Azure Bonds

Forgotten Realms: Finder's Stone, Book 1

By: Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb

Narrated by: Kristin Kalbli

Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Her name is Alias, and she is in big trouble.

She is a sell-sword, a warrior-for-hire, and an adventuress. She awoke with a series of twisting, magical blue sigils inscribed on her arms and no memory of where she got them.

Determined to learn the nature of the mysterious tattoo, Alias joins forces with an unlikely group of companions: the halfling bard, Ruskettle, the southern mage, Akabar, and the oddly silent lizard-man, Dragonbait. With their help, she discovers that the symbols hold the key to her very existence.

But those responsible for the sigils aren't keen on Alias's continued good health. And if the five evil masters find her first, she may discover all too soon their hideous secret.

©1988 TSR, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Good for its genre

this book is lovely dnd derived book. the scope fits. the characters intriguing enough.
you'll get a nice mix of nostalgia and action.

what to expect?
thr goods are good. the evils are evil.
ridiculous last act.
some references to spells from early dnd editions.

what not to expect?
this is really a forgotten realm book. and feels like that

Highly recommended, but does drag out in the end

The story was outstanding, and kept me interested through out until the end. It seemed to drag out in the end and fizzle. I would highly recommend the audiobook to RPG fans, it is great I was just disappointed in the ending.

After listening to the Dragonlance series, it took a chapter or two to switch over to Kristin Kalbi's voice but once I got used to it, I loved it. She did a great job... especially with Olive's "BOOGERS!" LOL!

A Gift That's Kept on Giving

A game based Sword & Sorcery Fantasy that is more than it's origins

BOOK DETAILS:
Azure Bonds by Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb, read by Kristin Kalbli, published by Audible Studios (2015) / Length: 14 hrs 44 min

SERIES INFO:
This is Book #1 of 4 that include these characters. The "Finder's Stone" trilogy plus Masquerades (which is apparently "The Harpers" #10, but I haven't read any of those and wasn't lost at all).

SUMMARY:
I received this book many years ago as a birthday gift. I was a bit mystified as to the selection. I had only ever played a role playing game once, and not with the person who gave me the book. It's not that I disliked it, but as an unsocial bookworm I would rather be reading. I decided to give it a chance anyway, since the story sounded interesting, and I have read it many times since. When the audiobook came out a few years back, I snatched up almost immediately. I have tried others that are similar, even by the same author, and never found one I liked as much.

This book isn't perfect, and it isn't deep; but I love the characters & the writing, and I listen to it frequently. So it fully deserves my 5* RATING. I also recognize that it might not be for everyone.

Regarding the cover: That outfit wasn’t something she was wearing by choice, and it’s impracticality is specifically called out in the book (which made me smile).

CHARACTERS:
Alias of Westgate: She has missing memories, memories that don't match other people's, and a talent for singing songs that no one else has ever heard of. She's hot tempered & stubborn and completely loyal.

Dragonbait: Nobody knows what he is, other than good with his strange sword. He sticks tight to Alias.

Akabar bel Akash: Bound and determined to prove he's not a "greengrocer" (i.e. non-adventurer). Frequently touts his skill as a mage "of no small water," but is inwardly uncertain of his worth on this quest.

Olive Ruskettle: Mostly just out for herself; her asides on the habits of humans are nevertheless very funny.

Characters from other books that get cameos: King Azoun IV & Vangerdahast / Elminster / Mourngrym / Finder Wyvernspur (there may be more, but I'm not that familiar with the world)

WORLDBUILDING:
Because this book is part of an existing world, which has been widely explored through games & books, the authors had a rich background to draw upon. I hadn't read any FR before this one, so I didn't know all the background; but I never really felt lost. What needed to be explained was, and the rest just lent depth.

In addition to the various types of characters in our main group, we have priests, sages, dragons, innkeepers, assassins, gods, demons, sorcerers, paladins, and many other types of standard fantasy peoples & creatures.

Note: One of the things I miss when listening to an audiobook is the map that many Fantasy books, including this one, have. If you decide to listen to this book, you can find a good map online. (You want to be looking at the portions in the center right, to the south & east of the big desert in the top center.)

PLOT:
The book drew me in from the very beginning. I loved the writing and the mystery presented. From there it becomes a standard quest tale as Alias seeks to understand what has happened to her. There is lots of action and plenty of more thoughtful character moments.

Although there are a couple more books with these characters, this one comes to a full stop with very few unanswered questions. Alias isn't even in the next one, but she comes back in #3.

HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS:
--Dragonbait gets his name
--A good number of my favorite bits take place while they are in Yulash, including the stuff in the temple of Moander and the encounter with an old foe
--Olive alone, having to decide if she is going to go evil or just stick with being bad.

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: Moderate swearing / I have problems with characters who are thieves, especially those who steal from their companions

OTHER CAUTIONS: Akabar is from a "southern" culture that practices polygamy. He already has two wives and they are looking for a third.

NARRATION:
Character voices differentiated = Yes / Opposite sex voices acceptable = Yes / Accents good = Yes, she does a good job of devising different accents for people from various fictional regions / Phrasing, Pacing & Pronunciation = Good / Emoting = Good, the non-dialog parts are a bit flat though / Speed = just a touch slow; I listen on regular speed rather than my 1.25, but occasionally bump it up

One of my favorites!

Fantastic story, start of a great RPG series, as well as computer games that I spent many hours playing.

Azure bonds

Read this years ago was great fun listening to it

Would recommend

Looking forward to the rest of the series

some weird pronounced pronounced words

I was never into DnD books when I used to play DnD when I was younger. I was 5 yrs old when this book came out, for whatever reason I thought this was going to be campy or pulpy, but the story was good. twists and turns, reveals, it was a fun ride. And now that I'm playing DnD again, it's fun to see Ferun written out in novel form. Makes DMing easier and more in-depth.

great listen, not perfect though, I recommend it.

An Excellent Experience

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend it to any friend that played D&D in the 80's

What other book might you compare Azure Bonds to and why?

Many other TSR novels on the 80's

What does Kristin Kalbli bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is an excellent narrator with an enticing voice.

Any additional comments?

This isn't high art, they never explain where Dragonbait comes from or why he chosen, but it is a fun read with several classic D&D characters.

Great listen!

I will listen to this over and over again. More to move onto the rest of the saga.

Really a great suprise ...

First time with these author's and narator. Loved it. Cant wait ro start book 2. I will seek out other titles these 2 have writen.

Fun gem from early D&D history

Old school D&D novel. Lots of fun. This comes from an era when all people knew about D&D was dungeons and labyrinths and caves, so you get a little bit of that feel. The characters are truly unique and the story has lots of twists and turns. I think this is worth the listen. Also the narrator does a great job.