An excellent story by an exceptional author

What made the experience of listening to Thornbear the most enjoyable?

Having already read the book I was at first a little unsure of the narrator of the book. I found the American pronunciation of some words a little strange (myself coming from England). However the story is so rich which such colourful characters that I soon lost myself into the unfolding tale.

What did you like best about this story?

The story has a more 'earthy' approach to the characters to many other novels in this genre. This makes for a more realistic read and to a degree and easier path to identify with the characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

I'm not sure I can identify a single scene as a favourite. There are several sections that would qualify. From Gram's awakening sexuality to his first realisation of his prowess in battle. His training with Cyhan to his friendship with Grace.

Any additional comments?

Mr Michael G. Manning is fast beoming one of my favourite authors.

20 people found this helpful

Excelent read, Good Story,

Would you consider the audio edition of Thornbear to be better than the print version?

Yes, it gives the reader/listener the opportunity to appreciate more the personalities of each of the characters in the book

Who was your favorite character and why?

Grace was my favorite character since she was more insightful than other characters in the book.

Which character – as performed by Derek Perkins – was your favorite?

Gram

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

When I first read Michael's book of the Blacksmith Son, I believed then that I was reading the first book of a great writer. As always, there were some things that as a new Author he needed to work on. I made the decision to stick to his stories and bought all his books. I just finished reading Thornbear and I can see now how the maturity of his writing is coming together.

Thornbear is a great book, easy to read and has a good story. He lets you feel through his writing the complex emotions young Gram is going through and the consequences of his decisions. Like his previous series "Mageborn", I can see the beginning of a great story. I read the book and then purchased the audio edition and so far I'm on my third listening/read.

I highly recommend you to read the book. Although the audio book is close to twelve hours, I wish the story was longer since you want to know what would happen next. I hope that the next book in the series comes soon.

11 people found this helpful

Couldn't have picked a better first audible book!

I've been reading this author's novels since 2011 with "The blacksmith's son" and I did not expect such a treat in this format and from my phone?? Honestly, I'm glad I used audible to "re-read" Thornbear , because Michael Manning's style translated to audio has kept up beautifully with his written works (not to mention keeping me from going to sleep yet again)

16 people found this helpful

Amazing

It's been a really long time since I have been pulled into a novel like I was puled into this one. It get you early on and simply will not let you go. The characters are all well written and the environments are familiar but with their own flavor. This novel it outstanding in every way do yourself a favor and pick it up.

6 people found this helpful

A story of true heroism

If you could sum up Thornbear in three words, what would they be?

Epic heroic win!

What other book might you compare Thornbear to and why?

Fellowship of the Ring, or the Dragonlance novels. RA Salvatore's earlier works.

What does Derek Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Perkins' narration brings interesting detail to the story, though he could have differentiated the characters' voices a bit. Many of the pronunciations and accents were completely different from the narrator of the Mageborn books, which occasionally confused me. For someone who hasn't read the Mageborn books (Don't be that person--read or listen to them!) the performance is excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end, when we find out Grace's fate, but I won't spoil that. :)

8 people found this helpful

Sticking around

Where does Thornbear rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

TOP 10. liked this story alot

Any additional comments?

Great first story. It pulls you right in. That to me is always cool. All the characters had depth. I Will definitely be checking out the next story.

3 people found this helpful

The best so far...

This us a continuation of the Mageborn series, but from the lives of Mordechai's and Dorian's children. The story and magic system gets better and the narrator is excellent! If you enjoyed Mageborn, you'll probably really like this. I guess it could be a stand alone book, but you'll appreciate it more if you've listened to the Mageborn books.

6 people found this helpful

Really?

No one ever "launches into a line of invectives" they curse, swear or scream. You have a cast of teenagers with the minds of 8 year olds, who have nothing but a podenda agenda, but they haven't got the intellect to carry on an adult conversation.

2 people found this helpful

Starts slow, ends you wanting more.

The story starts off a bit slow and then takes a turn for the better

2 people found this helpful

Thoroughly enjoying this book

Let me preface this by saying that I have not yet finished this book. I still have 2 hours left, so maybe something will happen in the last 2 hours to make me hate it... but I doubt it.

This is my first Michael G Manning book. I was reluctant to get it. It came up in my recommended books several times, and every time I was like "meh... maybe later". I typically look for a bit longer books... more bang for the buck. Not long after starting this book, though, I was hooked. I think what first caught my attention was Grace, the talking magical stuffed bear. I think she has become my favorite character. A talking magical stuffed bear that reads romance novels is just too much fun to have in a story.

I'm still a bit confused about the histories and relationships of the characters, but that only makes me want to get the other books to find out more about the past. I just recently got past a part of the story where there's an evil winged shiny golden god that apparently loves tormenting people for gits and shiggles. Whaaaat? And Gram's (why not Graham?) parents dealt with this shiny jerk in the past along with other "dead gods". What is all that about? I want to know! And how did Gram's father die? From the titles and descriptions of the other books, it would seem I can find out!

Aside from my curiosity, the book itself is well written and well narrated. The pace moves along nicely after the first couple chapters and the characters have great depth and personality. I'm looking forward to finishing this book and picking up others to get more history of this world and to see where this current story goes.

1 person found this helpful