Blackguards
Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues
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Blackguards
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About this listen
Rogues. Assassins. Mercenaries.
Whether by coin or by blood...you will pay.
A fantasy anthology featuring the deadly, the worldly, and the sneaky. Blackguards consists mainly of stories in established series, and the authors range from wildly successful indie authors to New York Times best sellers. If you enjoy roguish tales of scoundrels and ne'er-do-wells, this one's for you.
Contents:
- Foreword by Glen Cook (Black Company)
- Richard Lee Byers, "Troll Trouble"
- David Dalglish, "Take You Home"
- James Enge, "Thieves at the Gate"
- John Gwynne, "Better to Live than to Die"
- Lian Hearn, "His Kikuta Hands"
- Snorri Kristjansson, "A Kingdom and a Horse"
- Joseph Lallo, "Seeking the Shadow"
- Mark Lawrence, "The Secret"
- Tim Marquitz, "A Taste of Agony"
- Peter Orullian, "A Length of Cherrywood"
- Cat Rambo, "The Subtler Art"
- Laura Resnick, "Friendship"
- Mark Smylie, "Manhunt"
- Kenny Soward, "Jancy's Justice"
- Shawn Speakman, "The White Rose Thief"
- Jon Sprunk, "Sun and Steel"
- Anton Strout, "Scream"
- Django Wexler, "The First Kill"
- Paul S. Kemp, "A Better Man"
- James A. Moore, "What Gods Demand"
- Jean Rabe, "Mainon"
- Bradley P. Beaulieu, "Irindai"
- S. R. Cambridge, "The Magus and the Betyar"
- Clay Sanger, "The Long Kiss"
Please note: "The Lord Collector" by Anthony Ryan, which appears in the print edition of Blackguards, is not included in this audio edition.
Full cast of narrators includes: Richard Poe, Gabra Zackman, Karyn O'Bryant, Macleod Andrews, Ray Porter, Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Keating, Kevin T. Collins, David DeVries, Elijah Alexander, Allyson Johnson, Oliver Wyman, and Victor Bevine.
©2015 Bradley P. Beaulieu; Carol Berg; Richard Lee Byers; S.R. Cambridge; David Dalglish; James Enge; John Gwynne; Lian Hearn; Paul S. Kemp; Snorri Kristjansson; Joseph R. Lallo; Mark Lawrence; Tim Marquitz; James A. Moore; Peter Orullian; Jean Rabe; Cat Rambo; Laura Resnick; Clay Sanger; Mark Smylie; Kenny Soward; Shawn Speakman; Jon Sprunk; Anton Strout; Michael J. Sullivan; Django Wexler (P)2015 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Since time immemorial the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace. Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy's shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels.
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The Silent Blade
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The Downs, the poor district of the city of Avarest, is home to cutthroats and thieves, pickpockets and prostitutes, all of whom pay tribute to one of two powerful crime bosses. It is also home to Aaron Envelar, a disillusioned sellsword known as the Silent Blade, who cares nothing for the criminal overlords or their schemes, who only wants to survive and make a little coin. But when a group of thugs steal his mother’s necklace, the only link he has to his murdered parents, Aaron decides that sometimes gold isn’t enough - sometimes, blood is the only payment worth taking.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,046
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,568
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Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, building on the ruins left by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the truth of things, a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennium - elves are superior. They are faster, stronger, and connected to the magical realm in a way that man could never grasp. Illian should belong to them.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Worth it
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Shackled
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,471
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,310
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,303
Ferrin is no ordinary blacksmith. He is born with magic in a world where it’s not only feared, but outlawed. Struggling to keep food on the table, Ferrin decides to use his gift to aid in his work. That decision brings the Black Watch to his doorstep. Caged alongside a helpless band of half-starved wielders, Ferrin formulates a strategy to escape. Armed with nothing more than his sarcastic wit and a determination to never give in, he attempts the impossible.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Left me wanting more.
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The First Blade of Ostia
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Bryn’s earliest memory is of watching duels in the arena. His earliest dream is of taking his place there. Amero dal Moreno has no dreams. His life has been about fulfilling the expectations of others. In search of a path of his own, the dreams of others are too tempting to resist. After years of sacrifice and hard work, Bryn Pendollo is finally a professional duellist. Becoming the First Blade of Ostia no longer seems the childish fantasy it once did. To find the man standing in his way is also his best friend will test him in ways he would never have believed.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it
- By Andrew Stone on 10-24-19
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Kill the Queen
- Crown of Shards Series, Book 1
- By: Jennifer Estep
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,817
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,664
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,663
In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten. But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family.
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3 out of 5 stars
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🙄🙄🙄
- By LexiLikesLiterature on 12-06-18
By: Jennifer Estep
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The Forgetting Moon
- By: Brian Lee Durfee
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 30 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,219
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,117
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,119
Welcome to the Five Isles, where war has come in the name of the invading army of Sor Sevier, a merciless host driven by the prophetic fervor of the Angel Prince, Aeros, toward the last unconquered kingdom of Gul Kana. Yet Gault, one of the elite Knights Archaic of Sor Sevier, is growing disillusioned by the crusade he is at the vanguard of just as it embarks on his Lord Aeros' greatest triumph. While the eldest son of the fallen king of Gul Kana now reigns in ever increasing paranoid isolationism, his two sisters seek their own paths.
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4 out of 5 stars
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alright-ish
- By Matthew on 05-10-19
By: Brian Lee Durfee
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Blackguards
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John Schutte
- 08-08-17
Adequate for casual filler between books or series
Some good, some not so much, some quite good, none excellent. Most too short and devoid of sufficient context detail. Look to Aurthur Conan Doyle and the like for truly good shorts. Ok while looking for the next good read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 03-10-21
a bunch of teases
a series of a bunch of short stories that really get you wanting to know more and not giving you enough information to find more
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- M. Kirk DeBaets
- 02-13-17
Some awesome, some meh.
It's an anthology, and ultimately the editor makes the call for what goes in and what stays in the cutting floor. Best just to say the editor and I were not in perfect agreement.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mohammed valji
- 09-26-16
mixed bag
Definitely worth a credit. give me a lot of good ideas on future series of books to pay attention to.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S Jones
- 04-15-20
fun listen
Mostly I loved it, there were a couple I had trouble finishing but this is a really mixed bag of short stories with the time.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michael n Brouillard
- 07-24-23
Some great, some good
I liked this anthology and highly recommend. Not every story is enrapturing but that’s what helps give one the feel for which authors you like, and which you don’t.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Robert
- 04-15-16
Some worthy tales in the mix, but not many.
All the stories in this collection are set in a historical fantasy realm. It is advertised as being about villains. In the best cases, this means that the story is set in some old-style place where magic may or may not exist and there is a person of questionable morals that is trying to do the right thing or maybe just survive. In the boring cases, this means some poor attempt at a GoT imitation or some cliche about the tough lady playing a damsel in distress. In the terrible cases, this means some story contrived to describe throat slashing in detail with some child molestation thrown in.
Overall, I would have trouble recommending the entire set though there are a few good stories thrown in the mix.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- scott Winegar
- 08-24-17
fun to pick through for good and bad
fun to pick through searching between good and bad story telling. good and smart writers all, but some awkward story telling at times.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julescrown
- 10-04-17
good collection with great stories :)
highly recommended this set of stories. great imagery and well crafted stories. this is an eclectic mix.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- 🔥 Phx17 🔥
- 04-17-22
Looking to sink your teeth in a new series?
Twenty five novellas between 15 and 90 minutes, over half of which connect to series. I found a few series to wishlist and also enjoyed some of the self-contained stories. The content runs the gamut from YA to grimdark, is mostly medieval and some urban fantasy, has the violence and betrayal you’d expect from a series titled Blackguards, and has only an occasional F 💣 and indirectly referenced sex.
Happily, the table of contents labels each novella and, contrary to the summary, even The Collector is included in this, as of 2022. Many of these titles can be bought individually, but if there are 5 of the 25 titles that appeal, you are better off spending the credit on this. I found several 4-5 star listens (🔥) and only a few that didn’t work at all for me (👎🏼).
Random, hopefully helpful thoughts, in book order:
🔥1. Mainon by Jean Rabe- assassin hired to foil an assassin, YA
🔥2. Irendai by Bradley Beaulieu- lyrical mind-trip with Egypt-like trickster gods and pit fights
-series: Song of the Shattered Sands
🔥3. The Subtler Art by Cat Rambo- Mage or assassin- who’s the better artist? short story
4. Jancy’s Justice by Kenny Soward- side character gets her own interlude story
-series: Gnome Saga (not available on Audible)
🔥5. Troll Trouble by Richard Lee Byers- freelance caper helping a troll with an incubus issue
-series: Forgotten Realms
🔥6. A Better Me by Paul Kemp - advertised as Conan meets Indiana Jones and I approve!
-series: Egil and Nix
👎🏼7. The First Kill by Django Wexler- apparently, there’s occult magic but I only heard a spy caper
minus the background story.
-series: Shadow Campaign… I’ll pass, as this promises blah blah military tactics,
but I did enjoy the YA Wells of Sorcery trilogy by this author.
8. Man Hunt by Mark Smylie- tricorn hats and no before/after, just the hunt
9. Better to Live Than to Die by John Gwynne- feels grimdark without the bloody fun bite of First Law
-series: Faithful and the Fallen
10. The Secret by Mark Lawrence- features the ruminations of a killer
-series: trilogies run long and MC is a sociopath
🔥11. Friendship by Laura Resnick- “a man’s friends are always more dangerous than his enemies”
🔥12. The Long Kiss by Clay Sanger- ridden hard and put away bloody… for those on Team Arya of GoT
🔥13. The White Rose Thief by Shawn Speakman- YA fantasy prologue with gargoyles, witches, fairies
14. A length of Cherrywood by Peter Orullain- vicious, trigger warnings for deviant abuse, GoT level
15. A Taste of Agony by Tim Marquitz- Eunuch assassin and ditto on above trigger warnings
👎🏼16. What the Gods Demand by James A Moore-dark and dreary
-series: Seven Forges
🔥17. Take You Home by David Dalglish- YA -assassin turned Robin Hood. Cheesy, but strangely captivating
-series: Shadowdance
18. Seeking the Shadow by Joseph Lallo- weapons maker seeks new master
-series: Book of Deacon
19. Sun and Steel by Jim Sprunk- oh, the dark chains that bind
🔥20. The Betya and The Magus by S.R. Cambridge- the not-so-meet-cute for two partners in crime
-series: why is there no series in Audible?!
21. A Kingdom and a Horse by Snorri Kirstjansson- short, but hey, Ray Porter!
👎🏼22. Thieves and the Gate by Jane Enge- Oyssseus as a pirate (and not the good kind)
23. His Kikuta Hands by Liam Hearn- looks at two folks on the enemy side- a Japan-tinged feudal fantasy. This takes place during the third book and I’m not sure if it plays well without having heard the series
-series: Tales of the Otori (it’s good if you like samurai style stories on the still waters run deep end)
24. The Lord Collector by Anthony Ryan- no honor among thieves… or family
series: Raven’s Shadow
🔥25. Scream by Anton Stout- Rogue with a talent made for crime- noir feeling urban fantasy involving an art heist.
series: Simon Canderous
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