Fun and strange mashup of scifi and fantasy

What made the experience of listening to Forgotten Ages the most enjoyable?

The story is fun. A mix between fantasy, scifi, and steampunk, it is an enjoyable ride that keeps one invested in the likable and down-to-earth main characters. Descriptions of different countries and peoples are well developed and vivid, you can really picture this world.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't really have a favorite character, they were all well-developed and sketched. You really did get a feel for each person in the book. Rias and Tikaya were a great couple. There was no use of miscommunication drama and not knowing if they liked each other. There was a base of mutual respect and admiration between the two that was refreshing and realistic.

Which scene was your favorite?

This collection had two books and a novella, so there were a lot of scenes. I can't think of a favorite but they were all well described. I could see the snowy north and deserted town in book 1, and the tropical island in book two. You really felt enveloped in these worlds.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a couple of times but no extreme reactions. It was a great fun and breezy listen, made the commute enjoyable and kept my mind occupied with a fun world filled with many details and peoples. It was definitely an escape from the everyday and I would listen to it again.

24 people found this helpful

Some breaks in logic, but an enjoyable listen

Any additional comments?

First, the bad, there are some breaks in logic. They are not glaring, but they do sadly go down the path of....well, she is just an emotional women, it can be excused....so, I felt it necessary to comment on that. It doesn't take away from the story(s), but they do drop the intelligence level. Also, the main topics of each book vary widely. So, if you are anticipating a connected story from beginning to end...well, all you really get are the same characters. The characters are slightly 1 dimensional, but nothing too horrible. For these points, I subtracted stars.

Now, the good, its an enjoyable listen. The story flows, its interesting, and topics are generally cool to think about.

Conclusion, its worth a credit, but don't expect something brilliant.

20 people found this helpful

A pleasure to finally listen to

I have owned all three of stories in this set since they were originally released and have loved them. I have read them multiple times and was thrilled to find out that Tavia Gilbert would narrate the stories.

My only complaint and this might have been an issue with my download, I'm not sure but I swear the recording was spend up. Tavia sounded like she was speed reading through the text which was very off putting considering I've enjoyed Tavia on other series in the past. I slowed the play back to .75 and it sounded great then.

I am eager to find out if Tavia will be doing the other books in this world by Buroker - I would really enjoy hearing others.

18 people found this helpful

Book 1 Fantastic, Book 2 Not so Much

Any additional comments?

Book 1:

A wonderful adventure/romance set in a colorful world. Main character Tikaya is a prisoner for the entire book, but she is neither helpless nor overconfident/overpowered. I found her very believable. Rias is a little too perfect, and I wish that I understood him a bit better. Their relationship was touching.

The technology in this story is totally random and doesn't make much sense, but I don't care. The cultures are fascinating and not at all superficial copies of real world cultures. I wish I knew more about them Books rarely do this well, and it's an aspect of both sci-fi and fantasy I love dearly.

All and all a great book.

Novella:

Didn't do anything for me. It wasn't bad, but it seemed like a part of a much longer story that never gets told. The ending is resolute but not satisfying. I read that this is a sort of prequel to another series, so maybe it gets covered elsewhere.

Book 2:

Upsetting. In this book, Tikaya takes Rias back to her peaceful island nation to meet her family. The police immediately put a shock collar on him and proceed to torture him as he walks around her house chatting with her family. It is such a jarring combination of subtle character moments randomly interrupted by *torture* *torture* *torture.* Tikaya just keeps on chatting about her childhood memories. I would be curled in a corner crying hysterically if my boyfriend was being tortured on my kitchen floor. Tikaya is both useless and helpless here.

There are also some really poorly written caricatures in this book. Everyone on the island hates and fears Rias, and yet Tikaya's one note "slutty" cousin walks up and puts her hand down his pants. Apparently she sleeps with 3-4 farm workers every night? Buroker should be ashamed of writing this kind of one dimensional, nonsensical character into the story. It's offensive and it's cheap.

I loved the first book so much that I am having a hard time abandoning the second, but it's painful to read.

16 people found this helpful

Fun and different.

This is a combination of magic, steam punk, adventure, and romance. It's a fun read and worth the wait time.

13 people found this helpful

Enjoyable

This was a fun read. I really didn't know what to expect when I got this book. Sometimes it was just a little cookie cutter, but at other times it was quite novel, and had twists and turns i didn't expect. The narration was great. I've not read Lindsay Buroker, nor listened to Tavia Gilbert before, but will definately look out for them again.

9 people found this helpful

Didn't capture my attention at all

I forced myself to finish the first book, but it was tough. I wanted to quit many times. On the surface, it seems like it should have been interesting, but I just didn't care about the characters at all. There was no emotion. It was like someone detachedly relaying what happened. Too bad. Around 6 hours in, I started to care a little bit, but not much. I couldn't get myself to continue to the next book, even though it was included in the download for free. The narrator didn't help - most of the characters had the same voice, so it was hard to tell who was talking.

8 people found this helpful

Entertaining

I really wasn't expecting this book to be any good but I really enjoyed it. The story was great and the action-adventure was non stop. There is even a bit of romance.

6 people found this helpful

Good

Really good! The characters are awesome! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

6 people found this helpful

Love thy Enemies

What did you like best about Forgotten Ages? What did you like least?

Rias. Probably because he was male. And the Sgt who SPOILER died way too soon.

Would you recommend Forgotten Ages to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not. I'm still trying to figure out where the 2nd and 3rd books are. Either way, they're almost incomprehensible to me. The story just went wonky. I guess I like my fantasy a little more fantastical (sic).

What aspect of Tavia Gilbert’s performance would you have changed?

Almost all of it. The choice of voices were not really enjoyable. Too weak for the nature of the characters.

Could you see Forgotten Ages being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

Once again, I make the point. If you're going to make a heroine, please make her a HEROine. These weak women are annoying NOT heroic. Ugh. Simpering sops!

5 people found this helpful