The Sword and the Dragon, Revised: The Wardstone Trilogy, Book 1
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The Sword and the Dragon, Revised: The Wardstone Trilogy, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

M. R. Mathias (Author), Chris Dorman (Narrator), Michael Robb Mathias Jr. (Publisher)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,431 ratings
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When the Royal Wizard of Westland poisons the king so that his puppet prince can take the throne and start a continental war, a young squire is forced to run for his life carrying the powerful sword that his dying monarch burdened him with from the death bed.

Two brothers find a magic ring and start on paths to becoming the most powerful sort of enemies, while an evil young sorceress unwillingly falls in love with one of them when he agrees to help her steal a dragon's egg for her father. Her father just happens to be the Royal Wizard, and despite his daughter's feelings, he would love nothing more than to sacrifice the boy!

All of these characters, along with the Wolf King of Wildermont, the Lion Lord of Westland, and a magical hawk named Talon, are on a collision course toward Willa the Witch Queen's palace in the distant kingdom of Highwander. There the very bedrock is formed of the powerful magical substance called Wardstone.

Who are the heroes? And will they get there before the Royal Wizard and his evil hordes do?

Whatever happens, the journey will be spectacular, and the confrontation will be cataclysmic.

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  1. Listening Length
    24 hours and 9 minutes
  2. Author
    M. R. Mathias
  3. Narrator
    Chris Dorman
  4. Audible release date
    December 10, 2012
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Michael Robb Mathias Jr.
  7. ASIN
    B00ALPXRUO
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 24 hours and 9 minutes
Author M. R. Mathias
Narrator Chris Dorman
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 10, 2012
Publisher Michael Robb Mathias Jr.
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00ALPXRUO
Best Sellers Rank #280,203 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,636 in Fairy Tale Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)
#8,381 in Epic Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)
#13,201 in Folklore (Books)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,431 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Owen Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars You should be "Dragon" your mouse to the buy button already! @badwordplay
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2014
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Anyone that reads good fantasy fiction knows that you can’t become a prolific fantasy writer while using your entire name. JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, George RR Martin, CS Lewis, IP Frehley, the list goes on and on. And after reading this, I personally would put MR Mathias on my list of my favorite “Abbrevi-Authors” (trademark pending).

Trying to sum up this book so it encapsulates everything included in the story is like saying “Hey, what’s the Lord Of The Rings about?” I wouldn't even know where to begin with that on either. It is an epic fantasy story, with dragons, political intrigue, evil wizards, dragons, magic rings and swords, Wolf Kings Lion Lords and Witch Queens, and DRAGONS. There is even a dragon or two! The very well-paced storytelling and character moments are interspersed with epic battles on both small and large scales, creating a very enjoyable read.

You know, I thought it was strange when I read that this was “written in longhand in a Texas prison cell by M. R. Mathias”, and I automatically got all of the preconceptions in my head, about how this book would be. I guess you shouldn't judge a book by it’s… author’s… past circumstances in their lives? Doesn’t really roll of the tongue, but my point is, I automatically had a bias, and I shouldn't have. I’m very glad that that bias did not keep me from reading this book altogether, because I ended up really enjoying this book. The length of this book may scare some people off (600 pages is no joke), but if you stick with it, I think you will really enjoy it.
3 people found this helpful
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Charles
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Epic Fantasy that evolves as you read
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2012
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I would like to start by saying that while I thought overall that the book was great, there were was one thing that I thought warranted a less than 5 star review. I would like to give it four and a half stars, but unfortunately Amazon does not have a half star option.
Pros:
Very interesting fantasy tale with a completely original history, characters, world, and magic system. The history is picked up much like most fantasy novels that take place in a different world/universe. You learn about it as the story progresses and it has impacts on the world and characters. This is typical to the genre and Mathias's is very interesting. The characters are unique and varied. Everyone has traits that they share with someone else personality wise, but the characters are distinctly themselves. They have some commonalities among them, but each one stands out and is interesting enough to warrant a full book of their own for each. The world is large and the history that you pick up as you read gives it a real feel. Meaning you really feel as though the world could exist and that makes the book that much more fun to read. The magic system, while not clearly defined and explained follows closely enough to magic often used in other books that you don't roll your eyes and say "oh ya, how convenient that they can use magic to get themselves out of the situation". Often in fantasy novels an author will write themselves into a hole and have no real explainable way out of the situation so they go oh ya MAGIC DUH! That will get them out of the problem! Mathias does not do this as the magic in the book seems to follow a specific set of rules as apposed to a convenient problem solver.

Cons:
The only cons I found while reading this book were very small issues that in most cases probably wouldn't bother readers. The first problem I had was with character development. I previously stated that each character was original and distinct and eventually, they do reach that state. In fact it doesn't really take all that long, however when I began reading the story I got the distinct impression from the first handful of chapters, that Mathias really didn't know either how to introduce the main character of Hyden Skyler, or he was not sure at the time where he wanted to go with the character. He seemed to overly nice, wholesome, and brotherly. I have a brother, hes 27 and I'm 26 and there are still times I'm worried he want's to kick my ass so the brotherly bond created in the beginning seems fake and overly emphasized. Soon after when he and his brother split up and take different paths the characters begin to develop more and become more realistic, easy to identify with, and fun to read about. The second problem I had was since I ordered my book off of amazon for my kindle there was no world map. This is a small problem but as descriptions of lands and invading armies are detailed it becomes a little overwhelming.

Conclusion:
I really did enjoy the book and after reading it, and with the knowledge that M.R. Mathias is self published and is lacking an editor in mind, I can definitely say that he has made it into my inner circle of favorite authors. I will be buying the second and third in this trilogy as well as other books he writes as I can honestly say that now I am a fan! Keep on writing Mr. Mathias your gift is definitely worth sharing with the world!
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Zachary Mayes
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Read, Couldnt look away
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2013
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I hesitated when I first found The Sword and the Dragon, because I was afraid it would just be another Tolkien knock off. The comparisons are easy to make, Tolkien was one of the first and most horse and sword fantasies share characteristics with his works. The comparisons with Mathias book are easy to make, there are rings of power, an epic quest, and the names are all hard to pronounce. However, while it would be easy to dismiss The Sword and the Dragon, you will regret doing so. This book quickly moves beyond the stereotypes and becomes wonderful in its own right.
The reason I first gave this book a chance is the circumstances behind its writing. Mathias first wrote this book while he was serving time behind bars, reportedly so he wouldn’t go insane. While such unusual circumstances don’t guarantee a great book, it was enough to pique my interest, and happily, the book is great.
The Sword and the Dragon is the first book in the epic Wardstone Trilogy utilizes all of the usual tropes in new and engaging ways. While judging the book by its cover would suggest a traditional novel, this book breaks the mold. The follows two main storylines, that of two brothers and the other of a squire. The squire is on a quest to fulfil the last request of his dying liege while the brothers are on their own adventure involving powerful magic’s. While having two strong and well hashed storylines can be a problem for some authors, Mathias handles them with an expertise unexpected for a new author and manages to intertwine each plot, in a manner which is easy to follow, yet still highly engaging and intriguing.
My favourite part about this book is how well written every character is. It feels like for Mathias there was no such thing as an unimportant side character. Every character is wonderfully written and, for me at least, serves to make the book even more fascinating.
Over all, I am giving this book five stars. While there are a few very minor editing problems, which are to be expected in an independently published book, this wonderfully written novel more than makes up for them.
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Top reviews from other countries

Denise Lucas
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fantasy!
Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2017
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The Sword and the Dragon: 2016 Modernized Format Edition written by M. R. Mathias is a wonderful and well written fantasy novel. With witches, wizards, dragons, and heroes that capture the reader’s heart, I could not have enjoyed this book any more than I did! I couldn’t put this book down and absolutely loved the characters and the multiple story lines that eventually kind of come together. The author has a talent for writing and it shows through the description, character development as well as the feelings the reader feels throughout the book. The story line was something a little different than your typical good vs evil and different than your typical fantasy adventure story. This novel is the first in the series and I look forward to reading the next in line. I enjoyed the range of characters and found that the author did a wonderful job at ensuring the reader would be able to keep up with each character and follow each story line without getting lost. I highly recommend this to all who enjoy fantasy works.
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DJW13
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating fantasy story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2015
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I have not read many books of this genre, so am not able to compare the story with offerings by other authors. For me this was a captivating story with magic, dragons, demons, elves, wizards, humans - good and bad. I was pleased that although this is the first of a trilogy I felt that the book stood on its own. Yes, there were still tasks left to be done but these could easily be left to another time.

I appreciate that the author wanted to demonstrate how awful the bad wizard was, but I was not sure how the thousands of soldiers and people would be replaced. The ending was a little rushed but many books I have read recently have been a lot worse. The timescale seemed a bit forced, but this is the modern trend - just think of the James Bond films where he has 60 seconds to prevent a catastrophe and the action on the screen seems to go on for five minutes.
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Une honnête critique
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it ! I have to read the second volume !
Reviewed in France on November 12, 2014
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I have read a lot of fantasy and SF books. And I have to say, lot of books are all the same outline, the same plot, the same protagonists/antagonists.

I was reading less and less fantasy books, why do I read books that I already know?
I give a try with this book and what a surprise!!!

Finally, this is book with a new great outline and new great characters. I didn’t read it, I devoured it, in less than 3 days!
Once I started to read it, all that’s in my mind was to know what happens at the end!

I’ll start the second book now!
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Kaye Dennan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good fantasy for those who like....
Reviewed in Australia on November 23, 2013
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As Mathias can do, he entertains you with his sense of humor and in doing so engages you in the story. His characters are always detailed so that you know just what they are like, how they act and what you can expect of them. In saying that, they are not predictable in any way.

A true fantasy novel. Like many fantasy novels you do at times have to be vigilant and keep on reading. I find this the same in any book where there is lots of detail, with the books written by Mathias or any other author.

Although at times the script seems to read like that of humans, there are numerous characters from elves, dragons, wolves, giants, humans and other types that will tweak your interest. You may at times get a little lost following their talk.

Given the fact that this book was originally written by hand I can sympathize if it does not always read smoothly. That aside, I really enjoyed the read.
2 people found this helpful
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MJR-73
4.0 out of 5 stars Stick with it, it comes good in the end - an excellent start to a great tale.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2013
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I'll admit I nearly gave up with this book but I'm glad I persevered with it. The problem I had was that the story is made from many different points of view and I simply wasn't used to switching so frequently between those points of view as the story built itself up - which seemed to take a long time. I think also, because of the rapid switching between characters, it also took a long time to build up any empathy with the characters - I think that was a deliberate ploy by the author as I'm sure I'm not alone in having to change my allegiance in book two :-).

The story is well written, there's enough description for you to imagine the death and destruction going on without being too graphic. This book though is essentially building the characters and setting the paths in motion for what unfolds in book two.

A recommended read and an excellent start to an 'epic' fantasy story.
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