I am excited to announce that the audiobook for Temple of Valor is complete and as soon as it clears the obligatory checks will be available on Audible. For fans of Joe Lyon’s books that would rather listen instead of read, well then this is good news for you. In a day or two you will be able to listen to the artistic vocal talents of Lisa Negron, who breathed life into the words of this final installment and excited conclusion of the Astar’s Blade series.
Here is what some of the critics are saying about Temple of Valor.
A vivid and deadly attack on a village, weird beasts and visions and portents, a mysterious pit in the woods, and a powerful healer disturbed to hear a name from the past—just 50 pages in, the fast-paced third entry in Lyon’s adult epic fantasy series should grab fans of the genre, hard, as it both celebrates and upends genre expectations, introduces compelling characters and mysteries, and quite simply just moves. Like its predecessor, Kilmer’s Ghost, this volume is unusually inviting for an ongoing epic, as hero Astar and his demonic challenges, while connected to what’s come before, can be read as a standalone adventure in a rich world filled with backstory.
Lyon is keyed into the mythic, and for all the complex worldbuilding, a simple, powerful current of adventure surges the narrative along. Astar’s friend has been hauled into the depths by colossal Devourers, harbingers of the greater conflict to come: an assault on the Temple of Valor, a vital house of healing, led by the villain Zorn. With the aid of young historian Aberfell, Astar must take action. He arms himself with the golden blade Soothsayer, “the most dangerous weapon in the known world,” the soul-feeding last remnants of the goddess Ehlona. Wielding the blade means resisting its urge to slay, and Astar’s first words once he feels its power suggest this will be a battle: “I am the one true God in this world. The one all will fear!”
The tale might sound familiar in outline, but Lyon, a devotee of the genre, continually offers fresh takes, surprise twists, and innovations. Astar’s power to duplicate himself is put to clever use, the demon Grim reveals unexpected depth, and figures returning from earlier books, like Kilmer, have weight and majesty. The climax and denouement are suitably grand, but what lingers is the book’s crisp prose and playful spirit.
Takeaway: This fantasy epic blends inviting prose, rich worldbuilding, and inventive magic and action.
Great for fans of: Raymond E. Feist, Brent Weeks.
Literary Titan Gold Book Award Receipent
Literary Titan Gold Book Award Receipent