good story, bad narration

I enjoyed the story up to a point but found it almost ruined by the narrator, his speaking voice is flawless but when he did voices for the characters they are almost unbearable, the voice of the hammer sounds like if a cow could speak, the character of harm who I'm guessing is supposed to be likeable is turned into a whiny annoying person who I just wanted to die so I didnt have to hear the voice again, a shame as im sure the book is good

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant story, vivid reading

This is a brilliant story written with intelligence, humour and wit. The characters are arresting and interesting - I did not expect a mute protagonist to be so gripping! There is courage in the face of overwhelming odds; evil insidious and terrifying; humour - both human and animal; heartbreak and the wonder of redemption. It's a long time since I met characters as interesting as the eponymous Vagrant, the fascinating Harm and the domineering baby in arms! Will there be a sequel? Oh I do hope so.

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1 person found this helpful

Good - but not great..

The narration by Jot Davies is excellent, the story is interesting, the writing is good - but not great, can be a little difficult to follow at times.

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intriguing and captivating debut novel

This book was not like any I've read before. With 3 out of 4 of the main protagonists not speaking and the poetic brief sketch-like descriptions of the world, events and people intrigued and fasinated me as the story slowly unfurled driven by the reactions of others to the vagrant , the baby and the goat as they travel through a distopian apocoliptic fantastical world. I was always left with more questions every time I paused from the story. Who is the vagrant? where is he going? and why are just some. The answers are revealed slowly and with great care. this book has an old saga/parable like quality that reminds me of beowolf ( i can't really say why it does ,I read beowolf as a kid at school over 20 years ago) and the morality gives an almost biblical taste. Some might say its over written which can often happen with a debut novel but i think the author succeeded in producing a unique and beautiful book. It fasinated me how the characters of this world reacted to the vagrant and his companions and him to them and how his journey changed those he meets and the world they live in
the story is well paced but the naration is a little slow but played at 1.25 speed rectifies this if you find it too slow. If your looking for olts of action and epic battles or you don't like poetry then you may not like this book

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3 people found this helpful

Grows on you

After initially wanting to put it aside, the book gradually grew on me and I have to say; not too shabb

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1 person found this helpful

An unusual world, and a deeply 'human' story

The world building and set up is deceptively simple, but deep enough to sustain an interesting, emotional and thoughtful story that made me care about the oddest of characters.
I've never been so invested in the life of a goat before...
Wonderful narration from Jot Davies really helps bring the world to life!

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Unusual and compelling

Some great ideas in this book - I struggled at the start with an unusual style of telling, but quickly grew to love it!
And I want a goat! 😃

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4 people found this helpful

An interesting read

I kinda liked this book. It was certainly interesting. The story telling is unusual, as other reviewers have said but don't let put you off. There's room in the world for different styles.

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1 person found this helpful

Monsters, malevolence, and a mute.

Books like this: The Dark Tower, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Revelation Space

TLDR: A voiceless man traverses a demon-infested landscape with nothing but an enchanted sword at his side and a baby on his back. This beautifully written and bleakly unique story is engaging, but it may not be your cup of tea if you are after witty banter between characters or any sort of a feel-good listen.

I do not know what to make of this book. Part of me loved it with a passions and part of me thinks it was just kind of ‘meh’, and I truly cannot decide which. First, the things I loved about this book. As you may be aware if you have read any of my other reviews, I am a sucker for an original universe. When a writer creates a world that is new, deep, and steeped in its own lore and culture I am always going to be in favour. The trick is to make it accessible, to not bury the listener beneath a tide of prose that leaves them lost at sea grasping desperately for a reference point. At the start of The Vagrant the later seemed to be the case, but by the end I felt that enough explanation of the world had been given so that the post-apocalyptic, techno-magic world within which the Vagrant finds himself wandering was able to stand by itself.
The demon filled nightmare within which our titular hero and the baby he is trying to protect find themselves is some Lovecraftian take on a Fallout style landscape, with multiple demonic factions vying amongst themselves for power and dominion over the remaining humans after the defeat of the forces of good some eight years prior to the books start. This book is dark, depressing, and delicious from a lore perspective. However, this brings me to one of my major issues with the book. Simply put, it is a little too dark for my personal tastes.
Let me explain. I’m fine with a dark world. Hell, I usually love them. What I’m not super keen on is a depressingly bleak story, absent any wit, banter, or even the cutting edge of gallows humour. There is just no joy anywhere in this book. No happy-go-lucky adventurers trying to seek their fortune or comedic back and forth between friends as they try to scrape by in a world gone to shit. This book is beautifully written, coming down closer to literary fiction than commercial in a lot of ways, but I just wish a bit of the abundant skill that Newman has shown could have been directed to a little levity at some point. In a world entirely devoid of joy, why bother hoping for a better tomorrow?
This lack of sparkling conversation brings me neatly to my next issue. The main character does not talk, and he doesn’t even get any steady companions until over a third of the way through the book. I have to admit that by the end of the book we get a pretty good grasp on what the Vagrant is like, which speaks volumes to Newman’s ability as a writer, but because of this lack of communication, it took me a very, very long time to develop any sort of a bond with our hero. And when I did it was only because of the constant prodding from his chatty companion. I had to judge the man’s character entirely based on his actions and never on his intent. It just made getting to know him a lot harder. Conversely, the brief sections that come from the baby’s perspective are absolutely delightful. This is about the only light-heartedness that Newman allows in his world, and the fact that it comes through the innocent eyes if a child works beautifully. I will also admit to enjoying the brief glimpses into this world through the eyes of the Vagrant’s antagonistic pet goat. I know that sounds odd, but you’ll just have to read/listen to it and find out for yourself. I bloody love that goat.
In short, if you are after a classic action/adventure with sparkling back-and-forth between kind-hearted companions, then this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for a slogging trudge through a desolate and diabolical landscape as one man tries his damnedest to save himself, his baby, and his singing sword from falling into the hands of an unfathomable evil, then The Vagrant is the book for you. It is a good book, but it just wasn’t a perfect fit for my tastes.
Now for the narration, and in short, this may be one of the single best performances that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Jot Davies’s range is unbelievable, but specifically his portrayal of the demonically possessed is unmatched. You can almost hear the pustulous boils burst and the rattle of decomposing lungs in every word that the demonically infected speak. And that’s not to say his portrayal of the still-human characters is lacking, because it most certainly is not. He projects the dire and desperate nature of the world’s poor inhabitants with a skill that I really can’t think of a match for. I have no Idea if he would excel to such a degree in a book about happy unicorns and gumdrop forests, but for a dark, bleak, terrifying world with every inhabitant beset by a litany of painful and horrific realities, Jot Davies is simply the best man for the job. Outstanding!
Personal score: 3 stars
Professional score: 3.75 stars

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Terrible narration

Very mismatched narrator whose tone very much spoiled my enjoyment of the book. His voice for the non humans sounded more like something from Sesame Street than anything else. Also, the voice for the baby is intolerable and grating. Excellent book... Dreadful narration.

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