The Coward
Quest for Heroes, Book 1
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The Coward
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Narrated by:
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Matt Wycliffe
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Written by:
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Stephen Aryan
About this listen
Kell Kressia is a legend, a celebrity, a hero. Aged just 17, he set out on an epic quest with a band of wizened fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world, but only he returned victorious. The Lich was dead, the ice receded, and the Five Kingdoms were safe.
Ten years have passed; Kell lives a quiet farmer's life, while stories about his heroism are told in every tavern across the length and breadth of the land. But now a new terror has arisen in the north. Beyond the frozen circle, north of the Frostrunner clans, something has taken up residence in the Lich's abandoned castle. And the ice is beginning to creep south once more.
For the second time, Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword, Slayer, and battle the forces of darkness. But he has a terrible secret that nobody knows. He s not a hero - he was just lucky. Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend, but he's a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone....
©2021 Stephen Aryan (P)2021 Angry RobotWhat listeners say about The Coward
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kay’s Hidden Shelf
- 2022-05-31
Great Characters on a Quest
4/5 Stars
The Coward by Stephen Aryan is Book 1 in the Quest of Heroes Duology. A fantasy, with a quest to save the Five Kingdoms. Only this story sheds a different light on the heroes of legend.
This is the tale of Kell Kressia, a hero and legend at just seventeen years old. Ten years have passed and the threat to the Five Kingdoms has come again. But there’s a secret Kell has kept close to himself, he’s a coward with no intention of risking his life for others.
What captured me right away was the characters, their circumstances, and its effects on Kell’s story kept me wanting to read. We see multiple perspectives from Kell, Reverand Mother Britak, Princess Sigrid, and Gerren, with more characters making appearances. Each made a different impact while reading and had great character development.
The Coward does well at exploring the different characters in a way that flows with the story. There is also a balance of action, and exploration of the world.
The world was diverse in the type of people we meet, along with different terrains, although we don’t get an in-depth look into the world. Rather an exploration of it, as the story progresses.
The pacing of The Coward was slow to medium throughout. While the execution of the story was well done, I found myself more invested in the characters. There was a lot I enjoyed, but I did find some parts a bit repetitive for my liking.
The Coward is the kind of story that pays off the more you read and has many classic fantasy tropes including, found family, and adventure/quest. Seeing a spin on the brave hero, setting out on a quest was enjoyable. I especially loved how Stephen Aryan portrayed how PTSD can affect someone and how their choices can shape, not only, their perspectives but also future.
I listened to The Coward on audiobook while reading the physical copy. The audiobook was enjoyable, and Matt Wycliffe did a great job narrating the different characters.
This has religious influences, political intrigue, great action scenes, a high stakes quest, great character development and a sprinkle of fantasy mixed in. The Coward sets up for book 2, The Warrior, which has an expected release date of August 9th, 2022.
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in The Warrior and how the story continues.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rjpb
- 2022-08-10
Great adventure story, reluctant hero.
The coward has a pretty great overall story with many likeable characters, the main character is an archetypal reluctant hero but that didn't bother me too much, I found the villain to be underwhelming but the adventure had enough action that it wasn't hard to overlook that. My main issue with the book is it left a LOT of questions unanswered but I have learned since finishing it that a sequel is being released so hopefully the series going forward will clear that up.
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