The Barrow

by Mark Smylie Narrated by Michael Page

Overview

When a small crew of scoundrels, would-be heroes, deviants, and ruffians discover a map that they believe will lead them to a fabled sword buried in the barrow of a long-dead wizard, they think they've struck it rich. But their hopes are dashed when the map turns out to be cursed and then is destroyed in a magical ritual. The loss of the map leaves them dreaming of what might have been, until they rediscover the map in a most unusual and unexpected place.



Stjepan Black-Heart, suspected murderer and renegade royal cartographer; Erim, a young woman masquerading as a man; Gilgwyr, brothel owner extraordinaire; Leigh, an exiled magus under an ignominious cloud; Godewyn Red-Hand, mercenary and troublemaker; Arduin Orwain, scion of a noble family brought low by scandal; and Arduin's sister Annwyn, the beautiful cause of that scandal: together they form a cross-section of the Middle Kingdoms of the Known World, united by accident and dark design, on a quest that will either get them all in the history books or get them all killed.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/23/2013
Thieves with high connections conspire to find a lost treasure in a grim quest fantasy that gradually heats to a satisfying boil. Stjepan, called Black-Heart, joins two old friends from his college days, brothel owner Gilgwyr and crazed magician Leigh, on a trip to find the legendary sword Gladringer. They bring along new companion Erim, who wears male garb to survive in a world where men treat women as inferiors, and two disgraced nobles hoping to redeem their house's reputation. After a very slow start, the story hits its stride once the adventurers begin the trip to near-certain doom at the titular barrow. Plot twists and character work are the highlights, with Smylie doing a great job of developing individual personalities within the large cast. The novel shares a setting with Smylie's Artesia graphic novels, but it's entirely accessible to new readers. Despite the book's pacing flaws and a preponderance of casual violence and sexism, fans of quest-centered stories will find this well worth their time. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

"Genuinely inspired, shockingly erotic, and completely fantastic." ---John R. Fultz, author of Seven Sorcerers

Library Journal - Audio

09/15/2014
Royal cartographer and amateur wizard Stjepan Black-Heart leads a team of treasure hunters to unearth a legendary artifact lost centuries ago in a wizard's tomb. Black-Heart's team includes a brothel owner, a gang of mercenaries, a young woman in male disguise, a mad sorcerer, a knight fallen on hard times, and his sister, who brought ruin to their family—and none of them can trust any of the others. The antiheroes pursue their own agendas as they fight their way through political schemes and cults of nameless horror to attain a prize that isn't what it seems. Smylie's debut novel features a complicated plot with plenty of treacherous betrayals, bizarre magic, explicit sex, and graphic violence. It's not for young readers and is rarely slow, especially as the crew near the end of their journey. Narrator Michael Page is well suited for the large cast of characters, giving each cunning, profane, dignified, or grim player an individual vocal style. VERDICT Recommended for fantasy readers who enjoy a world with a complex history reminiscent of Steven Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen" books, featuring a cast of scoundrels that fans of Robert Asprin's "Thieves' World" and of Joe Abercrombie's books might recognize. ["This bloody, oversexed, and sexist book is obviously trying for the tone and darkness of George R.R. Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire' series but falls short," argues the review of the Pyr: Prometheus hc, LJ Xpress Reviews 1/24/14.]—Jason Puckett, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170921287
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/25/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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