• Harbinger

  • Fate's Forsaken, Book 1
  • By: Shae Ford
  • Narrated by: Derek Perkins
  • Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,011 ratings)

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Harbinger  By  cover art

Harbinger

By: Shae Ford
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Publisher's summary

Seventeen years ago, a long and bloody rebellion wracked the six united regions of the Kingdom. Now the new King wields the vast and unvanquished army of Midlan with his right hand, and with his left has granted a small group of thugs, the nobles he calls his Sovereign Five, unbridled rule over the other regions. As if this weren't bad enough, the King has also outlawed the practice of whispering - which is a problem for Kael.

It's not like he asked to be born a whisperer: He didn't ask for his strange healing powers any more than he asked to be the village runt. And when he rescues a wounded girl from the perils of the Unforgivable Mountains, his luck only gets worse. She couldn't have been just any girl: She had to be Kyleigh - the sword-wielding renegade knight with all of Midlan on her trail. Then one miserable, snowy evening, things go from bad to worse, and Kael is left with no choice but to follow Kyleigh down the mountains and into the tumultuous lowlands. She leads him on one mad quest after the next - eventually pulling off an act of such mischievous proportions that it threatens to change the Kingdom as they know it.

©2012 Shae Ford (P)2014 Podium Publishing

What listeners say about Harbinger

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    530
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    116
  • 2 Stars
    31
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Performance
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  • 4 Stars
    287
  • 3 Stars
    60
  • 2 Stars
    9
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    301
  • 3 Stars
    114
  • 2 Stars
    35
  • 1 Stars
    12

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!

Any additional comments?

I am a avid reader and I listen to many genre's of audio books.

I have over 4,000 in my Audible library...

I really have been finding it hard to find new books that are really, really good...

This book and the sequel I liked a lot. Enough to write a small review.I highly recommend this book. And, if you are looking for books of this genre here are just a few books that are excellent but may not come to the top of the list on a audible search...


1) Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
2) The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
3) The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson
4) A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
5) The Warded Man - Peter V. Brett
6) Harbinger - Shae Ford
7) Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind
8) The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
9) The Farseer - Robin Hobb
10) Imager - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
------------

The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder
Luck in the Shadows - Lynn Flewelling

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177 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good

Any additional comments?

Based on the picture art I was a little skeptical. I know, "do not judge a book by its cover", but sometimes I can't help it. The story was fun and had some fun characters. There are some predictable points to the plot, but I still liked the book.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen

Sample does not give a good example of the maturity level of the book. I found it difficult to identify with some of the main characters. I think it was the mix of the over simplistic description of teen emotions while alluding to a complex maturity of characters. It's hard to put my finger on it exactly but I felt in some places it did not work while at other times the author pulled it off. Over all I enjoyed it enough to listen in one sitting and purchase the sequel. It is a light read/listen.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hey, Get This Book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Harbinger to be better than the print version?

Yes

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Dude

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

He is as good as Michael Kramer

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I liked it, nothing nasty nothing to put you off. It's a great book.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Average Hero's Journey

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It would depend on the person. If they love the YA demographic I would recommend this book. As for a Epic Fantasy reader no I would not.

Would you be willing to try another book from Shae Ford? Why or why not?

I don't think so. I really have no interest in reading the second book. I almost turned it off near the end but I dredged through it.

Would you be willing to try another one of Derek Perkins’s performances?

There are a couple books that are on my wish list with this narrator. I didn't like him for this book. I felt that it was a bad pairing and would tell Derek to try and stay away from young characters. The whine in the protagonist voice just starts eating at you. It could be the writing as well. I am going to give Derek another chance.

Do you think Harbinger needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It has a couple more books in this series. I will not be partaking in that adventure.

Any additional comments?

My vote is to pass on this book. Its just so average I cant really say anything nice about it. I mean, I tried to like it.
I think I might have liked this a little more if a different narrator had read it. Might be a better book to read in print.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Why?

Would you try another book from Shae Ford and/or Derek Perkins?

Why do author's take the lead hero, give superpowers,and then have them whine about using them, or fail to use the powers given until the last moment. The story line had great potential, so I listened to the next book hoping the hero would step up. Some use of his powers, maybe the third book! If I decide to continue.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good world building, unconvincing characters

Started off well, but as the story continued I increasingly found myself thinking "but they wouldn't do that". Characters seem to make entirely inconsistent decisions, for example, one moment they can't stand someone and the next they're advocating for them to continue travelling with them.

Also beware that this book appears to be made of candy floss and rainbows. It's as if the author decided to write a kids book halfway through. A real shame as it had a lot of promise in the beginning.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining

I was very entertained by this series of books. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I am very happy it will be available in about another week :-) I am counting the days!!

If you're looking for a good series, I suspect you might like this one. It was almost as enjoyable as Sorcerer Ascendant Sequence - Almost.

Find out what others say before you decide, though.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

YES YES AND YES!!!!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Wow, I have fallen in love with all of the character's in this book, from the cheeky bard to the blind man in book 3.

Any additional comments?

What is great about this book / series... is that their are perfect amount of character's that come to life without being overwhelming. At the same time leaving room for you to see each one of them as a large role in the story line...

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not a Trilogy

One of my biggest pet peeves is to start a series and realize at some point that there's no way the plot will wrap up by the end of the what you thought was the last book. I've gotten in the habit of checking a series on an author's site or wikipedia before ever using a credit on Audible. Despite previously reading this was a trilogy, it became apparent half way through book three, it's not a trilogy. The next book won't be released until late this year.

Now on to the review... I initially liked the setup of the mythology/world and each book does have great moments. Unfortunately, 2 things ruin the series overall: characters that are written with bad personality traits taking precedence in nearly every situation or interaction and a consistent use of "the hero must be stupid now" plot device.

Nearly every character in the series would have no actual relationships or friends in real life - persistently bad moods, nasty comments, or insulting nicknames form most of the character development. Even though the hero has abilities and learns at various points how to use them, he conveniently "forgets" to use them for most of the 3 books... even in life or death situations, he doesn't logically use the ability he just learned a few chapters earlier. There's a half-hearted nonsensical attempt of an explanation, but the reality is the plot is built on the hero's need to be stupid at various points. Otherwise, there would be no need for books 4, 5, etc etc.

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6 people found this helpful