Excelent Prequel or Sequel to the Riyria series

Having listened to the other three books in the series I was at first disappointed that I hadn't started with this one as it technically comes before the three books in the series chronologically speaking.
But I wasn't disappointed when I listened to it as it fills in things alluded to in the revelations books and also stands on its own as a very well written book. Whether you have listed to to Revelations series or not you will enjoy this immensely.
The author narrates his own introduction to the book which I thought added a personal touch as he explains his reasons for writing the prequel after the Revelations series and give us some insight into how he views the charters etc.

If you are unsure about reading the Revelations trilogy which are incredibly good value in terms of length give this a read as it's only 12 hours long and if you enjoy it you can look forward to the rest of the series.

If you are like me and have read the other three books and enjoyed them you will love this book. Can't wait to listen to some more.

16 people found this helpful

rubbish! but i liked it

like my TRex records, this is simple juvenile nonsense but i enjoyed it.
the novel is full of holes and the plot is at time unbelievable -but i loved listening. sadly the authors little dialogue at the beginning has convinced me that he is just a poor writer who thinks he is better than he actually is. However, that said i loved listening to this and the other stories with Hadrian and Royce.
No where near quality or GRR Martin or Abercrombie..but read this -or listen and enjoy it-i didi. incidentally i listened to Bernard Cornwell's Pagan Lord in his Saxon series and the sheer quality in comparison to Sullivan was obvious, like FORD KA compered to a Volkswagen Touran ..if you want a quality Epic try Brian Ruckley

14 people found this helpful

A great prequel

Story – 5/5

Considering I wasn’t exactly swept away by the original trilogy (although still enjoyed it well enough), I absolutely loved this prequel. It is a lot shorter, therefore I felt the pacing was spot on, and I thought there was a bit more brutality, which Sullivan seemed a bit reluctant of in his first set of stories.

It is set 10 years before the events of the Riyria revelations – and tells the story of when Hadrian and Royce first met. My favourite part had to be the backstory of Gwen though – but I am a sucker for backstory.

According to something I read on the internet, Sullivan plans to write 10 of these chronicle books to represent each of the 10 years prior to the Revelations trilogy. Lots to look forward to then… 


Performance –4.5/5

Tim Gerard Reynolds did a great job. I felt he trivialised danger in the original trilogy, which wasn’t the case in this story – which makes me think I was a little hard on him in my previous reviews. It must have been the prose.

His voice acting is great – very consistent with his other readings thus far – making it all the easier to get back into this world.


Overall – 5/5

4 people found this helpful

Good time Killer

If you could sum up The Crown Tower in three words, what would they be?

Good Time Killer

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

A few twists and turn.

What about Tim Gerard Reynolds’s performance did you like?

Good rendition

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

some interest .

Any additional comments?

The author's introduction. pretentious much, my god be proud of your work but be magnanimous in success. really put my nose up.

4 people found this helpful

DULL

Stuck this out for 4 hours straight, before giving up, expecting something along the lines of Gentlemen Bastards by Scott Lynch, but far from it, it was simply dreary, I wasn’t expecting literary genius, but this had zero entertainment value

1 person found this helpful

Overhyped

I really tried to get into this series, but I just can’t find the story. It’s really mediocre, except for the character banter between the two MCs, however the story is so pointless that it’s hard to listen on.

1 person found this helpful

What a very pleasant surprise.

I came across this book, whilst looking for a decent fantasy story. I hadn’t read/listened to any fantasy for a long time, so I took a while to choose something that caught my attention. I wasn’t disappointed.
The story is really well put together. There are twists & moments of real emotion & I very quickly found myself engaged & committed to the characters.
I will definitely be listening to the next books in the series.

1 person found this helpful

Not a bad book but not brilliant

The narration is very good, with distinct and realistic voices, including the women which makes a nice change.

However the story less good. It's very simple with a plot that always marches onward without any different strands. It's also very derivative. You have two main characters with almost super natural abilities who get sent on a quest with a bit of destiny thrown in for good measure.

The plot is just too simple and too like a hundred other fantasy books.

1 person found this helpful

Nice story, will read the rest.

I am new to this series. I liked the story. kinda typical fantasy sword and dagger storyline with only a little bit of magic at this point but I suspect there will be more in the next book. I found the voices a bit exaggerated and I felt the main character's speaking tone was not in line with his otherwise portrayal. Overall I enjoyed this little story and would recommend it.

1 person found this helpful

Love the story!

I absolutely love the characters and I'm so pleased there is more! This reveals quite a bit more quite a couple of characters so pleased!

1 person found this helpful