The Hellborn King

The Hellborn King Saga, Book 1

By: Christopher Brenning

Narrated by: Guy Barnes

A kingdom at war. A royal family at war with itself.

After the massacre of his people, Damien Dreadfire leads a patchwork army of unlikely allies against the Kingdom of Betanthia. The alliance teeters on the edge of a knife, as old rivalries between clans threaten to tear it apart.

With the help of his trusted friend, Einarr, and a strange mystic, Damien launches a bold offensive that will decide the future of the free lands. Short on time, and even shorter on men, the fate of a once vibrant culture and its people rests on the outcome of the next battle. Meanwhile, Betanthia's crown prince, Gareth Bethard, faces dangers of his own.

With his family coming apart at the seams and a growing conspiracy afoot, he tries desperately to hold everything together. Even as Gareth grapples with inner demons, he must learn to take up his father's mantle as the protector of civilization and defeat Damien’s invading horde. It's only the fate of a thousand-year dynasty resting on his shoulders, after all.

©2021 Christopher G. Brenning (P)2022 Christopher G. Brenning

exceptional

traditionally, books like this read in audio format do poorly to convey the scenes as well as the proper pacing of the book. I can say the narrator did a splendid job of faithfully following the books pace and also doing an awesome performance with the voice acting. I found the entire book not wanting, and I didn't feel lost or disengaged like traditional books do with such length. very nice work to the author and awesome job to the narrator!

So good.

I have this book in paperback and enjoyed it so much I bought the audiobook. The narrator is perfect, the world is raw and brutal, and the characters wonderfully believable. My only complaint is that I have to wait for book 2.

So good!

The descriptions. I can't get over how real it all felt. The look into everyday life inside of the story. Just so good. I wish I could write descriptions like this. Way to go. Looking forward to Book 2!

WELL WORTH THE TIME!

THE HELLBORN KING BY CHRISTOPHER BRENNING AND NARRATED BY GUY BARNES is the first audiobook in the series.

The King is a drunk and insane and , the prince is on his way to becoming a drunk. The entire royal family is warring against each other while in the far away lands of the kingdom a huge war party is on the march and is out to destroy and take over the kingdom. This book focuses on introducing the main characters of the series intermixed with some very gruesome scenes of the barbarians literally obliterating thousands of the kings soldiers. The focus is also on just how dysfunctional and delusional the king and his family has become. For decades they have closed their eyes to the poverty all around them while they fight among each other and drink themselves into oblivion.

I really enjoyed this first book in the HELLBORN KING series. What a great job the author did on bringing the characters to life. Even the horrific graphic battle sequences were done very well. Guy Barnes,the narrator did a very good job bringing the sights and sounds of the characters to life . I cant wait to listen to the second book in the series.

I recieved this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!

I absolutely loved this book. The Hellborn King is a story of War, rebellion, sibling rivalry and political intrigue. If you are a fan of dark fantasy/ grimdark and morally gray characters you really should give this one a try. the story is told from both sides of the war and to be honest you really don't know who is on the "right" side of the conflict. Brenning does a phenomenal job of making you like and understand both sides.. His writing is so smooth and his descriptions really make it easy to "see" the world he is trying to create. Guy Barnes crushes the narration and really makes the characters come alive. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fantasy, dark fantasy or grimdark ...it's in my personal top 5 books of all time

Great Read!

I found the story to be well paced and the characters interesting. At the beginning I was leaning more towards Gareth, since he seemed to have the potential to be a great leader but was hampered by his dysfunctional family. But later on I was pulled more towards Lucetta because her story took a wild and unexpected twist.

For me, when the story takes twists I wasn't expecting and they make sense it gets me more interested in it. This book did just that. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Brutally fantastic

Brutal, Compelling, and awesome!!!

Looking for a multi POV dark military campaign with dynamic broken characters look no further. I am just upset I waited so long to read this fantastic debut.

A broken royal family a kingdom in decline and a Warlord hell bent on revenge for past wars are just some of what you will find in Hellborn king.

From the first chapter this book grabs you and takes you on a wild ride.

5/5 great morally grey flawed characters, political maneuvering, and awesome battles. I have nothing but praise for Hellborn King!!!

I recommend

i really liked it. the author created a rich and full world with a whole cast of complex characters. My only downside is that part 2 hasn't been written yet and I think the second installment is going to have the meat and potatoes of the story. this story left me anxiously waiting to see what happens next. I recommend.

Phenomenal

The Hellborn King is a very fun read! The prologue is something that will blow people away. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the different kinds of battles that the author gives us, from the hand to hand combat to the internal conflicts of some of the characters. I found myself torn on which side of the conflict I wanted to know more of, a testament to how the author pulls you in. It is told from both sides of the battles that occur, making it realistic and pulse pounding. It is brutal. It is bloody. It is fantastic.

The battles are the highlight of this book, from the very beginning. The tension is built up in a great way, making the reader look forward to the next conflict. I know that this dark is described as being dark, and it is. But it doesn’t hide from that fact. The only thing that really felt off to me was the jumps in time when switching viewpoints. It only takes a second but does interrupt a little of the flow of the pace. It is easy to get back into the story but may take a second or two to figure out where in time the viewpoint is taking place.

The Hellborn King is a great dark tale of blood and war. It may look like a big book but the story itself flies as if flung from the biggest trebuchet ever built. It will pull you into the depths of the world and refuse to let go from the very beginning in a stunning and breathtaking way. I read the prologue twice, it was that good. If you are looking for a dark book with unforgiving characters, then you have found the perfect match.

Many, many good things.

I really love the intrigue and all of the little mysteries, as yet unexplained, that drive these characters.

I will continue the series.

This very interesting listen gets 4s only because I'm not a fan of the females or the narration of them. This may be purely personal preference so I refuse to dash the ambition and scope of a really fun novel by overreacting.

The MEN I love ❤️ Their narration and performance, I love so I have high hopes for the next book.