We Men of Ash and Shadow cover art

We Men of Ash and Shadow

The Vanguard Chronicles, Book 1

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

We Men of Ash and Shadow

By: HL Tinsley
Narrated by: RJ Bayley
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

We Men of Ash and Shadow is the first book in the Vanguard Series and follows the journey of protagonist, John Vanguard, through the dark and corrupt city of D’Orsee. A Grimdark gas lamp novel, We Men of Ash and Shadow explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and betrayal against the backdrop of a world where survival often means compromising your values.

Amidst the gas lamp shadows former soldier-turned-mercenary John Vanguard hunts criminals at the behest of his corrupt employer, Captain Felix Sanquain. Shamed by his deserter past and seeking to make amends for his many misdeeds, a chance encounter with Tarryn Leersac - a skilled young would-be-assassin fallen from the graces of high society - leads Vanguard to become an unlikely mentor.

Charged with hunting down the killer of two guards left washed up on the banks of the canal, the further Vanguard delves into the underbelly of the city the more he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets and lies. A prominent aristocrat is missing. Crime lords, con men, and harlots run amok and the city teeters on the brink of another revolution.

With his already precarious reputation hanging by a thread, Vanguard must piece together how and why the last war came to pass, find a way to earn redemption for his mistakes, and come to terms with the past in a city where few survive, and even fewer can be trusted.

©2020 HL Tinsley (P)2021 HL Tinsley
Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction City
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Other London cover art
The Malevolent Seven cover art
Gunmetal Gods cover art
Widow's Welcome cover art
The Will of the Many cover art
Eleventh Cycle cover art
Beyond Redemption cover art
The Justice of Kings cover art
The Ember Blade cover art
Legacy of the Brightwash cover art
A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix cover art
The Ninth Rain cover art
Of Blood and Fire cover art
Barrowlands cover art
A Touch of Light cover art
The Engineer cover art

What listeners say about We Men of Ash and Shadow

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellently written Grimdark

I really enjoyed this. The author (H L Tinsley) was new to me but her story certainly didn’t disappoint. If you like your fantasy of a grimdark / gaslight persuasion I think you’ll like it too.
Also, a word for the narrator (RJ Bayley) : Excellent. Superbly descriptive voice, and most aplomb at delivering the assortment of different accents.
I look forward to book 2.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Predicable but worth a listen

Debut novel with interesting ideas and great first chapter to introduce this world, but from there meanders along to the end. I think it would have been ideal as a longer but standalone book, with the main character perhaps appearing in separate stories. Promising debut from Holly Tinsley

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dark and grim for sure

I had read this book compared to Lies of Locke Lamora, having never read that I can’t comment but I can say it’s very good in the way of the Pious Men series of books, excellent character building even though they are not pleasant and the world they inhabit, an occasional bit of humour to lighten the heavy load would have been appreciated but I am no writer just a reader

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful