The Silver Hand (Song of Albion #2) (Audio)

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Title: The Silver Hand
Series: Song of Albion
Author/Narrator: Stephen Lawhead, Stuart Langton
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Minutes: 760
Format: Audible audio edition

Synopsis: Spoilers

Lewis, now known as Lhew, has been proclaimed King by Tegid. However, poisoned by Simon, Meldrawn kills all the bards of Prydain, blinds Tegid and cuts off Lhew's hand, thus making it impossible for him to be king.
Lhew and Tegid make their way to Caladon where they find a small hidden valley to rest and recover. Meanwhile, Meldrawn begins to conquer all of Prydain, using bribes, fear and intimidation. Lhew begins to create a safe haven and refugees from all over come to be safe from the predations of Meldrawn.
Eventually, Meldrawn and his host, led by Simon, find Lhew. A battle ensues and while things go bad for Lhew, roles are reversed in the end and Meldrawn dies, Lhew is magically given a silver hand and Simon is sent back to our world, supposedly with a mortal wound.

My Thoughts:

I had forgotten that the whole book happens before the Silver Hand actually occurs. Also, the point of view is from Tegid instead of Lewis this time around. Considering that he is blind, but magically given inner sight, it all works out. There were times however,  where the inner sight, leaving or coming, felt like the contrivance it was.

I like this story. I like this book. But this whole audio thing is just killing it for me. I'm currently listening to book 3 but after that, I think I'll stick to books that I don't really care about and are filler. The odd thing is, I grew up with my mother reading to me before I could. I loved it. It was a huge part of me learning to love books and the written word. But now, I don't know. Maybe it is because when I read, I want to be in total control and a narrator takes a big part of that away?

With that being said, I'm definitely not giving up on audio books. If I can listen to an extra book a month to and from work, that is 12 extra books a year. Considering that my average rating is 3.1, and half my reads are filler anyway, using filler books for audio doesn't seem like a waste. It is an efficient way to utilize 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon. And right now at my stage in life, consuming books like pixie dust is my goal.