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Publisher's Summary

A wizard without family....
A warrior without memory....
A world without hope....
One thousand years ago, the world was broken and reborn beneath the boot of a nameless, ageless tyrant. He erased all history of the time before, enslaving the people and hunting those with the power to unseat him.
The power of magic.
Eryn is such a girl. Born with the Curse, she fights to control and conceal it to protect those she loves. But when the truth is revealed, and his soldiers come, she is forced away from her home and into the company of Silas, a deadly fugitive tormented by a fractured past.
Silas knows only that he is a murderer who once hunted the Cursed, and that he and his brothers butchered armies and innocents alike to keep the deep, dark secrets of the time before from ever coming to light - secrets that could save the world...or destroy it completely.
©2013 Michael R. Forbes (P)2015 Michael R. Forbes
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
4 out of 5 stars
By Cheri on 07-12-16

Decent Young Adult Fantasy!

M.R. Forbes has created a fascinating and dangerous world, that centers around two main characters as their paths cross and come together to take them on a journey with unexpected twist and turns.

Some spoilers:
Young Eryn has the "curse," and when "His" army comes for her, she loses her immediate family and finds herself on the run. After the horrors Eryn witnesses at this hands of "His" army, all in attempt to capture those who have been deemed as having the "curse", she's determined to destroy "Him", and starts on her path for vengeance.

Silas is old drunkard who lost most of his memories, until the day he is attacked, and must fight for his life. During this encounter, he uses skills he did not know he possessed to protect himself, and it triggers him to slowly start remembering his past. As his memory returns, he realizes he used to be one of "His" soldiers, and would carry out the orders given to him, until someone close to Silas was considered "cursed." Now, Silas is on the path to find "Him" and as his path crosses Eryn's they team up and begin the journey together.

The narration was fantastic! I love the wide range of character voices, and Jeff nails female character voices just as easily, as he does the gruff sounding male voices. His performance definitely made this story more enjoyable.

Overall, this was a decent start to new fantasy series, that was captivating and entertaining. I will definitely be checking out some of Forbes other stories.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

4 out of 5 stars
By MelHay on 01-29-16

2 people learn about themselves, against the world

What made the experience of listening to His Dark Empire the most enjoyable?

First, Jeff is such an amazing talent in voices. I could listen to this story to hear his work even if I didn't like the story, which I did enjoy it. At the beginning, I loved the lead in with reading of the title page in the lilt of the character. There was music that set the stage for the story, making me all the more excited to get going with the story. Jeff is talented with his voice variation and putting it all together seamless as to create a piece of work that's fun to listen to. He adds the echo of calls, voices around the character, or laughter of many. I do love these small extras added to the story. The best part, we get the story in the Irish lilt of the setting and characters accents. It's clear to understand the words and gives a feel to the world they are in.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Hays’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to Jeff Hays and this book is the top of the notch for his works.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

At the end, with the information we learn, I was shocked. My heart stopped as we get the information.

The descriptions Forbes uses as he tells the story are like I'm listening to the sounds and seeing the world through the eyes of the characters. The writing didn't feel boring to me as we come to trouble after trouble with Silas and Eryn. There is something new at each turn, growing the world as we go.

Any additional comments?

Forbes has created an enticing story that we learn about the characters along side them through their battles, internal and external. Silas is a drunk who can't remember his past, and is good with that. Until he sobers up by accident. His body reacts to a threat in a way he never thought he knew how to. Their are accusations made of him. And he starts to remember as his body fights through withdrawal. As he travels and remembers more, we learn the pieces with him. Eryn is cursed and has no idea what that means for her. Eryn learns about the cursed as she travels with a growing determination to end the deaths of the Cursed and their loved ones, for her lost loved ones. These two pair up in a team that feels like a father/daughter relationship, and accept each other for their faults.

We learn about the Cursed as Silas and Eryn do in the book. It's catching when you learn how it all fits together. In the end we get the full explanation of the Cursed and what it is. It's a sort of magic that the people can do. But there is so much more to it and what "He" is hiding.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
4 out of 5 stars
By Tony Bough on 01-30-16

Outstanding fantasy action

Would you listen to His Dark Empire again? Why?

Yes. I liked the story and the narrator does an amazing job.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked both of our main characters but I'd say that Silas was my favourite. The old drunk with a dark past works really well in the story.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Hays’s other performances? How does this one compare?

What an amazing narrator!! He drew me into the story and emerssed me in it. He Differentiates characters. Puts emotion in to the characters and story and he makes the story come alive. Brilliant!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Nothing is as it seems in His Dark Empire

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

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5 out of 5 stars
By Placid on 01-30-16

Great lead in and build up for a series

Would you listen to His Dark Empire again? Why?

Probably yes. There were points that would be brought forward that are always missed in the first reading

What other book might you compare His Dark Empire to, and why?

It has a similar feel to The Mistborn series. The story lines are far different but the build up of the characters from low to high is much the same.

What does Jeff Hays bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Jeff does an outstanding job of narration. This is even more so in that he narrated the entire book with an accent. It did take me a couple chapters to begin to follow the accent; but it became easy and very smooth and really was most enjoyable.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were several points where I was surprised by various discoveries by the characters. More a feeling of excitement and wondering what would happen to them.

Any additional comments?

This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for a review by Audiobookblast.

I felt the character development of the hero from a drunk who had fallen about as far at possible to one who people looked up to and willing to follow and even die for was sensational. I was a bit surprised by the age difference of the various lead characters but the author did a sensational job of ensuring it was not a total naive YA book but was enjoyable by all age groups.

If you did not finish the book the character development as well as the entire universe would have been lost on you. The development of the surrounding structure of the world was really strong in my opinion.

The time to travel in this world was appropriate for the technology of horses and walking and played well for me to understand their problems of timing also.

Overall an outstanding book. Listened to it straight through and look forward to the other books in this series.

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