Top notch Brian McClellan

This is the second of his Novella complilations that I have listened to and I think the format is great. Nice neat stories, filling in the gaps in the novels.

They are typically well written and give some life to the myths of Tamas and Taniel.

I was not as keen on the narrator as with the narrator of the novels(the name escapes me) which was disappointing as I didn't think the novel narrator was particulrly good either.

These books deserve a Rupert Degas or Colin Mace for my money as they are really good

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more,more,more

Am lovin' stories from the powder mage world,great characters and there's room for plenty more,Julie was good but have to say Christian Rodska does it better.

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2 people found this helpful

Great addition - subpar narration

An amazing add-on to the Powder Mage universe. This is actually a collection of 4 short novels that take take place before the events of the first book of the Powder Mage trilogy "Promise of Blood". The fact that they are bundled into one collection obtainable for 1 credit make this a pretty good bargain.

First of all, here is a guide on how to listen to this:
Forsworn (Book 0.1) - Chapter 2-3
Servant of the Crown (Book 0.2) - Chapter 4-5
Murder at the Kinnen Hotel (Book 0.3) - Chapter 6-7
At this point switch to "In the Field Marshal's Shadow" (Books 0.4 -0.7) and then continue here
Ghosts of the Tristan Basin (Book 0.8) - Chapter 8-9

Narration 6/10
The narration for this was such a letdown for me. I expected to listen to Christian Rodska's amazing narration once more since his work for the main Powder Mage trilogy is some of the best narrations for Audiobooks. Unfortunately, he seems to be replaced for these short novels for a female narrator that fails to leave up to the expectations and meet the bar set by Christian Rodska. The narration is pretty flat and uninspired and while almost every character is male, a female narrator was chosen and her voice imitations is subpar. For me the narration for this was a big disappointment.

Story 9/10
These are short stories that look into the past of several main characters from the Powder Mage trilogy, so we get to look into Tamas' past, him meeting his wife and climbing up the ranks over the years to become a field marshal, etc. The stories are really good and engaging

Overall I really enjoyed this collection and would suggest to it to all the fans of the main trilogy, but I just wish they were narrated by Christian Rodska like the main trilogy.

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2 people found this helpful

Not the right narrator; but v. good story telling

Very enjoyable romp thru the back stories of Tamas, Erika, Vlora, Tanial, Styke and others. Makes me want to learn more - ESPECIALLY about Tamas' rise to F/Marshall and how to concocted and executed the plan revealed in The Promise of Blood.

I'm not sure the correct narrator was chosen - some odd pronunciations and not really enough range in terms of accents / regional dialects for this type of work. Particularly jarring after listening to the brilliant Christian Rodska bring so many of these characters to life in the 2 trilogies.

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2 people found this helpful

good good

Although the names are said weirdly sometimes, its still super enjoyable and has some great short stories and novellas.

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Not what I had in mind

Whilst the storyline was fairly entertaining the narration was very off putting. Not to mention that this is not the main series of books that I intended to read.

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2 people found this helpful

Only Book I've ever returned.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different Narrator.

Would you be willing to try another book from Brian McClellan? Why or why not?

Yes all his other books are fantastic and well narrated.

How could the performance have been better?

In every way, her range was awful, her continuity and timing well off and her voice is terrible and nasal.

What character would you cut from The Powder Mage Novella Collection #1?

None

Any additional comments?

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU CHANGE NARRATORS AND IF YOU HAD TO WHY SOMEBODY SO DREADFUL?? RUINED THE BOOK>

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10 people found this helpful