Wanderers: Ragnarök

By: Richard A Bamberg

Narrated by: Johnny Mack

Alone and friendless, the Wanderers, servants of Fate, maintain the balance between the supernatural world and mankind's. For millennia the Wanderers protected that balance - but now a renegade Wanderer arises to open the doors between the earth and our greatest nightmares. Years ago Fate scavenged Rafe from the battlefields of Vietnam, handing him over to a mentor he barely knew before the rogue Wanderer slaughtered him. Skilled but only half trained, Rafe tracks down a warning from a naiad in Alabama only to find a coven of witches probing deeper into dark magics than they ever intended. Rafe must stop the witches from destroying the already fragile balance...but can he do it before the lovely young witch helping Rafe gets sacrificed for the greater good?

©2013 Richard A Bamberg (P)2017 Richard A Bamberg

Entertaining and a rollicking adventure

Now that I’ve listened to all 4 books out so far in this series, I can say that if you are in for a paranormal James Bond character with a lot of shenanigans and things that go boom, you are in for a wild ride.

Rafe looks like he’s barely legal but is actually over 60 and in service to a Norse Goddess as he goes around North America with his familiar, a Manticore named Beast who’s disguised as his Harley, battling supernatural creatures and avenging evil.

In this first book, Rafe found himself enmeshed with Wiccans (and sexy witches) and trying to prevent the start of Ragnarok.

The entire series is entertaining — battles, humor, plenty of rolls in the hay (metaphorically speaking), and complicated relationships.

Johnny Mack’s narration is spot on as well and made the whole series worth listening to. Loved how all the characters have distinct voices and especially love Beast’s voice. Recommended.

Good story, Awesome narrator

What made the experience of listening to Wanderers: Ragnarök the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the twist and turns but mostly the fight between good and evil

Which scene was your favorite?

The end of the story was my favorite. I enjoyed the good vs evil. I liked how working together they were able to fight.

Any additional comments?

This was an awesome story but I will the narrator was the best. I have only two others that I enjoy this much. I now have three absolute favorites.

A great fantasy series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a great modern fantasy book. I enjoyed the concept of the servants of Fate and I loved Beast, Rafe's shape-shifting Harley! The narrator did a great job as well. So, this is a series I definitely want to dig into more.

Narrator poor choice for this type of material

Struggled to finish this one because of the narrator. Not horrible, just largely devoid of any significant emotional connection to the material. Hearing someone say in flat tones that they actually yelled that line you just heard is irritating. It's like listening to someone reading a shopping list instead of an action packed book.


The premise was interesting. The protagonist was, in my view, absolutely unrealistic - the moral compass he claimed to have from his younger years is incompatible with his demonstrated behavior on many occasions, yet nobody calls him out on it. I enjoyed the description of Beast though the relationship between the two really only became a "real thing" towards the end of the book. I appreciated the distinctions between Wiccans and witches, though neither were depicted accurately.

I really wanted to like this, but I guess it just wasn't in Fate's cards. I will not get more from this series unless I read them. That seems a slightly more promising approach, though the promiscuity and profanity are still very much not my cup of tea. Nor would I let any child of mine read it in my home, regardless of it it bears a YA label or simply a fantasy one. Perhaps a new narrator or more practice then a re-recordjng.

Wild Ride!

Any additional comments?

Rafe is a Wanderer and leads a nomadic life serving Fate. When he gets caught in the middle of a fight for a grimoire that can release demons and mythical beings, he has his hands full. Using magic to battle witches and demons, he must conquer the evil forces that will stop at nothing to possess the magical book and wield its power.

Wildly imaginative, action-packed, sexy and humorous, this was a really fun story that I just loved. I can even overlook the fact that Rafe is a bit of a manwhore. His talking motorcycle, a shifter named Beast, was especially entertaining. The narration by Johnny Mack was definitely one of the highlights for me, perfectly capturing Rafe's snarky attitude. Overall, Wanderers: Ragnarok was a great listen and I would recommend it.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is my honest opinion.

Full-on enjoyment

Would you listen to Wanderers: Ragnarök again? Why?

YES! Firstly, I LOVED this story. It's an imagination-run-wild sort of tale. There's so, so much to it, and the author really deftly intertwined and utilized his skil to propel the narrative forward. The narrator though, took it over the top. Honestly, one of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a while (and my standards are pretty high)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rafe. Absolutely.

What does Johnny Mack bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is full and rich. Bodied, I guess is a good word. He differentiates between speakers superbly.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several, but I don't want to ruin the listen for folks who haven't read the book.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to listen to the next book when it's out on audio!

Awesome narrator!

The narration was really good! I'm new to the MC genre but I enjoyed the story.

Great new fantasy series!!

I really liked this book. I thought it started a bit slow, but after the first few chapters I couldn't put it down. It seems like it has a little bit of everything going on...there's witches, fairies, wanderers, demons, magic, murder, mystery, adventure, romance, talking bikes...everything! And, the narration is great, too! Excellent new fantasy series that I recommend for anyone that likes this genre. I can't wait to listen to the next one!

I received a free review copy and left this review voluntarily.

Ready for book 2!

This story was a little slow grabbing my attention, but once it did, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I need to know what happens to Rafe next!

Amazing sound

I live to read. Haven't been read to since I was a little girl I am now hooked. Johnny Mack has an amazing voice that truely brings the characters to life the book itself is an amazing read Johnny makes it even More amazing Thank you!!!