Stormborn (A Tale of the Dwemhar)

Stormborn Saga, Book 1

De: J.T. Williams

Narrado por: Nick Denton

Valrin was born of the sea, or so he was always told. Orphaned on a desolate island, he knows nothing of his true past and wonders of his future...until the unexpected arrival of a mysterious ship changes everything.

For a fleeting moment, he feels like he might have an answer to everything and then his life is suddenly ripped apart. The one person that loved him is killed protecting him and a wanted sea-captain and his misfit crew become the only hope Valrin has. If he is to survive the coming darkness, he must learn who he truly is.

But there is someone that will hunt him. Someone that will want him dead to prevent the mere chance of what he could become. He has a destiny to unlock but will he get there before he is destroyed?

©2017 J.T. Williams (P)2020 J.T. Williams

Short and Intense

action packed from the get go. Nick read every line as if it was the final battle, an interesting take on it. I think it will be a fantastic journey and look forward to listening to the rest!

Quick Story to Whet Your Appetite

Stormborn makes for a fast read (listen), not only because of the length, but also because it is packed with things going on. The writing is well done and the world seems fascinating from the glimpse we experience. I haven't yet experienced any of the other books set in this world; and I think the only thing keeping this story from being a solid 5-star adventure is the length. It didn't feel as if I got to know the characters well enough to be emotionally invested in them. There's also only glimpses at the greater struggles in the world. Honestly, I feel I could very easily become invested the larger tale unfolding within this world. I would only need to experience more.

Narration is good here. I was nervous, at first, about how well the narrator's accent would fit with the story. However, it works with the story just fine.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Feels too rushed...

It's a short book - only about 2 hours of listening - and this is the main source of the problems I have with it... It feels both rushed and shallow at the same time... I had a feeling I was listening to a story for 19th century teenage boys: there is one big, momentous adventure after another with nothing going on in between. It felt like reading a historic map with say Magellan's or Columbus's journey marked down: points A, B, C (these are the stops they made in different ports) joined by arrows representing months of idle sea travel - only this book gives you points A, B, C without the arrows in between (if you get my meaning...). OK, I have nothing against the hero meeting deities or god's messengers and receiving quests from them in order to fulfil his destiny BUT I'd like to see more of how it all changes the hero, what his reactions to those unusual circumstances are, I need to see how the hero grows and becomes the hero... And I'm sorry but I didn't see it here... There's no awe, no fear, no surprise even from Valrin, not even once; he just accepts everything that happens to him without any questions, any doubts, any vehemances... Not very believable - unless you're 13 or 14 and the only thing you're interested in a book/movie is the fist fights..:)
But, with all the above said, it's not that I disliked the book - not at all; it was a quick, pleasant listen and when I allowed myself to forget I'm a grown up woman and started to pretend to be a teenage boy interested in something more than his cell phone and Facebook account, the tale of the Stormborn boy, with all the mysteries surrounding him and the dwarves trying to put their hands on him and his ship really started to be enjoyable...:)

Narration by Mr Denton is quite good, although I must admit that some of the accents he uses were a bit difficult for me to follow as I'm not a native speaker of English. But they matched the races, dwarves especially, so that's ok - it gave the book a kind of "fantasy authenticity", we might say:)

So generally, if you like stories full of adventures and without much character development, and at that, quick to read/listen to, that's exactly a book for you :)

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

Good fantasy novella!

It was good, the story of a boy who lears he is more than he appears and it’s destined for greatness. The narration was good.

very interesting work

the world is rich and engaging.
the action seemed very rushed.
I will read more, but this is mostly a quickie.

fun adventure story

good adventure story. nothing amazing but a fun action packed start to a sea-faring adventure.

A good read

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

I enjoyed listening to the book. It really wrapped me up in the story. The story was interesting and captivating and Nick Denton really made it come to life. A great fantasy read! I can’t wait to hear the rest.

Back To The Sea

The orphaned Valrin had always been told he belonged to the sea but until he finds himself onboard a ship with a somewhat sketchy captain and crew, he'd never had much of a chance to become acquainted with deep water. All that's about to change in this first story of a new series.
A lot of the book's dedicated to establishing the characters, providing a back story and getting Valrin the trappings for his future life so it feels a bit short, but there are some great battles, lots of drama and enough character development to leave you comfortable with and attached to the characters. As an added bonus, the author deals well with the usual struggle between leaving the reader with enough loose ends to attract them back to read the next volume while avoiding the everything in the air cliffhangers that so often make first books feel like a brazen effort to coerce the price of another book out of the audience by intentionally splitting a story at the most inconvenient spot.
Kudos to J.T. Williams. This one left me well satisfied and definitely wanting more.

Packed Full Of Adventure

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
A fast ride through a wonderful glacial world and larger than life characters. Right down to the vast array of voices by the narrator, I liked everything about this audiobook. I look forward to listening to more of JT. Williams' work.

first in series

an interesting start to a series that looks promising. Looking forward to listening to more.