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When I first looked at the Demon Wars Saga and saw there were seven books in the series, I knew it would be a fun adventure. And when I discovered it was available in audiobook format, I considered that to be a convenience, but nothing more. However, soon I was so enthralled by the way GraphicAudio told the story that I couldn't wait to hear the next installment -- GraphicAudio couldn't release them fast enough. So, to satisfy my curiosity, I decided to just go read the books instead. But that didn't work because I had become addicted to these audio productions and simply had to hear these audiobook masterpieces.

You see, GraphicAudio has a slogan, "A Movie in Your Mind," and they take it pretty seriously. It shows from the first words spoken and the full cinematic feel of these stories is pushed along with superb voice acting and sound effects that come exploding out of whatever sound system you're using. It's also convenient that each of the books is divided into two or three separate parts, ensuring that each release is only six or seven hours in length. Presenting the material in manageable "chunks" gives listeners time to better absorb the story before continuing to the next installment.

As the Demon Wars Saga continues (this is book five of the seven book series), years have passed since the "Miracle of Avelyn" occurred on Mount Aida -- healing the country of the Rosey Plague. The Abellican Church is well on its way to canonizing Avelyn, even though he was once called a heretic.

After losing her husband Elbryan (who was a ranger trained by the elves), Jilseponie settles into her role of Baroness of Palmaris, glad to be serving the people. Leaders of the Abellican Church realize that her talent of creating powerful magic with the holy gemstones could be put to better use for both the church and the people of Palmaris if she became a Bishop of Palmaris. At the same time, the king of Honce-the-Bear wishes for her to become his wife and queen. Political maneuvering aside, the king is actually in love with Jilseponie, but the church may have a hidden agenda of its own.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Jilseponie, the elves of Touel'alfar were the ones who earlier took her unborn son (the child of Jilseponie and Elbryan) and raised him to become a ranger even greater than his father. The elves hope Adryan will be their salvation, but the plans of the Touel'alfar go awry due to Aydran's own arrogance, cultivated by a dark force he encounters at Oracle.

The focus of this book is on the development of Adryan and the possibility of a dark future for all the residents of the land of Corona, elves and humans alike. The storytelling prowess of R.A. Salvatore is enhanced a thousand-fold through GraphicAudio's production quality and they really know how to suck you into the story.

Gil T. has spent a quarter of a century working in radio and has lots of spare time on his hands and reading or listening to books takes up all that time. Check out his blog to find out what he's up to at any given moment.