The Birth of Malgyron

By: John Defilippis

Narrated by: Steve Cook

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The Birth of Malgyron is the sequel to The Quest of the Thirteen, and takes place more than a year after Mavinor's new king begins his reign. It details the struggles he faces in bringing his people closer to The Author and the lessons of The Scrolls, as well as the futility of his efforts to broker peace with his neighbors.

As the king's list of enemies continues to grow, an evil plot is hatched against him, a plot that will have enormous ramifications for the entire world if it is successful. For unbeknownst to those who unwittingly participate, Mavinor's king is no ordinary ruler. He is the chosen one, the fulfillment of a promise made by The Author generations ago to the people whom He loved.

As the plot escalates and begins to reveal itself, the king's supporters do everything in their power to thwart it and save the future of Mavinor and the entire world.

©2013 John DeFilippis (P)2017 David N. Wilson

A decent fantasy book...but...

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Going in, I had no idea this was a religious themed book, as I hadn't read/listened to the first book. It took me a bit to understand exactly what was going on, but the author did a good job of making this book stand alone enough and not leave me completely lost.

That being said, the religious overtones of this book were a bit much. I consider myself a christian, but not a "religious" person, so I tend to stay away from Kirk Cameron-esq stuff.

The narrator did a great job, though, in keeping me interested enough to finish the book.

A Solid Yarn

What made the experience of listening to The Birth of Malgyron the most enjoyable?

The story was good, if nothing new, with some decent fight scenes and characters.

What did you like best about this story?

It kept me entertained throughout.

What about Steve Cook’s performance did you like?

Some of the accents and voices annoyed, but he was mostly excellent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Huh?

A wonderfully told tale in Christian Fantasy.

This is a beautifully written book with the Christian theme front and center. Think Chronicles of Narnia. The narration brings out the best in this book. It's a must read for those that like the genre. I received this audiobook for free and voluntarily reviewed.

Christian fantasy book

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review - This story was an obvious religion = good, atheism = bad morality tale. That in and of itself wouldn't be too bad but it was so obvious and unsubtle as to make me believe that the author's agenda was more important than any time or energy spent developing the story or characters. Characters that we've known for entire chapters are described every time they interact with someone again, as if we wouldn't remember who they are or how they fit into the story. Evil characters sound evil and good, pious characters sound earnest and honorable. There is no nuance at all. Events that are told to a character are immediately reiterated as the character walks down the hall, interacts with someone else, and retells everything we just learned instead of saying "and then he updates him about the king and the prostitute..."

What do you think your next listen will be?

I listen to a lot of audiobooks so I am not sure how writing about my next listen is relevant to this title. I mostly listen to fantasy novels and some other general fiction.

Would you be willing to try another one of Steve Cook’s performances?

I honestly wouldn't at this point. I disliked this book a lot and actually was sorry that I downloaded it and wasted time on it. I understand sometimes people of faith what to share it with the world and it influences the stories they tell. This was still just still so poorly written.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Birth of Malgyron?

Anything that reexplains something we've learned in the last ten minutes. I understand sometime a reader/listener might need a clue as to why an event is relevant to the overall story but the repetition in the book was very tedious.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review

Religious Christians = Good, atheists = bad.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Religious "pious" Christians, maybe.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment mostly. From the book's summary, it wasn't apparent that this book is so highly religious in content. Without any subtlety, it paints religious people as good and atheists as evil. No nuance whatsoever. And several parts were repeated again and again.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided a free copy of this book by the author / narrator / publisher and I'm leaving an unbiased review.