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    Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
    Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
    Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
    Audiobook25 hours

    Twelve Kings in Sharakhai

    Written by Bradley P. Beaulieu

    Narrated by Sarah Coomes

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Best Book of 2015 by Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BuzzFeed • “Promises to be breathtaking.” —Robin Hobb

    The Song of the Shattered Sands: Book One

    Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings -- cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.

    Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings' power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don't find her first.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 2015
    ISBN9781480527126
    Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
    Author

    Bradley P. Beaulieu

    Bradley P. Beaulieu fell in love with fantasy from the moment he began reading The Hobbit in third grade. While Bradley earned a degree in computer science and engineering and worked in the information technology field for years, he could never quite shake his desire to explore other worlds. He began writing his first fantasy novel in college. It was a book he later trunked, but it was a start, a thing that proved how much he enjoyed the creation of stories. It made him want to write more. He went on to write The Lays of Anuskaya series as well as The Song of Shattered Sands series. He has published work in the Realms of Fantasy Magazine, Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, Writers of the Future 20, and several anthologies. He has won the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award and earned a Gemmell Morningstar Award nomination. Learn more about Bradley by visiting his website, quillings.com, or on Twitter at @bbeaulieu.

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    Reviews for Twelve Kings in Sharakhai

    4/5

    166 ratings9 reviews

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    • 1/5
      after 10 chapters, i stopped reading and couldn't continue. the best way to describe this book is boring with characters that are non-endearing. i want to read a book that engages me and has me turning the pages. not watch paint dry.
    • 5/5
      Briljant fantasy. In a new and complex desert world. Highly recommended!
    • 2/5
      I thought this started off well but then it started to drag with all the flashbacks it did pick up towards the end but by then I had lost interest and the mc just irritated me.
    • 3/5
      A solid 3.5 star book

      This book has some really good points - the setting and the worldbuilding. The idea of a desert city, sand ships etc. really caught my imagination

      It also has some weak points - its too long and too slow. Compared to the actual events, the book seems a bit stretched. Also the plotting could be better. The twists are no fun if you can see them coming!
    • 5/5
      I rate this 4.5*.

      What a well written and enjoyable story! Magic, fights, blood, death, mystery and a well built world focused upon a desert city.

      This book is definitely a winner.
    • 3/5
      A rich, complex desert setting. Not the typical European-like fantasy setting. The Twelve Kings have ruled in Sharakhai with an iron fist for many years, having made some compact with the gods that makes them near immortal and very powerful. When Ceda's mother is killed by the Kings, she swears vengeance. Her quest will lead her to become a gladiator, thief and spy. With a few friends, she tries to make a living in Sharakhai while trying to puzzle out why her mother was killed and why her mother thought the Kings could be killed. This was well written, intricate and complex. It was also a little bit murky and long, it always felt like something important we should know had been left out. Still, this was interesting.
    • 5/5
      Wow. I was utterly blown away by this fantasy novel. It felt completely unique, wholly realized, and epic in scope. Everything you would want a new fantasy series to be.Beaulieu writes masterfully! From his amazing prose, to his in depth characterizations and everything in between. He ensured to take the time to allow us to uncover these characters and understand them, ensuring we cared for their plights and desires and motivations. Ceda is a flawed heroine that carries this story masterfully. Such a strong female lead, which can be so hard to stumble on in the fantasy genre. She is completely realized and written so that her motivations and desires become your own.I found the story moved at a steady pace that worked very well. It never felt rushed like many fantasies, but also didn't drag on like others. I am so impressed with this debut and this new start, this is definately a fantasy I will recommend and a fantasy series I am eager to continue reading as it comes out!
    • 3/5
      Four hundred years ago, during the night of B'eht Ihman, twelve leaders, each the representative of their tribe, were established as the rulers of the city of Sharakhai. Since then, they have led the city - and demanded harsh sacrifices.

      Now, we meet Çeda. Orphaned due to the law of the Kings, under which her mother was executed, she has vowed revenge. Secretly, Çeda has become a pit fighter of some renown, but how will even her swordsmistress skills allow her to defeat a dozen men who may have supernatural skills, and moreover, who are protected by an elite ninja force - the Blade Maidens?

      Çeda's not the only one in Sharakhai who hates the Kings - there's also a revolutionary group plotting against them. Although she has no interest in being drawn into others' schemes, fate may not take her desires into consideration. Why would it have been that a mystic's vision showed the rebellious Çeda being given the ebon sword of a Blade Maiden, when she wishes to take down their whole system? This, and other mysteries must be revealed if her quest is to have any hope of fulfillment.

      The setting here is both classic fantasy, and well-crafted. The flavor is Turkish, but only Turk-ish. This is a Middle East with all the sexism excised. When discussing gladiatorial fighting, the egalitarian attitude can require a bit of disbelief-suspension, but in other situations, it's quite refreshing. The city of Sharakhai is nicely cosmopolitan, as well.

      Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a lot. There were some moments where I felt that the frequent flashbacks to Çeda's youth disrupted the forward flow of the plot, and there were a few chapters in the middle where it dragged a bit. Of course, toward the end, there's also that sinking realization that 'this all is not going to get tied up in the remaining pages.' It seems that this is planned to be merely the first installment in an epic series. (And quite a long series it might be, too, if the sequels follow the precedent established here, and we only kill off one King per book.)

      In a few ways, this book reminded me of Alex Marshall's 'A Crown For Cold Silver.' If you liked that one, I'd venture to guess you'd enjoy this as well.
    • 5/5
      I love Epic Fantasy for many reasons, not least of which is the fact every book is a portal to a whole new world. But when you read as much as this genre as I do, you sure get to visit a lot of them. That is why, when every once in a while I come across a setting that truly stands out, I sit up and take note. And Bradley P. Beaulieu’s Twelve Kings in Sharakhai made me do just that.Right from the start I was captivated by the magnificent desert city of Sharakhai, where this novel takes place. Surrounded by a literal ocean of dust and sand, this political and cultural trade center attracts all manner of visitors. From merchants to dignitaries, they sail across the dunes in great sand-ships to treat with the city’s kings, twelve immortal men who have held power in Sharakhai since time immemorial. However, not all people are happy with their rule, and many remember the injustices wrought upon them by the kings and their ruthless agents. The novel’s protagonist Çeda is one such individual. When she was eight years old, her mother was a rebel captured and executed by the kings, then hung from Sharakhai’s walls as a warning and example to other detractors. Çeda has sworn vengeance ever since. Now more than a decade has passed, and Çeda is still as determined as ever to take down the twelve kings, with the help of a book of cryptic writings left to her by her mother. Unlocking the book’s puzzles will not be easy though, and there are many questions about her own heritage that must be solved before Çeda can bring the fight to her enemies.So many thoughts filled my mind when I finished this book, I’m not even sure where to begin. Beaulieu weaves a complex tale of adventure and intrigue, employing devices like flashbacks and bringing in other characters points-of-view to great effect. In many ways, Çeda’s story plays out almost like a mystery plot, following her on a journey to uncover clues about the twelve kings’ weaknesses while also revealing details about her own past and the secrets her mother kept from her. Flashback chapters are generally tricky to pull off, but I was impressed with the way they were done here, inserted at precisely the best moments to emphasize important events in the characters’ lives.Çeda is also a wonderful main character, one of the best female protagonists I have encountered in years. We open the novel with a scene from the fighting pits, where she is a competitor in the tourney. Right after a phenomenal combat sequence which ends with Çeda serving her opponent his ass on a platter, she then goes on to engage in an intensely passionate tryst with the fighting pit’s owner. If all this was part of Beaulieu’s attempt to capture the reader’s attention right off the bat, well, it certainly worked on me! More importantly though, I got the sense that Çeda is her own woman. She does what she wants but she’s also smart about it, and she is committed to her goals and utterly loyal to those she cares about.The story also introduces several more major characters, first of which is Emre – Çeda’s childhood friend, partner in crime, and brother of her heart. As Çeda’s mission takes her down one path, Emre’s involvement with the underground resistance takes him down another, leading the two friends to drift apart. But what I love about this story is that nothing about it is black and white, and there’s much more to it than simply good versus evil. The twelve kings may be ruthless and cruel, but the rebels – a group calling themselves the Moonless Host – are far from innocent themselves, employing methods that are just as bloody and destructive. The relationship dynamics between Emre and Çeda become a focal point when the two of them end up on opposite sides, fighting for the same cause while driven by different forces. Throw in a third faction, Ramahd and Meryam of the Qaimiri delegation, and it gets even more difficult to tell friend from foe. As with the best and most realistic stories of fluid loyalties and political intrigue, there is absolutely nothing clear-cut about the situation and the plot will keep you wondering who’s an enemy and who’s an ally every step of the way.While Beaulieu never stops challenging his characters, the world building in this novel is where his skills really shine. The many distinct cultures that feature in the pages of Twelve Kings in Sharakhai provided a diverse setting, which is further fleshed out by its rich history, religions, and various magic systems. The many sights and sounds of the city are brought to life by the stunningly detailed descriptions of important locales, from the decadent halls of the Tauriyat to the blooming fields of adichara plants in the surrounding desert. The world-building also made up for the slower pacing of the first half of the novel, because there were just so many wonderful things to take in. All told, the payoff was definitely worth it. A promising start to a new series, Twelve Kings in Sharakhai offers readers a glimpse into Bradley P. Beaulieu’s talent for storytelling as well as his emerging role as a master of world building. With its many different peoples and cultures, Sharakhai’s desert setting was utterly spellbinding. I also found myself enthralled by the plot’s combination of adventure and intrigue, along with the richness and depth of the characters. Books like this keep the epic fantasy genre fresh and diversified, and I am very excited to see what the future holds for The Song of the Shattered Sands sequence.