The Warded Man

By: Peter V. Brett

Narrated by: Pete Bradbury

Peter V. Brett has won accolades from critics, fans and fellow authors alike for this riveting debut novel. The Warded Man features a world where demons stalk the night, hunting humans who have long forgotten the magic of their ancestors. But all is not lost, as some hold out hope that a savior will release humanity from the demons' terrifying reign.©2009 Peter V. Brett (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Brilliant, with action and suspense all the way." (Best-selling author, Terry Brooks)

A great start to a compelling series

The Warded Man has all the components that make it a great first book of a Fantasy series. There is a focus on character building, multiple interesting magic systems exist, and the world itself faces a threat that immediately grabs your attention. Things are bleak in this world ruled by fear as every night when the sun falls demons rise from the core to prey upon any human foolish enough to be caught outside of their protective wards.  The reader is slowly exposed to this ravaged world through the progression of three different story lines, each one detailing the events that shape the lives of one of the main characters. All of the characters start young and naive until the demons force them to each make a fateful decision that will shape the entirety of their remaining existence. 

For hundreds of years mankind has dwindled under the relentless night time attacks of the corelings (demons from the core) but it was not always the case. Before this second Demon War started there were thousands of years where mankind prospered and grew strong in a world without demons. Those thousands of years came to pass after the first Demon War ended when mankind successfully fought the demons off led by a legendary figure known as the Deliverer. The first Demon War ended abruptly when one day the demons just stopped rising at night without explanation. Mankind was certainly winning the war at the time so as the years passed with no sign of any demons by mankind eventually came to the conclusion that they had won the war and slowly forgot the lore required to successfully battle the demons. After thousands of years of peace the demons suddenly returned and mankind was caught ill prepared for the onslaught. This second demon war continues and humanity finds itself on the brink when this story begins.

The corelings come in many varieties tied to various elements, including flame, wood, sand, rock, and wind demons, and they relentlessly rise every night and kill any human not protected by wards. Humans huddle in warded buildings when night comes and very few have the skills necessary to survive a night on the road, thus mankind is fractured and little knowledge sharing can occur. The three main characters each experience a tragic event that leads them to become fed up with the status quo and they each decide to risk themselves in an attempt to create a better world for everyone. Each of them takes a unique path forward via their different professional callings which includes a jongleur (bard), an herb gatherer (healer) and a messenger/warder. Experiencing this world from each of these three angles keeps the story interesting from cover to cover,

The writing is good, the character development is solid, and the magic systems are intriguing so I definitely recommend this one. Also know that Pete Bradbury does an excellent job on the narration so that makes a great listen.

Interesting and unusual...

I found the book to be interesting and imaginative, with a nice pace to the action. The introduction and development of a number of interesting characters, albeit brief for some, kept the book moving and provided a cross section of personalities that interacted well with the plot. There is no shortage of action, and subtle plot twists, not to mention the fact that Brett has no compunction concerning "killing off" characters to obtain the desired effect and further the storyline.

I'm looking forward to the next installment in April 2010.

Good read, I recommend the book.

wow!!

Bought this based on the review comparing this writer to Gaiman and King....I would add George R.R. Martin as well. If you are a fan of these writers, you will not be disappointed.....and the reader is perfect.

Surprised

I bought this book with little in the way of expectations, but soon found myself looking forward to my drive to work which is when I listen. Narrator was great in my opinion, looking forward to the sequel. Great character development and the author has a way of making you feel like you are there. Highly recommended

Fantastic

This book is addictive, engrossing and exciting. It initially roughly follows the "hero's journey" plot structure, but sets itself up to branch out quite a bit in scope in the subsequent novels. Can't wait for the sequel!

Can not decide If this is my #1 favorite or #1.5

Where does The Warded Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I can not say if this or The Way of Kings by Sanderson is my favorite. I am listening to this series for the 3rd time. It is just fantastic in my opinion. I don't write long review...Just start with this book and you will not be able to finish the others fast enough.

What other book might you compare The Warded Man to and why?

The Way of Kings series.

Hard to pause

Return to the days when you stayed up late, just to get in one more chapter.

Outstanding read. Buy it.

poor female representation

good book, if you can get past the sexist, poor writing of the female charectors

Can't get laid

seriously there is a lot of cant get laid in this book.
very serious people that cant get laid and if they do... oh its trouble.

But yeah this book was very easy to love.
its got mystery. violence. coming of age. horror. magic. and a bunch of stuff.
it flows well. each story has its own mysteries with characters that are fun to like.
The narration is good, although there are very long pauses between some things. So long i thought my audio paused. that breaks immersion as just as im about to check and see if something is wrong with my phone it starts up again. you know what i mean. but thats pretty minor concern in light of the overall story.

Its got some things it doesnt explain well but as an overall story none of that matters.

it was a lot of fun to listen to..
going to keep this in my library and likely listen to it several times.

Great!

It is awesome!!!! He roared then bang bang boom there are explosions and wow just wow!