The Winter of Swords
A Grimdark Epic (Overthrown, Book 1)
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Narrated by:
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C.J. Grey
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By:
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Aaron Bunce
About this listen
An intelligent, six-limbed beast snatches a girl away from her family.
An orphan confronts the darkness in his past, while a menace stalks his small town.
A young woman cast into servitude tries to forge her own path in an unforgiving world.
And an inexperienced soldier following the path of honor and duty comes face to face with a foe born from his worst nightmares.
Seemingly unconnected, this small group of normal folk will fight to survive, for an ancient evil has awakened, and Denoril will need heroes if it is to endure The Winter of Swords.
©2019 Aaron Bunce (P)2019 Aaron BunceListeners also enjoyed...
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The Oremere Chronicles Omnibus
- The Complete Series
- By: Helen Scheuerer
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 52 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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At 16, Bleak lost the only person she cared for when her mentor died at sea. Now 19, she still misses him terribly. She needs him more than ever. That’s why Bleak drinks. But the haze of the mead and wine has hidden something from her. Her powers have grown more than she knows. Others have noticed. When the king sends his top commander to take her, Bleak is too hungover to resist. But he isn’t the only one who needs her for their plans. What does he want?
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“Whut?”
- By Anonymous User on 02-08-23
By: Helen Scheuerer
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Spark City
- The Spark City Cycle, Book 1
- By: Robert J. Power
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 18 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite his warriors' lineage, Erroh would rather waste his potential stumbling alone from one tavern to the next, drinking and gambling. Fate, however, has greater plans for him. After decades of peace, a great war draws near, and though he doesn't know it, he is standing in the way of the first wave. What is more, and very much to his dismay, he's about to find out he's not entirely alone either. But Erroh has a plan, a simple plan.
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Felt kind of cheated.
- By Fantasy Reader on 04-10-20
By: Robert J. Power
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Shielded
- Shielded, Book 1
- By: KayLynn Flanders
- Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It's losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans. As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn's magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.
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I couldn't put it down.
- By Ripley on 01-16-22
By: KayLynn Flanders
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Heresy of Dragons
- By: Erik Reid
- Narrated by: Chris Graves
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Not every man can handle a magitech gauntlet that speaks in floating silver text, or a handful of women with unique...needs. I’m not every man. When a bad blind date got worse - like, interdimensional lightning storm worse - I woke up to a realm of dragon women, magical kobolds, and a playful monkey girl with a painful secret. I also accidentally (totally on purpose) stole an ancient artifact in the form of a black gauntlet that bonded with my body and unlocked various new abilities. So what’s the catch? The glove wasn’t meant for me. It was meant for the fabled Hero of Silura.
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Those low reviews are kooks, seriously you guys
- By Gavin Markowitz on 01-16-20
By: Erik Reid
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The Armored Saint
- By: Myke Cole
- Narrated by: Michi Barall
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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After witnessing a horrendous slaughter, young Heloise opposes the Order and risks bringing their wrath down on herself, her family, and her village. She must confront the true risk that wizards pose to the world and weigh the safety of her people against justice.
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Written well, but uninteresting
- By Anonymous User on 03-26-18
By: Myke Cole
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Of Mist and Shadow
- The Mist King, Book 1
- By: Jenna Wolfhart
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown, Tim Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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When the vicious fae king catches Tessa stealing his powerful gemstones, he demands a cruel punishment. She must leave her family and friends behind and become his future human bride. Tessa has never stepped foot inside the glittering fae city until now—and no mortal is allowed. There, things are far more monstrous than she ever dreamed. King Oberon humiliates her, terrorizes her, and threatens those she loves. But when she escapes, someone far worse finds her.
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Very enjoyable!
- By Alexandria Birk on 04-06-23
By: Jenna Wolfhart
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We Are the Dead
- The Last War Trilogy
- By: Mike Shackle
- Narrated by: Nicola Bryant
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Jia's people learned the hard way that there are no second chances. The Egril, their ancient enemy, struck with magic so devastating that Jia's armies were wiped out. Now terror reigns in the streets, and friend turns on friend just to live another day. Somehow Tinnstra - a deserter, a failure, nothing but a coward - survived. She wants no more than to hide from the chaos. But dragged into a desperate plot to retake Jia, surrounded by people willing to do anything to win the fight, this time Tinnstra will need to do more than hide.
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Criminally Underrated Gem in a world of Dark Fantasy
- By Nic on 04-24-23
By: Mike Shackle
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Firesoul
- By: Gary Kloster
- Narrated by: Kristin Kalbli
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Jiri has always been special. Found as an infant in the ashes of her village, she was taken in by neighbors and trained to be a powerful jungle druid. Yet when Aspis Consortium mercenaries release an ancient evil that burns her adopted home to the ground, Jiri must gather a group of her own in order to get revenge and drive the mercantile foreigners from her land before they cause further damage. For in the heart of the Mwangi Jungle, sometimes the secrets of the past are best left buried.
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i love the pathfinder books
- By Amazon Customer on 08-22-20
By: Gary Kloster
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The Frozen Sun Saga, Books 1-3
- By: Jill Criswell
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell, Alana Kerr Collins
- Length: 35 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust. Every child of Glasnith learns the last words of the god-gifted mortal Aillira, and Lira of clan Stone, a descendant of Aillira with the power to read people’s souls, knows the story better than most. When a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland, Lira helps the wounded man. But as they form a bond forbidden by both their clans, Lira finds herself facing the same tragic fate as her ancestor.
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what a different universe!!!!
- By Debra Buckner on 02-19-24
By: Jill Criswell
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Empires of Bronze: Son of Ishtar
- By: Gordon Doherty
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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1315 BC: Tensions soar between the great powers of the Late Bronze Age. The Hittites stand toe-to-toe with Egypt, Assyria and Mycenaean Ahhiyawa, and war seems inevitable. More, the fierce Kaskan tribes—age-old enemies of the Hittites—amass at the northern borders. When Prince Hattu is born, it should be a rare joyous moment for all the Hittite people. But when the Goddess Ishtar comes to King Mursili in a dream, she warns that the boy is no blessing, telling of a dark future where he will stain Mursili’s throne with blood and bring destruction upon the world.
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Great story!! Cant wait for book two!
- By David Stansbury on 09-24-19
By: Gordon Doherty
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Altar of Influence: The Orsarian War
- A Prelude to the Dying Lands Chronicle
- By: Jacob Cooper
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Sacrifice. The single act capable of bringing both death and life simultaneously. Thannuel Kerr is handsome, young, and brash, fumbling through childhood toward his inevitable inheritance: the next Lord of the Western Province. He struggles to accept his arranged marriage and to grow into the man he must become. The journey toward that end, however, is fraught with more peril than he could possibly imagine.
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A Compelling Read!
- By Voracious Reader on 10-17-16
By: Jacob Cooper
What listeners say about The Winter of Swords
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sara
- 10-09-19
Awesome
Mind-blown. C.J. brought this amazing story to life in a new way.
Bunce can weave a story that makes you feel as if you're right there in the book, going through every single thing his characters go through. You can feel their pain, their anger, their love, their fear, you get the drift? Right?
The descriptions of the beasts are so visual, it's like bam, there they are, right in your face where you're hoping they don't come looking for you in the night.
The characters have such depth and personalities. You're bound to love some and hate others. You're going between three different stories and it brings so much to the book. So many plots and twists, you think you know what's happening and you've figured it out, bam, you've not a clue.
I could ramble on more about this book but I'll leave it up to you to listen to it. You can't go wrong. It's absolutely freaking amazing. Mind-blowing.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 09-09-19
Definitely anxious for book 2.
I'm not sure why the first reviews of this book are so harsh. The story arc of this series is obviously very long and this first volume is setting the stage and introducing characters. Yes, you may be lost at times, but long stories typically don't have a lot of closure occurring in the first book.
I thought the writing was very well done with great imagery. If you're looking for a story that requires zero thought and is served up complete and wrapped in a bow, this isn't it. I found the beginning of this tale intriguing and am hoping volume two comes out soon.
The narration was exceptional in my opinion. Clear with good flow and a ton of emotion.
I think four stars is appropriate for this book until I hear the rest of the story
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sparky's Girl
- 01-19-20
Setting of the world
This book is the first of the series and as many first fantasy books, the world is being set and characters introduced. We get to start the journeys of multiple characters in multiple parts of the world. Some things are still hanging out there and I am sure they will intertwine at some point but they haven't yet. I'm interested to see where this goes.
*I requested this book and am voluntarily leaving this review
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- Geoff Habiger
- 11-03-19
Gritty, realistic epic fantasy
First, a confession. I am not into grimdark fantasy novels. Give me hopeful escapism any day over the bleak, violent, and dark stories featured in most grimdark novels. Don’t get me wrong, I like good action, and gritty realism and violence, but most grimdark novels are too violent and too depressing for my taste. I don’t seek out grimdark novels to read for the above reasons, but I had a chance to meet Aaron Bunce at an author event recently and I was lucky enough to win an audiobook copy of The Winter of Swoards, and while I don’t think this one book will change my mind about a whole genre, I will say that I enjoyed this story.
Aaron does a great job in two areas: characters and setting. The setting is real and gritty, a low-magic world (there are divine healers, but not any powerful wizards and the like) where the great kingdoms of man and dwarves have vanished and the remnants of the human kingdom struggle for survival. Things have been peaceful, but as the novel starts you realize that the monsters that hide in the shadows are starting to stir.
The Winter of Swords is an epic fantasy, so we follow multiple character arcs in the story. What I like is that each of the characters are common, ordinary people thrown into unexpected situations. These are not mighty warriors, kings, and queens, but normal people struggling to get by in an unforgiving world. As the story progresses, we learn more about these characters, their own secrets, and the fates that await them.
I do have a few quibbles about the story. Aaron is very detailed and descriptive in his settings, characters, and the action. Good to a point, sometimes I felt that there was too much description that slowed the pace and action, especially in scenes that should have been fast-moving. The descriptions were good, and fit the character and scene, but it sometimes felt I was slogging through mud to get through the end of the scene because of them. The other quibble I have was the plethora of what seemed like ancillary characters to me. There were some characters who popped in midway through the book for a couple of chapters, then the disappeared again. They did not contribute to the story of the main characters we’d been following, and even if their story was important to a larger story arc, it was distracting and again, broke up the pacing of the story. (Also, I felt that the stories presented in these brief flashes were left unresolved, and that in itself was distracting and left me feeling unfulfilled.)
If you enjoy grim fantasy filled with violence and despair, in true grimdark style, and if you like a grand epic fantasy with complex characters and a storyline that weaves between them, then you will enjoy The Winter of Swords. I may not pick up other grimdark novels, but Aaron has done a wonderful job of weaving this story together that I will be interested to see what happens in the next novel.
The audiobook was narrated by C.J. Grey who did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and setting to life. He is a master storyteller who makes each character distinct, and his inflections and tone helped to heighten the tension in all the right places. There were no problems with the performance by Grey, or in the audio quality.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Asha'man
- 09-21-19
An Epic Adventure That Must Be Heard!
Review of The Winter of Swords: A Grimdark Epic by Aaron Bunce, Narrated by C.J. Grey
The land of Denoril has been created by the mind of author Aaron Bunce. Ruled by the Council of Lords, this epic fantasy based in the land of Denoril is mixed with horror and is the start of of planned six book series with three books currently published. As with most things of Epic proportions, this book does not shy away from introducing many characters into the mix. As such, it takes an organized mind to juggle all the balls Aaron throws our way. Much like the elegant weaving of single strands of yarn or thread required to present a full piece of tapestry, an Epic fantasy novel series must also weave the single characters and single story lines together. In the end, the hope is a finely crafted picture of a story that feels like it must be told. This is exactly what we are getting when diving into Denoril and the Overthrown world created by Aaron Bunce.
The audiobook version of The Winter of Swords is performed by the talented narrator C.J. Grey. C.J. does his job masterfully of presenting the unfolded tapestry Aaron has started for us. This tapestry, while unfinished, presents a beautifully told story that has us just beginning to see the images and layout that Aaron plans to send our way. C.J. has a vast array of character voices and breathes lives into the characters.
Fans of J.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and George R.R. Martin are going to grasp on to the words of Aaron Bunce and usher in another Epic adventure series that can’t be missed! I am really looking forward to the release of the next audiobooks in the series: Before the Crow, and A March of Woe.
While the last three planned books of the series is not currently released, it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for more of the Overthrown world to come out. Thankfully, Aaron has started writing a companion series Overthrown: The Chronicles of Denoril which takes place ten winter thaws before the start of the The Winter of Swords and expands the Overthrown universe while introducing all of its fans to new characters and younger versions of some of the ones we have come to know. The first of this series is “The Delving” which you will definitely want to pick up and read or listen to once it releases in audiobook format.
Overall, a wonderful start to a world built to provide hours of entertainment and edge of the seat moments. Already an immediate fan of both author Aaron Bunce and Narrator C.J. Grey.
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4 people found this helpful
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- faeyt
- 03-17-20
wonderful narrative and writing
The narrator did a fantastic job bringing this book to life. Easy to get pulled into the story and swept along by how he portrayed it, and how the author wrote it. Great work and looking forward to the next book.
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- Angel Medina
- 10-02-19
A great fantasy read, even better on audio
I had the honor to read this book and I enjoyed it. Then I decided to try it on audio. I'm not big on audiobooks but never the less I decided to give it a go. The narrator did a great job enhancing the story. I look forward to more from Aaron Bunce and the narrator.
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- Joshua Estock
- 12-28-23
Definitely “grim” but maybe too much.
There is plenty of potential here but soooo much of the book is simply describing each successive awful thing each character is going through that it gets tiring. Wish more time was spent on plot elements evolving rather than hammering itself into a Grim Dark corner.
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- Rob
- 08-28-19
Confused and unengaged.
Not for me. You gotta give new things a chance, right? I tried. But no.
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- Crom and Ymir
- 04-01-22
Steer Clear!
Let me preface this by saying that I only listened to five chapters before returning the book, so maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance.
The book description is grim dark and the reviews are decent, so I went in with high expectations. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it's actually a young adult fantasy.
The characters are horribly written, the plot is horribly written, the dialogue is horribly written, the world description is horribly written. I got the feeling that not only is this book YA, but that it was written by a young adult. The average sentence structure ridiculous. To give you an idea of what to expect, a typical scene describing the environment would be something like "The moon shimmered on the shimmering water".
There are also some pretty big oversights, for example the monster that abducts the girl starts fires every night, but the author doesn't mention how it's starting fires. It's a naked monster, so we can assume it doesn't have a tinder box in it's possession. Is it carefully constructing a tinder bundle and starting friction fires?
On top of all that, the narrator's performance is a weird mix. Sometimes he is expressionless and the rest of the time, he over exaggerates everything as you would reading to a small child. Most of the characters come out sounding like anime characters.
I'm guessing that those problems are just the tip of the iceberg where this book is concerned.
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