The Axe and the Throne

Bounds of Redemption, Volume 1

By: M. D. Ireman

Narrated by: Matt Cowlrick

It is a fool's errand, and Tallos knows it, but against his own better judgment and the pleading of his wife, Tallos has committed himself to a voyage north. His lifelong friend's eldest sons are said to have been taken by Northmen, a raiding people ill-reputed for their savagery. The boys are already dead, Tallos knows, and in that dark place of grim reasoning he wishes only to find their corpses quickly so he can fulfill his promise and return to his wife. Instead, he finds something far worse.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2015 M. D. Ireman (P)2015 M. D. Ireman

Grimdark Goodness !!

What made the experience of listening to The Axe and the Throne the most enjoyable?

The story is extremely compelling, and sucks you in. Chapter by chapter, character POV after character POV, cannot stop reading and listening. Immediately compares to Game of Thrones and Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. But highly original, deftly and expertly written.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Axe and the Throne?

There are so many. I was expecting Tallos to be the main protagonist. I was disappointed a bit in the lack of his chapters, but as the huge storyline, and world building unfolds, it is easily understandable, why some characters take more precedence than others.

What does Matt Cowlrick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Og my God....where has this guy my whole life!!?? He is one of the ALL TIME greatest narrators EVER! With a quick research he is a voiceover actor with his own studio, and has a billion clients. Strangely he has only done one other book. Hopefully he will continue to narrate other epic fantasy novels. He talents are sorely lacking in this genre. Cowlrick literally has a different voice for every singe character he voices in this book. He reads with such clarity and originality that is is simply uncanny.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Tallos discovered his wife was.....Don't want to spoil it!
Ever chapter with Tallos moved me especially.

Any additional comments?

MD Ireman is a force to be reckoned with. If you like epic fantasy, world building, barbarians, layers of character development, complex storylines all intertwined, and all in Grimdark goodness you owe to yourself to buy both a trade paperback copy AND the audio like I did!

Move over Martin

Where does The Axe and the Throne rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In my honest opinion, I feel Ireman has the complete potential to dethrone Martin. Just don't keep us waiting like the latter! Excellent book, was an absolute joy to listen to. This may be one of books (that I can count on one hand) that I will listen to more than once.

What A Book!

You know this was a good title because I was sad that it only had 105 chapters.

thanks

interesting read, crazy end, looking forward to the next one in line. mostly an enjoyable work.

Grimdark Low Fantasy

This is a decent listen and a good introduction to a new realm. I did find the introduction by the author a little heavy handedly pretentious and having 2 characters who share a name is needlessly confusing at first. The pacing is really good after about the first quarter of the book once the story gains momentum and the cast is established. The plot remained largely unpredictable all while providing characters with realistic motivations and reactions. I will say, however, that the final viewpoint is a pretty huge Deus Ex Machina reveal.