The Unspoken Name

The Serpent Gates, Book 1

By: A. K. Larkwood

Narrated by: Avita Jay

"Narrator Avita Jay manages a large cast of characters in this fantasy.... Jay captures the growing affection and trust between Csorwe and those she enlists to help her. Most importantly, Jay's narration captures Csorwe's manner and personality as she transforms from a meek priestess to a formidable character." (AudioFile Magazine)

A. K. Larkwood's The Unspoken Name is a stunning debut fantasy about a young priestess sentenced to die, who at the last minute escapes her fate; only to become an assassin for the wizard who saved her.

What if you knew how and when you will die?

Csorwe does - she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.

But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin - the wizard's loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.

But Csorwe will soon learn - gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

"In the vein of Le Guin's magnificent Tombs of Atuan - if Arha the Eaten One got to grow up to be a swordswoman mercenary in thrall to her dubious wizard mentor. I love this book so much." (Arkady Martine, author of A Memory Called Empire)

"Hooked me in from the first page and never let go. Fabulous, in every meaning of the word." (Jenn Lyons, author of Ruin of Kings)

©2020 A. K. Larkwood (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"An unexpected and new take on classic orcs 'n' swords fantasy. Stylish, classy, and timeless - but with racing stripes and an inbuilt camera. I cannot recommend it enough." (Tamsyn Muir, author of Gideon the Ninth)

“Action-packed and emotionally engaging ... Lushly detailed with incredible worldbuilding, Larkwood's debut is a singular take on orcish fantasy, filled with fierce fighting and magic.” (Library Journal, starred review)

Very fun

Great book and great narrator. I love books that let you figure out the world without swaths of exposition and this had me turning every page just to be further immersed.

enjoyable

bit of a slow start, but the performance is stellar and it's and the story pulls you in as the core characters are developed

Very exciting read

A very exciting and interesting tribute to Le Guins The Tombs of Atuan where some of the unnamed and unseen monsters in the shadows come to life. I can't wait to explore the fantastic universe the writer pans put before me 😊 Highly recommended

Inventive, refreshing, and quite damn good

I loved this book. The character writing is wonderful, and I'm so glad to have such good representative fiction.

not engaging and doesn't hold interest

writing this as a reader and not an artist. likely couldn't do better. the characters don't connect with me; no relation. world doesn't give much to immersion. couldn't finish it. 10 hours or more in.

seems to rely on dialog more than action or world building. characters drone on and on with dialog that has a slow pace. like the character says something and then equivalent description of outer dialog stuff follows and then back to dialog. cadence of it doesn't work for me.

the narration is solid but not for me.

excellent!

I loved this book! the characters and world are unique and intriguing, and it seems to tackle themes that I have never seen addressed before. a must read.

Better then it had any reason to be

It was great. Read it you fools. I wish I had listened to it sooner

Very interesting world

lots of great parts here. wonderful world building, Interesting magic, and tense relationships. the beginning was heart pounding, didn't really feel like the love interest character had any conviction until the end but the end is awesome and comes together nicely.

Adventurous and Evocative!

Though what some say about mild plot-wandering is true, the memorable characters and lovely prose entertain in every chapter! Larkwood gives evocative metaphors as often as Tal swears which, as you may discover, is quite frequently. I often cringe at romance sub-plots, but the patient way the main relationship unfolded made the story all-the-richer, and my facial muscles never once contracted as a result! The narration was lovely and–despite some minor audio-editing hiccups–enriched the story with great attention to each character's emotion. This book, suffice it to say, is unspeakably enjoyable, and I'm glad I listened to it!

Interesting and well constructed world.

Interesting world with many details unexplained but consistent. Good narration. Only mild complaint is it seems a little YA more my tastes