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The Barrow

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The Barrow

By: Mark Smylie
Narrated by: Michael Page
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About this listen

When a small crew of scoundrels, would-be heroes, deviants, and ruffians discover a map that they believe will lead them to a fabled sword buried in the barrow of a long-dead wizard, they think they've struck it rich. But their hopes are dashed when the map turns out to be cursed and then is destroyed in a magical ritual. The loss of the map leaves them dreaming of what might have been, until they rediscover the map in a most unusual and unexpected place.

Stjepan Black-Heart, suspected murderer and renegade royal cartographer; Erim, a young woman masquerading as a man; Gilgwyr, brothel owner extraordinaire; Leigh, an exiled magus under an ignominious cloud; Godewyn Red-Hand, mercenary and troublemaker; Arduin Orwain, scion of a noble family brought low by scandal; and Arduin's sister, Annwyn, the beautiful cause of that scandal: together they form a cross-section of the Middle Kingdoms of the Known World, united by accident and dark design, on a quest that will either get them all in the history books or get them all killed.

©2014 Mark Smylie (P)2014 Tantor
Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fiction Fantasy Magic Users Royalty Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

"Genuinely inspired, shockingly erotic, and completely fantastic." (John R. Fultz, author of Seven Sorcerers)

What listeners say about The Barrow

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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The Barrow

Worth reading, enjoyed it.
Started slow, but was interesting. I would recommend to a friend .

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

not amazing but worth a listen

not different but entertaining enough I enjoyed it for what it was, decent on the whole and pretty much non stop from start to finish. A good filler if you have nothing else is the best way to describe this book. Not amazing but worth a spare credit

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not what I'd hoped for.

Not a terrible book, but not exactly good either. It's clear that the author got the idea that sex sells, but the sheer amount of it in the first half is just too much. Enjoyable though it admittedly is on a certain level, the fact that a lot of characters spend the opening scenes either screwing or masturbating really doesn't add much, just seeming to be there for the sake of it. With regard to the characters and setting, there's a very fine line between 'gritty' and 'gratuitously unpleasant', and this book is definitely on the wrong side of it.
A fine idea, not badly written, but perhaps spoiled by trying to be more like G.R.R.M than the man himself, right down to the noble sibling incest.

That said, Michael Page's narration is, as always, a joy to listen to.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Barrow

A fantasy world with incredible depth and richness. Well developed characters and a doomed quest. Dark sword and sorcery, as mature as Game of Thrones, as intriguing as Leiber's Lhankmar.
Excellent narration by Page. Looking forward to Smylie's sequel.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

couldn't get into it

Way too sordid from the very start. Having read fantasy for 40yrs I can appreciate sexual content within a story, but you are bombarded with it from the start.
Structure and nation introduction is also handled in a 'scattershot' fashion, which was a main reason for me giving up on this story.

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Not to my taste; at all

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

The Narration, the writing, all bad. That is all there is to it.

Has The Barrow put you off other books in this genre?

No, one bad book does not make a bad genre & there is always Joe Abercrombie to fall back on

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His style, his diction, his choice of voices for characters but with all this said the source material did not help

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

anger and disappointment and an urge to 'read' better books

Any additional comments?

I was advised badly, but never again.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn't get past chapter 4

Narrator does amazing.
But the reliance on sex is boring.
Gave up after yet another erection being described as a turgid member.
Snore.

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