LIke the story but...

Bought this after the Left Hand of God and I like both stories but I find it diffcult to concentrate on the narrator. I tend to zone out a bit and then have to rewind because I do want to know whats happening but my attention tends to wander. Found this a little but less so with The Left Hand of God, good story but maybe one I should read instead of listen to,

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1 person found this helpful

Dark, gritty, quirky & so very much more!

I absolutely love this series, full kudos to Mr Hoffman!
With a flawless performance by Sean Barrett, who could possibly ask for more.
My advice, read the three books first, then sit back & relax while Sean brings them to life for you. I find it hard to believe you will be disappointed, but hey, that's just my humble opinion!

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Disappointed

The Left Hand of God was my No.1 book in 2010, as such I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel. Unfortunately, the sequel is somewhat of a disappointment as I found the story telling flat and boring. No where near the pace of the first book and the first section almost sent me to sleep. The second section picked up a bit but ended as it was getting interesting! Will purchase the final book but won't rush to buy it.

My advice is to buy the abridged version. Wish I had.

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9 people found this helpful

I get the previous reviews

Before buying the book I obviously read what others thought and experienced the slow part just over a third of the way through. Then the book picked up as reported and finished with part 3 on the horizon, so all was accurate. I did find the slow point had merit and added to the story towards the end of the book, so half way through I was tending to 4 stars, but by the end I am happy to give 5 stars across the board. I had noted a couple of negative comments about the narration, yes he does not adopt different 'voices' for different characters, just slight changes, accents etc. but his pronunciation is pretty consistent, but clear. I recommend the book, but be ready to pick up part 3. Out of spite I am going to read something else now :-)

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great book,great voice

heard the book at during work,days went super fast. narrater gave a good impression of the different characters

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Very different from the first - but enjoyable

I can understand why everyone was so upset with this, as they had high expectations following The Left Hand of God. Although I thought it went in an unusual direction and it wasn’t as good, I still found it enjoyable on the whole

Story – 3.5/5

This audiobook is definitely weaker than the first, but not by as much as others have stated. There is nowhere near as much character development as in the first – which was probably the best part about The Left Hand of God. Where this does improve though is in the battle strategy element. We begin to understand what Thomas Cale’s true abilities are, both on and off the battlefield

There are some more boring elements in the story, and some dragged out conversations where not a lot is actually said, so I did lapse in concentration at times. Because of this, there is an element of setting up (or even padding) ready for the third and final book, but you find that with a lot of trilogies nowadays. I, for one, am looking forward to the conclusion of the story when Paul Hoffman finishes writing it.

Performance – 3.5/5

Sean Barrett was a very good narrator for this trilogy; his tone of voice fitted the bleak and dark nature of the story nicely. His voice acting wasn’t as bad for me in this book compared to the first, but I think I had already gotten used to him so found that I knew what to look out for.

Overall – 3.5/5


Apologies for the star ratings not matching the written review, I am forced to round halves on Audible.

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Not as good as I wanted it to be!

I was looking forward to this book because I really enjoyed The Left Hand of God but there were a few elements that irritated me - mainly the over-cliched characters and the use of familiar names and phrases which jar a little within this story. The Last Four Things seems to include even more of this, which, for me, bursts the bubble of the fantasy at times. I found it boring in parts and some of the character plot developments a little bit shallow and unbelievable. He also has a tendency to spend a long time describing 'histories' and races in the story, which I know has some relevance to the events in this book but I felt that this exposition was at the expense of narrative so by the end you feel as though nothing much has happened.

That said, now I've finished, I can say that I did enjoy it as the 'middle book' that it is, and I will read the next one. If you didn't enjoy the first book, then I doubt this will change your mind over the series.

Big positive though - the audio presentation was faultless and I'll happily listen to anything this chap does!

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8 people found this helpful

Slightly Hard Going, But Worth It

I listened to this and the series opener in fairly quick succession. For me that was a little too much. The opening book was grim but I felt original and in some ways uplifting. Another dose of the same in a book that moves at a slower pace and does not build the tension in quite the same way probably made it overkill for me.

That said I wouldn't want to put people off. There is still a lot of merit here, Hoffman develops the Redeemers in particular in more detail and gives them shades of grey rather than trying to paint them totally black. The book, which can't be an easy one to narrate is presented well by Sean Barrett.

I will, in the future, attempt the third in the series, but I'll give myself a break first. I'd not characterize these books as "fun" to listen to but taken for what they are they are well worth an investment in time.

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6 people found this helpful

can't wait for a third book

little disappointing after the first part 'left hand of god' but still a good book. I'll definitely read a follow up. Love the way historical facts have been adapted and incorporated in pure fantasy. Makes you want to follow the fate of Kale and the others.

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Intense and moving and even sometimes funny

A great listen with all you could desire in a sequel book to the just as good left hand of god. Sean Barrett reads it fantastically. This story is full of drama and with a great story line what else is their to say

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4 people found this helpful