Edge of the Woods: An Epic Fantasy Adventure

The Lost Edge, Book 1

By: Andrew Rowe

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

A young swordsman must retrieve a magical blade—and learn the truth about his past—in this fantasy adventure set within the Arcane Ascension universe.

A young man lives among the trees of a primeval forest, raised by a wizened old sage and friend to the faeries and spirits of his home. He bears only half a name—Lien, an ancient word meaning "blade" or "edge"—and no knowledge of his heritage. As he grows, so too does his need for independence and answers. Thus, he begins his adventure, seeking a shattered sword and the truth behind the mysterious mark on his right hand.

To earn his freedom from his adoptive grandfather, Lien will seek to complete the trials of Anathema, a long-hidden weapon of devastating power. To succeed, he must master his own burgeoning power, learning swordplay and magic from fractured figments of ancient legends. Though his training will push him to the brink, failure comes at an even greater cost. For only with his talents fully forged will Lien stand a chance against his true foe: destiny itself.

Set within New York Times–bestselling author Andrew Rowe's Arcane Ascension universe, and inspired by Japanese manga and role-playing games, Edge of the Woods is the first volume of an epic new fantasy series perfect for fans of The Legend of Zelda.

©2023 Andrew Rowe (P)2023 Podium Audio

Great fairytale in a familiar world

This feels like a great start to a new series in an wonderful interconnected world. My little conspiracy is brain is already running around with red yarn and a cork board to incorporate new information into old theories.
On a more technical/writing note, Andrew Rowe continues to hone (sword edge pun intended) his skills with the unreliable first person retrospective narrator. He has always done it well but I can see the improvement on an already solid base. It's employed perfectly. It's deeply impressive given how hit-and-miss first person narration can be.
Performance-wise Nick Poedel deserves all the praise. He continues to be a phenomenal voice actor with each character having a distinct, recognizable voice (so much so it feels like there's a whole cast involved). Definitely one of my favourite narrators on here.

Extremely enjoyable

I believe this book series will fill a void in epic fantasy left by Rothfuss!

Another amazing story

Andrew Rowe has quickly become one of my favorite writers. His stories catch you and pull you along. Combine that with Nick Podehl narrating and you have a deadly combo. I highly recommend all of his books.

Takes the whole book to get started. Slow.

This book has pacing issues. I remember when I was 10 hours in thinking not much has happened and while I liked how it ended that should’ve been halfway through the book. I like a good magic system as much as the next guy, but don’t explain it at every turn at the cost of progressing the story, I like the authors other novels, but I have read in the same world, but this one was hard to get through. Sets us up for a good book 2, and I like the character- but I don’t know if it’s going to be worth it.

Good but not perfect

I love the books in this universe but I wish political agendas and love inerest could be left out of the series. Other than that another great book in the Arcane Ascension universe.