The Black Shield
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Narrated by:
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Rosemary Benson
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By:
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Michael Wallace
About this listen
After the death of the paladin captain and the defeat of the sorcerer's attack, apprentice wizards Markal and Nathaliey flee their homeland with the red sword in the hopes of carrying it to safety in the barbarian homelands. They must cross the mountains ahead of the sorcerer's marauders while avoiding the giants and griffins that infest the high passes. But before they can cross, the two companions are taken prisoner by a band of paladins who are convinced that Markal and Nathaliey are lying about their captain's death. The sorcerer has invaded the paladin lands, and they have begun a desperate campaign to throw back his forces.
Meanwhile, the pursuing marauders have been joined by more servants of the enemy: the sorcerer's dark acolytes, who are eager to test their growing magic against the two young wizards they have been sent to kill.
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A wild land too mountainous to be tamed by plows…A Duke of the Holy Roman Empire, his cunning overshadowed only by his ambition…A young Priestess of the Old Religion, together with a charismatic outlaw, sparking a rebellion from deep within the forests…And an ex-Hospitaller caught between them all. At the end of the thirteenth century, five hundred orphans and second sons are rounded up from villages in the Alpine countryside and sold to the Hospitaller Knights of St John. Trained to serve as Soldiers of Christ, they fight in eastern lands they know nothing about, for a cause they do not understand.
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Life's Trials.
- By Gary Carter on 04-05-18
By: J.K. Swift
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Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne
- By: David Gaider
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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After his mother, the beloved Rebel Queen, is betrayed and murdered by her own faithless lords, young Maric becomes the leader of a rebel army attempting to free his nation from the control of a foreign tyrant. His countrymen live in fear; his commanders consider him untested; and his only allies are Loghain, a brash young outlaw who saved his life, and Rowan, the beautiful warrior maiden promised to him since birth.
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Fantastic Read
- By Brandon on 01-30-11
By: David Gaider
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The Secret of Pax Tharkas
- Dragonlance: Dwarf Home, Book 1
- By: Douglas Niles
- Narrated by: Ax Norman
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The dwarven realms of Krynn are slumbering, locked in mountain fastness, removed and aloof from the affairs of the world. But the world has a way of finding someone when it needs them. A wealthy aristocratic dwarf from Kayolin is forced to flee his home. A gully dwarf from Thorbardin is lucky to escape his own city with his life. And a brilliant and impetuous descendant of the once-mighty Hylar wonders what failures have steered her people onto a path of self-destruction.
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Barely okay...
- By Mr Dangerous on 06-07-23
By: Douglas Niles
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The Way into Chaos
- The Great Way, Book 1
- By: Harry Connolly
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The city of Peradain is the heart of an empire built with steel, spears, and a monopoly on magic...until in a single day it falls, overthrown by a swarm of supernatural creatures of incredible power and ferocity. Neither soldier nor spell caster can stand against them. The empire's armies are crushed, its people scattered, its king and queen killed. Freed for the first time in generations, city-states scramble to seize neighboring territories and capture imperial spell casters.
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Made me want to buy more credits
- By Daniel Olson on 09-16-16
By: Harry Connolly
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Wytchfire
- The Dragonkin Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Michael Meyerhofer
- Narrated by: Craig Beck
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In a land haunted by the legacy of dead dragons, Rowen Locke has been many things: orphan, gravedigger, mercenary. All he ever wanted was to become a Knight of Crane and wield a kingsteel sword against the kind of grown horrors his childhood knows all too well. But that dream crumbled - replaced by a new nightmare. War is overrunning the realms, an unprecedented duel of desire and revenge, steel and sorcery. And for one disgraced man who would be a knight, in a world where no one is blameless, the time has come to decide which side he's on.
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Can't judge a book by it's cover.
- By Fantasy Reader on 08-29-15
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Thinblade
- Sovereign of the Seven Isles, Book 1
- By: David A. Wells
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin's arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended two thousand years ago. Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade.
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Worst Book I've Ever Listened To or Read
- By Samantha S on 11-29-16
By: David A. Wells
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The Legend of Huma
- Dragonlance: Heroes, Book 1
- By: Richard A. Knaak
- Narrated by: Richard Topol
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Only fragments of the account of Huma survived the Cataclysm that broke the world of Krynn. The fullness of his tale has never been told – until now. One man took up the call to defend the world against the Queen of Darkness. He was the first Hero of the Lance, driven by his devotion to the Oath and the Measure and his love for a silver dragon. His life made him a hero. Here is the tale that made him a legend….
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poor performance, good story
- By Tim & Michelle on 10-25-16
By: Richard A. Knaak
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Mark of Fire
- The Endarian Prophecy, Book 1
- By: Richard Phillips
- Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Lorness Carol, coming of age in the kingdom of her warlord father, Lord Rafel, aspires to wield magic. But she's also unknowingly become the obsession of Kragan, an avenging wielder as old as evil itself. He's waited centuries to find and kill the female prophesied as the only human empowered to destroy him. However, dispatching the king's assassin, Blade, to Rafel's Keep, ends in treason. For Blade arrives not with a weapon but rather a warning for the woman he's known and loved since he was a child.
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Good start to a new series
- By Jake on 11-13-17
By: Richard Phillips
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Elseerian
- The Chronicles of Lumineia, Book 1
- By: Ben Hale
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The assassination of heroes was once a warning... for an invasion that nearly destroyed the world. Nations were slaughtered, cities were erased from existence, and defending armies were crushed into oblivion. In weeks, all life stood on the verge of extinction. But the end did not come. Instead the black horde vanished, leaving terrified survivors... and rumors. As the centuries passed the holocaust faded into legend, and finally myth. Across the southern sea a gifted young man is completing his training.
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Loved this book!
- By Andrew Stone on 10-06-13
By: Ben Hale
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Red Sister
- First Book of the Ancestor
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: Heather O'Neill
- Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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From the international best-selling author of the Broken Empire Trilogy comes the first in a brilliant new breakout fantasy series. A searing novel set in a brand-new world, this series follows a young girl who enters a convent where girls are selected to train in religion, combat, or magic. Nona is selected to learn combat and finds herself at the center of an epic battle for empire on the outer reaches of a dying universe.
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Great Story supported by great narration
- By jdykes33 on 04-15-17
By: Mark Lawrence
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The Temple of Yellow Skulls
- Dungeons & Dragons: The Abyssal Plague, Book 1
- By: Don Bassingthwaite
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Imprisoned in the void of a ruined universe by vengeful gods, Tharizdun - the Chained God, the Elder Elemental Eye - shares his exile with the Progenitor, a pool of liquid crystal that is all that remains of the Abyss that destroyed his universe. Enter our heroes Albanon, Shara and Uldane - all three adventurers readers will know from The Mark of Nerath. They thought their quests were over and done with, but danger still burns like the embers of a smoldering fire in the tall grass.
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Decent but not the first book
- By Greg Hill on 05-29-13
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The Emperor's Blades
- Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
- By: Brian Staveley
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.
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4 Primary Crimes Committed By The Author
- By Captain Spanky Of Nazareth on 05-09-16
By: Brian Staveley
What listeners say about The Black Shield
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- HeatherY
- 11-17-17
It's As Strong As The First Book!
This is book two in the Red Sword trilogy, if you haven't read book one I'd recommend reading it first. This review will contain spoilers for the first book, so read at your own risk!
Markal and Nathaliey are journeying across the mountains to Eriscoba, returning the red sword to Bronwyn's group of paladins. The necromancer's grey marauders follow them, determined to kill the apprentice wizards and reclaim the sword. Markal and Nathaliey face griffins, giants, and dark sorcerers as they join forces with a former enemy to defeat a former ally. Meanwhile, Chantmer continues to struggle with his role as apprentice as he guards the library of the Crimson Order.
This is a strong sequel that I enjoyed just as much as the first book, it's fast paced and full of action. The writing flows well and the battle scenes are so descriptive, I could imagine everything just as it happened. While there isn't a ton of worldbuilding, there's enough to get a clear picture of the land and the motivations of its rulers. There are a lot of questions left to be answered and battles left to be fought, and I can't wait to see where the next book leads. There's plenty here for sword and sorcery fans to enjoy.
The apprentice wizards are characters you'll want to root for. The apprentices aren't perfect, they each have their own weaknesses, both in the strength of their magic and their personalities. The odds are overwhelmingly against them, but they each fight hard in their own way. I liked them all the better for it.
The narration was well done, Rosemary Benson performed evenly without overacting. She is able to perform male voices convincingly, and gives different nationalities their own accents. She has a smooth style of narration and was consistent thoughout the book. It was a great performance that added to the experience. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
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