The Orc King

Transitions, Book I

By: R. A. Salvatore

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Drizzt is back, and facing a world changed forever!

An uneasy peace between the dwarves of Mithral Hall and the orcs of the newly established Kingdom of Many-Arrows can't last long. The orc tribes united under Obould begin to fight each other, and Bruenor is determined to finish the war that nearly killed him and almost destroyed everything he's worked to build.

But it will take more than swords and axes to bring a lasting peace to the Spine of the World. Powerful individuals on both sides may have to change the way they see each other. They may have to start to talk. And it won't be easy.

This book wasn't just the next installment in the long-running saga of the famous dark elf, but the beginning of a bold new trilogy that will help change the face of the Forgotten Realms world forever.

TM & ©2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC

Don't forget to listen to more adventures of the Forgotten Realms.©2008 R. A. Salvatore (P)2009 Random House

Not a good starting point by any means

What made the experience of listening to The Orc King the most enjoyable?

Continuing to accompany Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends on another adventure

What didn’t you like about Mark Bramhall’s performance?

After listening to a dozen books in the Drizzt Do'Urden series narrated by Victor Bevine, the narration from Mark Bramhall was utterly jarring. I expected a difference, for sure, but I was unable to find any redeeming qualities in this performance. It sounded like a lecture from a textbook - Mark's spirit seemed far removed from the book in front of him. The character voices were distinguishable but flat, Drizzt was harsh and angry, and the dwarfs were just poor imitations of Irish accents. I wonder sometimes with his inflection if he actually understood anything he was reading. Victor Bevine may have just set the bar way too high, because his reads are nothing short of fantastic. I am dreading listening to the rest of the "Transitions" series with Mark Bramhall reading them...

Any additional comments?

This is not a good place to get into the Drizzt Do'Urden series... it really is foolish to jump into the series here without reading the earlier novels. The author already assumes you know a lot about the characters at this point. Start with earlier books in the series both for the sake of the story and characters, and also to hear Victor Bevine give a narration that will make you fall in love with these beautifully written stories.

Good book, horrible narration

So many people here will tell you the narrator is horrible and I agree that he is for this story line. However, his other work is good as my partner has another book he narrates and it she says it sounds good.

I enjoyed the story and the tie ins to the future of the story line. We see what is coming up and we see how it will play out to some degree. We’re just missing the details and I did read the Sundering by mistake, so I kind of knowing what is coming.

I also know that the author is tying this into what is happening in our world. Here we have Orcs besieging Dwarf's and yet is it really a siege? Or is this an attempt to forge a new path? What if some decided to change the way things are? What if someone today wanted to change the way one group sees itself and others see them? That is what this story will tell us.

Narrator needed to listen to previous pronunciations

It's bad when the most memorable thing about listening to this book is how agitated I was with his pronunciations of everything. I have listened to all of the previous books by R. A. Salvatore, narrated by Victor Bevine, and I am accustomed to how he pronounces names and places. Then, this book is narrated by a different person and he (apparently) didn't do his research of how the previous narrator read. I have been agitated with this narration almost from the first sentence. If I wasn't into the books, with no time to sit down and actually read them, I would have stopped the narration and moved on to a different t series. His mispronunciations made it hard to really listen to the story and some had me confused as to who he was speaking of.

I want Victor Bevine back this guy is not Drizzt.

I want Victor Bevine back this guy is not Drizzt. Victor Bevine is Drizzt he made the story come to life. This guy is boring can't set Drizzt right he is not very good. If Victor Bevine dose not re-read this book I'll never know what happens after the book "The Lone Drow", and I love the Drizzt books. So can I have my credit back so I can find another book.

Why change narrators - AGAIN!

Books 1-19, with the exception of book 16 all were narrated by the same person. Then in this book - bam. A new narrator. And guess what, the new narrator apparently hasn't listened to any of the previous books. Every character's name, and I mean every single one is pronounced differently in this book. I get circumstances may cause a change in a narrator in a long series like this but crap at least make an effort to pronounce names the same as in the previous 19 books. It is like he is trying to be different on purpose. It is so bad that I had to stop and replay certain parts to make sure I knew who they were talking about. Early in the book he even used the wrong name - not mispronounced - but the wrong name for a character. It is so bad that I doubt will continue the series. Especially after learning that this guy is narrating the next two as well. Then in book 23 Victor Bevine comes back.

Narrator gets an F from me!

Good book, one hang up.

I love all the drizzt books and all the ones before this one was done by Victor, it was hard to get over that fact. The new reader is good but I've become attached to the voices Victor had given the characters. It made it hard but the fact is it's still written by R.A. so it's worth it.

another narrator.

It was strange to hear another narrator as this series up to this point have been Victor Bevene(?), i found it interestign to hear how the new narrator interpit the names and words of the various races and cultures. A change i suspect not all fans of this series will be open too.

once i had adapted to the change there was no problem for me.

I learned something

Any additional comments?

I was very reluctant to purchase and start this series since it wasn't narrated by Victor Bevine. To my pleasant surprise, I enjoyed Mark Bramhall narration and I learned that as long as it's the same narrator through the entire series, it works. Don't get me wrong though... I would of preferred Victor Bevine. :)

I thought I'd never be satisfied without Victor B.

A great book. The end had me in tears. the good kind. Bob Salvatore knows how to tell a tale.

Where is Victor Bevine?

What did you like best about The Orc King? What did you like least?

I love R.A. Salvatore and the series. But, I have an affinity to Victor Bevine's voice and his animated narration.

Do you think The Orc King needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes the book deserves a follow-up. Give it to Victor Bevine. I believe he will do it justice.

Any additional comments?

Since May 2015, I have blown through the entire series until I got to this book. Starting this one yesterday, I have barely gotten through 2 chapters. :( I have nothing personal against the new reader but, I have a keen ear and in different settings certain voices appeal more to me than others. Perhaps this reader would serve more aptly within Historical fiction or science fiction.