The Viscount and the Witch
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The Viscount and the Witch Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 562 ratings
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Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman, were just learning how to work together as a team. In this standalone first installment of The Riyria Chronicles, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds. Join Royce and Hadrian in this short story about one of their earliest adventures.

Please note: "The Viscount and the Witch" is Chapter 2 of The Rose and the Thorn, which is Book 2 in the series The Riyria Chronicles.

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  1. Listening Length
    46 minutes
  2. Author
    Michael J. Sullivan
  3. Narrator
    Tim Gerard Reynolds
  4. Audible release date
    March 4, 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B00ISC585O
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 46 minutes
Author Michael J. Sullivan
Narrator Tim Gerard Reynolds
Audible.com Release Date March 04, 2014
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00ISC585O
Best Sellers Rank #150,134 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,111 in Historical Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)
#4,426 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
#5,411 in Epic Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
562 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Maxx the Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse of the talent that is Michael J. Sullivan
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2011
Verified Purchase
"The Viscount and the Witch" is a short story by author Michael J. Sullivan. This is a Kindle only e-book that was a free download at the time of writing this review.

Background:
Michael J Sullivan is the author of the 'Riyria Chronicles', a five book (soon to become six) series that follows two unlikely companions (a thief and a swordsman), Royce and Hadrian. This latest offerings could be considered a prologue to the entire Riyria series, as it documents one of their earliest encounters...a time when our two heroes have just recently met and have just decided to join forces.

Impression:
A terrific short work...it can be read in one sitting in about 15 to 20 minutes. It has all the flavor, banter, subtle humor that I have grown to love in the full Riyria books. Royce and Hadrian have an engaging, likeable style and sense of camaraderie that seems to come to the fore no matter how dire the situation they may find themselves in.

Conclusion:
If you like this short book, then I whole heartedly recommend you consider reading the entire 'Riyria Chronicles' series. This small effort is proof positve that Michael J Sullivan has matured into a talented writer that can turn his hand in providing the reader with an exceptionally good fantasy read.
As it is...5 Stars

Ray Nicholson

P.S.
Also included with this download, is a sample of the first book in the 'Riyria Chronicles' series, " Theft of Swords"
7 people found this helpful
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Ellie
4.0 out of 5 stars Short story
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
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Short story is right. What's up with not continuing this tale? Very disappointing. I like the chemistry between Hadrian and Pickles.
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Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
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Excellent writer. Well written short stories that flow a very enjoyable read. Interesting characters and interesting locales. Perspectives and situations.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great short read
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2012
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I have not read any of your other writings, so for me there is no background of the characters, nothing else to bring into this that would influence what i thought about the story. So this is from that perspective. When i started reading it and you introduced the characters and their reactions to the witch, it introduces a very interesting dichotomy and a very unlikely pairing of people. They operate similar to yin and yang where one balances the other out and fills in where the other is unable. Their development throughout the story and how each character went up and down a ride of emotions was great. A very interesting twist i liked was where as a reader i thought Hadrian would actually be teaching the lesson of kindness similar to a fable, has that thrown in his face only to recover it at the end and hold onto it. Then at the same time i love how Royce tries to teach Hadrian a lesson by showing him how evil people really are outside of his own mind. Together Hadrian always looked to bring out the best in somebody and Royce the worst in somebody.
All in all i really enjoyed it. It was a nice quick read that flowed very well, grew in the right parts, left you with wanting more information about the overarching story, and left you with a smile on your face. Thank you for doing this great piece of work
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Monica
3.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
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It was okay I guess. I would give it a solid 3.5 stars. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. I’m glad I read it but I won’t be reading it again.

I’m not sure I could get into this series if they are similar. It was in the book about the order of all his books but all could be considered stand alones.
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Justin Landon
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Intro Into a Wonderful Series
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2011
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As far as I'm concerned Sullivan can do no wrong. His Riyria Revelations is one of my favorite series. They're just so much FUN to read. For the first time, in a long time, none of Sullivan's novels are available for sale. Orbit has bought the rights and will be releasing them over several months starting in November with Theft of Swords (which I'm reading right this minute for review). He released this story to give us all something to read while nothing else is available.

To those who've read Riyria, this is a great little story about how Royce and Hadrian meet up with one of their friends for the first time. To those who've never read Sullivan, it will be a great introduction to his style. There's no action to speak of, but it reflects Sullivan's deftness with character and tone. It's a sword and sorcery short without any sword or sorcery. And it doesn't need either.

All that said, this is a lot more of a peep and a taste into Sullivan and his world than a true short story. Recommended for fans of Riyria and to readers interested in what Sullivan is all about. For everyone else it's not exactly a dynamic story.
2 people found this helpful
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Kathleen C.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Viscount and the Witch Earns 5/5 Life Lessons…Entertaining Introduction!
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
There’s nothing on the television and I’m not interested in committing to a long, involved novel that might mean committing also to a multi-book series, so…a short story is the perfect choice! “The Viscount and the Witch,” a short story from Michael J. Sullivan, is easily read in an hour introducing readers to the fantasy series The Riyria Chronicles. The standalone drama is set eleven years before the series characters Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater became notorious. The pair were traveling when Hadrian’s attentions is grabbed by the desperation of an old woman who fears the strange man she found ranting in her barn means her harm. Her husband is away, and she pleads for help, but despite a disagreement about getting involved—“you don’t know this woman” and “this isn’t your problem—Hadrian is not dissuaded. Besides, she offered a good meal for their trouble. The trouble, however, wasn’t as easy to resolve, but lessons provided are learned learned. Sullivan’s writing style was engaging and descriptive illustrating the two main characters as a bit night and day in their perspectives and whose continued trials and tribulations would be intriguing to follow.
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Raka
5.0 out of 5 stars the one where Royce teaches Hadrian a lesson
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024
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This is the story of how Riyria meets the Viscount and this is a short and sweet story about our favorite duo.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Tamarah Bryan
5.0 out of 5 stars Ready for the series
Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have never heard of the series before. I'm glad I got to read the prequel first. I'm looking forward to read the rest of the books. I was pleasantly surprised by the characters, setting, writing - everything. This book was really well done.
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Phedre
5.0 out of 5 stars Gute Entscheidungshilfe für Neulinge und ein schöner Teaser für Fans
Reviewed in Germany on March 27, 2013
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Für die Kurzgeschichte "The Viscount and the Witch" braucht man keinerlei Vorkenntnisse der Riyria Chroniken.Die Geschichte zeigt einen kurzen Auschnitt der Anfänge der Partnerschaft unsere Helden Hadrian und Royce. Für Fans der Serie ist ein netter Ausblick auf die Prequels, die in diesem Sommer folgen sollen.

Der "Kauf" dieser Sammlung lohnt sich vor allem weil auch noch die ersten Kapitel der ersten beiden Teile der Gesamtserie enthalten sind. So kann sich ein Serien-Neuling gleich einen guten Überblick über das verschaffen was diese fantastische Serie zu bieten hat.

Ich kann diesen Appetitanreger deswegen nur empfehlen und hoffe, dass der Autor damit noch viele neue Leser findet!
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Nick Devonald
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent prequel and introduction to series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2012
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I would like to start by saying prior to this I hadn't read any Michael J Sullivan books, despite continually being recommended them. When I saw this free prequel I figured it couldn't hurt to check it out, and who knows, I might even like it. I loved it. Despite the short length of the story it was perfect. It was funny, there were a couple of laugh out loud moments, and, even better, a few things I didn't see coming. Whether or not I'd have been taken aback by the twists if I had read the full Riyria revelations before is unclear, but since I hadn't and was using this prequel as an entry point I loved it.

Despite the length there is good characterisation, already I have a strong sense of who Royce and Hadrian are, and I'm extremely curious how such a contrasting pair ended up together. For such a short piece of work I was immensely impressed, and will be going on to read the read of the series. If you are new to the world that Riyria Revelations is set this is an excellent introduction. Indeed I can imagine if you'd read the full series you would also enjoy this short story. And it's currently free, so what have you got to lose? Go on, download it already.
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原田　泰
4.0 out of 5 stars 軽い息抜き
Reviewed in Japan on February 3, 2013
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早川文庫の「王都の二人組」「魔境の二人組」を読んで、早く続きが読みたくなりまだ翻訳されていない
”Rise of Empire"、”Heir of Novron"を読んでしまったのですが、もっと読みたいと思って探したら
ショートストーリーとしてこの”The Viscount and the Witch,short story"があったのでKindle版を
購入しました。タイトルのショートストーリーは二人がアルバートと出会う挿話で、緊張感とユーモア
があり、その後の展開を知っているのでなおさら楽しめました。次の作品はTheft of Swordsの
第1章で、日本語で読んだもの。最後はこれから出るThe Crown Towerの第1章で、はらはらどきど
きの物語が始まりそうな雰囲気で、確かに次の本が出るまでの飢餓感を満たすための軽いおつま
みといった感じでした。
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Leserate
4.0 out of 5 stars Gut!
Reviewed in Germany on July 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Kurzgeschichten sind eigentlich nicht so mein Fall, aber recht gut
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