Advertisement

Continuing on with R.A. Salvatore's The Demon Wars saga, this installment begins book three of the seven book series. Once again, the magical production skills of GraphicAudio seamlessly transport you back into the world of Corona. As in the past, the adaptation of this title is divided into three separate parts, ensuring a 5 to 6 hour listening experience for each part. This formula seems to work well -- as soon as I hear the last word of a particular segment, I'm anxious to jump into the next part as soon as I can.

Elbryan Wyndon, the Nightbird, travels north to take back the Timberlands with the help of Bradwarden, the Centaur and Belli'mar Juraviel, the elf. Meanwhile, Pony moves south to the city of Palmaris for reasons of her own. One of her objectives is to find out what has happened to Roger Lockless, as well as gather intelligence on the state of affairs in the crucial city of Palmaris. And then there's the matter of seeking revenge on the church that killed her adopted family.

A civil war between Church and State in Honce-the-Bear seems imminent. The Abellican Church and her Father Abbot's desire to take back the magic gemstones result in a relentless pursuit of the heroes. Pony is especially vulnerable, as she is the one in possession of the stones and has just recently learned of her pregnancy.

In the church itself, the Father Abbot Markwart seems to actually be showing signs of his demon possession. He has shaved his head and is beginning to develop pointy ears. To many who view this, including his right-hand man Brother Francis, the change is startling.

Markwart has also discovered some new uses of the magical stones and soon begins controlling them with far more ease than any monk before, but his uses are starting to lean toward dark forces. Brother Francis is conflicted about where the church and Markwart are heading and even begins questioning his own faith. The biggest guilt on his conscience is that Master Jojonah forgave him as Jojonah was being executed. This weighs heavy on Francis' soul.

In the North, Elbryan and company are still fighting goblins, dwarves and giants, while in the South, the church is creating discontent among the secular rulers. With superb sound effects, awesome acting and mind-blowing music, the excitement in this installment of The Demon Wars never stops.

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.