Trial by Sorcery

I’ll be honest: *Trial by Sorcery* frustrated me at first. The opening is *relentless*—Eldwin’s misery piles up so fast you barely have time to catch your breath, and for a while, it feels like the audiobook is all suffering, no payoff. But about an hour in, I realized that’s the point. This isn’t a story about earning glory; it’s about enduring humiliation, and McDermott’s narration sells every gut-punch moment. His Eldwin sounds like a kid who’s been kicked one too many times but still snarls through the pain. The real standout, though, is how he voices the dragons—not as roaring beasts, but as terrifyingly *patient* predators, their words dripping with amusement at human frailty. The pacing is where things get tricky. The middle act drags slightly during the academy’s “trials,” which start to blur together in their brutality. A few more distinct set pieces (or even a subplot to break the monotony) would’ve helped. That said, the final act delivers a payoff that’s both satisfying and morally gray—no neat victories here, just survival with scars. The production quality is solid, though the audio levels occasionally dip during whispery dialogue. Still, if you’re craving fantasy that feels *dangerous* rather than escapist, this is a sharp, short listen that leaves a mark. Just don’t expect to like Eldwin by the end—you’ll respect him, and that’s far more interesting.