MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana
A swashbuckling fantasy adventure by Tee Morris and Lisa Lee. Your comments are welcome!
Off the coast of Ireland, concealed by fog and rock, is an area known to sailors as “The Graveyard of Lost Ships.” A twist of fate forces a lone privateer ship and its crew to discover in this Graveyard a rift in the space-time continuum and a realm known as Morevi, a landlocked kingdom shrouded by jungles and mystery. This kingdom falls under the rule of Askana Moldarin, known in her realm as “The Black Widow” following her swift and bloody ascent to the throne.
An archaic regime of hardship, cruelty and ruthlessness inspires young Askana Moldarin to lead a revolution. The downfall of the old government is duly replaced by a rule of women, Askana crowned First Queen of Morevi. In the dawn of this New Age, the predatory neighboring kingdom of Eyrie and hidden traitors in her own regime threaten to destroy everything she has won. She knows that her kingdom hangs in a delicate balance and that someone close to the throne is about to move against her. Askana, independent of council, seeks help outside of Morevi to reveal the conspiracy against her…
Enter Rafe Rafton, captain of the Defiant.
With a sum agreed upon, Rafe devises a plan to smuggle the queen and her personal guards out of the city walls. Once in Eyrie the captain would begin to play Askana’s own counter-intrigue. but his “trusted Eyriener connections” double-cross him. He had taken precautions, but the privateer does not escape unscathed. The Defiant returns to England in hope of winning the support of King Henry the VIII, but now it falls upon Askana to save the life of Rafe Rafton, the one-time outlaw of her realm, now her link to a new world and powerful allies.
As Askana traverses The Rift, movement against House Moldarin begins in Morevi. Accusations against the queen are led by a young lady of House Annaki, Min-Lu. She leads her own campaign against the Black Widow and rallies the Council of a hundred Turi into a fervor, claiming that Askana Moldarin is about to lead them into one of the bloodiest ages of their country. Following her address, Min-Lu shares a private audience with High Lord Ruain, an enigmatic ally from Eyrie. Their hushed voices reseolve a pledge to gain control of Morevi.
With reports of Rafe and Askana as “guests” of the Tudor King, the High Lord Ruain journeys across The Rift to fulfill his own agenda, an agenda independent of Min-Lu’s and carried out under his true identity…
December 23rd, 2005 at 10:50 am
Morevi holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. One of those should be special to you as well: if it weren’t for Morevi, there would be no Podiobooks.com. Tee’s decision to podcast his 2002 novel in advance of the sequel in 2005 was the genesis behind what you see today, and takes the honor of being the first ever podcast-version of a published novel.
Let’s get into the numbers:
Audio Quality: Top of the Line. Tee made a minor but well-spent investment to get the stuff to do this right. Sweepers, transitional music, great beds… this is pro audio book quality, folks.
Narration Performance: Outstanding. Tee is an actor, so he’s got a leg up on most. I was completely captivated by the various voices (and there were plenty of them) and never found him faltering. Solid job.
Writing Skills: Exceptional. It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of fantasy. However, Tee’s talent as a writer is what put us together almost four years ago. This is a very well written, if not massive, novel.
Overall Rating:Five damned dirty apes. For all the reasons I said, and more.
February 23rd, 2006 at 2:28 am
Nice sucking up Evo, he cut you in on the book deal for that? All I’ll say Tee is, I just subscribed and if it doesn’t entertain me , I’ll drop you quicker than you can say, “3 more curling podcasts!” Kidding aside-good job and thanks for all the work on Podiobooks-looking pretty.
February 24th, 2006 at 6:43 am
Dude, your writing and recital kick ass. Nice to see at least one person on this page knows how to do foreign accents. Class job.
March 15th, 2006 at 12:06 am
Tee, I also have to admit I’m not typically a fan of fantasy novels. I’ve seen MOREVI in the stores and frankly, the sheer size of the book scared me off. But thanks to your excellent podcast of the novel via Podiobooks.com, I have had the opportunity to listen and truly enjoy the book.
This podiobook flows with your wonderful flair for voices and passion for the work. Hearing you as the author reading the work connects even more with the reader and makes this irresistable.
I have the delivery schedule on a weekly basis because of the other podiobooks and podcasts that I listen to, but I have on more than one occasion bumped up the next episode in order to feed my need for more.
It’s no secret that I prefer audio to print. But a remarkable production like this only drives home my preference.
I even bought a copy of the paperback to give to a friend of mine as a birthday present. I plan to direct him to the “shareable” podcast link as well. But he loves a good book, and I could think of no other when picking out his gift.
What’s left to say but to ask, “Now, when does LEGACY OF MOREVI make its way to Podiobooks?”
March 27th, 2006 at 11:55 am
When I heard of Morevi, I thought, “that isn’t for me”… but I decided to ‘bite the bullet’, and now I’m hooked.. I listen to it, when I’m commuting, and I love it. Every second of it.
A great read/listen!
I will buy a hard copy of this (though I do have a backlog of to read books, this one gets a priority 1 on it)
March 28th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
I realy enjoyed this book a lot! In fact I bought it, and the sequel. I am waiting impatiently for more! I hope Tee keeps going for a long time to come with more from this series.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:46 am
I feel like MOREVI is premiering all over again! Thank you, one and all, for the kind words and honest feedback. It’s always rewarding when I hear people say “I’m not big into Fantasy…” and yet they are hooked by the adventures of Rafe and Askana. Thanks, everyone, for enjoying the ride!
As for LEGACY OF MOREVI: The Podiobook, I’m holding off on that until I get deeper into the next MOREVI novel. A podiobook about a dwarf detective in 1929 Chicago, however…that is a definite possibility.
May 8th, 2006 at 3:27 am
Extremely addictive!
You start to listen, think “Piratestory? Thats for children! This can’t be interesting…”.
Moments later you finish the third chapter.
May 25th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
I , too, am not a big fan of fantasy books but thoroughly enjoyed Morevi. Going only on the comments from other Podiobooks listeners I gave Morevi a chance and was pleasantly surprised. I feel so empty now that it’s over that I will go and buy the second book to enjoy this summer. It’s cool that Tee is (sort of) local to my home area and I will keep my eyes peeled for the dashing Rafe Rafton at the MD Ren Fest.
May 26th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all the support and for keeping MOREVI in the Top Ten Rated and Top Ten All Time podiobooks. And now, to aggressively petition for your help, please click on this link…
http://p086.ezboard.com/fpodcastingnowandbeyondfrm7
…and nominate MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana for a Parsec Award for “Best Speculative Fiction Story (Long Form)”. My writer’s podcast is nominated, but I would like MOREVI in the running for the Long Form.
Show your support for the privateer and warrior-queen, and cast your ballot for MOREVI!
June 16th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
It has been a while since I read any fantasy, mostly because of time constraints, but also because nothing could keep my interest. This is the first fantasy novel that I have wanted to keep “reading” in a long time. Thanks for the great book. It reminds me of what I loved about fantasy.
July 19th, 2006 at 1:46 am
I downloaded Morevi, kept it, then had to delete it. Two days later, I downloaded it again, listened to it again and had to delete it again. Now, on this fourth time, hopefully I’ll get enough memory to contain this amazing work for more than 48 hours… or just buy the print version.
July 19th, 2006 at 6:36 am
MPmagi - Since you have difficulty containing the full book, why not try the “one episode at a time” approach? That’s the way Podiobooks.com was designed…
July 31st, 2006 at 5:16 pm
This is one of the best stories I’ve ever had the privilage to hear!!! I’d compare this work of art to the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean”. When does this book become a movie? Soon I hope!!!!!
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:40 am
I have a number of audiobooks in my collection, but this is by far the best audiobook in my collection. It has by far the best production values of any I have ever heard. The story is also, on that catches one by suprise. Initially it was just the producition value that had me. But after about the 2nd or 3rd chapter the story got really interesting. I have also ordered the book, to give as a gift to a mate of mine. He hates audiobooks, but I’m sure he will love the story none the less. Thank you sooo very much Tee, this is gonna be one that I’ll never forget.
September 20th, 2006 at 4:14 am
I loved your book! I listened to it every day on my commute to work, and any other time I could sqeeze in some more listening time. And now that it’s over, I, like SpurlGurl, feel empty without. I’m looking forward to the audio version of Legacy.
The production was great, each episode was nice and long, the story took unexpected twists and turns, the characters were well-developed and I found myself really caring about them. Great job! Thank you so much.
December 18th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
What? How did I miss commenting on Morevi?! Oh well since it is my all time favourite podiobook I really should. The wonderful characters, the action packed scenes and the really enjoyable sounds and music. This is a real gem of a podiobook and a top shelf production all the way.
Unfortunately while the accents on Morevi are great, there is one accent I know Tee can’t do…. but thankfully Rafe and Askana come no where near New Zealand!
January 18th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
I am ruined! This was my first podiobook and the bar has been set impossibly high. I have yet to fine one I like as well. The narration was excellent and the story fun. Thank you Mr. Morris.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Hmm, so you’d recommend this book then? I like to be able to hear the entire book, so while I’m waiting for the final chapter of Billibub Baddings, I’ll give this a listen.
Anyway, I’m sure Tee appreciated all your donations.
April 23rd, 2007 at 7:55 am
Salutations, everyone!
In response to what David said, yes, yes, yes…I do appreciate all the support (financial, promotional, electronical…hmm, wait a minute…electronical?) for MOREVI and continue to be blown away by this podiobook’s stamina. To quote the Master of Deadpan, Spherical Tomi’s Jack Mangan, you guys rock.
Thank you so much for listening!
April 25th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Am just finishing up Morevi now and found it quite enjoyable. I LOVE the fantasy stuff and you hit just the right blend of fantasy-reality, walking the edge admirably of romance. WHEN will we get the second volume?!
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:51 pm
I can’t believe that I hadn’t listened to this podiobook before! This was great stuff. I couldn’t help but think what an awesome movie. Is billi from the land?
May 5th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
From all the glowing reviews I thought it would be better. Not bad for a first attempt, Tee shows promise, so I made a paypal donation to encourage him.
January 7th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I started this podiobook without very high expectations. It was only the second one I had ever listened to but I was addicted almost instantly. Very well read, and well written. Great job!
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Just started listening to podiobooks this year. I have listened to six books- this being the sixth. It is by far the best. The voice narration is the best I have heard with excellent accents making the visualization very easy. Along with the music and sound effects it is a real professional job. The story line is excellent with a perfect balance of adventure and romance. I have only two chapters left and wish there was a sequel. I could listen to Tee all the time he has a perfect voice for this.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
omg i have never heard such a book it was wonderful full of exciting adventures and tells of romance this is indeed my most favorite book very god job