The Pen and the Sword
Destiny's Crucible, Book 2
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Davis
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By:
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Olan Thorensen
About this listen
The Narthani, a militant realm who believe their manifest destiny is to rule the entire planet, Anyar, plan to absorb Caedellium into their empire and crush any resistance. Yozef Kolsko (a.k.a. Joe Colsco) works to find ways to increase the chances of resistance to the Narthani's planned conquest.
Complicating his life is attraction to a brilliant daughter of an island leader, and his uncertainty of his own mind, hers, or intricacies of Caedellium customs.
Despite his desire to devote himself to introducing new knowledge, Yozef is drawn more and more into developing weapons and giving tactical and strategic advice - things he knows he's unqualified to give. The enemy is coming. The odds seem overwhelming, and it will take all Yozef can do, the courage of his new people, and luck, to survive.
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I made myself finish. Glad I did.
- By RJPF on 05-26-19
By: Dennis E. Taylor
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My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World: Volume 1
- My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World, Book 1
- By: Tamamaru
- Narrated by: Greg Chun
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Eizo is a middle-aged, overworked software engineer who loves cats. One night after working late, he saves an injured cat from a speeding truck. The cat survives, but Eizo does not... Luckily, that cat turns out to be a god-like being who offers him a second chance in another world! Eizo decides that he wants a slower life, one where he can live off the things he creates with his own hands. So, why not become a blacksmith? He does have one other stipulation: a cat companion for his quiet life.
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A good good story that makes you look forward to the next episode!
- By Robert L. Hamilton on 09-04-23
By: Tamamaru
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Infinite
- By: Jeremy Robinson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The Galahad, a faster-than-light spacecraft, carries 50 scientists and engineers on a mission to prepare Kepler 452b, Earth's nearest habitable neighbor at 1400 light years away. With Earth no longer habitable and the Mars colony slowly failing, they are humanity's best hope. After 10 years in a failed cryogenic bed - body asleep, mind awake - William Chanokh's torture comes to an end as the fog clears, the hatch opens, and his friend and fellow hacker, Tom, greets him...by stabbing a screwdriver into his heart. This is the first time William dies.
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a rather complex science fiction story
- By Midwestbonsai on 12-26-17
By: Jeremy Robinson
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A Soldier's Life, Book 1
- A Soldier's Life, Book 1
- By: Always RollsAOne, ERICK THIEMKE
- Narrated by: Jonathan Waters
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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Follow an unfortunate soul who has been thrown into a fantasy world with nothing. He is quickly railroaded into joining the Legion and has to develop under harsh conditions while slowly discovering his potential power.
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As a soldier myself the parallels are great
- By Rocky on 05-06-24
By: Always RollsAOne, and others
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Lock In (Narrated by Wil Wheaton)
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever, and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent - and nearly five million souls in the United States alone - the disease causes "Lock In": Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.
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Fun! Things you might want to know:
- By Alexis on 08-29-14
By: John Scalzi
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The Water Knife
- By: Paolo Bacigalupi
- Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In the American Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, and California skirmish for dwindling shares of the Colorado River. Into the fray steps Angel Velasquez, detective, leg breaker, assassin, and spy. A Las Vegas water knife, Angel "cuts" water for his boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet while the poor get nothing but dust.
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The fight for water in a drought fueled apocalypse
- By Lore on 09-24-15
By: Paolo Bacigalupi
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Wayward Galaxy
- By: Jason Anspach, J. N. Chaney
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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A company of Army Rangers is sent on an interstellar colony ship to secure a foothold on a dangerous, alien planet through violence of action. Leaving behind a warring Earth flung headfirst into a conflict of mutual assured destruction, the Rangers and the accompanying crew of first colonists are guided on a 40-year journey by an unprecedented artificial intelligence. But when they emerge from the frigid embrace of cryosleep, they awake to a nightmare, finding themselves greeted by the same ruthless enemy that brought about the ruin of Earth.
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A breath of fresh air
- By Anonymous User on 09-29-20
By: Jason Anspach, and others
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Until the End of the World
- By: Sarah Lyons Fleming
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Cassie Forrest isn't surprised to learn that the day she’s decided to get her life together is also the day the world ends. After all, she’s been on a self-imposed losing streak since her survivalist parents died: she’s stopped painting, broken off her engagement to Adrian and dated a real jerk. Rectifying her mistakes has to wait, however, because Cassie and her friends have just enough time to escape Brooklyn for her parents’ cabin before Bornavirus LX turns them into zombies, too.
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a feel good zombie apocylapse
- By Mike Naka on 02-23-14
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Shōgun, Part One
- The Asian Saga, Book 1.1
- By: James Clavell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne’s loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss.
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Great book poor marketing
- By Ryan on 01-20-24
By: James Clavell
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Ascendant: Book 1
- By: Craig Alanson
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Wizard's Council of Tarador was supposed to tell young Koren Bladewell that he is a wizard. They were supposed to tell everyone that he is not a jinx, that all the bad things that happen around him are because he can't control the power inside him, power he doesn't know about. The people of his village, even his parents, are afraid of him, afraid he is cursed. That he is a dangerous, evil jinx.
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A skeptic entertained
- By David M on 11-22-17
By: Craig Alanson
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Four Minutes
- By: Jeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Special Operations Chief Tyler Brooks might not know quantum mechanics, or have an eidetic memory, but he is the very best in the world at one thing: leading covert ops. When an unpredictable enemy causes the catastrophic loss of his entire SEAL team, Brooks is recruited by Pat Moody to lead a new elite squad, Task Force Omega. Moody’s promise—access to mind-bending tech that grants a glimpse of the future.
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I Hate Cliffhangers
- By Nicole on 04-05-24
By: Jeffrey Wilson, and others
What listeners say about The Pen and the Sword
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- DiAnne Lundgren
- 08-08-17
Best new Series I've read in a very long time
What did you love best about The Pen and the Sword?
The concept of being in Joseph's position. The well thought use of his knowledge yet the human responses he has....
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When he made the choice to learn the language and engage in a new life....
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3 people found this helpful
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- Michael G Kurilla
- 09-10-17
Video gaming and chemistry to the rescue
Olan Thorensen's The Pen and the Sword is the 2nd installment in the Destiny's Crucible series. Josef is beginning to adjust to life on the island and has found his calling in terms of gradually introducing more technology to the locals, expanding his business enterprises into soaps, paper, and finally weapons (cannons) and ammunition. He also gets himself trained in self defense. But his real value lies in understanding general military tactics enough to discern the intent of the Nartharni strategy from their military formations and plan a defense and counterattack. His personal life is also expanding and the inevitable conjunction with Mira evolves.
The sci-fi elements are muted in this installment with Josef operating a rapid technological advancement in basic consumer products and metallurgy. The ubiquitous watchers are noticeably absent. There is much focus on the island occupiers and their clearly advanced military capabilities as well as utilization of spies, special ops units, and a well designed overall strategy for conquest. There's also a bit of humanization for the various players in the military command. At the same time, the diversity and independence of the various clans is demonstrated as well as the consequences of failure to change with the times.
The narration is exceptional with an excellent range of voices of both genders. This is clearly a series with legs for a long run. The only minor ding to this volume is that the title should have been the "quill" and the sword, rather than pen.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Joseph Hansen
- 08-11-17
Wonderful
The author has created a rich and wonderful universe for you to enjoy. The battles are realistic, the players are believable and the story straight forward and uncomplicated. I highly recommend this enjoyable read. The pace is slower that what's typical today but it doesn't hinder the entertainment value.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Darren
- 09-30-17
Excellent story and performance
This is an excellent alternate history / adventure story and performance. I love this genre and this specific series. Hurry up and get book 4 done, no scratch that, take your time and do it right. I want read about the adventures of Yosef book 4, 5, 6.....
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-20-23
Very Good
As long as you know this is not sci-fi at all then you can just have a great read.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Steven G.
- 06-11-18
great book write more please you can do it for
they people .need anything to. smell so make the next one smell like a fresh taco
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- Ryan Thomas
- 02-16-18
Couldn't wait for more story
Any additional comments?
The best ideas of sci-fi, alien abduction, and time traveler all rolled up in a amazingly detailed package.
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- 9mike
- 02-06-18
Nerd to a Warrior
book 4 arrived today. lots of twists and turns in book 2.
you really need to download the maps
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- J. Dingle
- 06-18-18
very much enjoyed this book
good story and memorable characters. narration was great and I look forward to the next book
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- Rob Carter
- 05-12-20
Narration needs equipment upgrade
Inconsistent sound quality. There were times when I heard banging background noises, and had to balance my headset favoring right side for proper balance.
However, narrator is incredible. Seems a perfect fit for this series. Definitely buying next book.
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