I’m ambivalent about this one.

I found this book entertaining and was engaged most of the way through. The characters were fun to learn about in spite of being a little YA. As for the writing, it was hit and miss, but mostly well edited.

The problem with this book is that the story did not progress very far over the course of the novel... At the same time I will most likely pick up the next installment.

To sum it up, if you’re like me and often feel like you’ve already listened to almost every worthwhile fantasy title on Audible, then this isn’t a bad choice to pass the time between new releases of audiobooks you’re actually looking forward to listening to. It’s probably not going to be your new favorite series, but you won’t have to return it after only listening to an hour or two.

11 people found this helpful

Proses makes novels (change my mind)

This novel would be a B- under normal circumstances, the narrator was incredibly loud here and there, there's some anachronisms, etc. I say this not to dissuade future readers, on the contrary, this a damn good novel. See the proses are what novels worth reading/listening to. If sufficiently good enough proses are put together than anything can be glossed over. Plotholes? clichés? it don't matter none, if it got prose, hun.
And thats why this novel is getting the full 5 stars in order to boosts good stories to greater heights because there's too many "novels" (Sufficiently advanced, litRPGs, Hayes) that are on the recommended list that are actually written for drunk toddlers. While a selected few may different opinions. They're wrong.
So because others have fail miserably, by comparison, this novel far excels

6 people found this helpful

A knightly adventure with a twist

The Gravedigger's Son and the Waif Girl (Part 1) is originally written in German. Not sure if the author, Sam Feuerbach, translated the story himself or someone else did it.

The story is based in the middle ages and starts out on the grim side, laying the groundwork of the conditions of the time and the rigid social structure during that period. As it unfolded it brought to mind many short stories and books I've read by KJ Parker that are set in a similar time period. But KJ Parker's stories seem more accurate somehow, while there are romanticized aspects in them (dragons, etc) overall there’s a sense it’s recapturing what it was really like if you lived at that time. Sam Feuerbach's story was shaping up to be in the same vein, then deviates with the waif girl's introduction. Her situation is still grim and keeping with the times, but she has very modern attitudes and it's reflected in her dialog as well. (Not sure if this is how it was written or the result of how it was translated.) She's a bit of an Artful Dodger, but thinks and sounds like she's on the mean streets of NYC. There's also a supernatural element introduced into the storyline that modernizes the story even more, transitioning it from a medieval period drama into an Arthurian style fantasy. It takes about a quarter of the book for this change, so stick with it. The grimness gives way to a lively adventure.

Gildart Jackson's narration makes every character distinct and stepping off the page. His emoting skills enhance the depth and dimension of the dialog, but he does get a bit screechy and shrill during some of the characters interactions. Aside from that the performance is entertaining.

I enjoyed Part 1 and Part 2 is already cued up with Part 3 on deck. Part 4 is available in ebook at this time, but I'm hoping the audio will be released soon.

4 people found this helpful

an instant favorite!

a great start to an interesting series. nothing formulaic about this one folks IMHO. looking forward to the rest of the series and it appears that it's just being translated from the German versions which are already on audiobook. Hope they get it done quickly cuz I really enjoyed them.

4 people found this helpful

Absolutely Entertaining in my Favorite Era

Absolutely Entertaining in my Favorite Era and easy to read ... thinking HURRY WITH BOOK 2 ON AUDIBLE!
Enjoyed characters and special guest 😃

2 people found this helpful

reluctant amazement

I admit, I struggled at the beginning. I was close to abandoning the book, but I forged ahead and was handsomely rewarded with a fantastically crafted story.

Original and entertaining YA fantasy

I reserve 5 star reviews for masterpieces like Lord of the Rings. This isn’t quite up to that level, but it is original and has a lot of humor. It was a fun and fast read.

The main character, Farin, is the son of the local gravedigger in a medieval village known as Heap. His profession, as well as his father’s status as the village drunk, makes him a social pariah.

After stealing a magic amulet off a corpse he is preparing for burial, Farin becomes possessed by a demon, which he nicknames Stinky. The demon calls him Worm, and is always nagging him to act more like a man.

When Farin, with assistance from Stinky, defeats some local bullies who attack him, he comes to the attention of a powerful knight, who makes him his squire. Farin hopes to use the arcane books in the knight’s library to free himself from the deon, whom he experiences as a mocking voice in his head.

Meanwhile, the female lead, Aross, escapes from an orphanage headed by a cruel matron, only to run afoul of the local bishop, who suspects her of witchcraft. Aross’ main talent, besides eluding the authorities, is an ability to communicate with rats.

The two storylines run on parallel tracks in the first book, with emphasis on Farin’s. I’m hoping, as the title implies, that the two main characters eventually meet and form an alliance in future books.

There are scenes of violence and strong language that make this not a series for young children. I recommend it for age 13+.

This is book 1 of a 4 book series. I’m looking forward to Book 2 with anticipation.

Slow but steady

The beginning is horrible. It’s slow, it talks a lot about grave digger tasks and have honestly nothing of value besides setting up the small town life. The transitions between stories and characters is sudden and confusing. However it gets a lot better toward the middle and end and ties everything together. If you are patient and like finished books despite slow starts this book is for you.

It’s very good and I’m on my way to the second book

Surprisingly good story telling

I wanted an easy listen with a good story and character development. This book exceeded my expectations. The performance pulled me in and kept my interest. Halfway through I read the publisher summary and saw the well deserved storytelling awards.

Great book

Character development was great. Seemed a bit slow at the beginning but by the end of the book it was extremely entertaining. The narrator really captured the individual voices of each character.