
The Last Ranger
Ranger of the Titan Wilds, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Imogen Church
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By:
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J.D.L. Rosell
About this listen
Betrayed. Hunted. Left for dead. But not even death itself can keep the last ranger from vengeance.
Leiyn “Firebrand” is no stranger to a fight. A brash ranger of the Titan Wilds, she takes up her bow to ward against the colossal spirit creatures known as titans, ever a threat to the colonies she has sworn to protect.
But no amount of skill can guard against treachery.
When tragedy strikes the rangers’ lodge, Leiyn vows to avenge the fallen. But if she is to succeed, she must embrace a power within her she has long denied.
Power to move mountains and rivers.
Power over life and death.
She did not choose this path, but Leiyn knows her duty. For if she fails, the legacy of the rangers dies with her—and all the Titan Wilds will fall into shadow.
The Last Ranger is an epic fantasy tale full of friendship, magic, resilience, vengeance, and wonder. If you enjoy archery, fantasy rangers, and small party adventures, then start this new journey with the first book in the Ranger of the Titan Wilds series.
©2022 J.D.L. Rosell (P)2022 Podium AudioAn epic story
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There are a few areas where the author's lack of experience of the things about which he is writing show through, but none of it is excessive. Some of the weapons stuff and quite a lot about horses (the way they ride straight off at a gallop and the constant references to the noises they make (horses in real life are not very vocal - Hollywood sound editors are obsessed with editing in whinnying, neighing and snorting anytime a horse is on screen for three milliseconds but actually they can go for hours without making a sound. Plus, no one who works with horses day in day out would refer to the smell of stables as "stink".)
With regard to the narration, I'll start by saying that Imogen Church is a good narrator and she reads very well. However, I find her style a little too comical for the genre, Some of the voices are just that bit too exaggerated, too "am dram", for a serious genre (yes, I know there are quite a lot of good humorous quips, but they don't need to be said in humorous voices). If it were a rom com, then it would be fine. In fantasy, for me, less so. Silly voices for characters are a bit like silly names for characters - they only belong where they belong.
In particular, the voice she has chosen for Isla, the protagonist's main side-kick, just really doesn't work for me. She sounded more like a chirpy hairdresser than a seasoned Ranger, touted as likely to be next leader of the Lodge.
(Plus, her decision to pronounce the name "Isla" as "Ease-la", rather than the traditional Scottish "Eye-la", made my teeth itch the whole way through the novel.)
But, the main reason for the loss of a star for performance is that she commits what, for me, is the ultimate narrator's sin: she whispers.
I am hard of hearing, so volume control is critical for my enjoyment of an audiobook. Imogen Church not only whispers when she thinks that the narrative calls for it, but she also has some characters that she sets with a permanently low voice.
The result of this is that I was constantly having to stop the story, rewind, adjust the volume and then do the same thing back again when I'm suddenly deafened by the return to normal volume or, even worse, emphasis.
It drives me mad when I am constantly having to fiddle with the volume and quite often caused me to shout "Stop ******* whispering!!!" at the speakers. It doesn't matter how good you may be at reading or doing voices, you're no use to me as a narrator if I can't hear you.
I initially deducted two stars for narration, one for the inappropriate voices and one for the whispering, but that really wouldn't have been fair. Imogen Church really does read well - it just didn't work for me.
I have bought volume 2 - so that always says something.
A good listen - worth a credit
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gripping
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