The Element of Fire cover art

The Element of Fire

Ile-Rien Series, Book 1

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The Element of Fire

By: Martha Wells
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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About this listen

The kingdom of Ile-Rien lies in peril, menaced by sorcerous threats and devious court intrigues. As the weak King Roland, flattered and misled by treacherous companions, rules the country, only his ruthless mother, the Dowager Queen Ravenna, guards the safety of the realm. But now rumors arise that Urbain Grandier, the dark master of scientific sorcery, has arrived to plot against the throne. And Kade, bastard sister of King Roland, appears unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade's true desires are cloaked in mystery. Is she in league with the wizard Grandier, or is she laying claim to the throne? It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen's Guard and Ravenna's former lover, to sort out who is friend and who is foe in a deadly game to keep the Dowager Queen and the kingdom she loves from harm. But is one man's steel enough to counter all the magic of fayre?

©1993 Martha Wells (P)2013 Tantor Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Royalty King

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Critic reviews

"Skillfully blending the fantastical and the mundane, Wells delights with deft and sympathetic characterization while demonstrating a fine touch for adventure." ( Publishers Weekly)
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God from start to finish we read and grate nuration and a lovely ending

Great story

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2 main characters that grew on you, was a bit dismayed at a certain predictable story line, but got over it.

interesting world

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I found the story a little hard to follow at first, but as it unfolded details didn’t really matter, everything made sense nonetheless.

Unexpectedly good.

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Beautiful just so good. What a hidden gem all cliches aside it’s so good so descriptive so immersive in this alternative universe so very good.

Beautiful just so good.

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I can't believe how much of a DNF streak I am on right now, but thankfully this in no way reflects on the author or anything problematic in the book. I picked this up after enjoying Between Worlds, Wells' short story collection that tie to this and another series, and feeling the need to check the novels out. I will absolutely still be checking out the other series for sure.

Unfortunately, despite being well-written and being set in an interesting world, I just found the narrative too dry and the characters too hard to latch on to for me personally. I haven't read a lot of political intrigue and needing to be emotionally hooked and/ or invested in characters or events are all subjective factors in my not getting along with this. Not to mention my severe ADHD and diminished capacity due to the state of my mental and chronic health at the moment.

While I can't necessarily recommend it, I also wouldn't put anyone off trying it out, especially with it being in the Audible Included library with a bunch of Wells' other books. As I said before, I thoroughly enjoyed Between Worlds and I has a lot of fun with my cyborg sinking in autism, Murder bot. This just wasn't my cup of tea.

Well Written, But Just Too Dry For Me

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Sorcery, Fae and court politics loved it.

Great narration again from Derek Perkins I hope he does more fantasy novels.

Fantastic Adventure

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It took some time to get into the story trying to work out who was who. overall it was good but I probably won't continue the trilogy.

the element of fire

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I didn’t love or hate this. Sorry to damn with feint praise but it it was fine.

Fine story telling

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Just very slow, caught somewhere
Between an historical novel and a fantasy novel, but never really satisfying either. A different narrator might help, one who can make distinctions between each person and who can inject more excitement than the current one.

Tedious

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Fast-paced action from the get-go, not a difficult plot but good.fun and a great narrator. Not a deep, complex book. This is one if you want pure escapism that won't tax the brain cells but won't bore you either. Derek Perkins is a fabulous narrator, reading intelligently, at a good pace and with a fine array of character voices. Really enjoyed this one.

Fantasy fun.

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