The Envoys of War

The Envoys of Chaos, Book 1

By: Dave Lawson

Narrated by: Laurence Stirling Knott

Don’t kill the messengers.

As a bodyguard for the King’s Envoys, Gen is content with her life of traveling, drinking wine, and hitting things with her sword. It’s the perfect job. Until the King sends her and her friend Cordyn into war-torn enemy territory on a mission to deliver vital military intelligence to an allied nation.

The problem? The mission is a sham.

Gen is tasked with determining if Cordyn is a spy who is selling information to the enemy. Cordyn is the worst kind of libertine: brash, arrogant, and on the run from half the husbands in the kingdom, but Gen can’t imagine him betraying her or their nation.

With obtuse bandits, vengeful mages, and a resolute lutist, they embark on a daring rescue mission, complicated by Cordyn’s increasingly complex schemes. As ominous enemy plots surface, Gen and Cordyn must decide what matters most. Their nation, or their friends.

A rollicking fantasy adventure for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, Nicholas Eames, and Michael J. Sullivan.

©2024 Dave Lawson (P)2025 Dave Lawson

Fun Adventure

I enjoyed the fantasy setting. All of the main characters are fun and well-written. There were also a few surprising twists that I didn't expect.

Fun Read!

This was a really fun read. The banter between Gen and Cordyn is awesome and I really enjoyed the side characters that came along and joined the journey. Looking forward to the next book soon.

Twists and Turns

This one really knocked my socks off! If you want something that keeps you on your toes, pick this one up!

Fun characters

I loved the characters the FMC Jen is a great blood thirsty heroin. I wish the narrator had a bit more variation in his character voices but overall it was a great listen and seems to have a nice set up for the next story in the series if the author feels like writing another

Excellent sword and sorcery book, D&D vibe, banter

Full review on Grimoire Ink. Partial review:

In some aspects, the world feels like D&D or Skyrim. It's a fantasy sword and sorcery setting, medieval or Renaissance-ish European vibes, armies and mages and monsters. Plenty of darkness and evil, but also some real humanity and empathy. One of the biggest, toughest, most badass characters you'll meet in this book is doing mercenary work so he can buy medicine for his ailing mother. Later on, the plot also pivots to being about rescuing a group of children who were kidnapped for their magic abilities. These are easy MCs to root for, because their goals are so good and pure in a world where it's easy to become an unthinking, unfeeling brute.