Storming the Stairway to the Stars

Tales of Shattering Worlds, Book 1

By: C. D. Tavenor

Narrated by: Michael Westmoreland

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Inside a decrepit space station, destiny awaits.

Prince Arin’thal has ambition checked only by the limited power of his tiny city-state. At the Conclave of Nations, he endeavors to shift the balance of geopolitical influence.

Yet disaster waits beneath the shadows of the great tower and its mysterious roots.

If Arin’thal is to survive, he must prove his wits, courage, and moral grit are up to the task. An ancient entity will test him. And he might break before he uncovers the future of the world.

There's more than one way to shatter a world.

Storming the Stairway to the Stars is the first part of Tales of Shattering Worlds, four short stories included in Shattering Worlds: A SciFi and Fantasy Story Collection by C. D. Tavenor. Start your journey today.

©2020 C. D. Tavenor (P)2020 Two Doctors Media Collaborative LLC

A Series Beginning

I purchased and listened to this Audible book. This is a story of a group of political parties that want rulership over each other. The MC is a prince who believes he can unite them all in Peace.

Action filled read

This is a nice beginning to a short series. I really like the set up of four stories in a series as they are bitesized narratives that can be read or listened to within an afternoon. Even though it was a short read, there was a sufficient plot and action. I wish there was a bit more explanation and world building, but I understand the stakes and motivation of the main character. The narrator is good at breathing life into the characters, although he sounds robotic during some moments. It was confusing as to why the audiobook formatted the story as only one chapter even though it is divided into 5 chapters written out. But overall, I am interested in seeing what happens next as I read the next books.

Quick & Exciting

Great "prequel" to what could be an exciting series. This short read/listen quickly pulls you into a dystopian future in the stars and launches the protagonist into a powerful role in the new order of the galaxy and beyond.

Interesting story line, great narration

I don't usualy listen to Sci-fi, but thought I would try a short story, enjoyed the story and thought the narrator did a great job distinguishing between characters ,the narator made the story come to life.

Might need to relisten

This is the fifth book I have read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. I really enjoyed The Chronicles of Theren and these short stories. After listening to Remnants, I now wonder if this also is linked to the Theren story. I’m afraid I had to re-listen to many parts of this book. I’m not sure if my head just wasn’t in line with it, or if this book simply has holes. I think I need to go back at another time and start from the beginning again since I still don’t quite get the full premises of this one. ———

This is the first book I have listened to by this narrator ( Michael Westmoreland ) and I enjoyed this listen. His pacing gives a feel that this story is being read faster than it actually is. It’s not an issue however. His style here is more reading than performing compared to the others. ———

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive / overly descriptive violence, or swearing. ———

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Story 3/5
Narration 3/5

Good Listen

Interesting short story! It packed a lot into the story and the narrator did a good job with it. In the story there are killer shrooms, robots and disembodied voices giving tests that must be passed to earn his position. There is also the threat of death if he does not choose correctly. I really enjoyed it.

I received an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

Very short listen set in an interesting world

This was a very short listen, that seemed to set up the world for a series. It didn't really flesh out the characters enough for me to be interested in reading or listening to the next book. There was no language or innuendo. The main character had a genderless love interest that kept getting mentioned during the last half.
The narrator wasn't my favorite, although he did do distinctly different voices for the different characters. I was given a copy of this book to review.

A strong start to a great story.

I found this to be an interesting story. The only issue I have with this book is that it feels like it doesn't start at the beginning. It took a few minutes to get a real understanding of what was going on. That being said I like the direction this story is taking and look forward to listening to book 2. If you like stories that include robots, psychic powers, and political intrigue then you will love this book. Go ahead and join me on this journey!

Very Imaginative

This is an example of what might happen when we colonize a planet with sentient beings on it. It reminded me of similar dynamics that went on during the Colonization Period by the developed countries on our planet, only much, much better. The point of view is written from the main character( human). For being a short story, it packed a punch. A amazing story, amazing ending, loved it. Narrated by the author which was very effective since both narrator and the main character are women. I got this free from the author in exchange for this honest review. It only takes about an hour to listen to the audiobook.

okay read

This was not really my kind of story. The story itself was fine but just not for me.