Audio Book Review: Mad God's Muse

Mad God's Muse

By:  Matthew P. Gilbert

Publish Date:  July 23, 2019, Audiobook Release July 23, 2019

Format:  Audiobook - 13 hrs 27 mins
Narrated By:  Ralph Lister

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  2nd in Sins of the Fathers series; 1st Book ~ Dead God's Due

Impression:  Moving characters to where needed.

Synopsis:
The fate of the world rests on his shoulders. Will he crumble?

Ahmed’s faith is strong, and so is his sword-arm, but as for details, those were for his fallen master. Now, he must somehow rise to the task of leading his men and, by Ilaweh's grace, thwart the Dead God's apocalyptic prophecy.

But how can he command hardened veterans of war, men with much blood on their hands, when he has accomplished so little in his young life?

If Ahmed can earn their respect, there might still be time to do as his master had hoped--ally with the sorcerers of Nihlos. They are dangerously unpredictable and capricious, perhaps even mad, but their power is undeniable.

Ahmed will need that power. For he knows something even his master never guessed: their ultimate destination is the true heart of darkness. An ancient city of evil and death that none survive.

First Sentence:
Am I a god?

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles 

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:

*I was given this free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Ralph Lister is the narrate the story once again. He's created the voice of the characters along with the pronunciations and continues with it here. As in the first book, Ralph's work is clean and clear. He's easy to listen to.

This book shows some of the magic the Meite's possess. We get to see them in action, implying their power and control. This gives a nice fantasy feel to them and the book.

We dive deep into the politics of the Nihlos in this book. There is corruption and games played by all in the council and high seats. It can get confusing at times because people play both sides of the fence to get what they want. There are moments where I'm confused as to what is going on or why people are saying what they are saying. I think that the conspiracy found in what people are saying and how they are acting is not as clear in audio at moments. When people say one thing and do another it's hard to pick up as well.

I found this book slow moving. This book is one that places people in places. Some of the events to get to these places are interesting but I felt there was a lot of filler to detail out Nihlos and the characters more. Much of this was what made the story slow for me. It felt as though this book is a transition, creating a reason to move the players where they need to be and removing others that stand in their way.

In the end we get a quick glimpse of where we will be heading next. I'm hoping things move along faster to this new place as I'm looking forward to going there and see what comes to be.



****If my thoughts were helpful, please click Yes at Amazon and/or Audible. Thank you!

Audio Book Review: Dead God's Due

Dead God's Due

By:  Matthew P. Gilbert

Publish Date:  June 25, 2019, Audiobook Release June 25, 2019

Format:  Audiobook - 10 hrs 34 mins
Narrated By:  Ralph Lister

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  1st in Sins of the Fathers series

Impression:  Introduced to two worlds that need help, but could be enemies.

Synopsis:
The end of the world approaches. The people don't believe. They don't even remember.

Yazid Valerion is alone with the truth, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. His people are far more concerned about the wars of today and tomorrow than those of the past.

Eons ago, the Dead God promised a world of ash, and the time of that prophecy is now at hand. His only hope is to cross the sea with his few followers in search of ancient enemies, the Meites, and pray he can sway them to his cause. But the Meites are no mere mortals; they are powerful sorcerers prone to outbursts of destructive terror. Even if he can find them, there's no guarantee they won't slaughter him and his men upon first sight.

Perhaps there is no way to change the prophesy of a god. If not, then Yazid will die well. For a warrior knows, it is better to die fighting than trembling in fear of the final blow.

First Sentence:
The monster simply would not die.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles 

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:

*I was given this free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Ralph Lister is a new narrator for me, and I'm thrilled I listened to him! He has a rustic, husky voice that fits for the characters in this fantasy world. He vocalizes each character with a slightly different tone and personality. The emotion and feelings each character is feeling in the moment comes through as well. He laughs where laughing is mentioned, too. This all brings the characters to life for the story.

The prologue tells us what happened and the prophecy that's going to be a problem. I know some people don't like prologues, but I don't mind them. It sets the stage for the worlds history and why there could be trouble in the future, or the now when we get into the book.

We start with the characters in their lives, seeing how they live and what they know. We learn about the stations and standings in the world.

Yazid goes looking for help for a greater evil that's to come, but what he finds is not healthy for him. In search of Meites, Yazid finds a city where there's a terrible unease in the people's social structure and political structure that will grow to more trouble.

The upset in the political structure of one culture brings a new struggle in the process. The terrible political games of life and death could bring new battles to the doorstep of Nihlos, when Yazid and his crew had come in peace. This book tells what Yazid and his men had to live through along with the conspiracies of Nihlos, where Yazid hoped to find allies. There's going to be a long road to get to the great evil that's coming.

We are seeing how the different groups of people live, and how things are falling apart. Everyone has different beliefs and systems in pay, but each system has it's flaws and the flaws seem to be evident. The political structure in Nihlos is on shaky grounds with the Empress and the games people play. We see it crumble more.

I was curious if I was under the proper understanding when the book started as we spent most of the book in the political structure and battles of Nihlos rather than on the path Yazid set forth on. I'm glad the end of the book came back around to what Yazid was talking of and looking for in the beginning. In the end, I realized this book was to introduce us to the cultures present and show that nothing is ever easy.

There was something about the book that held me, had me keep going. At the end, seeing what happens and the tie to the worlds and potential troubles to come, I'm curious to follow on to the next book.



****If you found my thoughts helpful, please click Yes at Amazon and/or Audible. Thank you!