The Forgetting Moon

By: Brian Lee Durfee

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

A massive army on the brink of conquest looms large in a world where prophecies are lies, magic is believed in but never seen, and hope is where you least expect to find it.

Welcome to the Five Isles, where war has come in the name of the invading army of Sor Sevier, a merciless host driven by the prophetic fervor of the Angel Prince, Aeros, toward the last unconquered kingdom of Gul Kana. Yet Gault, one of the elite Knights Archaic of Sor Sevier, is growing disillusioned by the crusade he is at the vanguard of just as it embarks on his Lord Aeros' greatest triumph.

While the eldest son of the fallen king of Gul Kana now reigns in ever increasing paranoid isolationism, his two sisters seek their own paths. Jondralyn, the older sister, renowned for her beauty, only desires to prove her worth as a warrior, while Tala, the younger sister, has uncovered a secret that may not only destroy her family but the entire kingdom. Then there's Hawkwood, the assassin sent to kill Jondralyn who has instead fallen in love with her and trains her in his deadly art. All are led further into dangerous conspiracies within the court. And hidden at the edge of Gul Kana is Nail, the orphan taken by the enigmatic Shawcroft to the remote whaling village of Gallows Haven, a young man who may hold the link to the salvation of the entire Five Isles.

You may think you know this story, but everyone is not who they seem nor do they fit the roles you expect. Durfee has created an epic fantasy full of hope in a world based on lies.

©2016 Brian Lee Durfee (P)2019 Recorded Books

Who to like?

Despite Reynolds’s usual artistic performance, this story remains frustrating. There may be protagonists but they are whiney and confused. The antagonists are two-dimensional villains. The only characters to admire are those secondary to the action. The plot twists are frustrating too, less a function of irony or justice than seemingly random events, as if plucked from a hat of alternatives without regard to story line. Dialogues are broken up by paragraphs of unnecessary inner monologues as if the author were being paid by the word. There is perhaps an interesting story to be told here, but it is muffled in the over elaborate emotional reportage of people I wanted to care about but couldn’t - people I don’t want to know.

Who's your daddy AND who's your mommy?

For those who enjoy their medieval fantasy adult-themed with lots of court intrigue, betrayals and, at times, gruesome encounters then there is lots to like about this novel. Brian Lee Durfee skillfully creates many character arcs with ample backstory to make them memorable. He does this in equal amounts for the likeable and the detestable. Tim Gerard Reynolds's performance brings each of these players to life in one's mind as he narrates the unfolding tale.

Onto Book 2.

unimpressive and unoriginal

I could not get into the story... and the characters were unoriginal and not very complex, or at least the writing for them was not.
the performance by Reynolds was good. but I will not be continuing this series.

The story never grabbed me

11 chapters in and I just couldn't bring myself to go on any farther. I was really curious to find out more about the mystery surrounding the boy Nails, but no enough to have the story keep jumping all over the place with dozens of other characters I didn't care about.

A grind with a good payoff at the end!

This book was good. I gave it a B grade ( I gave game of thrones an A). The first few hours are really good, but then it gets REALLY slow. Lots of court politics make up the middle of the book. I would say the book is a combination of the first Wheel of time book and gamr of thrones.

Brilliant and Underrated

Brian Lee Durfee is the man. He’s an absolute Chad. You can tell he’s read the classics and greats of the fantasy genre, and added his own flair and twists to the formula. The pacing is incredible. This is a quality book.

Solid debut

I enjoyed this one. This was a dark, gritty fantasy. Plenty of harrowing moments to get through if you are not a big fan of gore. The characters have depth so far, though I look forward to seeing some of them progress more than they have. Definitely have flaws that are believable and a few times my jaw dropped in character-defining moments. There was a ton of building for the plot. It felt fairly slow for maybe 40% of the book, but then the hat dropped and it kept catching gusts of wind.

Overall, eager to jump into the next book.

Meandering, meaningless and lost

This is oddly well written for a story that wanders all over the place with no real delivery on any particular plot point. it gets oddly horny in places and the characters are largely unlikeable, stupid or both. Again the technical detail of the writing isn't bad but none of the pieces come together and I'm left wondering what was the point.

meh

The story was not bad but this book left a lot of unanswered questions that a reader would not normally need to wait to get answers to. it just kind of stopped in the middle of the story.

Brilliantly Written and Narrated!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book with its dynamic storyline that pulled me in and twisted in ways I didn't expect. All of the characters were vibrant and didn't fit the same tired old mold that so many fantasy stories keep regurgitating over and over again. For the most part none of the characters were entirely naive and innocent or corrupt and evil and they were complex in their actions and motivations. Top this off with one of the best narrators in the business and it shapes up to be a book that will leave fantasy fans satiated. The one and only complaint I have is with the tad bit over the top passages from the various holy books that begin each chapter. Regardless I'm excited to start the next book in the series immediately after I finish writing this review!