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    The Barrow
    The Barrow
    The Barrow
    Audiobook21 hours

    The Barrow

    Written by Mark Smylie

    Narrated by Michael Page

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When a small crew of scoundrels, would-be heroes, deviants, and ruffians discover a map that they believe will lead them to a fabled sword buried in the barrow of a long-dead wizard, they think they've struck it rich. But their hopes are dashed when the map turns out to be cursed and then is destroyed in a magical ritual. The loss of the map leaves them dreaming of what might have been, until they rediscover the map in a most unusual and unexpected place.

    Stjepan Black-Heart, suspected murderer and renegade royal cartographer; Erim, a young woman masquerading as a man; Gilgwyr, brothel owner extraordinaire; Leigh, an exiled magus under an ignominious cloud; Godewyn Red-Hand, mercenary and troublemaker; Arduin Orwain, scion of a noble family brought low by scandal; and Arduin's sister Annwyn, the beautiful cause of that scandal: together they form a cross-section of the Middle Kingdoms of the Known World, united by accident and dark design, on a quest that will either get them all in the history books or get them all killed.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 25, 2014
    ISBN9781494572754
    The Barrow

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    Reviews for The Barrow

    3/5

    47 ratings6 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Way to many pages of gross, cringy rape and other sexual degradations. The story might have been ok if the author didn't go on and on with the cringe. Nope.
    • 4/5
      This book is dirtier than a frat boys shower mat but still a SOLID fantasy!
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing!!! Can’t wait to see what happens next.
    • 2/5
      An unusual band of adventurers sets off to raid a wizard's barrow and retrieve a mythical sword. It's a nice, simple premise for a standalone fantasy novel. But The Barrow strives to be something more.Mark Smylie can write. At times, the story just chugs along and is a joy to read. At times...While there's a good solid story here, it is too often bogged down by paragraph after paragraph (or sometimes page after page) of needless world building. I appreciate the obvious thought put into the world, but those details would have been better explored in future books or appendices rather than dropped into the exposition. These details made the book unpleasant to read. I just don't care about the Earl of Whosis' brother who was descended from the Baron of Somewhere. The book felt something like the Peter Jackson Hobbit adaptation. A nice, simple adventure tale is bogged down by extraneous stuff that waters the whole down.Smylie has supposedly been working on a sequel/second book set in the same universe. When/if it comes along, I'd likely give him a second chance. But jeeze, I hope he cuts down on the extraneous stuff.*The Barrow is related to Smylie's comic series. However, the book is sold as a standalone and it did work as a standalone tale.
    • 4/5
      Well, it's definitely grimdark fantasy. The characters are interesting, and I'm glad that at least a few of them survived the relentless carnage. Bonus points for cross-dressing women and bisexual men, minus points for info-dumps and telling, not showing. At times I felt like I was reading a comic book, only instead of an illustration, someone just spent a page stating all the information about a city and its history. It's a well made world, but the details could have been worked into the narrative better. Other than that, it's a decent read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel should it ever appear.
    • 5/5
      Before we begin, I feel I should make it known that this book is not for the faint of heart. If you know you'll feel uncomfortable with things like brutal violence, ear-bendingly foul language, and extremely graphic sex, then you may wish to reconsider having a go at this. Especially when it comes to that last one. In general, I am not the kind to be bothered by lewd and explicit acts in books, and yet there were still certainly no shortages of eyebrow raises from me with this one! Anyway, it was enough that I feel I should say something. Fair warning!And now with that out of the way, let's get down to the reasons why this book totally rocks. If you're the kind of person who likes the combination of a good adventure story with the dark and gritty aspects of fantasy (of course, keeping in mind the caveats mentioned above) then you'll love The Barrow. Incidentally, that's exactly the kind of mix I enjoy, and the fact that it was even darker than I expected was a nice surprise, though I don't know if I would call it full-out grimdark. In an interview, Mark Smylie described the book as more of an "archetypal Dungeons & Dragons adventure as run through the filter of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" ... and well, yes, actually I suppose that would do nicely!Furthermore, the book also takes place in the world of Mark Smylie's Artesia graphic novels. I won't deny that an emotional attachment to the setting is a factor for me, but if you are not familiar with the comics, do not fret! this is a brand new self-contained story, no previous knowledge of the world or characters required -- which is actually great for me too, since I'd only read the first volume and it was quite a while ago. You can definitely still tell that writing a story within a setting that has been already established works well in the novel's favor, though; the world-building is phenomenally robust and very deep, with many layers to the descriptions of the people and places.As the reader, I felt like I was transported right there -- and that is both a wonderful and terrifying experience, considering the type of world we're thrown into, one filled with dark magics, shady politics, and disreputable characters. Scoundrels and perverts lurk at every corner, and if you're really unlucky, you might even run afoul of demonic horrors and evil gods. The main plot is actually quite simple, deceptively so perhaps; on a routine tomb robbing operation, Stjepan Black-Heart and his crew stumble upon an ancient map which details the final resting place of a long-dead wizard, who was said to have been buried with a priceless legendary sword.Here's where the adventure narrative comes in. To find the sword, our protagonists must first gather their allies and go forth to find this fabled Barrow. Of course, epic quests are never so easy or straightforward. But even when a curse placed on the map kills one of the essential members of the crew and ends up transcribing itself onto the skin of a young noblewoman, you think that would stop the Black-Heart? Nope, no way. Whether it's wealth, fame, freedom, or absolution, everyone on this journey has a reason to find this this Barrow, which makes this story a riveting one filled with secrets and unexpected twists.Among these colorful personalities, some of them are so disturbing it will make you ill, others are so crazy it will make you laugh; still, none of the characters are boring. Out of everyone, I think I like Erim the most. A young woman masquerading as a man, Erim is Stjepan's protege, and despite her skill with the blade, in many ways she is as sheltered as her mentor is well-traveled. It's ironic that she doesn't find herself to be very interesting, because she was my favorite with her quiet introspection and fierce loyalty. That pretty much also makes her the most honorable of the lot; we're talking about some rather grim and nasty characters here, after all.This is a book that pulls you immediately, starting with an explosive intro that sets the tone and mood of the story quite nicely. It's also quite possibly one of the most heart-pounding prologues that has ever graced the pages of a fantasy novel. My head is still reeling from the events at the end of that chapter. However, the pacing of the novel is a bit uneven, which is probably the only quibble I have about this book. After the introduction comes a middle that slows down considerably as the characters travel towards their destination. There are frequent stops along the way, but the good news is that something interesting happens at every one. These encounters often added to the depth of lore and setting, and gave me even more of the sense of the world's vastness. But while it probably took me several days to read the first three-quarters of this book, I think I devoured the last 150 or so pages in one exhilaratingly intense sitting. Everything that happens after they find the Barrow is pure insanity. It's a climax and conclusion that's more than just an ending, because more importantly it reveals how all the themes and undercurrents of the novel come together. Also, I just love twists and surprises. It speaks much about Mark Smylie's skills as a storyteller. He marks his transition to full-length novels with this incredible debut, and I'm glad to hear we will be seeing more from him following The Barrow.