Wade of Aquitaine

Wade of Aquitaine, Book 1

By: Ben Parris

Narrated by: Nathan Chatelier

Deep in the Dark Ages, with Vikings to the north and Aghlabid pirates to the south, a small flicker of the Roman Empire has been nurtured as an island of high civilization. Defeated Longobards scheme to bring it down from within.

If Byzantium falls 600 years too soon, nothing of Western civilization will survive to spark the Renaissance. Enter Wade Linwood of the 21st century. Suffering of crossed senses where scents can conjure objects and sights can call up tastes, he wants nothing but the ordinary life of an insurance underwriter.

When a trip to the acupuncturist opens an unused portal in his synesthete's brain, a plea from the past draws him to a time when he must save the remaining shreds of history to preserve his own.

"Many would be lucky to write a whole series marked by the wit and gift for swashbuckling action and romance that Parris builds into his debut.... A sharply intelligent and energetic historical fantasy." (Kirkus Reviews)

©2007 Ben Parris (P)2021 Ben Parris

Next book...or maybe one after that

Debut works are, well, debuts. I say Ben Parris has a super future - which is hinted at in "Wade:" - I'm looking forward to his second or third work. This one's a freshman outing, with clunky exposition and awkward, self-conscious character and relationship development, but there's hope here. Please keep writing, Ben, and I'll keep reading.

Great Magic System And Historical Setting

This book came into my inbox from Audiobooks Unleashed. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the book cover and the description, but I loved the story. I was pleasantly surprised from the start. The magic system was so unique and the adventure was filled with historical and interesting characters and settings. The poignant love story across the ages was engaging. This is an excellent read and I highly recommend it. The narrator was great as well distinctly voicing all the characters. Read/listen to it like I did with no preconceived notions it's one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time.