Heirs of Vanity Audiobook By R. J. Hanson cover art

Heirs of Vanity

The Complete First Trilogy

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Heirs of Vanity

By: R. J. Hanson
Narrated by: Terry F. Self
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John Boorman's Excalibur meets R.A. Salvatore's Homeland in this epic sword and sorcery fantasy. This volume contains the first three books: Roland's Path, Roland's Vow, and Roland's Triumph.

When two servants of evil escape during young Roland’s watch, he is driven by his own shame and vanity to take up his axes and track them down himself. With the help of his lifelong friend Eldryn, the Cavalier hopeful, and an uneasy bargain with a dagger-wielding cutpurse, Roland pursues a wizard of unknown powers and a woman of uncommon beauty and skill.

In Roland’s world of Stratvs, vanity has a high price. A price paid with the blood of the innocent and the guilty. Around him, swords once pledged to justice rust on the altars of the self-righteous. Join Roland and friends as they take to the seas of Stratvs and discover an exotic city that exists in the shadow of harsh laws and savage practices.

Roland will face trials that will test not only his physical strength, but his own code of honor, as well. Roland’s constitution continues to be forged as he struggles against the evils of the world and his own pride. But will his efforts be enough to save a land besieged by raiding armies and a people starved of hope?

©2019 RJ Hanson (P)2020 RJ Hanson Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic Magic Users
Vivid Battle Scenes • Engaging Storyline • Distinct Character Voices • Immersive Fantasy World • Clean Romance
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One of the better fantasy novels I have listened to. I felt like a kid playing D&D 😊

Excellent fantasy

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Listener received this title free

I can't say enough good things about this trilogy. The author did a great job with the characters. Some you would love and some made you hate them. A lot of different creatures made the story very interesting. I disliked Roland's father at first. I thought he was to tough on Roland. But by the end I knew that he made Roland the great warrior, friend & enemy that he became. Roland & Eldryn set out on a quest and as they traveled their group grew. Some they rescued along the way and some had certain skills that they could use. In the end all were great friends. Then there was Clairinese. Roland's true love. She was strong & talented in magic. At their wedding they invited all kinds of guests. Some were friends and some were foes. It was a great event for all. I also loved the narrator for this one. I don't think a better one could have been chosen. That is another thing that made the stories enjoyable, the PERFECT voice to narrate it. I highly recommend this series.

I did not want to stop listening

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Listener received this title free

Wow! What a great fantasy. The kind of story that you can't wait to find out what is going to happen and there is a lot going on, but then are so sad once you reach the end of the tale. This omnibus included the first three books of Roland's and his friends' journey and I found it so entertaining that I'm looking forward to the next installment with great excitement. R. J. Hanson's descriptions of the battle scenes were so descriptive that they unfolded in my imagination as if I was viewing a movie, so just be aware if you are squeamish that his writing style is very visceral. Terry F. Self's narration style is great. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

An Epic Fantasy

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Listener received this title free

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, it sounded good in the description and even though it is definitely geared toward the male adventurer audience, I found myself really enjoying it. There's a ton of action and battle scenes intermixed with very lively characters in the fantasy realm like: Large man race (half man/half god), dwarves, giants, ogres, drow, paladins, and gods. The story starts in a quest for the young man Roland to right a mistake and make his father proud. He is joined by his best friend Eldryn and it becomes a story of them growing up, becoming men, and soon becomes a much larger quest to help save their country from an evil mage. There's a lot of heart and the underling message about friendship, sacrifice and protecting your family, friends and/or tribe. You really do become invested in the story and the characters. The narrator does a fantastic job with each of the character's voice differentiation and overall acting that only enhances the story. I look forward to the next set in the series and can't wait to see where the adventure goes.

***Parents: in terms of morality rating, if this were made into a movie it would easily hit R due to the level of violence and detail of the gore in the battles/injuries. If you are squeamish with blood, and the gore of eyes being shot or ripped out, limbs being chopped or blown off with much detail then I would say this is not a book for you. Beyond that there is very little language other then crap and bastard sword (which to my surprise is a real type of sword). In terms of the romance it is written in a very male perspective, instant attraction=love and very little romance or wooing, however, the author does a great job of keeping it very clean with no actual sex scenes- basically waking up in bed together naked but no other details given.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fantastic D&D like Adventure, Not for Squeamish

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A fun adventure that follows brave men in their fight against evil. With a culture full of edgy anti heros, Heirs of Vanity is a breath of fresh air. Read or listen to this when you have the time!

A Fun Adventure.

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Listener received this title free

Great book, kept my attention all the way to the end, amazing audio delivery, loved it. Will be reading again, every chapter was received amazingly do recommend you give it a read.

Awesome

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Listener received this title free

If you read my review of Fires That Forge, then you’ll notice that much of this review will be the same praise and criticism. They’re different series in the same saga. One minor gripe I have with this is the audible/Goodreads description. It makes no mention of the greater saga. Had I not read the Fires that Forge description previously and took notice of this, I might not have noticed at all.

All my life, I’ve read and re-read the same few books. One of those reasons was I always found it difficult to keep track of all the books and extended work in a series.

To start off with, this trilogy starts off with endless name drops. Not just names but titles, ranks, positions, relations, etc. I have an extremely difficult time remembering names. I have 3 hours, 45 minutes left at the time of writing this (listening at 2.55x speed), and I only know one character’s name.

As he does with Fires that Forge, the narrator speeds up combat. While this makes combat more intense and I appreciate it, be warned if you listen to audiobooks at increased speed like I do, as it can be difficult to follow along entirely.

Another returning complaint I have is there’s too much “(character name) said” for my liking. Though in all fairness, this is likely an audiobook-only issue. If you’re reading, you don’t have the benefit of a narrator doing voices. While on the topic of voices, the narrator is absolutely incredible at doing voices and making each and every character feel like a real person. He has a real talent there.

One thing I appreciated greatly is how each book picks up where the previous one left off. I’ve always found it tiring when series feel the need to give you an introduction to the world (again), several books in.

While at times it felt to me like the journey the characters go on is a bit aimless and meandering; I was no less invested in it. The combat is exciting and I love learning more about the world. I really love the idea of multiple series set in the same world from different perspectives. That’s something I’ve wished from other series I enjoy.

I’ve enjoyed getting to follow the protagonists around for the last two days and I feel invested in their lives. As the story goes on, they grow as people at a believable rate. The characters don’t feel like “the chosen ones”, destined to conquer all opposition. It’s a fantasy story, sure; but it feels grounded in reality.

This is a rare instance of an audiobook that I’ve enjoyed so much, I’ll be picking up physical copies of all 3 books.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.

Baskerville Book Reviews

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Listener received this title free

This is an honest review for a copy of this trilogy.

This was an interesting trilogy, definitely not one I would have found on my own. The storyline flowed readily so didn't stall anywhere. The performance of the narrator was very impressive as he kept his characters defined and voices didn't alter/change for any given one.

interesting triology

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Wizards, giants, legacies, elves, warhorses, treasure hordes, dwarves, and more.

This is one of the best audiobooks I've gotten for my large library. First, the characters are interesting, all of them. The two main characters have the distant blood of gods, which makes them taller and stronger, but which also gives them other problems. They are helping their father guard a prison when three spies are brought in to be held for interrogation.

The father and these three spies are also interesting characters. An escape triggers a long adventure. Refreshingly, I didn't know how the adventure would go and all characters acted appropriately and intelligently. Every paragraph added to the story.

The narrator is fantastic, especially when talking as the character Fletcher. All voices distinct and well-acted. Good action sequences.

Step by step it's an enthralling story. Highly recommended.

A great book, worth your while

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Listener received this title free

Roland and Eldryn are young and naive but brave and loyal, and honor-bound. They make a great deal of friends and enemies over the course of these first 3 books, and "age" several decades in the few years of them (you'll find out how in Book 1!). The writing is excellent, building characters you care about, a world you believe in, and an engaging story line. The epic fantasy genre is well served by Hanson and I look forward to Roland's continued adventures and anything else R.J. writes. BTW, Narration is very good if you listen instead of read.

Awesome, Epic 3-book Fantasy

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