The Bar at the Edge of the Sea (The Watchers #2)

The Bar at The Edge of the Sea is the second book in The Watchers series by Tom Abrahams. It feels like this could have been read as a standalone but why would you. The first book absolutely blew my mind and I hope that if you’re looking at this that you’ll check that one out as well. The book felt like a mixture of a bunch of apocalyptic movies thrown into a blender – usually when you do that you get some mush that feels like it’s trying too hard. But when Abrahams does it – what you get it not only probably one of his best books. You also get one of his most original feeling books. I know, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Bar at the Edge of the Sea felt a lot like pirate movies (none specifically, just obviously had that pirate feel) and it felt like Waterworld (and he even makes a joke about that at one point) – but it was this unique world unlike anything I’ve read before. Abrahams introduces us to the fact that the world that they are living in (spoiler alert for the first book, so stop now if you haven’t read it) – throughout the first book they are in a water-less wasteland. This time there’s so much water – land is now hard to find. We learn that the places that they end up change depending on who dies and who is next to enter the domain of the Watchers. I thought that was easily one of the coolest parts of this book. Abrahams also does a lot with sea monsters and you know I love a good sea monster book. There were lots to go around (along with land monsters as well). But, the monster-heavy scenes are new for him and it didn’t feel like it. He wrote those scenes like a seasoned pro and they just bled off of the pages. Each character is unique and the character building on display in this book was top notch. Abrahams was able to make us like unlikable people – and really dislike people who are hate-able. He really pits the reader against these people to the point where you almost want to cheer when they do well and clap when the “bad guys” go down. Overall, I believe this might be Abrahams longest book but it didn’t feel like it. The pages and time just flew by. Each new scene and new stanza of the adventure they were on felt unique. I wanted to know where they would end up next and I wanted to know what perils they would face. I also like that he built out the world that The Watchers are living in and explained a bit more about what they are doing (and if they do it for good or evil).

this was an awesome tale. not only was it a great novel that could stand alone but it really sets you up for the 3rd and final book.

This book picks up where the previous one left off, they have returned from the mission to rescue Li, and during this mission, Zeke gained an understanding of his new role as one of ‘The Watchers’. Whilst the first book was mostly about Zeke, with a small amount of the story covering the rest of his party, Uriel, Gabe, and Phil, the second book has a lot more main characters for us to learn about, broadening the story focus. We are still learning about Zeke (and you get the feeling that Zeke will always be a main character, so most of the stories in this series will come from his point of view, however, in this book, we have a new protagonist who has come to the bar seeking to redeem their soul. Lucius Mander arrives at Pedro’s door step, bringing with him the ocean, quite literally. Gone is the desert in this book, that was from Zeke’s slot in time, and we have been drawn to Lucius’s slot in time, and he lives on an Earth in which the polar icecaps have totally melted, covering the Earth in water, so that only the very tips of the highest mountains poke through. This story covers a lot of topics, one of them being climate change (even if it is inadvertently), as the Earth has been smashed by humanity, leaving it covered in water. In a particular section, Li see’s other versions of Earth, and all of them seem to be in various forms of decay, and it is like Abrahams has made a point to deliberately show that the future of the Earth and Humanity is bleak if we continue how we are. We learn that Zeke is to lead a mission, to help Lucius, who has to return to his time, and not only rescue his Daughter, Anaxi from the clutches of a vile pirate called Desmond Branch (who happens to be the person who killed Lucius to begin with), but to also begin to atone for his life, and earn back his soul, he must find and return a lost Watcher’s weapon, one that has been missing for a few thousand years, an ancient and powerful sword that goes by several names, depending on which culture it has moved through, and it has been through several, Japanese, British (where it was a little thing called ‘Excalibur’), and currently, in this timeline, where it is known as Kalevanmiekka. To retrieve the sword, you must pass 3 trials, or riddles, and only the worthy will be found suitable to remove the sword from its current resting place. Abrahams puts such a lot of effort into creating this epic storylines, in which they are not only beautifully crafted, but they have so much depth and detail to them, his world building is outstanding. There is extraordinary detail, not just in linking the Characters, and keeping his timelines together, but the weapons, the different characters and where they come from, the tech, some of it being old, some of it almost magical. And he tells these tales of basically Angels, going on missions of redemption, with people who have just died in horrific ways (and we read how they died at the start so we know what has happened), before following our Angels on a bloody path to this redemption. And yet, throughout all of this, you find yourself having to stop, as you are in fits of laughter at some of the comments made. This book is full of some of the best one liners, some of them references to pop culture, others just biting comebacks that leave the receiving party slapped into next week, Abrahams must be a lot of fun at parties!! Add to all of this the magnificent Character work, and the story is just about perfect. Abraham’s characters are wonderful, Zeke continues to grow, questioning everything as he tries to understand what has happened, but he has come to grips with it in this book, and he is now trying to understand how to be a better Watcher. Uriel is one of the best characters in the book – she is where a lot of the best one liners come from, and when she speaks, you listen, you generally laugh after, but if you don’t pay attention to her, she will make sure you do next time. The relationship between Zeke and Uriel is very interesting in this book, and makes the story just that more interesting. We don’t get to hear a lot about Gabe or Phil, they are kind of secondary, as they were in the first book, it would be good to know more about these Watchers. Pedro is still a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and the more you learn, the less you know. Li is fascinating in this book, as she tries to reconcile what has happened, and who she now is. I don’t want to give anything away about her character, but her story is really interesting in this book. Overall, this story is just as good as the first, Abrahams has outdone himself, and this is more than worth the read, it is a must read. I can’t wait for the next episode in the series!! Jonathan Davis is outstanding as the Narrator for Bar at the Edge of the Sea. He has the wonderful voice, deep and resonating, that allows him to really convey the tones of Zeke and Uriel, the main characters, who are both male and female, but he does this with consummate ease. His voice has the graceful quality to it, making it really easy to listen to, even though Davis does have quite a deep voice. He carries off all the characters beautifully, from the Ageless Pedro, to the newly minted, and quite timid (at this stage), Adaliah, each voice is done clearly and concisely, so you can easily understand them, regardless of gender (he does a wonderful female voice as well as male, and has a good variation on both genders to). Jonathan Davis though doesn’t just ‘read’ the story, he really tells it, slipping into each of the characters, and telling each of their parts, you can feel the emotional state of every character he does – his narration is just masterful, and an absolute pleasure to listen to. No one has a voice, or narrates like Davis, he takes you on a truly magical journey when he tells you a story, and you won’t be disappointed….This is story telling!!

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member