Title: The Consumption of Magic
Series: Tales From Verania: Book Three
Author: TJ Klune
Narrator: Michael Lesley
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 18 hours and 18 minutes
Category: High Fantasy
At a Glance: This book. This narration. This is the book every audiobook buyer hopes to find. It is not buried treasure; it is eighteen-plus hours of solid gold.
Reviewed By: Mike
Blurb: Sam of Wilds faced the Dark wizard Myrin and lived to tell the tale. Granted, the battle left him scarred, but things could be a hell of a lot worse.
It’s not until he reunites with Morgan of Shadows and Randall that he realizes just how much worse things could be.
Because the scars have meaning and hint at Myrin’s true plans for Sam and the Kingdom of Verania.
With time running out, Sam and his band of merry misfits—the unicorn Gary, the half-giant Tiggy, Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart, and the dragon known as Kevin—must travel to the snowy mountains in the North and the heart of the Dark Woods to convince the remaining dragons to stand against Myrin. Along the way, Sam learns secrets of the past that will forever change the course of the future.
A reckoning is coming for Sam of Wilds, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.
Review: Some Wizards (apprentice) to the King are made great by their mentors, some become great because of their cornerstone, and some are born great and turn bullies into stone and noses into dicks and have a magic so powerful and uncontrolled they need quests and destinies that can not be denied. In Consumption of Magic Dragons are still assholes; Darks are still monologuing assholes; Fairy Kings are still horny assholes; Lady Tina is a bigger asshole; Morgan is still a pink-shoed hero sent by the gods to rescue Sam of Wilds; Randal is still the prickly grand wizard and curmudgeon of Castle Freeze Your Ass Off (all capitalized); Justin is becoming a Friend Five-ever (better than forever); our favorite hornless unicorn would still kill for love, friendship, or scarves in a hail of glitter and rainbows; and beloved Tiggy will still SMASH anyone because he needs to protect everyone he loves. With Myrin closing in, the Destiny of Dragons must be completed, the Great White must be met and convinced to join them all, and the Star Dragon is still an enigmatic asshole who couldn’t answer a direct question if your life depended on it. And it does.
This book. This narration. This is the book every audiobook buyer hopes to find. It is not buried treasure; it is eighteen-plus hours of solid gold. Michael Lesley is not just a narrator here, he is taking us to a performance, a radio play where he is the only actor, Foley artist, and a cast of hundreds. There is a rare alchemy at play here. TJ Klune has given us whole worlds with his multiple series, but these books and this performer have meshed so completely your ears are treated to something that goes far beyond ordinary expectations. There is laughter, there are tears, and there is HOT gay sex between men, between a unicorn and his randy dragon lover, and there are rude shocks that stop your heart and your breathing. Through all of it, Michael Lesley takes you there.
I rarely share M/M books with straight friends, but I happened to be listening to Consumption of Magic while helping a friend prepare for a party (because you don’t stop listening to this book for stupid prep work), and she laughed out loud without knowing the plot and asked how many actors worked on this book. When I told her it was all one guy, I had to prove it.
If you have not bought this series, you are denying yourself a treat. If you have not yet bought this book on audio, why? There are not enough good words here to express the greatness of this voice performance. It deserves awards, it deserves accolades, and it should be heard by every fan of audiobooks. There are maybe a handful of voice actors capable of this level of expertise. Michael Lesley’s voice with TJ Klune’s words are a thing of beauty and wonder.
This world has one more book ahead. Michael Lesley has already announced he is working on it as you read these words. We will all have to wat until he puts his soul into the next installment and then wait for Audible to post it. Until then, listen to this book. Love this book. Even though this series is ending, Lesley will continue to record audio. Look for his name on other audiobooks. Look for TJ Klune’s name on other books. Whatever world these two men are taking you to, you want to go there. You may need tissues, a room alone to laugh in without having to explain yourself, and snacks, because you will not want to move until the words are done.
You can buy The Consumption of Magic here:
[zilla_button url=”https://adbl.co/2LihSD0″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Audible [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://apple.co/2J177H5″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iTunes [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B07CNBZ52X?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button]