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  • Of Blood and Fire

  • The Bound and the Broken, Book 1
  • By: Ryan Cahill
  • Narrated by: Derek Perkins
  • Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (62 ratings)

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Of Blood and Fire cover art

Of Blood and Fire

By: Ryan Cahill
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Summary

Born in fire. Tempered in blood.

Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.

In the remote villages of Southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving - a test of courage and skill that not all survive. But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.

There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold. He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will.

Includes bonus story The Fall.

©2021 Ryan Cahill (P)2021 Podium Audio

What listeners love about Of Blood and Fire

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Poor characterisation

I felt I had to add a review for this book, mainly as I got caught up in all the other wonderful reviews. I just don’t understand any of these reviews at all. Its like they read a completely different book. It’s poorly written and the characters are so bland that I didn’t care what happened to them at all. I’m a fan of long sagas and I don’t mind slow pacing. However, every character is bland, not one character has a distinctive voice. It’s very cliche, the same old tropes. In all honestly I can see where the influences have been taken from, the only problem is it’s been a hundred times and a lot lot better. The’s nothing “new” just a poor rehash.
I gave this book 8 hours in the vain hope I would start to enjoy it and care what happens. It’s a shame as I’m sure there’s a half decent story there, but no matter how good the narrator is (and Perkins is brilliant) there’s only so much he can do with it. The writings not great. That aside if you’re going to write a long slower paced book (with multiple books)there needs to be strong characterisation to keep it interesting. I really wouldn’t waste the credit.

3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A fantastic debut and fantastic performance

I loved this - it is warming and nostalgic, a reminder of all I love in the genre.

2 people found this helpful

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A must listen epic fantasy adventure

The story had me gripped from the first few chapters and transported into the world of Epheria. The adventure Cahill takes you on will have you both laughing and crying as you feel like your on the journey alongside Calen and his friends. Highly recommend for all fantasy lovers. Derek Perkins also does a great job as narrator for the book with his different character voices and tone. Can't wait for the second!

2 people found this helpful

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Old school fantasy at its best

This is a story reminiscent of Lord of the Rings which although borrowing from this epic it is done so with love and admiration. It does contain adult themes, violence etc but at its core is heart, family and adventure. I'm also told book 2 and book 3 are even better, so highly recommended

1 person found this helpful

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A fantastic fantasy debut with excellent narration

I'll have a full review up on goodreads and my instagram (dublin_book_review).

This is a brilliant debut from a fantastic Irish novelist. I read the fall novella prior to reading this. It's an excellent blend of classic and modern fantasy elements. With intricate and powerful magic, an excellent cast of characters of all fantasy races, and story that while builds slowly. Is captivating and interesting. I'd reccomend this book to anyone, the fall is a ripping roller-coaster 90 minute battle that grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. Can't wait to check out book 2 this November. I'm very interested to see where this story goes

1 person found this helpful

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WOW you have another fan

This book gets a hold on you and you will have trouble putting it down. When I started it I was thinking it would be like any other fantasy book, but from the moment the story starts you are in the middle of everything!
Very well written and I am looking forward to all the rest.
I loved the whole book. Please don't stop writing.

1 person found this helpful

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Narrator far to Whiney !

Love the story by Ryan . Narrator is great when reading the story , describing places etc. But the character voices are awful. All sound the same and so whiny , Rist , Dan and Calen all sound like a pack of teenage girls. And it’s not the writing. It’s the tone the narrator uses . I certainly will be buying the physical copy of the second book as it’s annoying me too much

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Bootleg version of the Inheritance Cycle

First things first. The positives. I like the narrator
The negatives, the story and character arch in the series is poor and predictable. If you have read the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini then this will leave you disappointed as it is a poor copy of the plot.

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  • BW
  • 03-07-23

A Fantastic first novel in an Epic fantasy trilogy

Firstly I'll say I gave 4/5 for Of Blood and Fire, and 5/5 for The Fall novella at the end.
A really fun first book in a series. Although this is a rather tropy story, that is a not a negative as it takes a quite well tread story and adds refreshing life to it. This reminded me of Malice, Eragon and Eye of The World however it took the basic building blocks set from fantasy past and laid a very interesting path for us to follow. I think one of the main reason this worked is due to Calen, Dan and Rist, our protagonist and his two best buds who made the story such a fun read. I also really enjoyed all the side characters and I look forward to seeing them fleshed out in later books.
I find the world really interesting, and Cahill's writing skill at capturing small town life at the start is fantastic. The magic is also very interested and I look forward to hearing more from it.
I think this is a series where book 2 will make it or break it for me, this is a lot of great set up so I now hope book 2 can take what weve learned and just hit it out of the park.
Im really excited for next month to read book 2, and I think I'll read the first novella in the series before then.

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Incredible

One of the best epic fantasy books I have ever read, absolutely stunning and compelling.

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  • Mike Thomas
  • 23-07-22

Didn’t expect a “grow up power fantasy”

Disappointed this turned out to be another almost-LitRPG (god, STOP WITH THAT). The reviews and hype were off the charts, and it was just…. Meh, YA cloaked in zomg grimdark. There’s one villain, a whole host of noble heroes and three (………….. wheel of time?) main lads who steal the narrative. It’s just the same recycled fantasy.

14 people found this helpful

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  • Michael Delaney
  • 14-11-21

A fantastic job meshing classic fantasy with a current and fresh twist

I read this book a few months ago when I ordered the signed hardback edition of Of Blood and Fire. It and the novella, The Fall, are easily my favorite reads of 2021 and in my top 5 all time. When the audio was released I made sure I had it so that I could listen to it.
Man did it deliver! Not only do you get Of Blood and Fire, but you get The Fall at the end!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND listening to this! The story is great with lots of action, the characters are great and the narrator is great!
This is everything you need in a book!

10 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Sally
  • 25-01-22

simplistic tired tropes

From the reviews I thought this would be more creative. I did make it through the first half but the insipid tired tropes made it painful to continue. The characters were predictable they needed more complexity to draw me in.

9 people found this helpful

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  • Derrick Smythe
  • 25-11-21

An Incredible Debut!

This has everything a fantasy listener craves. A solid magic system, excellent world-building, and great character development. Nothing about it felt rushed, which is a common critique I have of a lot of otherwise good fantasy. I appreciated, for instance, that a certain creature didn’t grow any quicker than it did just for the sake of allowing the Calen to escape escape danger more easily.

The classic tropes were all done really well. Elves, dragons, and dwarves all fit the typical fantasy archetype, yet Cahill made them all feel original. And those big trolloc-like creatures! Properly scary, and utilized with purpose to advance the story. Calen was a relatable character I could root for and sympathize with throughout. I also enjoy villain POVs, which Cahill nailed.

This is the sort of fantasy that keeps fantasy readers reading fantasy! Oh, and the narration was top notch! Derek Perkins is fantastic.

Glad I took a chance on Ryan Cahill.

6 people found this helpful

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  • spike99
  • 10-02-22

Fantastic fantasy debut!

What a great debut novel! It not only tosses the "chosen one" trope on its head, but it also has great action & great characters.

This book is about Calen, a young man who is still dealing with the grief of losing his beloved older brother. Make no mistake: there aren't any prophecies or omens that foretold what happens to Calen, his friends & family. He was just in the right place at the right time (or perhaps, it'd be better to say: wrong place, wrong time!).

This was a thoroughly enjoyable listen that possibly caused some sleep deprivation.
Also... I'd want my supervisor to know that reports which claim that listening to it in the car today made me late to work are **greatly** exaggerated. Do not believe those scurrilous lies!

Highly recommended!

5 people found this helpful

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  • HeyJack
  • 15-10-21

loved it!! a well written classic fantasy

I really enjoyed this book. it has a great story line, likeable characters, magic, and DRAGONS...I was interested from start to finish. Derek Perkins absolutely crushes the narration. the author has maps and a glossary set up on his website since audiobook listeners tend to miss out on those things. if you like classic fantasy, magic and dragons you will love this one. it also comes with a prequel novella at the end.

5 people found this helpful

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  • Dave Williams
  • 01-07-22

Terrible writing

Starts out okay. But as dialog and fights become more part of the story, the author's poor writing skills become apparent. He writes like a high school student. The series will never get any better.

4 people found this helpful

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  • Mr.Snuffy
  • 14-04-22

Terrible book

I wanted to like this book truly I did but what a terrible listen. Typical bad guys always strong and the good guys weak. Bad guys never tire but good guy exhausted fighting a rabit.. It's a horrible story. just don't do it.

4 people found this helpful

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  • Andy mcLain
  • 19-12-22

So happy I found this series

I read a hand full of reviews before purchasing this novel. A few had said “similar to eragon” or some such and I guess it is in the sense that there’s a young man who bonds with a dragon but that’s about where the similarities cease. This books contains a good bit of gore, and gets dark at times but not too much. It’s not just a blood and guts fantasy tale. The world building is top tier, the character development, the plot all of it does a great job at pulling the reader in and by the end it leaves frothing at the mouth for more.

3 people found this helpful

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  • wjh4256
  • 14-04-22

Excited for next book!!

I've already pre-ordered the next book. Am looking forward to continuing the adventure soon

3 people found this helpful

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