Knight of Gaelgara by Gary J. Martin and narrated by Helen Duff is Book 1 of The War of Souls Apocrypha and a truly glorious introduction to a saga that has potential as huge as the story

A perfect listen to fans of the epics, ie Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Truly immersive and absolutely immense in the best way possible and what an incredible narrator!

This book is more than just a Gaelic fantasy/ medieval/ crusade novel. It is observant of hierarchal structures within families and soceities, comprises multiple threads and plotlines, cerebral, dynamic and utterly compelling

I highly recommend this as a series to get into, there is far more to it than meets the eye and readers (or listeners) are sure to be captivated

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media | Dreamscape Lore, the author Gary J. Martin and narrator Helen Duff for this epic ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This book includes:
- large ensemble cast that jumps between 3rd person POVs
- shifters and non-human but human-acting creatures
- lots of war
- political breakdown
- no heroes or villains, just humans in difficult situations.

"Knights of Gaelgara" is a deep exploration into the impact of leaders' mismanagement and mistrust on the health of a city. The story is packed with nonstop action and readers get a view into each of the city's mini-ecosystems and how politics have impacted their way of life. The book's first chapter really had me thinking this book would be a fun hero's journey; it is not. If you are looking for a streamlined narrative or a small cast of characters, this is not it. The cover and title are misleading in that sense. This book is intricate and gory and will force you to reflect on how the ruling class can easily ruin the lives of many. The book's main theme is that an individual's small actions have big consequences. The narrative dips into so many POVs to demonstrate this and a really intricate story is woven between all these characters. There are no standout heroes or villains, but we see characters choose between bravery and cowardice in a way that is captivating in its utter humanity.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Gary J. Martin, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book.

Knight of Gaelgara:
The War of Souls Apocrypha, Book 1
Gary J. Martin

Sir Roslind of Aksson was a female knight assigned to a regiment of men that did not agree with women knights. There were other female knights, but few women were in the position Sir Roslind was in. There were those who clung tightly to the old ways and those that wanted reform. There were murmurs of a rebellion. Influential, gratified and merciless the Baron of Aksson stands deceived. His daughter returns ready to prove worthy and courageous as the religious reformation threatens the land.
This is the first book in the series The War of Souls Apocrypha. The series was released June, 2024. Sir Roslind of Aksson is a strong female main character. Book 1 sets the stage for the rest of the series. It introduces the main characters, develops the world, establishes the key plot points. If the rest of the series is as good as the first installment readers are in for a great ride.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy for rev.iew.

A swift-moving story comprised of many threads, which all follow different (but equally compelling) characters, all of them crammed with intrigue, betrayal, and conflicting loyalties. Our main character, Sir Roslind (LOVE that she goes by "Sir" and not "Dame" or "Lady") is fierce, unyielding, dutiful, and dedicated to tradition. I found this book very immersive, though quite grim and bloody throughout. It is not for the saccharine romantasy crowd. It IS for the George R.R. Martin crowd. Eagerly awaiting the second installment of Sir Roslind's story!

Knight of Gaelgara is the first book in the debut medieval fantasy series The War of Souls Apocrypha by Gary J. Martin. It features Sir Rosalind of Aksson as the main character and titular knight, the only female knight who only recently acquired the title. She returns to her home of Aksson as unrest is brewing.

I overall enjoyed the book. I think it suffered some in being the first book in what I anticipate will be a widely encompassing story of the War of Souls. With this, there are quite a few characters, plot threads, and points of view introduced which made it challenging to follow at times. It could also result in some loss of interest for readers if they are not equally connected to all the characters introduced, which I wasn’t.

I loved the pieces of the story surrounding Sir Rosalind and her family, in particular her younger sister Kitsvanna, as well as any time that Thorn showed up on page. Another character whose story I really enjoyed following was Guthrun who is set-up to take the fall for a crime and ends needing to flee the city. The broader conflict in the story is set-up well, and I appreciate why so many pieces needed to be introduced. I expect that more connections will be made as the story continues in the next book. In addition to creating some memorable characters, the setting and world building in the story are very well done.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Helen Duff whose performance was fabulous. One mark of an excellent narrator, for me, is my ability to keep track of the various characters based on variation in narrative voice. Helen Duff’s narration really assisted my ability to follow the various characters and points of view across the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All expressed opinions are my own.

Granted, my review is based on the audio version of the book, but the story doesn’t change, so my views won’t change. The story starts off very well and is strong for me. I love fantasy, and for it to have a historical element to it, yes, please! Count me in on that story! The story itself does have a lot going on. There are several POVs and I think if you’re not paying close attention, it can get confusing. It almost reminds me of The Familiar, when there are several people speaking or involved back and forth. I feel that stories such as these have something in common with the main guy at the top and their taxes. Someone seems to always stab someone in the back at some point. Who can you trust? Who's betraying who? There’s a lot of action in this book. You won’t be bored when it comes to that. For the audio part of this book. I personally enjoyed the narrator’s voice. I thought it fit the character perfectly. I’m not sure if I would have chosen someone else to play it. I’m not sure what someone is supposed to sound like from that time. I think that the voice and character were played fairly well.

It was interesting story. I had no expectations at first but , I loved the voice for the audiobook. I couldnt stop listening to it. Excited where the series goes.

This book was FULL of action, betrayal, defeat and so much more but it was so hard to listen to it. The narrator read so slowly and her voice was just not for me. I actually had to speed it up to even listen to it. I think I would have enjoyed it more to just read the ebook. That being said the battle scenes are epic! Sir Roslind of Aksson hears what the people are saying about her family. She can feel the uprising. Hanging on to tradition and old ways may be what costs them their lives. The people are beyond sick of the Baron and all of his taxes and moves that take away from them instead of help them. Betrayal is in the air and a fight for their lives and all they know ensues. I hope whomever reads this likes it better than I did. It was so hard to pay attention with the way it was narrated. This is definitely a book to read not listen to.

Actual Rating 2.5

I wanted to love this one, and the book did start off strong by introducing a few interesting characters and some conflict right away. But this book suffers from trying to be too expansive. It starts with multiple POVs of only main characters, which is easy enough to become situated in. But as the events of the book escalated, the author chose to include more and more POVs to try and grant a picture of everything that is happening from every aspect that may be relevant. While this did add to the background of the events, it was unnecessary and quickly became unwieldy, lessening the impact of the characters.

It also made it too difficult to become invested in the events or characters as things jumped around too often. It meant that there wasn’t much meaningful worldbuilding or setting development that wasn’t related to the escalating conflicts. There’s a list of characters at the beginning of the book, and there were 40+ characters and their factions and full titles listed, which should have warned me what I was getting into.

I hate that the meat of this story and the characters got lost under the breadth that the author tried to include. This book has good bones, and I do think the characters would have been compelling if they hadn’t gotten lost in the last half of the book. The writing is strong, the plot is interesting, and the ending was strong; I’ll likely try more from this author in the future even though this one didn’t quite work for me.

If you’re interested in a fantasy with a “decidedly Gaelic feel” that’s focused on insurrections and battles, then you may enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this work, which will be published June 25, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was interesting storytelling and the narration was good. I wish I could have found this book listed literally in any of the book tracking platforms though. I would be curious to continue.