Hope Audible gets the rest of this series :)

Pros: great story, brilliantly written, lots of imagination, made me want to listen to the whole thing in one sitting, Patricia Briggs and Jim Butcher rec this one, I'd listen to it again and have requested the series which I'm told gets even better also, unusually for this kind of genre, there are several really well written female side characters. Cons I spent the first twenty minutes in complete frustration because the initial plot feels like a massive rip off of the Dresden Files (it soon moves away from that, keep listening as the seer aspect is really interesting) and that also led to the comparison of the narrator with James Masters and really the best you can hope for is a draw with that kind of competition. After I'd listened for a while I decided that I really liked Gilbert Jackson. I would happily buy books with Jackson as a narrator again but you need to listen to a sample for yourself as some people were very unhappy.

21 people found this helpful

Oh Dear GAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWDDDDDDDDD!

I'm not sure which was more boring... the story or the narrator. Poorly written, amateur performance at best, and so boring, I almost fell asleep at the gym whilst listening.

9 people found this helpful

A British version of Dresden

If you enjoy the Dresden files, you'll enjoy Alex Versus. An English mage who isn't quite in favour with either side and through Skill, luck and sheer determinedness gets things done. Wonderful additional to the moden magical genre. You can't help but like him.

8 people found this helpful

Better than I expected

very well written and well read. I was pleasantly surprised by how good a story it was after reading some of the reviews. while not being as London has the Rivers of London and as funny like the Iron Druid and Dresden Files. A very good book, will try the others in the series.

13 people found this helpful

Oh dear, another series I MUST follow

Where does Fated rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Interesting concepts, good story, engaging characters, top notch narration. The story flows well and draws you in to the world. Naturally there are some bumps in the road of the plot, but this is fantasy after all. This series promises to be a great respite from my real world that is really quite a long way from the London in the story. Just what is required when I can grab a few minutes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fated?

As a paid up arachnophobe I really felt quite drawn to this character, which was surprising. I will say no more.

What about Gildart Jackson’s performance did you like?

Good pace and characterisations. The female characters were identifiable as such but the voices were not a pastiche.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Just when you thought it was safe!

5 people found this helpful

Good Starter to the series

I have just finished listening to the PC Peter Grant series by Ben Aranovitch which I thought was great and was looking around for something new. This is quite different to what I would normally listen to but the characters grew on me quickly, the narration was excellent and I found myself really looking forward to finding out what happened next. Will definitely be buying the next in the series.

4 people found this helpful

Good story, weak writing and robotic narration.

Would you try another book written by Benedict Jacka or narrated by Gilbert Jackson?

Yes. The writing is a bit clumsy but the characterisation is wonderful and the world he's created is intriguing.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration of the main character was okay as Gilbert Jackson has a pleasant voice but it's a little robotic in places. He makes all the secondary characters incredibly robotic though and the women all sound like complete morons.

Do you think Fated needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes I'd love to see where the characters go and learn more about the world.

Any additional comments?

What's with all the Americanisms? It's written by a British author and set in London. It's full of words like gotten, sidewalk ect. Very jarring.

11 people found this helpful

Not for me

I gave this a try thinking it might be in the same mould as ben aaronovitch. There is no humour, story line is predictable, characters are rubbish and the fact it is set in Camden has no bearing on the story whatsoever.

20 people found this helpful

Huge Disappointment

I was recommended this as a fan of Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London books and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and I was in such hope of a new series. Such a disappointment. The plot is thin, the characters are two dimensional, the writing is really bad and the dialogue is just dire. To compare it to Aaronovitch is to insult Ben. It feels like a teenage girl writing in her bedroom and is on a level with Twilight and 50 Shades (badly written drivel by the barely literate). I got to the end somehow (it had to get better, surely?) but there were a lot of derisive snorts and phone thrown down in exasperation. If I could have slapped the drippy female character I would have done.
The narrator did his best but he was too old really which didn't help.
There are plenty of good reviews so it's obviously popular stuff but I wish I'd read a few of the bad ones and saved myself some time. I've given it back, which is the ultimate bad review after all.

28 people found this helpful

Good story, odd narrator

Would you listen to Fated again? Why?

I would listen to Fated again, the story is engrossing and flows quickly. The characters are well developed and the relationships realistic.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fated?

The trip to elsewhere. It was enlightening as to Verus's decision making and attitudes - and just a little creepy.

What three words best describe Gilbert Jackson’s performance?

Robotic, stilted and old (older than the character).

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

Not really.

Any additional comments?

Benedict Jacka's mage's London is dark and unnerving, Verus lives on the edge of 2 worlds and doesn't seem keen on being in either. There is none of the traditional good and bad; the individual dark and light mages appear to differ only in name of faction and the ability to co-operate with each other. Verus is neither cloyingly heroic or pathetically redemptive. Sadly the narrator is not James Marsters nor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith; while his narration is adequate he fails to make you believe it is the character speaking as Marsters and Holdbrook-Smith do. In short, if you enjoy The Dresden Files and/or the Pc Grant series, give this a try.

10 people found this helpful