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Thinblade: Sovereign of the Seven Isles, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

David A. Wells (Author), Derek Perkins (Narrator), Podium Audio (Publisher)
4.4 out of 5 stars 7,836 ratings

When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin's arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended 2,000 years ago.

Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man's arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen when viewed from the edge.

Thinblade is the story of Alexander's quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha, and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.

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  1. Listening Length
    18 hours and 14 minutes
  2. Author
    David A. Wells
  3. Narrator
    Derek Perkins
  4. Audible release date
    July 4, 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Podium Audio
  7. ASIN
    B00L899MEM
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 18 hours and 14 minutes
Author David A. Wells
Narrator Derek Perkins
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date July 04, 2014
Publisher Podium Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00L899MEM
Best Sellers Rank #126,845 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,051 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
#1,478 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
#4,609 in Epic Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
7,836 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this fantasy book engaging with a good vs evil storyline and well-developed characters, particularly appreciating the multiple protagonists and antagonists. Moreover, the writing receives positive feedback for its superb attention to detail, and customers praise the unique magical system and fast-paced narrative. However, opinions about the book's interest are mixed, with some finding it captivating while others say it's not worth their time.

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856 customers mention "Enjoyment"851 positive5 negative

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable, describing it as one of the best series they've read.

"...The story progresses well, going from point to point, objective to objective, giving help when its needed and including obstacles when you think..." Read more

"...Also, I think that the main characters, because they are original, enjoyable, and very hard to replace, have a certain amount of plot armor...." Read more

"This is a very well thought out book series in general. This first book was great and made me get the second, 3rd and 4th as well...." Read more

"...It's complex, but not rambling... a very focused work that typically follows 2 main characters, with brief parts of a tertiary character to keep..." Read more

832 customers mention "Storyline"740 positive92 negative

Customers find the storyline engaging and well-plotted, featuring a classic good vs. evil conflict.

"...The story progresses well, going from point to point, objective to objective, giving help when its needed and including obstacles when you think..." Read more

"...It's a pretty basic epic fantasy story, a young man living on a farm (though here he was a minor noble) has his normal life changed forever as a..." Read more

"...A recommended buy to anyone who likes a good fantasy book with magic, cool weapons and a good story...." Read more

"...It's complex, but not rambling... a very focused work that typically follows 2 main characters, with brief parts of a tertiary character to keep..." Read more

566 customers mention "Writing quality"402 positive164 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its well-thought-out structure and superb attention to detail, with one customer highlighting how the author perfectly quells nobles in a single sentence.

"...More on that in other books. Characterization- Wonderful, the main "cast" has their skills and are well known, their part of a big..." Read more

"...The characters are well thought out and believable. Like all good fantasy fiction books, this series has some awesome artifacts / weapons...." Read more

"...The characters are vivid and so real you feel like you know them...." Read more

"I must say that the writing in this book is definitely amateurish at times, but I still loved the story, and I already bought the sequel and started..." Read more

479 customers mention "Character development"390 positive89 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, particularly noting the multiple protagonists and antagonists, with one customer highlighting the emotionally complex female characters.

"...This option gives the writer the ability to hurt, injure, and maim the main characters during times when most people would get hurt, they simply..." Read more

"...The characters all get more interesting later on in the other books...." Read more

"...complex, but not rambling... a very focused work that typically follows 2 main characters, with brief parts of a tertiary character to keep the plot..." Read more

"...The characters are vivid and so real you feel like you know them...." Read more

225 customers mention "Imagination"220 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the unique magical system in the book, with its different ways magic works, and one customer notes how it brings life to a deep and complex world.

"...Here, magic is real, almost anyone can use it with the right practice and resources to perform a ceremony to become a wizard, and they explain why..." Read more

"...There's also interesting facets were the magic manifests in the wizard/witch in a multitude of various ways, creating many different types of magic..." Read more

"...David Wells has a very original series with many impressive elements...." Read more

"...There’s weapons training, battle planning, a bit of romance, and some magic learning...." Read more

220 customers mention "Pacing"172 positive48 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, noting that the narrative moves quickly and flows smoothly, with one customer mentioning how it moves rapidly from fight to fight.

"...So its fast, yet in a believable way...." Read more

"...If you're looking for something new and fresh and engaging, then start here with Thinblade...." Read more

"...always had ALL the answers but he was also nice to everyone, and good looking, and smart, and kind, and charitable, and a good dresser? You don’t?..." Read more

"...First, the nature of the writing is pretty solid, as it flows well for the most part and provides enough detail to allow the reader to understand..." Read more

85 customers mention "Start"74 positive11 negative

Customers love how the book starts, noting it hooks them from page one and maintains their attention throughout.

"...that I do think carry the story in terms of setting up plot and world building...." Read more

"...series will be as good as the first book has been...I was hooked from the first page. There is a lot of fighting, but it is justified...." Read more

"...series and you can tell that this is a magnum opus that is building up a world vision that is as big and complicated as the Lord of Rings...." Read more

"...The book begins with a bang and never really lets up...." Read more

100 customers mention "Interest"52 positive48 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's interest, with some finding it engaging with turns that keep them involved and noting there's never a dull moment, while others say it's not worth their time and find it uninteresting.

"...Thinblade 4 stars, mostly because it had a great storyline that kept me interested and left me wanting to read the next book...." Read more

"...It's not a great book, but it is a very enjoyable read if you can look past Thinblade's weaknesses...." Read more

"...Lots of killing, blood and death. These make for a certain feel, but once you start using words like "puffball" and "fluffy" and yes, "little", you..." Read more

"...It is the same sort of extremely amateurish garbage that we keep seeing appear time and again on Amazon that garners altogether undeserved large..." Read more

WOW! Worth the time if you like Tolkien, and CS Lewis, or George R.R. Martin
5 out of 5 stars
WOW! Worth the time if you like Tolkien, and CS Lewis, or George R.R. Martin
I LOVED this series, which Thinblade is the first. It reminded me of a mix of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Game of Thrones. Very well written, easy to keep track of characters, and fun! Love that the heroes are real and actually have true values worth striving to emulate.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Daniel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Why you should read this book and ignore idiotic critic bullcrap.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Don't read this book if your expecting game of thrones or LOTR Tolkein. While there is violence (a sword thats basially a medieval lightsaber and can cut through almost everything, but unlike a lightsaber does not cauterize a wound and instead leaves blood and guts), there is a netherworld, demons, merciless enemies that kill without question, its not GOT violence, and its not the primordial fantasy writings with detail depicting every facial pore of the character like LOTR does....instead, this is a fantasy book. Or in other words, its an RPG game written down. So the haters that wanna say "ooohhhh well theres no in depth characterization and the tone of the author conveys a sense urgency and may hint at an inner working of heartache blah blah blah bull$&!t"
    When I read this book, it had everything. I'm 23, I've read tons of sci fi and fantasy books, and I've played hundreds (literally months) of RPG Fantasy GAMES. This book is the culmination of that. Your hero, the protector, the alchemist healer, the sister archer, the bard rogue.
    Magic is explained in a good way. More so in the second book. LOTR, lets be honest, they barely touch on how magic even works, and something more down to earth like GOT barely even talks about it. Here, magic is real, almost anyone can use it with the right practice and resources to perform a ceremony to become a wizard, and they explain why at the point of the book timeline why magic is seen as rare.
    The story progresses well, going from point to point, objective to objective, giving help when its needed and including obstacles when you think everything will turn out fine.
    Some haters will say when the hero learns how to use a sword via a skillbook, its weak, but look at every RPG game ever. You read a book, you gain a skill point, and you get better. This book does that, but they explain it in a way that makes sense.
    The big bad guy is explained in a good way, and why he's evil, and why those that help him help him. More on that in other books.
    Characterization- Wonderful, the main "cast" has their skills and are well known, their part of a big family so theres no in depth "character talks" "betrayal" or "doubts" because they've all known each other and all the drama and BS of other books is taken out and skipped, because they all know each other and know they have a mission and do what they can and don't bicker every 5 minutes.
    Later on, skills of the characters change. Where as in Salvatore's Drizzt, his hero's have specialties that stick and never change.....ever......Here, those skills change from book to book based on enchantments, new allies, and the ability gained by magic. The hero isn't a fire weilding magic thrower, but his magic is nonetheless better to be used that can make your typical spell caster useless.
    The way one gains magic also can change things, as someone who starts out as the "Female Archer" later becomes a powerful witch. So nothing stays the same.
    Unlike other books, he goes into logistics for big battles, he talks about resources, troop movements, its not just "oh hey theres a big battle and they do important stuff afterwards", he goes into explain the consequences of winning a battle and winning a city seige.
    Also, the main characters get hurt, A LOT. It almost gets repetetive, they get hurt, they survive, almost, find a quiet place and drink a health potion, get knocked out and heal within a day or two. Some might see this as a scapegoat for every bad situation, but if you've ever played a fantasy game, what do you do? You get hurt, you almost die, you drink a health potion and live, and this happens throughout the entire game. So why not a fantasy book? This option gives the writer the ability to hurt, injure, and maim the main characters during times when most people would get hurt, they simply heal afterwards. Some critics might not like this, but then again, why is it main characters in other books can go through an entire book series and never get hurt? never get shot by an arrow? Nothing, their perfect and invincible.
    Not here, the characters can and will get hurt. Changing their next action bc half if not all of them are injured.
    They also take magic and use it in ways that makes you think "finally, they took this concept of magic and used it in a way it should be used" common sense stuff.
    All in all this is a good book series. Whenever you think everythings good something changes. When they get a powerful weapon they get a new enemy that can overcome it, giving new challenges.
    There is a love story, some may not like it bc it happens fast. But then again, if your running for your life and someone tells you your a king, and your fighting for your life and killing every day, and you have a hot single young woman with you that shares the same values as you, those types of situations can bond people. They don't have drama and relationship squabbles, their put in a situation and grow in each other. So its fast, yet in a believable way. So when you think, "that wouldn't happen" think "what would I do if I was in that situation".
    Its fantasy, yet real, and you never know whats going to happen, bc when you do, something happens to change it.
    36 people found this helpful
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  • Brandon Z
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Despite Its Faults
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I must say that the writing in this book is definitely amateurish at times, but I still loved the story, and I already bought the sequel and started reading it. It's not a great book, but it is a very enjoyable read if you can look past Thinblade's weaknesses. I would definitely recommend this book to Epic Fantasy fans, but you may not love it.

    The World Building is relatively strong here, but there are some oddities which are a little goofy. I really like the magic system, it has an interesting concept where anyone that undergoes a mana-fast (where they fast for a week and drink rare magic dust in a water solution) goes through a change. This change alters the witch/wizard's connection to reality, where they can access the Firmament and through visualization and a strong will they can bring fantastical things into the real world (like giant bubbles of fire as an example). There's also interesting facets were the magic manifests in the wizard/witch in a multitude of various ways, creating many different types of magic users. For the main character's magic, he really doesn't know how to do anything, and his magic manifests itself different than everyone else. His main power in the whole book is aura vision, it provides some interesting moments where he can get an idea of the quality of character of the new people he meets, but it could also be a detriment as I almost always expected him to mention the auras of people. Then when he doesn't, I always was curious about why (especially when it was almost always the servants that he didn't comment on, even when he was being very nice to them). One of the big annoyances I have with this world's history though, is that the big events in the world that lead to the drama going on in the story occurred 2000 years ago. To me, that is too long, as their civilization hasn't evolved at all, and everyone knows what happened so long ago and are ready when the Evil Wizard Phane wakes up from his self-induced slumber. It would have made much more sense if it was only 1000 years, or even shorter. The other problem I had with the world, is that I have trouble imagining the whole picture, where there are supposedly Seven Islands, but the islands sound like they're relatively large, and from some comments they might be far away from each other. It's not too important, but I just don't have a great grasp on the geography of the world.

    The writing is definitely one of the weakest parts of the books, especially when you're first starting to read it. Wells uses a third person narrative, but it is a little inconsistent, where at times the narrator notes parts of the mind of other characters, while most of the time it focuses solely on the main character, Alexander. I think that I would have much preferred a first person narrative, or even a third person that was always limited to the mind of the main character. In general, the writing was a little amateurish, the words used and the grammar was just a little goofy some of the time. There were a lot of little things that broke my reading flow, but I still powered through it, and it was a relatively quick read.I will note though, that I didn't really notice many misspelled words, and it's edited relatively well for a self-published novel. I'm not sure how exactly the writing could be fixed, it's not horrible, but I know that it could be improved.

    The story was also a little weak at times, even though in general I loved it. It's a pretty basic epic fantasy story, a young man living on a farm (though here he was a minor noble) has his normal life changed forever as a family member is killed (not the whole family which is different). He learns that he is the chosen one, but here it is actually given a reason, where 2000 years ago the Rebel Mage that was fighting the evil Grand Mage Phane cursed a family line and set up a series of trials and gifts to give the person in the future a chance to win against the evil wizard. He gathers a group of heroes, and they go adventuring. My biggest problem with the story has to be the authors overuse of repeated enemies. Over and over the heroes kept facing and defeating (or running away from) the same enemies, and when given a chance they wouldn't finish them off. There's also a big sign for when this is happening, as every time, even after the heroes killed other less important enemies with perfect shots, the bigger more important villain is shot in the shoulder. This tactic was used way too often, and every time an enemy was only wounded, I knew that they were important and would come back later to annoy the characters.

    Still, some of the villains, especially the short pudgy and absolutely deadly battle mage, who I could see being part of some interesting developments in the future (he doesn't seem evil, even though he's on the wrong side) are cool and varied dangerous enemies. All of the characters in the group are relatively unique, and they have a very honest feel to them. From the tom-boy sister, to the love interest (a little forced, especially their quick betrothal, but I do like her and her interactions with Alex), to the protector, the bard, and especially the alchemist (he is a great character, one of my favs in the book). I actually thought that this book would make an excellent story in a video game, it definitely has that feel. Each of the characters has a clearly defined role, and they play it very well. The video gameness could be a weakness in the story though, as their forced limited party number causes them to be constantly pursued and outnumbered. I didn't get why they wouldn't travel with a larger party, especially when 6 of them run away from a place where they had a friendly army of almost 100,000 men so they can take on a group of 100 enemies. I'd understand if they're trying to be inconspicuous, but other times it's just goofy. Also, I think that the main characters, because they are original, enjoyable, and very hard to replace, have a certain amount of plot armor. I really can't see the author killing any of them off, as it would really suck. I do see however, the characters being constantly injured and being brought back from the brink of death by the alchemist's magical potions.

    So overall, I did really enjoy the book, despite its faults it was a great read. When I think about the biggest fault of the book, it's also the reason I'm going to read the sequel immediately instead of later. This problem is that there isn't a beginning middle and end to this book, there's only a series of events, where the characters keep getting more powerful. In fact, the only ending this book has is the main character finding the Thinblade. This makes me want to read the next book and find out what happens, I just hope that the next book has an end, and isn't just another, "To Be Continued Until you Buy and Read the Next Book."
    12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Blackcat_UK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Definately worth the money
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I've never written a review before - never felt the need really as most I've read before has been by more known authors. I really felt David A Wells deserved some more positive feedback though - especialy given some of the negative reviews here.

    First off, I'm not an academic, nor even particularly well versed in the nuances of stories and book writing, but I am a very experienced reader and know what I like.

    If you like the 'standard' plot of young, unknown nobody taking on the mantle of King, battling through seemingingly impossible odds and managing to stay ahead of the game - just - then the Sovereign of the Seven Isles series is for you. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this, the series only goes up to book four with things nowhere near the expected end, so I don't know how many books are planned.

    As mentioned in a previous review, the writing style for the first, ummm, maybe 50 pages or so of the first book is a little wooden, but you soon get caught up in the story and although the style does definitely improve through the books, you find that the quality of the story and characters soon allow the style to fade into the background.

    I found I invested in the characters and cared what happened to them, especially as I got into the second and subsequent books. The scenery descriptions are sufficient to visualise the settings, the battle scenes are detailed and the magic and 'otherworldly' creatures (including Dragons and Fairies) are well thought out and plausible.

    The story is fast paced - almost too fast at times. It's almost a relief when Alexander and his parties make infrequent stops at one Hold or another - I felt the same effect as a reader - nice to stop for a breath!!

    I'm not qualified to comment on the technical merits of the writing, but as I reader that loves 'standard' fantasy I loved all 4 of the books of this series that are currently published and am now waiting impatiently for the other(s)!!
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  • R M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in India on September 27, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The characters and plot is amazing. loved it . Couldn't put it down. I Highly recommended it. It has the right balance of mystery & suspense.
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  • Hoener, Birgit
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced, lots of breathtaking suspense - brilliant!
    Reviewed in Germany on May 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    When his elder brother is killed by an assassin, young Alexander finds out that the burden of saving the world from an evil mage, as was foretold thousands of years ago, falls on his shoulders. Together with his family and friends he sets out to find allies and weapons to enable him to stand against the evil that threatens to overcome all of the seven isles.
    Wow! Just - Wow! Everything was just perfect in this first book int he Seven Isles series, and from nearly the first words I read the story caught and held me. This books gives a reader a very good plot with lots of twists and turns, and together with heartbreaking events some humour thrown in. On their way to find help, Alexander and his companions are hunted by the minions of the evil Mage, and as soon as they have escaped from one trap, the next problem arises very quickly, giving neither our heroes nor us readers enough time to take a much needed deep breath and calm down a bit.
    This first book in the series is easily on the same levels with Robert Jordan, David and Leigh Eddings, and even JRR Tolkien.
    I must have the other 6 books in this series, no doubt!
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  • Yvon C
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written fantasy adventure! The author takes you on ...
    Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Well written fantasy adventure! The author takes you on journey where he brings to life his characters; vivid descriptions of the places, action and emotions allows the reader to visualize and transport themselves within the story. Most enjoyable read and difficult to put down. Definitely will read the remainder of the series.
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  • Gazza22
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading
    Reviewed in Australia on August 30, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great characters I just enjoy reading good magic books well done to the author for giving me the best magic in a long time
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