Slathbog's Gold cover art

Slathbog's Gold

Adventurers Wanted, Book 1

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Slathbog's Gold

By: M. L. Forman
Narrated by: E. B. Stevens
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About this listen

Do you have the courage, the wits, and the skill to claim a dragon's hoard? If so, apply within . . . The sign is small, tucked into the corner of Mr. Clutter's bookshop window: “Adventurers Wanted. Apply Within.” No one but fifteen-year-old Alex Taylor even seems to notice it is there. And for Alex, who has wished for a change in his life, it is an irresistible invitation.Upon entering Mr. Clutter's shop, Alex is swept away on an incredible adventure to a faraway land filled with heroic warriors, mysterious elves, and hard-working dwarves. Alex becomes the eighth man in a band of adventurers seeking the lair of Slathbog the Red - an evil dragon with a legendary treasure. Along the way, Alex and his new friends must battle dangerous trolls and bandits, face undead wraiths, and seek the wisdom of the Oracle in her White Tower. Alex's adventure takes him to distant and exotic lands where he learns about courage, integrity, honor, and, most importantly, friendship.

©2009 M. L. Forman (P)2009 Shadow Mountain
Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Adventure Decluttering Dragons
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Critic reviews

"The beginning of an epic fantasy series." ( Library Journal)
"Entertaining ... The series potential is limitless." ( Booklist)

What listeners say about Slathbog's Gold

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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For any adventurer

This has been added to my favourite series of books ie one I have listened to again and will do so again, so this sits alongside other greats such has Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Sharpe, Hornblower and Artemis Fowl.
Has a good bit of myth, magic humour and suspense to keep any adventurer happy what ever taste, there's dwalfs, Elves, dragons and magic. It will keep you listening & yo
you will want to come back for the next story then the next.
Spoiler alert there's no unicorns or romance just a good old adventure story.

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

"Questioned" is not a synonym for "asked"!

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

R2D2

What could M. L. Forman have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not used the word "questioned" instead of "asked", or better yet, "said", at every possible opportunity!

Not been so gratuitously derivative of Tolkien that I daren't allow my kids to read it in case they think Tolkien copied Forman (assuming I’m prepared to run the risk of them catching the "questioned" disease, which I'm not).

Not used adjectives instead of adverbs, or better yet, dialogue - rather than writing "he said (questioned!) in an angry tone", write "he said angrily", or preferably have him say something that lets the reader know he's angry!

And finally, the totally flat characters - the protagonist who rapidly develops virtually godlike powers, to the apparent total lack of surprise or envy of any of the other characters, all of whom are wholly interchangeable.

Would you be willing to try another one of E. B. Stevens’s performances?

Yes, but it would be despite, and not because of, being a Stevens performance.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The book was mildly entertaining and there were a couple of original and imaginative ideas. I'd try one more in the hope that, having exhausted most of Tolkien's major themes, Forman might find his own voice.

Any additional comments?

The wooden delivery and entirely gratuitous French, Russian and German accents deserve a special mention - although it strikes me that the narrator was desperately looking for a way to differentiate the many featureless characters.

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

Trouble getting to sleep? Listen to this

If you could sum up Adventurers Wanted, Book 1 in three words, what would they be?

Awful plots and irksome characters. The character's are made so unbelievable by the poor performance of the narrator. All the characters voices sounded so identical I had a hard time guessing who was who.

Who was your favorite character and why?

None... All the characters may well have had the same name, because they all sounded the alike. Maybe they were all related, who knows!

What does E. B. Stevens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

An annoying attempt at an Irish accent, that sounds more like a Swedish Jamaican Scott.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh and cry... Cried when I punched myself in the eye when I got past the first chapter; and laughed when I got my credit back.

Any additional comments?

As I used my iPad I was unable to listen to a sample of the audiobook, as Audible had taken this function away from their mobile site- something which they have reinstated now, so I thought I would give it a go, how surprised I was. The story is a particularly bad take on the hobbit. The characters were flat and lifeless and uninteresting, and the story is sluggish and moves slowly to its unexciting conclusion.

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