The Ember Blade cover art

The Ember Blade

The Darkwater Legacy, Book 1

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The Ember Blade

Written by: Chris Wooding
Narrated by: Simon Bubb
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About this listen

A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man's journey to find his destiny.

Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He's never questioned it; that's just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend, Cade, are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free....

But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him or his people but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.

The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up...but it's locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land.

All they have to do now is steal it....

©2018 Chris Wooding (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group
Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction
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What the critics say

"The Ember Blade is hands down the best fantasy novel I've ever read." (Grimdark Magazine)

What listeners say about The Ember Blade

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but long...

Good detailed story lots of plot but also lots of fillar. I know it's how these writers make money but man it can make for some dry listening. BUT I WOULD recommend listening it was still worth it.

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

Fantastic Epic Fantasy!

This was truly an epic fantasy!

This has EVERYTHING. Adventure, monsters, fights, humor, sadness and most of all....a fantastic storyline!

It does start a little bit slow and drags on a little bit at the beginning, but it is most definitely worth continuing. It gets much better!

I have never listened to this narrator before, but he has done an excellent job. I would LOVE to hear him read more fantasy novels.

I can't wait for the next one. I really hope there isn't much time between this and the next!

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

Excellent epic fantasy

I enjoyed the journey immensely and will be diving straight into the next in the series.

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

Roller coaster adventure for an unwitting hero

Loved this novel , characters were well developed , dialogue between them believable and hilarious at times
The narrator skill with accents is awesome and adds tremendously to character development and identification initially
Would definitely recommend
Can’t wait to read more adventures

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

Glad I stuck this one out

If you enjoy more classic, meandering high fantasy books like The Name of the Wind and Wheel of Time, this book is for you. It’s slow at times, focused on worldbuilding and character development, but the ending made it worth the middle slog.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic book.

One of the best audible books I have ever listened to. Story is compelling, narration seemed subdued at first but then drew me in. By the end I cared about every character and was totally enthralled by the story. I can't recommend it enough. Can't wait for the next one.

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Incredible!

I simply loved the book and the reading in this audiobook

Excellent story and characters.

Excellent work yet again by narrator Bubb as well. So easy to listen to him.

Can’t wait for more!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good story that didn't revolve around magic

This was a nice fantasy book. I got tired that all fantasy books revolve around magical people. Even though this has some mysticism it was very different. There were some sections that were boring and didn't contribute much in the early and middle parts of the story but can't wait to read the sequel.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I really enjoyed this book

I'm so happy I choose this book I can't wait to read the next book

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

Classic Fantasy Retelling/Remix

2.5 rounded up

Absolutely nothing about this is novel. But it is a straight forward old-school fantasy story updated with some subversions in an otherwise predictable plot.

It is 100% boys 2 men, best friends/friends off/best friends again for the two main characters. However, if you like altruistic, moral absolutist classic fantasy, and you pick up what is being dropped in regards to the two main character best friends as boys, then you’ll probably like it quite a bit. For me, all of the other characters were more interesting than that. One or two in particular kept me reading. As much as some of the problems are overcome in a way that may defy expectations, the overarching plot is not a subversion, but an attempt to invoke classic fantasy tropes in a slightly different way. But those tropes and story beats are pretty played out for me.

Serviceable prose, good characterization and development, granular specificity and worldbuilding, just as you’d expect with fantasy like this. Because I prefer imparting setting only that’s pertinent to the specific story, the 824 pages felt long and, in parts, overwritten; especially the beginning. Pacing takes a long time to get the ball rolling.

That being said it kept me reading as I found a couple characters I liked and I was curious enough about the dangling threads to know what happens. Probably don’t care enough to read the next one, but who knows. The idea that a magic sword could unite the country against oppressors when the entire populace is too apathetic to rise up after years and years of rule, feels very Eurocentric and British to me. If the central conceit had been more interesting to me, I’m sure I’d have liked it more.

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