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  • The Emperor's Blades

  • Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
  • By: Brian Staveley
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (489 ratings)

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The Emperor's Blades

By: Brian Staveley
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's Summary

Now includes special bonus content. Stay tuned after the audiobook to hear “The Last Abbot of Ashk’lan,” a short story by Brian Staveley.

The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late.

An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test.

At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing - and risk everything - to see that justice is meted out.

©2014 Brian Stavely (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about The Emperor's Blades

Average Customer Ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Slow to start, but then you can't put it down

Took me a few more chapters than I would normally like to get into it. Almost returned it in fact. But read reviews and decided to stick it out. Well worth it and couldn't stop listening in the end. Onto book 2 now.

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12 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Sam
  • 06-05-2016

fantastic

brilliant story real chataters. A book you can sink your teath in to. enjoyed every minute!! very good peformance by the reader !

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent tale, brilliantly narrated

I had not read any other works by Brian Staveley but I will now! really enjoyed the story, while long it was well paced and it provides a vivid world and deep characters. the narration was the stand out for me, Simon Vance's reading was brilliant, drawing me into the story.

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Great narration, obnoxiously male gaze-y.

I was surprised and rather disappointed to discover that this book came out in 2014. From the gratuitously-detailed descriptions of every single female character's bodies (not to mention how poorly-written said female characters are), I'd honestly assumed this came out in the 90s.

Literally every single female character in this story is written as being either hysterical, a bitch, or a whore (or any combination of those three traits), and having to listen through all the obnoxiously sexual descriptions and speculations (on the part of the male characters) of them very quickly got old.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great characters and story lines!

loved this fantastic exciting story - made so enjoyable by the narrator's story telling ability. every chapter leaves you wanting to know more about the characters! and go along their development journey. the Story line involving Valyn and the Kettral is the best. its been many years since ive really fallen in love with a fantasy series author - like Terry Brooks or Raymond E Fiest! Brian Staveley is definitely up there with them in terms of talent!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book.

Great epic fantasy with unique characters that are interesting read about. Not the standard fantasy tropes either, these characters and situations are well developed with a fast paced plot. I loved it.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An amazing listen

I originally bought this with my free book token that I got from joining audible and by about half way through I was committed to finishing the whole series. The characters are great and the plot is amazing I defiantly recommend this book and the rest of the series to anyone who is a fan of gritty fantasy novels.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Really wonderful series.

Best story I have read in a long time. So many wonderful characters to fall in love with.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

Great world building and pacing. Characters are deeply flawed in their own ways which is great.
Narration is good with great differentiation between the different character voices.
Finally, the story is great! Full of twists and intrigue!
I highly recommend this great book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating and brutally honest

This book was brilliantly narrated. The story and characters are believable, captivating in its brutality, human tolerance, loss and intrigue. Well worth the journey.

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1 person found this helpful

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