Heirs of Vanity

The Complete First Trilogy

By: R. J. Hanson

Narrated by: Terry F. Self

John Boorman's Excalibur meets R.A. Salvatore's Homeland in this epic sword and sorcery fantasy. This volume contains the first three books: Roland's Path, Roland's Vow, and Roland's Triumph.

When two servants of evil escape during young Roland’s watch, he is driven by his own shame and vanity to take up his axes and track them down himself. With the help of his lifelong friend Eldryn, the Cavalier hopeful, and an uneasy bargain with a dagger-wielding cutpurse, Roland pursues a wizard of unknown powers and a woman of uncommon beauty and skill.

In Roland’s world of Stratvs, vanity has a high price. A price paid with the blood of the innocent and the guilty. Around him, swords once pledged to justice rust on the altars of the self-righteous. Join Roland and friends as they take to the seas of Stratvs and discover an exotic city that exists in the shadow of harsh laws and savage practices.

Roland will face trials that will test not only his physical strength, but his own code of honor, as well. Roland’s constitution continues to be forged as he struggles against the evils of the world and his own pride. But will his efforts be enough to save a land besieged by raiding armies and a people starved of hope?

©2019 RJ Hanson (P)2020 RJ Hanson

Excellent fantasy

One of the better fantasy novels I have listened to. I felt like a kid playing D&D 😊

I did not want to stop listening

I can't say enough good things about this trilogy. The author did a great job with the characters. Some you would love and some made you hate them. A lot of different creatures made the story very interesting. I disliked Roland's father at first. I thought he was to tough on Roland. But by the end I knew that he made Roland the great warrior, friend & enemy that he became. Roland & Eldryn set out on a quest and as they traveled their group grew. Some they rescued along the way and some had certain skills that they could use. In the end all were great friends. Then there was Clairinese. Roland's true love. She was strong & talented in magic. At their wedding they invited all kinds of guests. Some were friends and some were foes. It was a great event for all. I also loved the narrator for this one. I don't think a better one could have been chosen. That is another thing that made the stories enjoyable, the PERFECT voice to narrate it. I highly recommend this series.

Fantastic D&D like Adventure, Not for Squeamish

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, it sounded good in the description and even though it is definitely geared toward the male adventurer audience, I found myself really enjoying it. There's a ton of action and battle scenes intermixed with very lively characters in the fantasy realm like: Large man race (half man/half god), dwarves, giants, ogres, drow, paladins, and gods. The story starts in a quest for the young man Roland to right a mistake and make his father proud. He is joined by his best friend Eldryn and it becomes a story of them growing up, becoming men, and soon becomes a much larger quest to help save their country from an evil mage. There's a lot of heart and the underling message about friendship, sacrifice and protecting your family, friends and/or tribe. You really do become invested in the story and the characters. The narrator does a fantastic job with each of the character's voice differentiation and overall acting that only enhances the story. I look forward to the next set in the series and can't wait to see where the adventure goes.

***Parents: in terms of morality rating, if this were made into a movie it would easily hit R due to the level of violence and detail of the gore in the battles/injuries. If you are squeamish with blood, and the gore of eyes being shot or ripped out, limbs being chopped or blown off with much detail then I would say this is not a book for you. Beyond that there is very little language other then crap and bastard sword (which to my surprise is a real type of sword). In terms of the romance it is written in a very male perspective, instant attraction=love and very little romance or wooing, however, the author does a great job of keeping it very clean with no actual sex scenes- basically waking up in bed together naked but no other details given.

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

An Epic Fantasy

Wow! What a great fantasy. The kind of story that you can't wait to find out what is going to happen and there is a lot going on, but then are so sad once you reach the end of the tale. This omnibus included the first three books of Roland's and his friends' journey and I found it so entertaining that I'm looking forward to the next installment with great excitement. R. J. Hanson's descriptions of the battle scenes were so descriptive that they unfolded in my imagination as if I was viewing a movie, so just be aware if you are squeamish that his writing style is very visceral. Terry F. Self's narration style is great. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

A Fun Adventure.

A fun adventure that follows brave men in their fight against evil. With a culture full of edgy anti heros, Heirs of Vanity is a breath of fresh air. Read or listen to this when you have the time!