
The City Stained Red
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Narrated by:
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David DeSantos
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By:
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Sam Sykes
About this listen
Step up to the gates.
After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world's beating heart. The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness. They've come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man. And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good. But this is no place to escape demons.
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- By Amazon Customer on 01-26-22
superb start to a fantasy series
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The story opens in medias res (kind of), so instead of learning about the protagonists via exposition, their characters are revealed through their actions and interaction with each other and the world. Each has a unique way of coping with the immense chaos of the setting, so any reader will be able to identify well with at least one of them: whether the reader would just want to leave the chaos behind, try to find personal connection in the chaos, try to help others in the chaos, be at home in the chaos, look down on the chaos through a lens of simple axiomatic truths, or try to control the chaos by (literally) burning it all down.
The structure of the story eschews standard fantasy arcs like redemption or ordained quests, instead choosing to follow this scenario to fruition: what if six uniquely powerful people with various levels of decision-making skills entered a city like Jerusalem at the peak of Roman occupation? “Powder keg” is an understatement. The protagonists are broken people in a broken world, so of course their stories can come across as dirty and disjointed. One character is revealed to be a terrible (almost vile) human being, but instead of being given a chance for redemption, his arc completes when he realizes and accepts that he is a monster.
I do not want to leave the impression that this book is overall dower or dreary; it is actually a very fun read. The author often portrays the most chaotic moments as whacky hijinks; the dialogue and descriptions are freckled with wit and hilarious analogies. David DeSantos’ performance is fantastic: despite the large number of main characters, he is able to make each voice instantly recognizable and characteristically appropriate. Bravo! I sincerely hope that Audible commissions his performance for the other novels in this series.
If you enjoy fantasy novels, read this book. If you enjoy wit and humor, read this book. If you are in the mood for something unusual, read this book.
Chaos and Characters
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Awesome
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Narrator does a great job of presenting Sykes unique witty writing in a way that flows very well.
This series takes some fantasy tropes and turns them up on their head - a great thing for a genre that can become saturated with predictability.
Moments of laughter, confusion (the good kind), action, and sadness all happen organically, leaving you wanting more. definitely worth a listen.
Witty, trope turning book. Need more from Sykes!
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Disappointing
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in the distance there's an oasis
he doesn't remember the journey just the thirst in his thoat
when he bent over to take a drink a reflection not his own was in the water
it's me
buy Sam Sykes book
came for the humor stayed for the characters
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Average story, reasonably interesting characters.
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Sam Sykes continues on with the antics of what real adventurers are like. Spoiler alert, they can be terrible. From the humor to fighting to witty banter, I loved listening to Sam Syke's City Stained Red. I can't wait to jump into Mortal Tally. Would recommend if you like:
-Fantasy
-Irreverent Humor
-Fast witty conversations
-Sword fighting
-Imperfect protagonists
A Fantasy Must!
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Where are the rest ?
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Now for the good stuff. The characters are compelling, interesting, complex, and fun. The world is diverse and well built. The writing is caddy and cynical, in a good way. There's so much depth that this is what kept me going aside from the fact that I have a penchant for finishing what I start no matter what. The ending scratches the surface of the story that's actually being told. This book is not good as a stand alone story in my opinion, but will hopefully serve as a springboard for a truly epic tale.
I'm not wild about it.
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