The Painted Man cover art

The Painted Man

The Demon Cycle, Book 1

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The Painted Man

By: Peter V. Brett
Narrated by: Colin Mace
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About this listen

The stunning debut fantasy novel from author Peter V. Brett.

The Painted Man, book one of the Demon Cycle, is a captivating and thrilling fantasy adventure, pulling the reader into a world of demons, darkness and heroes.

Sometimes there is very good reason to be afraid of the dark…

Eleven-year-old Arlen lives with his parents on their small farmstead, half a day's ride from the isolated hamlet of Tibbet's Brook.

As dusk falls upon Arlen's world, a strange mist rises from the ground; a mist that promises a violent death to any foolish enough to brave the coming darkness, for hungry corelings – demons that cannot be harmed by mortal weapons – materialize from the vapours to feed on the living. As the sun sets, people have no choice but to take shelter behind magical wards and pray that their protection holds until the creatures dissolve with the first signs of dawn.

When Arlen's life is shattered by the demon plague, he is forced to see that it is fear, rather than the demons, which truly cripples humanity. Believing that there is more to his world than to live in constant fear, he must risk leaving the safety of his wards to discover a different path.

In the small town of Cutter's Hollow, Leesha's perfect future is destroyed by betrayal and a simple lie. Publicly shamed, she is reduced to gathering herbs and tending an old woman more fearsome than the corelings. Yet in her disgrace, she becomes the guardian of dangerous ancient knowledge.

Orphaned and crippled in a demon attack, young Rojer takes solace in mastering the musical arts of a Jongleur, only to learn that his unique talent gives him unexpected power over the night.

Together, these three young people will offer humanity a last, fleeting chance of survival.

©2008 Peter V. Brett (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Supernatural War & Military Paranormal Exciting Military

Editorial reviews

The masterful audiobook The Painted Man is Book 1 in The Demon Cycle series written by highly-acclaimed fantasy writer Peter V. Brett and narrated by voice artist Colin Mace. The darkness of night has never been so frightening. Death is upon anyone who ventures into the haunting demonic mist that encircles the village at night. It is up to one young boy and two unlikely comrades to set out bravely and save the entire human race from the clutches of evil. This is a pure feat of fantasy writing at its best. Available now from Audible.

Critic Reviews

"I enjoyed The Painted Man immensely. Action and suspense all the way." (Terry Brooks)

"If the next two books in this series live up to this one it will be one day named as a classic fantasy series." (Joanne Horsley)

What listeners say about The Painted Man

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great series

I've read the first 4 books so far. Nothing negative to say. Not as good or as well performed as GoT or Joe Abercrombie's 'The Blade Itself' read by Steven Pacey but a good listen none the less .

Three and a half stars

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quite possibly the best fantasy book I've read

The worst thing about this book is all the sleepless nights it's going to cause when you can't put it down. I just loved it.

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The Painted Man by Peter .V. Brett .

wasn't shore if I would enjoy this book but i did very much so thank you Peter and Thank you Colin Mace for reading this book to me much appreciated 💜

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Surprisingly good

I have never read Peter Brett's books however what a pleasant surprise. Although this is a fantasy tale but I can apply current geopolitics to it and smile at all the flaws we have now. But, this book is about hope and good so there is still hope for us humankind yet. I will be reading the whole series.

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I want to make a movie out of this!

This story is astounding! I was hooked from the moment I first started right up to the last line of the last book. I want to make a movie out of it as I can picture everything in my head. The performance of the voice actor is better than any other I’ve heard so far. Different voices properly distinguished for each character that truely suit each. Peter v Brett is a master! I cannot wait for the next saga

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Great story

Brilliant. About to dive straight into the 2nd book now. Took me a few chapters to get into it, but then I was hooked.

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this great author chose the worst narrator

fantastic storyline with characters that I grew quite connected to by the end of the book, unfortunately Colin mace is a terrible narrator and I almost deleted the book in the early stages of listening to his monotone lifeless voice. this book would have been much better read by someone like Jonathan keeble..
regardless of the shitty narration it's still a great book BUT I will be reading the remaining books of the series and not listening to them.

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Long beginnings

Long beginning, bit slow in development but turns to quality!!
Would recommend, though the readers swallowing was a bit weird

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Action!! Characters!!

Best book I have ever read hands down. Frothing for the next book!! I could not sleep after listening at night, got me so excited!

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Fantasy at its best.

This epic story, the first book of the demon cycle is an unforgetable adventure that gives the reader a sense of addiction. if you can stop once you have started I'll be impressed.

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