Discover Most Popular Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

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Title: Madness of Flowers

Author: Jay Lake

Narrator: Christian Rummel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 07-30-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The battle has been fought and won, and all have been transformed by the struggle. Imago of Lockwood has become Lord Mayor of the City Imperishable, though at a price beyond his wildest imagination. Bijaz the Dwarf has been imbued with a godlike power and a responsibility he scarcely understands. And Jason the Factor, resurrected from death at the hands of his sister, the Tokhari sandwalker Kalliope, has become the sula ma-jieni na-dia, the fabled Dead Man of Winter. When a beautiful mountebank arrives in the City Imperishable, offering to lead an expedition to uncover the lost tomb of the Imperator Terminus, she stirs up the mob with promises of treasure and imperial power...but what will her quest unleash? Political intrigue, adventure, and all-out war await the principles and inhabitants of the City Imperishable. Through it all, the City may endure, but none will remain untouched by the Madness of Flowers....

Members Reviews:

Story is hard to follow

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I found it difficult to pick the story out of the text. If the author can make the storyline more prominent than I believe this would've been a much more enjoyable book. As it stands, you have to do a lot of reading to get a little bit of story.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jay Lake again?

Yes, I would be willing to read this author again but I will pay particular attention to the reviews.

Gravity

I chose to enjoy my time with this book. It sounds like the satanic verses to me today. Makes me want to be elsewhere because of the person who is this book's author.

Review: The narrator is not capable of any expression of mirth as he translates, the storyline jumps from one improbable plot meaning to another within seconds, it has no continuity of reason over than insanity of expression.

AVOID

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Title: Beyond Dinocalypse

Author: Chuck Wendig

Narrator: Oliver Wyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Thrown through time and space, Jet Black and his friends find themselves in a future that has changed everything they've ever known. Hunted, exhausted, and desperate to return home, they must stay one step ahead of the conquering psychosaurs who have taken over the world and enslaved humanity! But as the world changed, so did the people they left behind. Bitter enemies turn into vital allies and old friends sacrifice their ideals to seek victory by any means necessary in this fast-paced sequel to Dinocalypse Now!

Members Reviews:

More Pulp Adventure

Looking forward to the third book in the trilogy. I wasn't ready for this one to end. (Sort of snuck up on me). More great characters & incredible locations. A fascinating story that is never boring.

Oliver Wyman gives another wonderful performance with this book. (I can't imagine anyone else voicing these characters.)

wow...soooo dumb

Ok so no one ages but the city I guess. so many plot holes. just poorly written. the first was much better and this was just lost

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Title: After London or Wild England

Author: Richard Jefferies

Narrator: Barnaby Edwards

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 05-10-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After London can be seen as an early example of post-apocalyptic fiction: after some sudden and unspecified catastrophe has depopulated England, the countryside reverts to nature, and the few survivors to a quasi-medieval way of life. The audiobook has two parts. The first, The Relapse into Barbarism, is the account by some later historian of the fall of civilisation and its consequences, with a loving description of nature reclaiming England: fields becoming overrun by forest, domesticated animals running wild, roads and towns becoming overgrown, the hated London reverting to lake and poisonous swampland.

The second part, Wild England, is largely a straightforward adventure set many years later in the wild landscape and society (here too Jefferies was setting an example for the genre); but the opening section, despite some improbabilities, has been much admired for its rigour and compelling narrative.

John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influence on him and provides the background to all his major works of fiction. For all that, these show a remarkable diversity, including Bevis (1882), a classic children's book, and After London (1885), an early work of science fiction.

Editorial Reviews:

Narrator Barnaby Edwards does an excellent interpretation of Victorian intonation and cadence in this early example of post-apocalyptic fiction. Edwards' performance lends an elegant formality to this story set in an England depopulated after a sudden, unnamed catastrophe, where the remaining inhabitants live in a quasi-medieval society. Described by the Observer as one of the most beautiful Victorian novels, After London's descriptions of the landscapes and creatures of an England gone back to nature are vivid and captivating, and Edwards' classic storytelling style lets them linger in the listeners' mind.

Members Reviews:

early science fiction

Despite a somewhat dated style, I found this vision of a post apocalyptic world quite convincing.

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Title: Steelheart

Author: William C. Dietz

Narrator: Bill Quinn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

An android named Harley Doon finds himself caught in a battle between human and alien. Its not his fight, but somebody has to save the world.

Years ago, when humans and androids crash landed onto the planet Zuul, whatever remained of their society quickly succumbed to the ravages of earthquakes and a never-ending winter from volcanic dust clouds. As humans and machines scavenged to stay alive, they also faced the Zid, an alien race that abhors all technology with religious fervor. Add to that the Mothri - giant, bug-like aliens with brilliant minds and their own nanotechnology - and it is no longer simply the planets geological upheaval that proves volatile.

War between the races looms. Will Doon, tired and reluctant, rise to lead the fight? Can humans harness technology to save the planet, itself, before the Zid arrive? And, what secrets does Doon carry inside of him that might help them all?

Members Reviews:

Aliens, humans, androids and anti-technology.

At first I thought this was a bit of a cliche, but Mr Dietz managed to squeeze in a few nice touches to round out his characters to avoid being too formulaic. Some obvious "baddies" and "goodies" and some parts were a bit clunky, but overall I enjoyed it. I don't think it was as good as his more overt military sci fi, but worth a read. My only complaint about the narrator was the aliens came over a bit like a cross between the Cisco Kid and Speedy Gonzalez - other wise he did a great job.

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Title: The Fires of Coventry

Subtitle: Federation War, Book 2

Author: Rick Shelley

Narrator: Tim Pabon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Coventry: One of the founding worlds of the Second Commonwealth. It lies just eight light years away from the Commonwealths capitol world, Buckingham, but its mostly been ignored during the Federation War.

No longer. The Federation has its sights set on taking Coventry by any means necessary. Their first wave of attacking troops have set Coventry aflame in an effort to force out the population and keep local resistance at bay as they establish a base for attacking the heart of the Commonwealth.

Coventry is Reggie Baileys home. Reggie isnt a Royal Marine. Hes a family man, a father of three. But he has to put it all aside and join his brethren to fight the fires that threaten his world. Its up to the home guard to keep the Federation at bay long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

To Sergeant David Spencer of the Commonwealths Royal Marines, the scorched earth assault on Coventry is a challenge. But hes trained, skilled, armed, ready. When the unexpected orders to go to Coventry arrive, theres no question that David and his men are up to the task, but theres every question if they can arrive in time and fight their way through the fires of Coventry before its too late for Reggie and his family.

War hits home as Rick Shelleys Federation War trilogy continues.

Members Reviews:

Incomplete recording doesn't help

What disappointed you about The Fires of Coventry?

1) It's a mediocre story, based on strategists being stupid.

2) The opening couple of pages of the book is missing.

What aspect of Tim Pabons performance would you have changed?

I would have removed the weird pauses and improved the characters' voices.

Any additional comments?

This book really doesn't move the trilogy forward at all. You can safely skip it.

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Title: Where the Ships Die

Author: William C. Dietz

Narrator: Bill Quinn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Somewhere, deep in the vast blackness of space, a wormhole waits to be found. Dorn Voss needs to find it. But, the stakes are high and he isnt the only one looking. Natural occurring wormholes are the lone means of intergalactic travel in the universe. Whoever controls them gains riches and power unimaginable. The coordinates of one such wormhole, the Mescalaro Gap, are lost, hidden behind conspiracy and murder. With a prize so great, many a man or alien would do anything to find those coordinates and control the universe.

In Where the Ships Die, author William C. Dietz creates a dense adventure filled with complex characters and multiple storylines all crashing headlong towards one final confrontation.

Members Reviews:

8th Grade Writing by an Accomplished Writer

Would you try another book from William C. Dietz and/or Bill Quinn?

I would try another Dietz book, but no fiction by Quinn ever again.

What could William C. Dietz have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Dietz's writing in this resembles his other books sometimes, but most times you get the idea that he wrote this when he was in 8th grade. The descriptions of the main characters are stereotyped shells as opposed to his characters in the Legion of the Damned series. It was almost as if this book was written as a satire of his other books or novice author wrote it in Dietz's "style" and they slapped the Dietz name on it.I have read or listened to almost all of William C. Dietz books and I had to stop listening to this on about half way through. I bought this on the strength of his name alone. I wish I had read the Amazon book reviews on the written version first.I am as disappointed as a long term reader can be.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bill Quinn?

Almost anyone else, but Donald Coren was fine in Dietz's other books. I least I could track the plot and not have to stop and start the player all the time.

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It completed my library of Dietz books. I just wish he hadn't wrote it, or if he was going to in any case, had written it with his normal care.It also taught me to read other site's reviews of the written form of the book even if the author is one of your favorites.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy William C. Dietz, don't buy this book.

Dreadful narration

A decent book but I was completely put off by the narrators voice and could hardly stand to listen to it. I believe it is computer generated? The inflection is off and it goes from one idea to another with barely a breath between sentences making it difficult to follow.

My advice is to buy it in paperback or kindle and read it yourself.

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Title: The Hero King

Subtitle: Varayan Memoir, Book 3

Author: Rick Shelley

Narrator: Kurt Elftmann

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When seven moons rise, the world will end.

So the prophecy says, and so it is being carried out. In the magical world of Varay, more and more moons rise. On earth, nuclear war lays the planet to waste.

Gil Tyner, Hero of Varay, must make common cause with his sworn enemy, the Elflord, to avert the end of everything.

As the boundaries between earth and the realm of magic begin to blur, Gil must brave dangers in both worlds, until he finally stands against an entity so mighty that their battle will either avert Armageddon, or destroy everything weve ever known.

Members Reviews:

Not as Strong

**Spoilers Ahead*

The first half of this book is good. Gil is traveling through a war ravaged earth to find his wife's family. Then the book heads for what I thought was a weird turn, he has to go sleep wit the goddess of all creation so a new universe can be born. While it has a final ending I don't think its a great one. Too bad Mr. Shelley is no longer with us I would have liked to see more from Gil.

Amazing books

I first came upon this series at my local library and fell in love with all three books instantly. Ten years later they still remain my favorite books and hold the most coveted spot on my shelf. I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone. The story line is fantastic and carries smoothly through all three books. I love the main character Gil and enjoyed following his quests into Shelly's strange world. The story line is unique and perfect for anyone who enjoys fantasy novels and timetravel-esque books.

Four Stars

I was happy to finally get the last of the trilogy...my only knock was the expense.

happy reader

wish there more books in this series I have readed this book 100 times I own this paperback and in kindle

Wonderful - well worth locating a copy

I've read a lot of SciFi/Fantasy and this series is one of the best. Most of the books being written today have very predictable plot twists; not this one! Mr Shelley, please let us know what happens to Gil next!

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Title: Drifter's War

Author: William C. Dietz

Narrator: Bill Quinn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Chased by bounty hunters, smuggler Pik Lando travels on a drift ship in an attempt to escape. But the drifter travels to a pre-programmed destination, and he soon finds himself smack in the middle of a planet-smashing war.

Members Reviews:

Dietz delivers true grit in this 3 installment space opera

Dietz is my go-to writer for peculiar twists in military sci-fi. If youâre looking for an entertaining story in 3 books, youâll be enjoying these characters and an exotic and twisted plot that in many ways bring backs the Wild West galactic grit of Serenity.

5-star fun!

Five Stars

I really enjoyed this book, not a serious book, but very fun to read.

Four Stars

good

excellent read.

I have really enjoyed my reading of this series. I trully love a trillogy that ties itself up in a bow and flows well. This was a delightful adult read which could compare to many great writers. I have liked other books along these lines and will read more.

T I Johnson

After all these years I finally got to read the whole series and, as I figured, it's an enjoyable read.

I discovered Mr Dietz in the early 1980's and have been an avid fan ever since. Pik Lando is another wonderful personality and just a fun read all around.

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Title: Tambu

Author: Robert Asprin

Narrator: Alan Robertson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-27-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Villain or Martyr?

For years the mysterious figure known only as 'Tambu' has held the settled planets in his iron grip. The fleet of pirates and criminals under his command have established and maintained a reign of terror and extortion, successfully defying all efforts of the newly-formed Defense Alliance to halt or curb their activities.

Now, for the first time, a reporter has been granted an interview with Tambu: The story will finally be told of Tambu's origin, his rise to power, and - most important - his philosophies and logic for running his force. If Tambu can be believed. And if the reporter is allowed to leave with his story.

Members Reviews:

An Excellent and Downright DIFFERENT Science Fiction Adventure

Tambu is the quite simply the story of the rise to power of a despot of sort--a man without a companion, a man without a world. It's told by way of an interviewer seeking an audience with Tambu for a story about his life, how he became to BE Tambu, some of his trials and betrayals and successes. It's very cleverly done and framed, with short chapters detailing the interview talking to Tambu and a longer chapter advancing the story a bit.

Tambu is a strange mix of hero and pragmatist, a man who *seems* to want to be good but who will take wrathful vengeance if he's betrayed. I found him to be a fascinating mix, and to watch him grow and change as he becomes Tambu over time is fascinating.

This is quite simply one of THE best action adventure science fiction novels I've ever read. Hopefully you'll feel the same. A bit tricky to find anymore, but it's worth the effort. VERY recommended.

Good book that challenges the notion of Heroes & Villains.

This book is the story of a reporter's interview with Tambu, the greatest pirate & villain in the Universe. The central theme of the story is a challenge to whole concept of heroes & villains. From the interview you would be forced to conclude that whether someone is a hero or villain is just a matter of your point of view. Tambu explains how he came to be considered the greatest villain in the universe. His explanation is logical & you could believe that give the same situation you might make the same decisions he did. Tambu expounds on this idea when he explains his philosophy that all decisions should be B.A.D. decisions (Best Available Data). Make the best decision you can based on the data available within the time parameters allowed. When reviewing a past decision you should be content that given the same situation, same information, and the same amount of time, you would make the same decision again (No 20/20 hindsight allowed). After reading this book you too will be challenging the notion of Heroes & Villains.

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Title: Still River

Author: Hal Clement

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-24-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The riddle of enigma...

Years of exacting study were coming to an end. All five student scientists, each the best its species had to offer, were one step away from their final degrees. One examination remained: The students were to determine why the tiny planet of Enigma, a planet with so little mass that it should never have had an atmosphere, in fact it did. Everything seemed to be running smoothly until the only human member of the team, Molly was accidentally blown into one of the deep fissures that pocked the planet's surface. She found herself trapped in a series of tunnels and caves that only led her deeper into the riddle that was at the heart of Enigma. But as her concerned companions followed her, they found Enigma's most puzzling anomaly. For in the dark passages they discovered life - life which couldn't possibly exist.

Members Reviews:

Hal gets the chemistry right for a scientific puzzle

This is a slightly odd book.

Hal Clement has been renowned for writing SF with real science, and his early novel "Mission of Gravity" is a classic of physics and chemistry. If you can appreciate this ultra-scientific approach, with little emotional content, you might really enjoy "Still River".

The plot is fairly straightforward: five students from an advanced interstellar culture are left alone on the small planet Enigma 88 as a practical assignment towards getting their advanced degrees.

Enigma 88 is a weird place. It orbits an O-type supergiant, and stars like that aren't supposed to have planets at all. It also has an atmosphere, despite being small. Although the students are pretty capable, it doesn't take long for some of them to be in physical danger.

I said that there was little emotional content. That's because most of the species of this interstellar culture are extremely reserved by our standards and have strong codes of privacy. There is one human on the expedition, Molly, and we do learn a little more about her feelings. Perhaps deliberately, Clement doesn't give many details about this culture - it adds to the slightly odd, detached, understated tone of the book.

The author succeeds in what he surely set out to do - create a scientific SF adventure puzzle. His aliens have a definite reality about them, perhaps because they do seem to think differently to us.

If you've read anything by Hal Clement, please try this - its my favourite of his novels.

Dull

I so loved the other Clement books I read--Mission of Gravity, Needle, Ice World--it really pains me to say it, but this book is just dull. A team of five graduate students embarks on a project to study an alien world. They have very different biochemistries and forms: one is human, one looks like a giant centipede, one looks like a monkey, and two look like spherical crabs, but in terms of personality they're actually no different from any group of human grad students you might find anywhere. The alienness is only skin deep.

But the real problem is that there's little suspense (I never felt any of the characters was ever in real danger) and the stakes are very low (this is about getting their degrees--not about saving the universe). The book kept putting me to sleep; I struggled to finish it.

A separate issue is that I had a hard time believing in the world they were studying.