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  • Seven Blades in Black

  • By: Sam Sykes
  • Narrated by: Daisy May
  • Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (88 ratings)
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Seven Blades in Black cover art

Seven Blades in Black

By: Sam Sykes
Narrated by: Daisy May
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Summary

Acclaimed author Sam Sykes returns with a brilliant new epic fantasy that introduces to an unforgettable outcast magician caught between two warring empires.

Set in the Scar, where the magical, decadent Imperium battles the upstart, technologically-savvy Revolution, Seven Blades of Black follows the exploits of Sal the Cacophony, the most famous and dangerous of all the rogue mages.

Among humans, none have power like mages. And among mages, none have will like Sal the Cacophony. Once revered, now vagrant, she walks a wasteland scarred by generations of magical warfare.

The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, is where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun and a list of names she intended to use both on.

But vengeance is a flame swift extinguished. Betrayed by those she trusted most, her magic torn from her and awaiting execution, Sal the Cacophony has one last tale to tell before they take her head. All she has left is her name, her story and the weapon she used to carve both. Vengeance is its own reward.

©2019 Sam Sykes (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about Seven Blades in Black

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Strong story, great characters

Well worth a listen! The story is compelling and rewarding, with a likeable protagonist. The pacing is great and keeps you engaged throughout.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed Sal's journey, excited for book 2

Narriation was great.
The writing had me sometimes wondering what I had missed. During the book, there is just one sentence denoting the start of an action sequence, and if you missed that sentence, you need to rewind, as from then on it's all "he" and "him", and doesn't mention the name of the character again.
Nevertheless, I've already downloaded the second book and look forward to more Mage killing in the Scar.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoughtful,

well paced, I found it quite gripping in places. interesting idea too. A revenge tragedy with overtones of a political thriller. the voice actor rushed a little in places and mispronounced quite a lot so only 4 stars but she was good overall. I'm going to listen to the other books in the series...

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, not so great narrator

I've been meaning to read a Sam Sykes book for ages and this was really great...once I swapped to the hard copy. Daisy May wasn't a brilliant narrator. She rushed, mumbled and really didn't seem to make the most of the material she had. She kept fudging the main character's name -- I didn't know what it was for the first few hours of listening! I'd buy another SS audio book if there were a better performer reading it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

I loved this book from start to finish. The characters are fantastically brought to life, even more so by the excellently perforned narrator. I love it, she is awesome as Sal, and incredibly creepy and terrifying when voicing the scrath. I cannot wait to listen the next book.I could say more, but I can really do it justice. I would highly recommend you, read or listen to this book. Definitely now in my top author list. Thank you so much. I would also definately love to hear more books read by Daisy May. She is totally rocks.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

amazing story let down by a sub-par narrator.

Sykes work is wonderful, progressive and engaging. The story, its characters and the world are all wonderful.

it is a shame that the narrator does not use the beautiful narrative to it's full effect as a narrator such as Kate Reading would.

I would hope for an improvement by this narrator in the sequel or a change of narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent fantasy story and performance

Loved it. World and characters grabbed me from the get go and refused to let go. Sal is so complex and sarcastic and a pleasure to see develop.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Astounding

Loved it - absolutely spiffing old chap. Top notch.
I've seen this described as a love letter to Final Fantasy, and actually, that's pretty accurate. Beautifully written, funny and everything you could want in a fantasy jam packed with action, excitement and character development.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

like listening to someone reead the ingredients from a shampoo bottle

A band story read with all the emotional time of someone reading the ingredients from a shampoo bottle. seriously not worth your time

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

a bit too internal

I only got 5 hours in before I had to give up. Main protagonist seem to turn every event into some kind of opportunity for Proustian introspection. an awful lot of "if only they knew how..." and I finally got fed up with it. Not the slightest bit interested in how it ends

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2 people found this helpful