t get enough of the author.

Enjoyable journey

I enjoyed the buildup for each character with little hints along the way of how each would grow into their eventual destinies. The strengths and weaknesses were brilliantly lauded out on the writers canvas. I had no dislikes.

Easy to like characters and story

Well read and engaging. The story and characters draw you in. Sad it ended so soon.

The underdog progression fantasy

solid storyline, good pace, all the tropes I enjoy including the underdog hero fighting against oppression

Just about perfect

I really enjoyed this book. It has a good mix of action, magic and character building. This kept my interest throughout the entire book. The only thing missing are some intense sex scenes, but that’s just me. I hope there are more installments to come.

What if LoTR, WoT, and Harry Potter had a baby?

As you listen to Jeffrey L. Kohanek's masterpiece Runes of Issalia, you will quickly feel the influence of other fantasy works like Harry Potter, Wheel of Time, and Lord of the Rings.

And let me say right up front. It totally works for me! I loved every minute of the 26hr listening time.

The three book series follows our hero Brock as goes from being a zero to hero in this well crafted and well paced story. Without giving any spoilers away, I will warn future listeners that each time you think you've nailed down where story is going and what type of tale it is going to tell, it will turn itself on its ear and you will spend a good amount of time going "Ok, I was expecting that, now what?!".

I have to give credit to Tim Campbell, he's a fantastic narrator. And does a fantastic job of setting the pace for the entire series. Speaking of his pace, unlike some other authors who tend to get lost in so much "world building" that they keep repeating details that they already gave us over and over (but, who are amazing at their craft), JLK keeps the story moving along at a pretty ideal pace.

Between Tim Campbell's reading and JLK's writing pace, I found myself loosing many hours at a time listening to the book. Which all sounds fine and good, until you realize its 4:30am and you've gone from "getting sleep for the night" to "taking a nap before work".

If you've listened or read any of JLK's other works, you will absolutely enjoy this one. Or, if you are a fan of "zero to hero" stories like Harry Potter and Wheel of Time (minus the 15 books to get there), I suspect you will become a fan of this one as well.

Another great Kohanek Saga

A great "zero-to-hero" tale worth hearing from beginning to end. Jeffrey Kohanek is a tremendously talented author who produces consistently entertaining content and Tim Campbell brings the work to life.

Compelling Story w/Complex Characters

This series was riveting! I loved the entire story, which made me laugh, cry, and ponder its parallels to our reality

love his stories

narrator brought these books to.life. so easy to follow along and excited to get back to story when I had to stop. enjoy JK books...looking forward to Wardens of Issalia...

Worth a purchase but could have been better.

I think this is for sure worth a credit. It has issues, like certain parts of the story taking up too much time, a few dumb choices, and the characters at times just aren't that great. This could have been an epic, and it built up like it was going to be one, then just fell lat. We only get deep into the magic toward the end of the second book, and it just wasn't as satisfying as it could be. Given these issues I still enjoyed the book. It is still far better than a lot of other audiobooks out there.