The Misanthrope: Stone's Story

Ourean Chronicles #1

By: S. M. Boyce

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Before Stone trained Kara Magari or taught the First Vagabond to master the blood loyalty, he was nothing more than a slave boy named Terric.

Terric is a curious loner hellbent on reading his master's forbidden books. When one heist goes wrong, Terric abandons his old life and runs for freedom - only to fall prey to a ruthless man named Niccoli.

Niccoli is an isen - a creature of magic from the hidden world of Ourea - and he awakens within Terric an unimaginable gift. But this gift comes with a catch. Suddenly in control of newfound power he is forbidden to freely use, Terric realizes too late he simply traded one master for another.

In Ourea, a world dominated by the gifted, few isen dare defy their masters. Until now.

©2016 Sarah Montee (P)2016 Sarah Montee

Review: The Misanthrope, by S.M. Boyce

S.M. Boyce has done it yet again. The Grimoire Saga may have ended with the release of Illusion last year, but my adventures through the world of Ourea are far from over. The Misanthrope is a welcomed return to the magical, dangerous world that Boyce created, and I couldn’t have asked for a better story to read.

Like the read of the books I’ve read from Boyce, there is no lack of genius writing. Each setting is written beautifully. Whether it’s on Earth or in Ourea, I felt like I was there standing beside the characters, taking in the scenery, sounds, and scents. That’s one of the things that drew me in early on.

Strong, well fleshed out characters are also offered up in this book. Stone, the main character, was able to develop more in this book compared to when readers first read him in the later Grimorie Saga books. I felt like I was able to understand and sympathize with him even more having read his story, now. The side characters, while not the main focus of this story, were also brought to life to the point that I would enjoy reading books focused on their lives, as well. Each character has something to hook me in and make me curious about what makes them tick.

Another thing that I thought made me enjoy The Misanthrope just a little bit more was that, while being part of a spin-off series to the Grimoire books, it felt like a book all its own. The was much shorter in length, yet packed just as much of a punch. it was a bit faster paced, and I think the story benefited its brevity in certain sections. For a book that covers many decades of Stone’s life, it didn’t feel like it was jumping forward too fast, nor did it feel like it was bogged down on any one time period.

As with my reading of Boyce’s previous books, I’m already getting impatient about her next release. Credric’s story will be the next in The Ourean Chronicles and I have no doubts as to whether or not it’ll end up at the top of my tbr pile once it’s released.

Intriguing story about not very likable character

What made the experience of listening to The Misanthrope: Stone's Story the most enjoyable?

Although I wasn't all that fond of the main character, it was easy to understand his motivation and why he did what he did. Both the story and the world it was set in were interesting and kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. I particularly liked how the author incorporated all of the different senses in her descriptions to help draw the reader in.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stone was too much of a loner, too morose and single-minded for me to feel any real fondness for him, but some of the secondary characters seemed cool. Vivienne was probably my favorite--in addition to her intelligence and adventurous spirit, she seemed to possess a remarkable ability to make the best of her situation.

What about Tim Campbell’s performance did you like?

Tim Campbell did a great job with the narration. I could easily distinguish between the different characters, and I enjoyed listening to his narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story was compelling enough that I might have been tempted to listen to it all in one sitting, but I generally prefer shorter listening sessions.

Unique and interesting world

An unusual tale of servitude, soul stealing and doing what you can to survival. It tells the story of the life of a boy born into servitude, who trades one master for an even worse master while choosing to become an almost immortal being. It is an interesting and very unique story that is expertly narrated by Tim Cambell. He seamlessly navigates the different accents and brings life and personality to the various characters. The characters pull you into the story, even though the main protagonist is a rather uncaring, self cantered guy, but you still want to follow his life to see what happens. The author did a great job of creating sympathy and attachment to a character that really has only a few redeemable traits. She also created some very likeable secondary characters and a "villain" you really do want to see beaten. Even though this can be read as a stand-alone story, in this first book in the series the author has set the threads of what I think will become a complex and intricate story, not only with parallel worlds and different races but also with the multiple consciousnesses within the individuals. I will look forward to the next audiobook in the series. I received this book from the author at no cost in a giveaway.

wonderfully entetaining

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would. It was very enjoyable and it brought the story to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Misanthrope: Stone's Story?

When Stone finally gained his freedom, but then he lost his own "servant" along the way. He realized how much it affected him.

What about Tim Campbell’s performance did you like?

Overall, it was very good and pulled me into the story even more. It felt heartfelt and you could connect to Stone.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Power without accountability is a tragedy waiting to happen

Any additional comments?

Loved it!

Another wonderful story from S. M. Boyce. :)

What made the experience of listening to The Misanthrope: Stone's Story the most enjoyable?

I found two aspects of listening to this book to be quite enjoyable. First of all, credit to Tim Campbell for doing an incredible job reading the story. His performance was flawless. Secondly, having read and loved the Grimoire Saga, I wasn't ready to leave the world of Ourea. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about reading Stone's story, but I ended up absolutely loving it. His life and story was very interesting, and I loved getting to see how his character began.

What other book might you compare The Misanthrope: Stone's Story to and why?

I'm not sure what book to compare The Misanthrope: Stone's Story to simply because it seemed so unique to me. Aside from the related Grimoire Saga, I have yet to read anything that seems close. But being so different from things I've read before is part of what made the book so good.

Which character – as performed by Tim Campbell – was your favorite?

Oh, this is a hard decision. I quite liked Niccoli, actually. Tim Campbell did an excellent job with Niccoli's accent, and I really felt like the character came alive as I listened.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is a book that is difficult to put down. In fact, I ended up listening to the entire thing in one sitting. I just closed my eyes, sat back, and listened. And when it ended, I was left wishing it would continue.

Any additional comments?

S. M. Boyce has created an amazing new world in Ourea, and I am so glad that I was able to venture into that world once more with this book. (I received this audiobook from a giveaway contest that the author held, and as such, I decided to provide an honest review). I highly recommend this story to all who enjoy the fantasy genre.

A Good Edition to the Series..

Any additional comments?

This book has a little bit of everything: Magic, Shape Shifters, Plans of Escape..

I liked the main character, Terric, I felt sorry for him when he traded one form of slavery for another.

The author is very descriptive and she does well with the imagery of her world.

All of the characters were written well, even the Side Characters.

This book was a good edition to the series and I can't wait to read or listen to the next book in the series.

Tim Campbell did really well with the narration.

Note:
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Great Story

I won this audio book through a contest S.M. Boyce had. I love her other books, but I hadn't read anything in this series yet so I chose Misanthrope since I had already bought the ebooks for Lichgates and Treason and added the audible to both.

I enjoyed Misanthrope especially since it's different than what I have been reading lately. I think I may have gone out of order with the books. I have a two hour drive from work to home so I listened to the audio during my drives home. The storyline and characters were very interesting and Stone was my favorite character and I am going to presume that he will come up in the other books.

Regarding the Narrator: At first I didn't really care for the narrator, but I always give narrators at least 3-4 chapters before I decide whether to keep listening or not. In the beginning I didn't care for the accent, but it grew on me and it was understandable why the accent was there due to the era. I felt the narrator was somewhat monotone so I had some difficulty staying focused on the story at times. Overall the narrator was good I just had to adjust to the accent and tempo of his storytelling.

exciting nice short story

First off thank you to the author for letting me read and review this wonderful character story. I love this story i may not like Isen all that much but seeing how stone was created and the kind of life he had to live actually made me feel sorry for him. I love how we get to see this side of this character and maybe now understand him more in the world of Ourea. The story is nice and short can easily be read in a day.

Great!

I received this book during a contest and was quite happy. My family took a long trip and with teen boys it's pretty hard to keep everyone entertained. I played this audiobook The Misanthrope: Stone's Story and the whole family enjoyed it. I will definitely have to get the next audio book when we travel again.