In the best fantasy audiobooks, the history, atmosphere, strange and wonderful lands, and characters immerse you in a world that leaves reality behind. But with so many new fantasy audiobooks released each month, how do you know which one to commit your time to?
That's where we come in.
The First in Fantasy podcast is your chance to discover your next favorite fantasy audiobook. In each episode we present a first chapter from a new or upcoming fantasy audiobook. If you love it, we'll provide links to the books and audiobooks. And if you don't like it? Well, there are plenty of other audiobooks available, and with our next episode, we'll happily be there to introduce you to a new world, new characters, and a new fantasy experience.
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
In this episode we present the first chapter of Dark Woods, Deep Water, a dark fantasy tale inspired by Slavic folklore written by Jelena Dunato and narrated by Charlene Sanderson and Barnaby Edwards.
Love this chapter? Buy the full audiobook here (https://books2read.com/u/bo9R1Z).
Want to know more about the author? Check out their website here (https://jelenadunato.com/).
In the depths of a remote forest, an enchanted castle preys on unwary travellers.
The servants of the Goddess Morana sacrifice to their dark mistress every soul who crosses the castle’s threshold. One terrible night, three people who should never have met find themselves trapped there: a spoiled lady escaping an unwanted marriage, an aging warrior-prince on a deadly mission, and a resourceful rogue caught up in a botched heist. As their destinies entwine and the dawn approaches, the solution to the castle’s riddle becomes clear: if they want to escape, one of them must die.
A dark fantasy tale inspired by Slavic folklore, Dark Woods, Deep Water is the debut novel by Croatian author Jelena Dunato. Set in an intricately imagined world that staggers the line between fairytale and brutality, this novel will appeal to fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik, as well as lovers of classic Gothic fiction.
Dark Woods, Deep Water by Jelena Dunato
Narrated by Charlene Sanderson and Barnaby Edwards
Published By Spotify
Release date: March 19, 2024
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
18 Apr 2024
The Exiled Queen by Roxana Arama
In this episode we present the first chapter of The Exiled Queen, a Roman era historical fantasy written by Roxana Arama and narrated by Calliope.
Love this chapter? Buy the full audiobook here (https://open.spotify.com/show/1wmBGRiz6GkxK1stCjYy5l).
Want to know more about the author? Check out their website here (https://roxanaarama.com/).
Rome is marching. Cities and temples are falling. On the outskirts of the empire, Princess Andrada convinces her father to tutor her as his heir despite a taboo against women rulers. But her lifelong battle against entrenched customs shatters when she fails the King's Challenge and is sentenced to death.
To save Andrada from execution, her father marries her off to a neighboring king who doesn't care much about governing. Devastated, the new queen resolves to watch over her country from exile, preparing for the inevitable Roman attack. Although the crystal bell she risked everything to claim during the challenge grants odd wishes, she's dangerously unarmed against an unloving husband who needs a son from her. Meanwhile, her worst enemy is plotting to kill her once and for all.
Can this brave queen unite all the warring factions to stand strong before the mighty Roman Empire?
The Exiled Queen is a gritty and grounded historical fantasy. Pulling together threads from the past of her native Eastern Europe, Roxana Arama reimagines a people on the brink of drastic change. If you like fierce female protagonists, speculative sagas, and dramatic twists, you'll love this sweeping adventure.
The Exiled Queen by Roxana Arama
Narrated by Calliope
Published By Dhawosia Publishing
Release date: March 1, 2024
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
11 Apr 2024
A Caged & Restless Magic by Emmie Christie
In this episode we present the first chapter of A Caged & Restless Magic, a fantasy adventure written and narrated by Emmie Christie.
Love this chapter? Buy the full audiobook here (https://a.co/d/eG4rV9b).
Want to know more about the author? Check out their website here (https://www.emmiechristie.com/).
Saida is a fox-shifter who gardens magic in each of the five Sense-enhanced worlds, but the Vision world’s magic is fading fast. She must find and transplant magic from the other worlds to save it, and a human on Sound has the strongest voice magic she’s ever heard. Saida fears humans and the touch of their hands, but she might have to make an exception for Alesio.
Alesio is an ex cage match fighter and aspiring singer. All he wants is to sing at the best concert hall in town, but his old gang haunts him, trying to make him return to fighting, and his partial deafness makes him doubt his dream. He never imagined meeting someone like Saida or traveling to different worlds.
Meanwhile, by accident, Saida opens a portal to a different Plane than the Sense worlds altogether and releases a monster: a monster hungry for her magic. She needs to find enough transplants to save Vision while running from the monster; but what she fears the most is the trust and attraction blossoming between her and Alesio.
A Caged & Restless Magic by Emmie Christie
Narrated by Emmie Christie
Release date: February 3, 2024
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
4 Apr 2024
Bill The Vampire By Rick Gualtieri
This episode contains explicit language.
In this episode we present the first chapter of Bill The Vampire, an irreverent comic fantasy written by Rick Gualtieri and narrated by Christopher John Fetherolf
Love this chapter? Buy the full audiobook here (https://www.audible.com/pd/Bill-the-Vampire-Audiobook/B0C11S759S).
Want to know more about the author? Check out their website here (https://rickgualtieri.com/).
THERE ARE REASONS WE FEAR THE NIGHT. HE’S NOT ONE OF THEM.
Loud-mouthed gamer Bill Ryder thought the dice had finally rolled in his favor when he met Sally. Sadly, his triumph quickly turned into a critical failure—leaving him at death’s door with his throat torn out.
Now he’s a vampire, trapped in a world of monsters that are stronger, deadlier, and a hell of a lot cooler. They’re giving him just ninety days to prove he has what it takes to be an apex predator of the night, assuming he doesn’t give them a reason to dust his ass sooner.
This game isn’t over yet, though. Turns out a vamp like Bill hasn’t been seen in centuries. He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, unexpected allies, and an attitude that’s too obnoxious to quit. He’ll need all that and more if he doesn’t want to end up even deader than last time.
Join him in this hilarious tale of bloodthirsty beasts, gory mayhem, and an unlikely hero who’s still at the bottom of the food chain.
Bill The Vampire by Rick Gualtieri
Narrated by Christopher John Fetherolf
Release date: March 31, 2023
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
28 Mar 2024
The Halfblood War By L Deni Colter
In this episode we present the first chapter of The Halfblood War, an epic fantasy written by L. Deni Colter and narrated by Jim Harbourne.
Love this chapter? Buy the full audiobook here (https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Halfblood-War-Audiobook/B07S425HQZ).
Want to know more about the author? Check out their website here (https://www.ldcolter.com/home).
The Halfblood War is a sweeping epic fantasy of love and war, prejudice, and acceptance.
Tirren, heir to the ruler of Thiery, has raised his half-Elven son in a land that hates and fears the Elves, but his son’s struggle for acceptance is only one source of Tirren’s pain. The other is his unfading desire for Yslaaran, the Elven woman who 18 years ago captured him in a spell, seduced him, and vanished. She returned only once more - to hand him his infant son.
When a neighboring ruler attacks the land of Thiery, Tirren rides to battle with his halfblood son at his side. Learning of the war, Yslaaran fears the conflict will unravel her long-laid plans for the boy. If she doesn’t interfere, he could die before his time, but if she reveals her hand by meddling, her own people could rise up against the humans they despise, trapping the land between two deadly enemies.
The fate of two races hang in the balance, but only Yslaaran knows that both humans and Elves risk a future even more devastating than war.
The Halfblood War by L. Deni Colter
Narrated by Jim Harbourne
Published By WordFire Press (https://wordfirepress.com/)
Release date: May 22, 2019
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
9 Mar 2024
The Feather and the Lamp by L. N. Hunter
In this episode we present the first chapter of The Feather and the Lamp, a comic fantasy written by L. N. Hunter and narrated by Katie Thompson.
Love this chapter? Buy the full audiobook here (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1TLNWWR).
Want to know more about the author? Check out their website here (https://linktr.ee/l.n.hunter).
The Feather and the Lamp is a comic fantasy which will appeal to readers of Terry Pratchett or Tom Holt. Daydreamer Imperceptibility Happenstance is catapulted into a series of ever more bizarre adventures when she acquires a magic lamp: crossing the river guarding the underworld, being sacrificed to a dragon, encountering bizarrely ambivalent monks. But the big question is: Will a goose feather cost her her life?
The Feather and the Lamp by L. N. Hunter
Narrated by Katie Thompson
Published By Three Ravens Publishing (https://threeravenspublishing.com/)
Release date: April 10, 2023
Hosted by George Turner, First in Fantasy is brought to you ad-free by In Shambles Productions.
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