Thrice upon a time, there were three worlds of magic.
From a remarkable, bestselling husband-and-wife team comes the start of a monumental dragon-laden fantasy series. The Bronze Canticles is an expansive saga chronicling the world-altering changes that take place as three connected universes—the Human world, the Goblin world, and the Faery world—are slowly drawn together.
Book One, Mystic Warrior, centers on young Galen Arvad, a human whose magical powers have branded him a lunatic in the eyes of the community. When Galen is suddenly captured and imprisoned, his wife Berkita and friend, Cephas the dwarf, set off to rescue him from the yearly ritual that would sacrifice local “crazies” to the Dragon Priests. But the fate that awaits Galen may be far worse than even his own death.
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"This book started out slow and was hard to follow the 3 different realities. About halfway through, it picked up and I flew through the rest. I will definitly read the rest of the series"
— Kenn (4 out of 5 stars)
“Lloyd James personifies his characters with imagination and style. With fairies and goblins and trolls, as well as humans, he has a wide range to work with…[and] adds an undertone of humor and energy to this adventure. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“With Lloyd James’ first-rate narration, this is a winner for fans of epic fantasy.”
— SFFAudio.com“[James’] semi-voiced reading brings this intriguing fantasy adventure tale to life through his timing, his intonation, and his wide range of accents and voices.”
— Kliatt (audio review)“This emotionally intense novel’s meticulously crafted magical system and likable characters evoke an atmosphere both timely and timeless…A fine example of socially conscious and unpredictable imaginative fiction.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“The scope, detail, meticulous planning, and weaving and winding storyline…are just breathtaking.”
— R. A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author“An exciting, adventure-filled read from two of the great storytellers and world builders of our time.”
— Margaret Weis, New York Times bestselling author" Out of the three most seperate stories, two of them were entertaining. Would have been a four if not for that third story. "
— Tony, 2/20/2014" The first book was barely worth 2 stars, it got worse from there. If all Hickman's books are this bad he should really consider another career, and spare the world from things that bring disgrace to the entire fantasy genre. "
— Hans, 2/11/2014" Good book: a bit hard to follow the implied interactions between the 3 worlds of magic; however, it provided a good base for the next book(s) in the series. "
— Major, 1/9/2014" I was conflicted between giving this a 3 and a 4 star rating. I did like the book quite a bit, but it just didn't really reach out and grab me and make me want to read it. While I did finish this sooner than now when I post it, it still took me almost 2 weeks to plow through it which was disappointing in a way. It's kinda hard to explain...I think some of it was the three different storylines and that they didn't really overlap/interact with each other all that much which made it harder to read. "
— John, 11/29/2013" Just can't get myself back into this one. The first part was pretty good but then it switched to a another world and new characters. I could see how there was a connection but honestly i didn't care enough to find out the extent of it. "
— Kelly, 10/20/2013" The ideas in this book are okay on their own, but the writing is clunky and some of the purplest prose I've read in a while. I won't be reading the sequels. "
— Julie, 9/7/2013" sooo good. must read the whole series "
— Sally, 8/21/2013" This was definitely pulp fantasy -- the fantasy equivalent of Tom Clancy -- but it entertained me during my flights and travel, so I guess it did its job! "
— Mike, 8/19/2013" Another Hickman classic. "
— Lynette, 2/1/2013" first book in a trilogy. Plot is bit difficult to follow as three "realms" are present in the same world (human/dragon + faeries + goblins) but they are in some ways connected. Plus, there's no real "hero" or MC at that point. Maybe one character will eventually stick out in book 2.... "
— Wogc, 9/7/2012" A little confusing with so much going on, but it is fantasy, after all. "
— Donna, 4/16/2012" Very good. I loved it. Of course I love all books. So this doesn't come as a surprise. "
— 02nathanbeck, 1/24/2012" verbose and painfully slow "
— benebean, 12/30/2011" Fun fantasy story. I wasn't interested enough in the series to continue, but it was a fun read. "
— Wendi, 8/18/2011" not one of hickman's better books. It was disjointed and confusing, never making the story click on its own. "
— Lbd, 3/27/2011" Compared to the other stories that Tracy Hickman has co-written, this was so-so. I didn't really get into the story, and the dual-world thing didn't really work for me. "
— Boyd, 11/26/2009" Best in the series! "
— Candyce, 10/31/2008" A truly strange setting with three linked worlds overlapping each other in weird and frightening ways. Definitely an interesting fantasy read. "
— Bradley, 11/3/2007" Well, I have to say it wasn't a great book but not horrible either. Not quite like the DragonLance series in depth and character development. I haven't had the desire to read the rest of the series yet. "
— Sophon, 11/16/2006" This has an interesting, and different theme of magic from many of the fantasy novels I have read. I did enjoy it, but I found myself tuning it out much to often. I guess that it was a bit boring. "
— Katie, 7/29/2006" This series is hard to follow because there is several worlds and story lines going on at once. Each world affects the others. I'm gonna try and stick with it.. On to book 2. "
— Heather, 7/22/2004Tracy Hickman lives in St. George, Utah, and has been publishing game designs and stories for more than twenty-five years.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been narrating since 1996 and has recorded over six hundred audiobooks. He is a seven-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award and has twice been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. His critically acclaimed performances include Elvis in the Morning by William F. Buckley Jr. and Searching for Bobby Fischer by Fred Waitzkin, among others.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.