Keeper Martin's Tale

Ruin Mist Chronicles, Book 1

By: Robert Stanek

Narrated by: Robert Stanek

For the first time ever, Robert Stanek's Keeper Martin's Tale is available in audio and with lost scenes and chapters of the original restored. Discover a magical world and be swept away in the adventure of a lifetime!

After the Great War that divided the peoples, the kingdoms of men plunged into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. To heal the lands and restore the light, the great kings decreed that magic and all that is magical, be it creature, man, or device, shall be cleansed to dust. The cleansing raged for so long that no human could recall a time without it and it is in this time that the Dark Lord Sathar returned from the dark beyond. The one hope of the peoples of Ruin Mist was Queen Mother, the elf queen of old. She saw a way out of everlasting darkness, a path that required the union of the divided peoples. And so it began.

Keeper Martin's Tale is the adult release of Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books 1 and 2.

©2009 Robert Stanek (P)2009 RP Audio

Painful Narration

As a previous reviewer said, please listen to the sample before you buy. Although I found the story moderately interesting, the candence and tone of the narration made it very hard to focus on the fine points of the book. I might struggle through the next books in the series, but for the price I expected much more from this book.

The Tale

Mr. Stankek's book is a very interesting story and I'll probably buy the books to read at a later date. However, I found it difficult to keep track of where the narrator was in the story if I let my attention "wander" for any amount of time. I spent a lot of time "going back" to a section to try to get the 'gist' of what had happened. The cadence of the reader and lack of pauses between chapters/events made it difficult at times to recognize one character/event had ended and another picked up. I think the story is well worth re-accomplishing the recording with a different orator/narrator.

unfortunate

The reader is just unbearable. I can listen to pretty bad voice, if the story is captivating enough. But this? It's just sad. Not to mention that the use of language is at times just ridiculous. "her tongue went limp in her mouth"? I mean, pulease! She'd just decided not to speak! She wasn't dying of lethal poison.

What a great book!

Not sure why the earlier reviews of this book are so low. I've seen some grumblings from fanboys of other authors which may explain. However, the narration is top-notch and the book itself is exceptional. I found it to be a cut above the average fantasy.

What is the book about? Keeper Martin's Tale is Robert Stanek's debut fantasy novel. It's a character and action driven story told mostly from three points of view:

Adrina - a prince of Great Kingdom
Vilmos - a village elder's son
Seth - a warrior elf

If you like heroic fantasy with adventure and action, I don't see how you can go wrong with this one. It's worth a listen and 1000% better than the earlier reviews would seem to suggest.

Robert Stanek stinks as a narrator

This might be a good book but Robert Stanek is unbearable to listen to. Pure agony!