
The Dark Thorn
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Narrated by:
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Nick Podehl
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By:
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Shawn Speakman
Beneath the streets of Seattle, a long-forgotten war is about to be renewed...Richard McAllister, a spiritually destitute homeless man and Knight of the Yn Saith, protects one of seven portals linking his world to that of Annwn, where the fey Tuatha de Dannan of antiquity have been relegated by a long-running religious war. Unknown to Richard though, powerful forces are aligning against him and all he stands to keep safe.
In the wilds of a discarded world, Philip Plantagenet, son of Henry II, moves to claim a birthright nine centuries in the making, one that drives him to eliminate the Tuatha de Dannan - at any cost to both worlds. In the halls of Vatican City, Cardinal Vicar Cormac Pell O'Connor schemes to control the Heliwr - the Unfettered Knight - one who possesses the great power known as the Dark Thorn.
The three men are on a collision course with history - and their futures. For in the wilds of Annwn, death comes as easily as magic. Haunted by a past he can't forget and a knightly responsibility he can't shun, Richard is drawn into levels of machinations - and two worlds - far darker than any he has prepared for.
©2012 Shawn Speakman (P)2013 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
If you could sum up The Dark Thorn in three words, what would they be?
An outstanding read/listenWhat other book might you compare The Dark Thorn to and why?
The Iron Druid Series, not in a similar way, other than the fae mythology both authors use in their stories. The Dark Thorn has a darker take on the mythology, that intertwines with a hidden side of catholicism. The Iron Druid series has a lighter take on the mythology, and brings in the mythologies of other cultures, including Christian.How could the performance have been better?
I was not impressed with the narrator. I felt his performance was very bland and though it worked for one or two characters, the fact that it was maintained throughout every character and the descriptions and narrations left me wanting more. Several times I wished I had just read my copy instead of doing the audiobook, but with my drive to and from work, the audiobook was better.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I did not want to listen to this all in one sitting because of the narrator. Not until the end did I feel a push to listen to it as long as possible, and that was because the story just held me so much that I didn't want to leave the world.Any additional comments?
The Dark Thorn has a grim, dark setting, but it is believable and one I wish I could visit again very soon. I can't wait to read more by Shawn Speakman, but if the narrator is the same for his future works, I will choose to go with the book.Wonderful Mix of Mythology with Fantasy
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A book well worth your time.
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Excellent new Author
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Don't like how this review is set up.
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story was good, dialogue was awful
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Enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking
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With that said Nick Podehl voice acting was top notch. He's my number 1 voice actor with Luke Daniel's a distance 2nd. I wish there was a part 2 to this book now that character building is out of the way. Anywho, well written, a 4.5 out of 5.
Good book, last 6 hours made up for a slow start.
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Any fan of the Merlin television series should love this book, though this story is set in modern day.
The reader portrays each character well and helps you see that movie in your head (always a goal of mine).
Richard McCallister protects the secret Seattle portal between our world and Annwn--the world to which all of the fey creatures (fairies, leprechauns, centaurs, and the like) had long ago been transported to protect them from extinction. The Knights protecting the portals use magical items but so do the forces of evil on both sides of the portal. Without giving anything away, some of those magical items are ones that you are probably familiar with. 'Nuf said.
The book is full of action and adventure as a small group tries to reunite the fey creatures to battle the forces of evil. Any war in Annwn threatens both worlds. In the meantime, the forces of evil are also after Richard and another character he is trying to protect. Can evil turn these two or bend them and/or their weapons to their nefarious purposes?
Which creatures are on which side (if either)? Can war be averted and, if not, can good triumph? Which men of our world are simply trying to protect the portals and which really have their own agenda? Can the two worlds be saved?
A minor disappointment for me that these knights are supposed to be Knights of the Word here on our side as defined by a certain church (i.e. the Word of God). But when people try to defend their actions in the name of the Word, no one actually uses any of the actual Word to refute them. That would have been fun!
That's a small objection though and it did not prevent me from giving this book 5 stars. I couldn't stop listening and that's one sign of a great book. I look forward to the next one!
Really great!
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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Was this book time well spent? Well, seeing I was listening to it while doing other stuff it is kinda moot. The problem I had with the book is there was very little character development or world development. I'm still not sure if this was the first book or not.Any additional comments?
I would have like to have know more of the books world the relationship between the fay and the church. I guess I was very lost within the first 6 chapters and started to wonder why I should care about these people.The plot was OK, and the reading was good. All in all I wouldn't recommend unless you don't care to know the characters,
Was not for me
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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
The main character was nothing short of God Awful!Would you ever listen to anything by Shawn Speakman again?
Never ever ever everWhich scene was your favorite?
None. Couldn't make it through it.What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Annoyance. The author made all of the characters so distasteful they ruined a pretty fair storyline.Any additional comments?
Hard to slog through this - I bought it because I love these types of stories and I love Nick Podehl as a reader... but this abomination of a main character... ugh... was there ever a more disrespectful, unpleasant, and utterly unlikable character ever created?Don't let The fact Podehl read it influence you!
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