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Phantom Chamber
- An Epic Fantasy Adventure (Shattered Legacy, Book 2)
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Emily Lawrence
- Length: 23 hrs and 34 mins
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Publisher's summary
Secret treasures and otherworldly dangers await a band of adventurers in the second book of this fantasy series set within the Arcane Ascension universe.
After the Tortoise Spire climb claims three members of Team Guiding Star Legacy, surviving combat experts Nieve and Hane—teammates by chance if not by choice—cope with their losses by joining another delving group to ascend Tiger Spire. Allied with bickering siblings Rose and Mason, an Architect and a Transmuter, and the Biomancer Lief, they’re led by Odette, an Analyst, who has meticulously studied the spire’s scenarios to locate the mythical Vault of Shadows and claim its priceless treasures.
Their quest takes them aboard a train transporting rare cargo, but their mission is vague. Odette believes they’re either supposed to protect the cargo or capture someone. As the team splits into factions to solve the mystery, they encounter the notorious thief known as the Magpie. Sa’rhi Nereux is a Controller, commanding powerful minions to help them steal a creature capable of granting life or death with a single bite.
Even if the adventurers are victorious, greater threats await them within the spire if they’re to unearth the Vault of Shadows. Nieve, still grieving her lost companions, wants to befriend her new team to face these threats together. But Hane prefers distance, even from Nieve, leaving her to bond instead with a being of unimaginable power...
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- An Epic Fantasy Adventure
- By: Andrew Rowe, Kayleigh Nicol
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Emily Lawrence
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Parties attempting to claim the treasures of the Tortoise Spire of Dalenos are usually composed of six professional climbers. But following a near-disastrous climb, Team Guiding Star Legacy finds itself two challengers short. With Nieve as the frontline fighter, Sage as the strategist, Lani as the healer, and Emiko as the spellcaster, they need a couple powerful allies to round out the squad.
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Not a good effort from Andrew Rowe
- By ssemerys on 12-02-22
By: Andrew Rowe, and others
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Edge of the Woods: An Epic Fantasy Adventure
- The Lost Edge, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Too much focus on mechanics, light on story
- By John on 09-21-23
By: Andrew Rowe
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Six Sacred Swords
- Weapons and Wielders, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Keras Selyrian is already well on the way to cutting his name into the annals of legend. He’s fought false divinities, thieving sorcerers, and corrupt demigods - and left them defeated in his wake. But he’s a long way from home, and Kaldwyn offers a different brand of danger than he’s used to. He’s already got a sword of unfathomable power, but it’s damaged and leaking world-annihilating mana, so he’s in the market for a new one. Possibly six. The more the better, really.
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Different names, same characters. One trick pony?
- By Logophile on 05-16-19
By: Andrew Rowe
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Sufficiently Advanced Magic
- Arcane Ascension, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
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Very good book
- By Jason N. on 07-20-17
By: Andrew Rowe
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Forging Divinity
- The War of Broken Mirrors, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Some say that in the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock to the city each year, hoping for a chance at immortality. Lydia Hastings is a knowledge sorcerer, capable of extracting information from anything she touches. When she travels to Orlyn to validate the claims of the local faith, she discovers a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers. At the focal point is a prisoner who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships.
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OK magic system, but everything else is flat
- By osuushi on 03-22-19
By: Andrew Rowe
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Diamantine
- Weapons and Wielders, Book 2
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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After bonding with Dawnbringer, the Sacred Sword of Light, Keras Selyrian travels to the nation of Edria to compete in the Tournament of the Sacred Sword. The winner of the tournament will be given a chance to fight for the Sacred Sword of Stone if they can defeat the current wielder, the impossibly powerful Emperor of Edria, in single combat.
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I am In shock!
- By Joshua on 07-08-20
By: Andrew Rowe
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Crystal Awakening
- An Epic Fantasy Adventure
- By: Andrew Rowe, Kayleigh Nicol
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree, Emily Lawrence
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Parties attempting to claim the treasures of the Tortoise Spire of Dalenos are usually composed of six professional climbers. But following a near-disastrous climb, Team Guiding Star Legacy finds itself two challengers short. With Nieve as the frontline fighter, Sage as the strategist, Lani as the healer, and Emiko as the spellcaster, they need a couple powerful allies to round out the squad.
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Not a good effort from Andrew Rowe
- By ssemerys on 12-02-22
By: Andrew Rowe, and others
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Edge of the Woods: An Epic Fantasy Adventure
- The Lost Edge, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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.
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Too much focus on mechanics, light on story
- By John on 09-21-23
By: Andrew Rowe
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Six Sacred Swords
- Weapons and Wielders, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Keras Selyrian is already well on the way to cutting his name into the annals of legend. He’s fought false divinities, thieving sorcerers, and corrupt demigods - and left them defeated in his wake. But he’s a long way from home, and Kaldwyn offers a different brand of danger than he’s used to. He’s already got a sword of unfathomable power, but it’s damaged and leaking world-annihilating mana, so he’s in the market for a new one. Possibly six. The more the better, really.
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Different names, same characters. One trick pony?
- By Logophile on 05-16-19
By: Andrew Rowe
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Sufficiently Advanced Magic
- Arcane Ascension, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
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Very good book
- By Jason N. on 07-20-17
By: Andrew Rowe
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Forging Divinity
- The War of Broken Mirrors, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Some say that in the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock to the city each year, hoping for a chance at immortality. Lydia Hastings is a knowledge sorcerer, capable of extracting information from anything she touches. When she travels to Orlyn to validate the claims of the local faith, she discovers a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers. At the focal point is a prisoner who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships.
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OK magic system, but everything else is flat
- By osuushi on 03-22-19
By: Andrew Rowe
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Diamantine
- Weapons and Wielders, Book 2
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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After bonding with Dawnbringer, the Sacred Sword of Light, Keras Selyrian travels to the nation of Edria to compete in the Tournament of the Sacred Sword. The winner of the tournament will be given a chance to fight for the Sacred Sword of Stone if they can defeat the current wielder, the impossibly powerful Emperor of Edria, in single combat.
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I am In shock!
- By Joshua on 07-08-20
By: Andrew Rowe
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When Swords Fall Silent
- An Epic Fantasy Anthology
- By: Bryce O'Connor, David Dalglish, JA Andrews, and others
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, Travis Baldree, John Lee, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.
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When Swords Fall Silent, but deadly, like farts
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 01-06-24
By: Bryce O'Connor, and others
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How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Suzy Jackson, Steve West
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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For thousands of years, there has been a cycle: a Demon King rises and conquers, and a Hero is reborn a hundred years later to defeat him. Each time, civilizations are ground to dust beneath the Demon King's hordes, but humanity has remained secure in the belief that a Hero of legend will always save them. There's just one slight problem. It's only been 23 years since the Demon King's latest rise, and this time, he's already conquered more than half the world. If humanity simply waits for the Hero's return, there may be no world left for him to save.
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Lisa Simpson explains how she leveled up
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 05-07-20
By: Andrew Rowe
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Death Game Quality Assurance
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman, Travis Baldree, Yoshi Amao, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Working as a quality-assurance grunt in the gaming industry sounds like fun, right? You get to play the coolest new games before anyone else. And all you have to do is to find, reproduce, and report bugs before the last pixel is locked in and the games are launched to an eager public. Sure, there’s the unpaid overtime, the office politics, and the ever-present threat of layoffs. But you get to game!
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So much fun!
- By Amazon Customer on 03-22-22
By: Andrew Rowe
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He Who Fights with Monsters 11: A LitRPG Adventure
- He Who Fights with Monsters, Book 11
- By: Shirtaloon, Travis Deverell
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 28 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The epic next installment of He Who Fights with Monsters coming this July!
By: Shirtaloon, and others
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The Mage from Nowhere
- Legends of the Tainted, Book 1
- By: B.T. Narro
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Tarak is thrown into a strange city with just a few coppers in his pocket and the tainted shadow of his family following him. At least the ale is better, but famine and poverty make it a little hard to enjoy that. With no one to call his friend and almost no knowledge of sorcery, Tarak will have to compete with the best sorcerers if he wishes to remain free.
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DNF Absolutely Insufferable
- By TC on 04-03-24
By: B.T. Narro
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The Bright Lord: An Epic Sci Fi Litrpg: Books 1-7
- By: Alex Knowles
- Narrated by: Steve Campbell, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker
- Length: 39 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Ryan Hart thought he had saved them all. He'd served as Lord Commander of the Sarashead guild, faithfully and with honor for thousands of years. His work expanded their empire and brought peace. But peace never lasts.... Emperor Duhan has been murdered, ripping Ryan out of his new life as a citizen on Earth. Once again, he must leave those he loves for the greater good.
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This book got everything
- By Nighteyes on 11-01-22
By: Alex Knowles
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The Goblin Corps
- The Few, the Proud, the Obscene
- By: Ari Marmell
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Length: 23 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Morthûl, the dreaded Charnel King, has failed. Centuries of plotting from the heart of the Iron Keep, deep within the dark lands of Kirol Syrreth—all for naught. Foiled at the last by the bumbling efforts of a laughable band of so-called heroes. Still, after uncounted centuries of survival, the Dark Lord isn’t about to go down without a fight, particularly in battle against a mortal! No, the Charnel King still has a few tricks up his putrid and tattered sleeves, and the only thing that can defeat him now may just be the inhuman soldiers on whom he’s pinned his last hopes.
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A+ fantasy world, w/o authors love & proper pacing
- By Octavian on 04-19-24
By: Ari Marmell
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Mage Errant: Publisher's Pack
- Mage Errant, Book 1-2
- By: John Bierce
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Mage Errant: Publisher's Pack contains books one and two of the Mage Errant series: Into the Labyrinth and Jewel of the Endless Erg. Hugh of Emblin is, so far as he's concerned, the worst student that the Academy at Skyhold has ever seen. He can barely cast any spells at all, and those he does cast tend to fail explosively.
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It’s not that kind of YA.
- By Christopher on 08-23-19
By: John Bierce
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Manufacturing Magic: A LitRPG Adventure
- Jeff the Game Master, Book 1
- By: Jaime Castle, Troy Osgood
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Infinite Worlds is the most popular VRMMORPG on the market. Its maps are so vast, developer Hard Rock Data utilizes a network of highly advanced artificial intelligences to control it. But it’s not without problems. That’s why Game Masters like Jeff Driscoll have jobs. The downside? He’s not allowed to play the game. Something about conflicts of interest and favoritism. His very boring and tedious job is to help players deal with the occasional bug that slips through the cracks and ensure they enjoy their time playing enough to give a five-star rating.
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Together, they’re better!
- By Willis Burns on 05-04-21
By: Jaime Castle, and others
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The System Apocalypse Short Story Anthology, Volume 1
- By: Tao Wong, Alexis Keane, Craig Hamilton, and others
- Narrated by: Neil Hellegers, Shamaan Casey, Gary Bennett, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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A bounty hunting survivor. A Galactic dark elf. A woman who has given up her humanity to become something more. These stories and more are available in the first short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, covering year one on Earth. When the world ends, humanity steps up, finding new ways to survive in a world with classes, magic, and monsters. The anthology features exciting, new stories by five new writers and a new, never publicly released short story by Tao Wong.
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A fun diversion
- By Kevin on 01-28-20
By: Tao Wong, and others
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Forging Hephaestus
- Villains' Code Series, Book 1
- By: Drew Hayes
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 26 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Gifted with meta-human powers, Tori Rivas kept away from the limelight, preferring to work as a thief in the shadows. But when she's captured trying to rob a vault that belongs to a secret guild of villains, she's offered a hard choice: prove she has what it takes to join them or be eliminated. Apprenticed to one of the world's most powerful (and supposedly dead) villains, she is thrust into a strange world where the lines that divide superheroes and criminals are more complex than they seem.
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A Nice Surprise with some Really Fun Characters
- By Small Mountain on 09-29-17
By: Drew Hayes
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Bastion
- Immortal Great Souls, Book 1
- By: Phil Tucker
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 38 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Scorio will rise from the ashes to conquer the 10 layers of hell. Reborn without memories, Scorio learns that he is a Great Soul, a legendary defender of the ancient city of Bastion. That within the hallowed halls of the Academy and under the stern eyes of the underworld’s greatest instructors he will enjoy enormous privilege, rediscover unique and wondrous powers, and one day return to the millennium-old battle against their infernal foes. Until he is betrayed.
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Very well written.
- By Reed Rasmussen on 03-18-22
By: Phil Tucker
What listeners say about Phantom Chamber
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Stacy Ferguson
- 10-17-23
Another outstanding listen by Andrew Rowe
I have yet to read/listen to anything I didn't love by Andrew Rowe. Phantom Chamber builds off its predecessor well and includes mysteries small and larger that make pausing the listen almost impossible.
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- Logan
- 10-19-23
These books always end too soon
Great story as usual. I vote we lock the author in a basement like a snake and make him churn out stories at least daily.
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- Beezil
- 10-25-23
enjoyable
it's enjoyable to me to see different climbs/delves into different spires and see how different attuned function without the exceptional outliers we have in the other serieses, what I do miss in this is the magic theory of Rowes works but I did find book enjoyable and will love to see where Chime and others end up in grand scheme of things.
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- Mason
- 11-08-23
Excellent story!
We absolutely love Rowe’s books! This collaboration between the authors seems to have injected even more energy and interesting character building.
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- Bruce N.
- 03-09-24
Great Sequel
Absolutely loved this sequel, capitalized on the best parts of the first book, and has me excited for more!
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- Wesley
- 02-24-24
Hard to differentiate characters.
Emily Lawrence is a good narrator, but she has a limit. It is hard to differentiate who she is portraying. I get that Hane is gender neutral, but using the same narrator for 95% of the book who is a woman is awful. Travis Baldree would've been a better choice for Hane.
Emily is great, but too much in this book.
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- Zoidberg
- 10-26-23
Good book
I enjoyed the book very much. The only complaint I have is that I didnt get to learn more about sage . I am not completely invested in chime and gathering the pieces but I am invested in the character development and can’t wait to get to know them
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-05-23
Spoilers & Theory & Some Commentary
I enjoyed this, and I still look forward to the next book in the series.
I do think I enjoyed Crystal Awakening more, but this isn’t bad. Crystal Awakening is strong in how we get the point of view of six different characters with very different viewpoints, and we get attached to all of the characters, and there is emotional impact when Aldis, Lani, and Emiko die. We also get a fair bit of world building in that we can feel how all of the characters are attached to things outside of the particular climb.
For this book, however, we have only two point of view characters, and both are in completely new situations and are pretty in the dark, both in how they interact with the characters around them and in the world around them.
I did miss Sage’s view point, but I do understand why it was only in the prologue, midpoint, and epilogue here. He goes for a second judgement. Characters forget judgements. While it would definitely have been interesting to get his judgement mixed in to the story, that doesn’t really make sense given these stories are basically in first person but with 3rd person pronouns. We’re in the character’s heads, and the characters are essentially narrating, If we see Sage’s judgement, we become aware of and there is a focus on something that does not become a “permanent” part of Sage’s personal narrative given we as readers will always know what happened in Sage’s judgement while Sage himself will not. In the same way Sage cannot know how his judgement passed, we as readers cannot know how his judgement passed. We can only know what happens after. And given what happens after is down time, waiting, and medical procedures, and nothing he does during this time likely has much, if any, influence on what is happening in the main story or in the overall put-Chime-together plot, there isn’t really anything Sage can give us for this narrative.
However, it may still have been interesting to have Mason, Rose, and Leaf/Leif’s viewpoints. It makes sense that we don’t have Odette’s viewpoint. That would have taken away from the later reveal. Also, I suppose, Leaf’s view point would have taken from that reveal given Hane’s suspicion… So if we were to have been given outsider viewpoints on Hane and Nieve here, that probably would have made us suspicious of Odette and Leaf in ways only giving us Hane and Nieve’s viewpoints doesn’t make us suspicious of Odette.
I understand the complaints about the different pronunciation of world-specific words, but I guess that can be chalked up to Valien vs Artenian pronunciations. It was slightly confusing we learn that Artenian is the language spoken in Dalenos. For those who have read the Weapons and Wielders books, we know that Edrians speak Cass, but if we’ve read other books, we also know Artenia is a different continent. Maybe there was mention of Dalens having come from Artenia in the way Valiens came from Mythrallis, but I don’t remember that being something mentioned in depth. It was a touch odd that Emily had Rose pronounce Nieve’s name with one syllable while Nieve was gone? I also had to do a bit of mental correction when sometimes I misheard Leaf as Nieve. I think Hane may be misgendered a couple times? And I had to do mental corrections in a couple other places when the word said by Emily didn’t seem to fit the situation. It’s not really enough to take me out of the narrative, but was something I noticed. There were also a few times where a gendered pronoun is used in Hane’s chapters during action sequences where I later realized that the pronoun is referring to a generic combatant that hadn’t been given a gender before. It was also interesting that Emily used the same voice for fem-presenting Magpie and masc-presenting Magpie, and I interpreted both as masculine even though Emily can be assumed to be a woman. That probably says more about how I interpret voice acting, though.
I actually like that this is a world where sexuality and gender cannot generally be assumed but also sexuality isn’t generally specifically defined. Sexuality is only described, and Wyddsfolk is an accepted independent gender. I also kind of like the glimpses into the potential that relationship dynamics outside strict/serial monogamy may not be uncommon in this world.
I don’t know if many of the other reviewers whose reviewers I have read have caught that Hane was probably raised in captivity. I don’t remember if it was this book or the previous one, but Hane mentions being put in a situation where Hane was among a group of presumably young people who were being observed, and they were in a situation where they were expected to die, and Hane ran instead. Then, Hane has spent most of their time as a climber for hire in order to spend most of their time in the Tortoise Spire with people they do not know. Hane has closed themself off to emotional attachment and doesn’t know how to be personally connected to people or how to interact with people. They don’t like touch or emotions, but they empathize with monsters and animals likely because they hadn’t been treated well by humans. At least part of this story is Hane realizing they had grown somewhat attached to Nieve and not understanding that about themself or how to deal with the fact that they are emotionally attached to Nieve and then dealing with grieving one of the few people they’ve been attached to. The last book only focus on Hane 1/6th of the time, but this book focuses half on Hane’s point of view. I personally like Hane’s point of view, but Hane is very far from their comfort zone both in terms of physical and emotional environment. They are off balance in multiple ways, and they are in a place where their strengths are not best suited to their environment, They are still super bad ass, imo.
Nieve is also pretty bad ass, imo. There is quite a bit of time skipping, especially in the second half of her narrative. She had already been grieving and insecure, and then she ended up in a totally uncommon situation then ended up on her own. I love that she was able to get though most of the floor on her own to meet up with the rest of the group. She probably was taking a back route, but it’s still pretty impressive, I think. I’m kind of excited about her new attunement. She is kind of going from fighter to berserker despite the actual name of the attunement. That is mildly amusing, imo. It’s also interesting that she now has light and transference mana. The light mana was mentioned and necessary in the situation she was in, but I’m interested to find out how the addition of light and transference mana make her able to do more of what Hane and Sage can do. Hane is water-primary, transference-secondary, and Sage is mental-primary and light secondary. I’m curious about whether Nieve’s Champion-tertiary mental mana can be combined with her Paladin-primary light mana to perform destiny spells like a Seer or whether the lack of death mana will make that unlikely. Also with her Champion-secondary water mana and her Paladin-secondary transference mana, could she learn do a lot of what Hane can do with gravity spells, just without the support of perception mana? TBH, as a citrine Champion, could she pull off Diviner and Dancer spells through mental-enhancement and mental-water mana combinations? Enhancement and transference are also opposite mana types. I’m guessing the heart/mind mark combination might not be as much of an issue as a heart/hand mark combination? Ooh. Theoretically, between her water mana and light mana, she may be able to perform Illuminator spells that don’t require air mana. Theoretically, with her Champion-tertiary mental mana and her Paladin-secondary transference mana, she should theoretically be able to enchant objects. She also has light mana, which Enchanter has as tertiary mana as her Paladin-primary mana type, so theoretically between her five mana types, she could theoretically mimic the quartz or carnelian spells of 6 attunements other than her own two. That is vey interesting potential that Nieve doesn’t seem like the type of character to take advantage of. (I should do this for Seiji, too, but not in this review, I think..) I do like the glimpses into Nieve’s background and the fact that we still have one of her mysteries left to uncover.
Nieve and Hane are both in uncomfortable, unfamiliar situations, and they’re doing their best, but they aren’t in a well-oiled group where they get to shine and act with minimal thought. So these characters went from a mostly comfortable situation to a mostly uncomfortable situation, and the way they are portrayed in relation to their environment is changed because of that. They were also actively being worked against, even if that isn’t immediately clear within the narrative until the end.
I also like that this series seems to be meant to show off the greater world.. It feels like we’re set up to explore each of the 6 spires - if we get to see the Spider Spire. Theoretically, unless we get larger pieces of Chime in the next spires, there should be more pieces of Chime in the other spires. Or the will have to delve outside the spires as well. There is still practically only potential for where this can go, and this will likely do a lot of exploring of different subsets of Caledonian culture and different spotlighting of what makes all of the spires different and why different spires turn out different kinds of attainments and how that affects the nation that contains that spire. Like, Turtle Spire seems to grant a lot of water specialists, and Champion, Cloudcaller, Soulblade, and Wavewalker all seem like combat-focused attunemnts while Acolyte, Illusionist, Seer, and Wayfarer are good support attunements for those combat attunements. That makes a combat and strategy spire make sense. Tiger Spire grants Analyst, Architect, Biomancer, Controller, Forgemaster, Illuminator, Sentinal, and Tranmuter attunements. These attunements focus on analysis and change. Earth, knowledge (mental), and shadow are common mana types for this spire. Complex, multi-faceted floor-wide challenges with multiple potential outcomes and that rely on knowledge and interpreting surroundings make sense, somewhat. Serpent Spire gives out Divinter, Elementalist, Enchanter, Guardian, Mender, Shadow, Shaper and summer attunements. Enhancement is a common mana type, and most of these attunement types seem likely to put together teams that can can solve physical puzzles fairly well, so teams that either adapt or utilize their environment and work with the traps and puzzles in the Serpent Spire make sense. Maybe I’m reading too much into that, though, or deliberately constructing arguments that aren’t super well supported. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Edria outside of the Diamantine/Soulbrand tournament.
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- Chris
- 02-14-24
Vibrant Inclusive Cast
The Long
I've read several reviews complaining of something I, personally, find as a rarity among books: a cast that includes people of an alternative gender identity than your usual he and she. This book's cast is primarily compromised of your usual gendered people, who are excellent parts of the story and have their own things going for them. The individuals of the cast that are gender queer and non-binary are personally some of my favorite characters. It warms my heart seeing characters that are diverse in this way and it warms my heart to see representation of people that I personally relate to. This book still has all the wonderful things you might expect from Andrew Rowe's works, which include complex magic systems, fast paced interesting combat, and really cool magic items. Yes it's a train again, but trains are a contextually huge part of travel in this time period and setting so I can get behind another train story.
The Short
I love the inclusive, diverse cast that isn't your status quo. I loved the magic and combat and really enjoyed the direction the story went overall.
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- Williadb2000
- 02-29-24
Good story, tough start to make it through
Overall really enjoyed the book, but the first section was a little bit longer to make it through than usual for one of these books.
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