Free the Darkness

King's Dark Tidings, Book 1

By: Kel Kade

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds of the Kingdom of Ashai, a young warrior called Rezkin is unexpectedly thrust into the outworld when a terrible battle destroys all that he knows. With no understanding of his life’s purpose and armed with masterful weapons mysteriously bestowed upon him by a dead king, Rezkin must travel across Ashai to find the one man who may hold the clues to his very existence.

Determined to adhere to his last orders, Rezkin extends his protection to an unlikely assortment of individuals he meets along the way, often leading to humorous and poignant incidents.

As if pursuing an elite warrior across a kingdom, figuring out who he is and why everyone he knows is dead, and attempting to find these so-called friends and protect them is not enough, strange things are happening in the kingdom. New dangers begin to arise that threaten not only Rezkin and his friends, but possibly everyone in Ashai.

This is the first installment of an ongoing series. This book is intended for adult readers. It contains graphic violence, creative language, and sexual innuendo. This book does not contain explicit sexual content.

©2016 Kel Kade (P)2016 Podium Audio

Wow!! This book...

Any additional comments?

I really want to write a review to do it justice. I can't express how much I love Rezkin and his adventures in the 'outworld'. Watching Rez shift from being totally isolated all his life in brutal training to being thrust into the populous is touching and often times comical. There is tons of action, a minor magic system and a bit of romance on the side.
I am a huge fan of Anthony Ryan, Michael J. Sullivan and Patrick Rothfuss. If you like these authors, you should really give this book a try. It is a great addition to the genre of epic fantasy.
Nick as narrator, as usual, is brilliant and truly brings the characters to life.

An unusual but delightful premise

I absolutely *loved* the series (though I have yet to listen to the 3rd book). The premise behind the plot is like something I have never seen before. The main character grows up away from regular society and this has not had typical relationships with anyone (parents, family, friends, girlfriend, etc.). Due to a miscommunication, the main character carries out a purpose which was not actually intended for him. It leads him to interact with others, and due to his lack of social experience, it causes many misunderstandings which are both comical and tragic. His newfound relationships with others also lead to other events which may not have occurred had he not met those people, as he has no control over what the others will say or do. As he meets more and more people, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to have control over everything. During the story, we learn about the character as he learns about himself which he had never known. The main character also seems like a bit of an antihero. One moment, you're cheering for him because of his actions. The next moment, you wonder if they are truly actions worth cheering for. It is a fantastic series! Also, I absolutely love Nick Pohdel as a narrator. I happened to start with him as a narrator and haven't been able to handle listening to anyone else now. He can do so many voices and speaks in a way which is engaging but not overly fast. I actually came upon this series after doing a search for Nick Pohdel as a criterion.

It's a power fantasy but it's a good power fantasy

If you know what you're getting into then it's a fun ride but make no mistake the main character is a Mary sue who's good at everything except emotion. However, the story is decent and the narrator is very good.

Rule # 260: Thou Shall Enjoy Every Second...

Rez, undaunted and slightly amused, squared off with the Abrams A1A main battle tank. He wondered how on earth anyone could trust such a bulky and clumsy machine. Clearly, men who would engage in battle in such a 'contraption' had very little understanding of honor, tactics, and training. He heard a click! Moving with inhuman speed, Rez parried the incoming SABOT round with a deft flick of his Sheyalin sword. The round parried off course, and struck the incoming Cruise Missile scant moments before it would have killed him. Then with a deft and mighty bound, Rez leaped into the air. His muscular abdomen flexed like tempered steel in glory personified. In a single motion while in flight, he lashed out, severing the turret from the body of the tank. He sheathed his sword mid flight before his feet hit the ground.

I can't tell you how much i am enjoying this book. Well, I guess i could. Wait, I think i just did:)

The narration is absolutely out of this world. What a skill and talent this narrator is! I just got done listening to DUNE, and what a piece of crap that was compared to this! I think the narrator makes the read come to life in such a wonderful way. Great voices. Great consistency. Seamless transitions. He, even does the female voices justice. I don't know who to applaud more. The author. Or the Narrator.

The story is fun, exciting, and fast paced action. Never a wasted moment. Rez's internal dialogue is amusing and thoroughly enjoyable. His naivety in real practical life, when compared to his skills mastery and rule following sets up comical dilemma and situation. Rez is like James Bond, except, even better... minus the ladies... Ha!

Vivid scene depiction. Wonderful story flow and time lining. Perhaps more for boys and men, being that the central story line reads like a male fantasy of every 'would be male warrior'. Im 48. Have read everything from Tolkien, to the Rift Gate saga by Raymond E Feist. The Shannara Books. Glen Cook's The Black Company... and much more. This book is up there with all of them... and I'm only on book 1!!

Kudos!!!!

OccamsPhazer

Great Read

Awesome! Very engaging. Listened to it twice already, can't wait for book two! Already preordered!

what a book!!!!

I realy like the way this book kept you wanting for more I listen and listen until it finish whaoo what a book!

Read the reviews and knew what I was expecting.

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

Never read the printed version.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

That even though he was relatively invincible it made sense to me. The training as a child and the amount of effort he put in to get as good as he was. So it was not hard to believe he was as good as he thought he was.

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

I have not read any other Nick Podehls books.

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

No, but it was good enough that I could ignore the plot holes and issues with the main character.

Any additional comments?

Is the book Amazing....no but it is good enough to really enjoy. I will tell you however if you are like me and that when you see a character flaw/plot hole and the hole only gets wider it will be a tough read but it does have some of the best fight scenes and left me with some real questions that I want to get answered. That is why I am about to use my credit right now to get the second book. Here is hoping the make some small fixes to the story with keeping to the strengths of the first book.

Book 1 Free the Darkness

Where does Free the Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

so far very good.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Free the Darkness?

Great Narration.

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

Easy to differentiate different characters from one and another.

Any additional comments?

I almost gave up on the book after the first chapter as it seemed pointlessly violent. So glad I gave it another chapter. Story really takes off. Hard to predict.

phenomenal story and well preformed.

the reader did a great job of clearly indicating change in speaker as well as a change in tone or mood. and of course, he spoke clearly.

while this book is rife with adventure, in many aspects it is more of a mystery novel. early on it is clear that the main character is an unstoppable force in all aspects. however, his origin story, purpose, and schemes are not revealed until they come to fruition. makes quite the cliff hanger.

Nick's performance is amazing!

Ok, first...if you can let it go that the hero is amazing at everything and, instead relish the moments when Rez' actions are constantly misinterpreted and you will find it more entertaining, I believe. The story gets 3 stars because it is very cheesy in spots, but Nick made everything sound better, at least than it would in my head if I were to read it myself. Just don't take it TOO seriously and remember back when you would imagine your own awesome, invulnerable, super dude/ette and realize that this is a little of that.