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Of Empires and Dust

The Bound and the Broken, Book 4

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Of Empires and Dust

By: Ryan Cahill
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Summary

I'ldryr viel asatar. I sanvîr viel baralun.

In fire, we are forged. In blood, we are tempered.

In the Aravell woodland, Calen Bryer grapples with the fallout from the Battle of Aravell. The path forward is littered with choices that will bleed him dry. But he is a Draleid, he is a guardian, and he will always stand when others call. He will be the light they look to.

His sister, Ella, lies fragmented, her mind split between worlds, her fate unknown. But the blood of the wolf is strong.

Hundreds of miles away, in the western villages of Illyanara, Dahlen Virandr leads the defense of Salme and all its inhabitants gathered from across the region. The Uraks are unrelenting, and they know only blood and death. If this is to be his end, he will enter Achyron's Halls as a warrior who would not yield.

Below the mountains of Lodhar, Queen Kira waits in the dark while Hoffnar attempts to seize control of the Freehold and lead the dwarves towards a new dawn of war.

In Valtara, Dayne Ateres hunts those who betrayed his family, while Alina prepares her army to besiege the legendary Achyron's Keep.

At the edges of the Burnt Lands, Rist Havel is offered a new path forward, one that few have ever trodden, one that could forge him into a mage of no equal.

With the news that Ilkya and Jormun have fallen, along with their soulkin, Eltoar finds himself face-to-face with Salara Ithan—a remnant of his past life that he had long thought dead.

As the Blood Moon taints the sky, Kallinvar and the Knights of Achyron battle tirelessly against the Shadow, doing everything within their power to hold back the darkness.

Gods are waking.

The world is burning.

Ashes and dust are all that will remain.

©2025 Ryan Cahill (P)2025 Podium Audio
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Absolutely loved the 4 Book in the Series. Battles and Storylines intertwined. Ryan Cahill continues to impress. Main characters and supporting all have plenty of story time, are developed throughout and their own personal journeys are as important as the Dralade. My only regret is the wait for the next instalment!!!

Devastating.

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I love this book, the characters, the story, the world they inhabit and the trials they face. Very well written and very well presented.

I love this book

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Fantastic storytelling as always from Ryan. It's an epic tale, a telling that weaves and winds to its dramatic conclusion. I can't wait for the next book!

Excellent performance also by the narrator.

Epic

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This was a challenging book to get through in the Audible format. There are too many characters, and there is far too much bloat and continual repetition throughout. So many character PoVs, and some of the arcs are so boring that I'd love to be able to skim through them, especially all the endless character introspection.

The story comes in at almost 54 hours, but with a professional editor, they would trim at least a third of the book. This clearly draws inspiration from Wheel of Time and Eragon, but doesn't have any of the hair-raising moments of WoT. The pacing is also an issue for me, as you can be reaching the climax of a long battle only to find the next chapter being a slow, laborious, tedious chapter about a particular character reminiscing on their childhood.

There were several times when I considered DNF, but alas, I got through it all, and no doubt I will forget the majority of the minor characters and their silly backstories by the time the next instalment comes around.

The narration was excellent, and I recommend that the author supply an accompanying PDF with a cast of characters.

Epic in scope; boring in execution.

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A raging epic from beginning to end. Could hardly stop listening. Not sure how I'll cope having to wait for the next installment!

Fantastic and non stop

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