Wonderful New spin on High Fantasy

I picked this up on a whim, Serendipity strikes again! The world is essentially historical Rome, late in the Empire. You are gradually introduced to an elf, then dwarves, then magic (which is very rare in this world)
Roman military tactics and procedures with just a little magic thrown in for spice. The other races and magic are there just enough to change it from being a Roman history story.
The author writes very well, his character creation and dialogue is wonderful (some historical anachronisms, like tobacco, but mostly wonderful and creatively consistent) You get a sense of the entire Roman world and how it influences the characters even though the story focuses on a tiny area and only a few. Expressively and dramatically written.

My only complaint is the speed and the pauses in the reading, but there is always the speed control in the Audible app, so problem solved.

I enjoyed the first one so much that upon finishing I immediately bought the other two, I became so engrossed in the story I was surprised when the second book ended, I paused only to write this review and then I am back into book three.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Outfreakingstanding!!!

Audible tells me that I've listened to over 350 books over the past 12 months, (have optic neuritis), this book stands simply out over 98% of those books. The plot moves, the characters have appeal, the author seeds hints while weaving his tale and making us invested in Stiger. Mr. Edelheit leaves sufficient mystery regarding both why we have Romans with elves and who exactly is Stiger to whet our curiosity and wanting to listen more about what happens to him. Mr. Edelheit gets us wanting to invest ourselves into Stiger and his wayward company.

Mr. Brand's narration isn't quite up to Mr. Edelheit's prose, one can only hope that as he continues that he will become invested in Stiger and grows with the character.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Wasn't sure what to expect. Ended up loving it!

Would you listen to Stiger's Tigers again? Why?

Yes! The narrator, Steven Brand, was perfect. He didn't do stupid accents or try to make each character sound vastly different so you could tell who was speaking. Steven would put the slightest possible change in inflection, pitch, speed of his voice, etc to distinguish which character was speaking.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was pretty typical of a military/fantasy novel but there were some really good twists that gave me goosebumps.

Which character – as performed by Steven Brand – was your favorite?

Stiger by far.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions, but definitely caught by surprise at several points in the novel.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I'm a Stiger's Tiger!!

I can't wait to get the next book. Magic, evil spirits, elves and a hint of dwarfs! Here's my credit give me the next book!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not what I was expecting, based on the description

Any additional comments?

Based on the description of the book, I purchased it expecting an historical novel perhaps similar to some of Bernard Cornwell's works. What I got was a "sort of" historical/fantasy book. What was not clear form the description was that instead of a story of an Imperial Officer, we have what starts out as a quasi Roman Legion like suite of characters and settings, "but not really." It seems to be taking place in the Germanic forests, in the classical period, "but not really." There are references that are obviously to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, "but not really." Then the author throws in elves, dwarves, magic, and a "paladin" who is a Friar Tuck like Jesuit priest, "but not really." References to Christianity and Paganism abound, "but not really." Anachronistic references such as the soldiers smoking abound. No, the author did not specify that they were smoking tobacco, and Romans did apparently smoke other herbs, but it read as if it were a sloppy anachronistic mistake. I found myself thinking at times, perhaps the "fuzzy" references are because this book is meant to be set in the future, or a different "time-line" and not "historical" at all. At times, I half expected the characters to walk over a mountain and find the statue of liberty buried to the neck or something. I have a hard time placing this book. It almost has the feel that the author wanted to write historical fiction, but did not want to take the time to research his topics to maintain historical accuracy, so he left the settings and characters as "fuzzy" suggestions of historicity, and then thought that throwing in some gratuitous fantasy elements might increase readership? If the description had been more clear about the nature of this book, I would not have given it a try. I do feel as if I were tricked into buying the book. That being said, as long as the reader understands that the book description does not adequately describe this book, that it is not even attempting to be an historical novel, but is in reality a fantasy novel, you might want to give this book a try. I do like the author's style. The narrator did a very good job on this book, and the book is very readable.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

LEGIONARIES AND ELVES and DWARVES? OH, MY!

I really enjoy books about Roman legions, life, etc. I'm curious about how the army functioned - what they ate - how they set up camp - and their battle strategies. I got a lot of this kind of information in this book...but I just never could get my head around the 'new story line' of a Roman legion being guided by an Elf - and running into various other 'fantasy' beings like dwarves, etc. I liked the Officer - I liked the narration - but I just hit a brick wall every time the 'fantasy' characters and situations arrived. It was an interesting concept - but I guess I wasn't ready for it. Perhaps if there had been a considerable 'prologue' explaining about this 'new' world, it might have been easier to get used to the idea. I'd definitely listen to this author's series - if he just stuck to the 'traditional' Legion.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I love this series, Hate the price!!!

I am so hooked on this time period. Roman legion, war, the politics it’s all cat nip to me. Bu it’s an expensive habit. 8 hours at a time they tease this out. But I still enjoy the series and love the main character which is the series namesake.
Keep em coming and I’ll keeplistening

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amateurish writing, cool story tho

Despite being only 8 hours long the awkward dialogue has the main character constantly repeating himself in only slightly different words, it's obnoxious. Also, 8 hours wtf? put these books in a bundle or they are a waste of credits

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent opening to a series

Excellent. It's a string opening to a series. I like the mixture of roman like military with alternate fantasy universe. Great characters. Looking forward to book 2

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Solid Writing Brought Down By Bland Narrator

I really enjoyed the character building and overall tale of a military Roman-esque Captain molding a company of soldiers into an effective fighting force. It was made better with the addition of the mysterious elven and dwarven races, and a human paladin with awesome god-given powers. However, the narrator didn't change voices for different characters and was very monotone. I felt the excitement of the story, but didn't hear it in his voice.

Apart for the big letdown of the voice acting, the novel moves along quickly and the last part of the book is very good. Overall, this audible book is very short at under 7 hours (the last 30 minutes is a preview for Book 2). I wish I could have given this more stars, but the length and narrator knocked it down for me, so much promise though, hoping Book 2 makes up for it.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful