The Warring Son

By: Bryce O'Connor

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Raz i'Syul Arro is a hunted man. To the south, the Mahsadën of Miropa are gone. The šef lay dead, slain at Raz's own hands, their cruel will ripped from the shadows of the city. In response, riders careen to every reachable corner of the known realms, telling anyone with a mind to listen of the boundless riches promised for the Monster's head. The world now turned against him, Raz is forced to flee, escaping along the northern roads just as the summer months come to an end. For a time the coolness and breathtaking verdure of the great rolling woodlands he finds himself in are a welcome change, offering a sublime peace from a life that has rarely known more than brutality and bloodshed.

But that peace - as is so often the case - is a shallow trickery. The North, it seems, is not far-gone from the corruption and wickedness Raz had hoped to leave behind in the fringe cities. Before long he finds himself embroiled in the savage politics of this new land, forced to play a part in the ugly game of intrigue and violence once more. To survive, Raz must again give way to the Monster, making his stand within the devouring walls of the cruel coliseum the Northerners call simply "the Arena". Blood, after all, freezes as hard and cold as anything else.

©2016 Bryce O'Connor (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

No depth... Tons of action

there us no depth to this story. just more action, revenge, and violence. Just shows the depths of darkness in the qorld created.

I like the story for what it is. It will never be as good as others, but it is alright to kill time.

great book

This story is truly compelling. Without spoiling your read with details, I would warn, that at points the the details of certain events are not for those who are weak of stomach or of heart. That said, while I'm glad I wasn't trying to eat as this book came to its end, I must applaud the auther for his ability to drive home the depth of what his main character experiences. Equally the narrator whose voice made it all come to life should be well applauded for his performance.

Excellent installment

I quite like this series and the character Raz is very well realized. His story is emotionally gripping.

Excellent

Excellent work by the writer, as well as a truly explanation performance by the narrator!

Much Much Better

If you actively dont like gore, this isn't quite for you. If you're OK with it, read on. This series has quite the pessimistic tone to it, so if you want a feelgood book about the goodness of humanity and whatnot, this is not it.

TLDR: if you read book one and just wanted to see if the storytelling got better, it did. How much? A lot, imo.

The story follows a secondary set of characters, who play some importance but again are kind of meh.
In the first book it felt like their story had nothing to do with the actual plot and here it's basically the same except a little better.

However, the plot is loads faster and more coherent than book 1. Book 1 feels like prologue: the book with a short story after.
This story really felt like it deserved a whole book. It kept me engaged and I went through it in a day or so.

7.5/10
Think: top 25% of stories
Well worth the read for me.