Dawn of Swords

The Breaking World, Book 1

By: David Dalglish, Robert J. Duperre

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

On the young world of Dezrel, brother gods Karak and Ashhur, fleeing their own failed world, recreate mankind in an attempt to make amends. The fledgling race of humanity is guided by the First Families, men and women who will not age so long as their hearts remain devoted to their deities.

But quickly the realms are thrown into chaos by the construction of the Temple of the Flesh, built by exiled children of Karak in the unclaimed land of Haven that lies between the two kingdoms. Those of the Temple refuse to bend knee to either god, no matter the risk. Thus comes Karak’s ultimatum to the people of Haven: Destroy the Temple, or he will destroy it himself. But his fellow brother god, Ashur, will not sit idly by while thousands of innocents die…

Can Jacob Eveningstar, the First Man to be given life and Ashhur’s most trusted servant, prevent the coming bloodshed which threatens the survival of the fledgling human race?

©2013 David Dalglish and Robert J. Duperre (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

The Second Half Is Good Listening

The last 40% of Dawn of Swords is worth the price of admission (more on that in a moment). The first 60% was a struggle and since this is a 20 hour book, a long struggle. The book includes a cast of thousands (just joking, hundreds) and each are introduced in enough detail that I could pick them out of a police lineup. I kept wishing the authors would say, “This person is ugly and an idiot, so let’s move on”, but I had to listen to a chapter or two or three to figure it out on my own.

I did end up enjoying the book. There are several twists and one was totally unexpected. Also, I was not expecting a debate on religious faith. This appears to be a central theme and some of it is interesting while some is repetitive. There was also violence and includes head chopping, disembowelments and people being eaten by animals.

I did not use a credit, but opted to pay the everyday low price of $7.34. This is Book 1 of a series and rest may be priced higher. Dawn of Swords ends with very little resolved and I will have to decide if I want to hear more.

I'm Glad I Don't Have To Wait Long For Book 2

I was introduced to David Dalglish with his Shadowdance series. They were really fun books, but I think this is his best book yet. I don't know if he is just becoming a better writer of if it is the help of his co-author, but this book just seems to have much more depth of characters and depth of the world they create. Bottom line, it is a great book.

There are a lot of new characters and families to be introduced to and the whole religion system to be explained, but it is done very well. I think this is the first book of a trilogy of books, if not more, so I'm glad they take the time to develop the world so thoroughly.

The narration is fantastic. Nick Podehl is one of my favorite narrators and he does not dissapoint here.

I think the next 2 books in the trilogy are both expected out this year, so I'm glad I don't have to wait long for more!

Story of Loose Intent

The authors attempted to build a world, and develop many characters while weaving a story
It took me almost the entire book to get some of what they were trying to accomplish
I did like the depth hidden in the 'small' characters I'm considering listening to the next book as the series has potential to entertain
or whether it's darker than I usually like If you like dark - give it a try , if you like violence ditto I like the good who overcome the gruesome and this story has that potential

Slow start, but worth the ending

An alternate to the book of Genesis is always a complicated endeavor. That said, the authors do a decent enough job. I had trouble being drawn in to the story, even with the conspiracies and mysteries. However, if you love Dalglish's other works, this one provides excellent background.

And, as I said, the ending is quite interesting.

The narrator is quite good, also. I do recommend getting this book if it is on special.

It wasn't a bad read.

I enjoyed the story. It's filled with twists and turns. I truly enjoy a story that can leave my mouth agape at the end. Reminds me a little of the gobbling Chronicles. The narrator wasn't bad. I would recommend it if you have a spare credit lying around.

Great

Simply great, I was really surprised cause I normally listen to futuristic sci-fi or courtroom thrillers. Can't wait to listen or read the series.

The world of men in flux

So, this is a far more interesting story than I expected. Gods that actually create things. A actual trinity, no less. The story feels very Heroic fantasy, in the lane of R.A Salvatore, but a touch more brutal.

The villains aren’t easily seen until the authors actually let the veil fall, and when it does, it actually caught me fully by surprise. And that’s a good thing.

I’m intrigued by where the story is going, though their is less magic than I expected, so it feels more like one of the older heroic style fantasy novels. Something possibly more akin to maybe what Joe Ambercrombe may be doing, though I haven’t delved into his work enough to be sure.

Yet, this is a great start to a trilogy. I’m excited for book 2.

Took forever to find a plot to follow

Seriously, I prefer longer novels for superior world, character and culture development. However, I really didn't understand what was going on and if a different day would not have kept listening. It played really slow and senseless until near end. I suppose others might have been more entertained by the random wandering and events for most of the book, but it's not my style.

Better than I hoped

It was a really good story but parts of it seemed juvenile, unoriginal, or uninspired (demons, the relationship between the brother gods and more). The interesting characters and perfect narration make it worth a listen for sure though. Not a favorite but not bad at all.

Good!

So very good! I'm going onto the next book in the series. This had me at Gods