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  • Legend of Tal

  • Volume I: Books 1-2 (Legend of Tal)
  • Written by: J.D.L. Rosell
  • Narrated by: Derek Perkins
  • Length: 24 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

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Legend of Tal

Written by: J.D.L. Rosell
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Publisher's Summary

Contains books one and two of Legend of Tal, a sword-and-sorcery, coming-of-age adventure.

A King's Bargain, book one

The legend of Tal Harrenfel is sung across the Westreach, and with each telling, the tales grow taller.

Though he's declared a hero by his king, Tal has never claimed to be more than a man. After three decades of fighting warlocks, killing mythical beasts, and hunting enchanted treasure, Tal has had enough. Running from the deeds of his past, he retreats to his home village under a different name and meets an unlikely companion: Garin, a village boy who dreams of making a name for himself and seeing the world beyond their sleepy town.

When Tal receives a mysterious visitor, both he and Garin find themselves thrown into a sojourn across the kingdom. Soon, they become embroiled in the plots of monarchs, on the frontlines of an ancient war, and at the mercy of a fabled sorcerer. Now Tal must live up to his legend, and Garin must discover his own power, to survive the forces pitted against them.

A Queen's Command, book two

The legend of Tal Harrenfel lives on, and a new song spreads across the Westreach.

Though Tal and Garin overcame one enemy, victory promises to be short-lived. Garin struggles with his inner demons. Tal is haunted by enemies and memories alike. And a long-kept secret has torn a rift between them.

But circumstances force them to continue their travels together. The roads from Avendor to Gladelyl, once the safest in the Westreach, are rife with danger. And Tal is bound to the commands of the Elf Queen whose intentions are unforeseeable. But reaching the elven realm is only the beginning of their troubles, for Gladelyl is in turmoil. The nobles grasp for power. The underclass and Eastern immigrants seek new rights. And an ancient enemy takes advantage of the chaos to turn them all against each other. Now Garin must come to terms with his demons.

©2020 J.D.L. Rosell (P)2021 Podium Audio

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

is anything going to happen?

I'm halfway through book one and nothing has happened. the younger MC is an idiot, and he's SUPER horny? the old man is a legend who just does random things. I have no idea what the story is even about yet.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

book one review

book one is incredibly boring, very little happens, it jumps through sections leaving out large parts of story, world/character building, hell even conversations seem to end abruptly. There are 2 mc's a young boy around 15 who doesn't tell his mentor anything about the weird voice and song he hears. absolute moron behavior, the book doesnt even end on a cliffhanger, just "alright time to go to a new place" shiiiiiit writing Do not recommend book one at all. as for book 2 i don't think I'll even bother starting it. Glad this was free because I'd be pissed if I paid for this

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Legend Of Tal

The story was good, although confusing sometimes I enjoyed the story telling!! Narrator, Derek Perkins, did an awesome job bringing the story to life!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Creditable Fantasy

J.D.L Rosell describes a pretty typical Fantasy world: humans, elves, dwarves, and goblins populating a magic-infused-medieval-level-of-technological-development reality. An evil entity ("Soulstealer") uses terrifying minions ("Extinguished") to gather powerful artifacts and sow chaos.
On that matrix, Rosell builds adequately interesting stories involving ego-driven royalty, ordinary citizens worthy of respect, and reluctant heroes. You will definitely read better.. but this is enjoyable stuff.

• Book One ('A King's Bargain') introduces 'Tal Harrenfel' - a legendary Warrior-Mage living a bucolic life of self-imposed exile - who is convinced to return to court to confront a kingdom-threatening challenge. His "unexpectedly" powerful teenage mentee 'Garin' accompanies him on his journey across the realm.. accumulating friends & fighting summoned monsters and evil warlocks.
If that sounds familiar, it's because the plot is incredibly formulaic. Fortunately, the author is pretty good at it - delivering capably.
• Book Two ('A Queen's Command') is quite a bit more original - following Tal, Garin, and companions to the elven kingdom of Gladelyl - investigating social upheaval at the request of the Elf Queen.. but the tale mostly involves a rift between mentor & acolyte. Subpar pacing and an overly-cerebral plot plague the already nebulous character development mandate. It's a pretty weak book.

As to performance: Podium Audio did very well to enlist Derek Perkins to read the books. Some of his characters are a little cartoonish (Dwarves, for example) - and the whispery-gruff Jason Statham impression chosen to portray Tal is occasionally annoying - but Perkins's repertoire is otherwise praiseworthy.. complementing spot-on diction, timbre, cadence, and pacing to generate a far above-average product. Perkins further demonstrates a pitch-perfect tone that truly brings the books to life. Bravo.

Altogether, this duo of enjoyable Fantasy novels rates 7.5 stars out of 10. Don't expect anything new, but take the books for what they are.. a pleasant (albeit too-easily recognizable) Fantasy diversion. I feel fortunate to have gotten them as a 'Plus' option.. because they would merit a Credit for any fan of "standard" Fantasy literature (although skipping Book Two would be defensible).

[Incidentally: Rosell's striking preoccupation with alcohol in Book One (everyone is drunk or discussing the local brand of wine/whiskey for some reason) is intriguing. What's the story there?
I am also a little confused by a repeated turn of phrase used when characters get emotional/suspicious/amused/deceptive in both books: "The color started swirling in his/her eyes." What - exactly - does that mean? It's quite the odd description]

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Really good even though its a little slow to start

Picked it up by chance (free) and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it in the end. I must admit that it did start off a little slow for me but by no means was it 'bad'. The story just took a little while to really start getting into the meat of it. All in all .. a good listen and at the end of this you will be interested to see where the story takes our MC and his companions for book 3. Also, it didn't end on an annoying cliff hanger like some other stories. It does lead into the beginnings of the continuation (book 3) but it ended in such a way that if you never decide to continue the series at least you were able to see this story arch through to the end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great characters and well read!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I will look at getting the next book in the series. Recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of suspense!

Enjoyed this book. Kept my interest from start to finish. Can't wait to read the next one.

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