Download Popular Titles Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

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Title: The Tel Aviv Dossier

Author: Lavie Tidhar, Nir Yaniv

Narrator: Eric Meyers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Through a city torn apart by violence they cannot comprehend, three disparate people: a documentary film-maker, a yeshiva student, and a psychotic fireman must try to survive, and try to find meaning - even if it means being lost themselves.

As Tel Aviv is consumed, a strange mountain rises at the heart of the city and shows the outline of what may be another, alien world beyond. Can there be redemption there? Can the fevered rumours of a coming messiah be true? As the city loses contact with the outside world and closes in on itself, as the few surviving children play and scavenge in the ruins, can innocence survive? And is it possible for hope to spring amid such chaos?

Members Reviews:

Wonder filled

Imagine a collaboration between Jorge Luis Borges and Harlan Ellison: apocalyptic, recursive, and ultimately mind opening. Neil Gaiman recommended it and I'm glad I took him up on the recommendation. If they made a movie or a Game of Thrones type series of from it (which for the authors' sake I hope they do) they will get it wrong but maybe, just maybe, right enough that others will find the original.

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Title: The Storm Weaver & The Sand

Subtitle: Third Book of the Change

Author: Sean Williams

Narrator: Eric Michael Summerer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-20-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Sal and his friend Shilly have been joined by a third refugee, Skendar, by the time they make their way to the remote island that is the home of the famous, feared Haunted City, home of the Sky Wardens. Sal's great aunt, the Syndic, is also there, and she is determined to keep Sal under control, even if she has to imprison him to do it.

But there are greater threats even than that. The ghosts that live behind the ancient glass of the City are restless. No one can say why they are stirred up, and no one has any idea what they can do if they act.

The golem is determined to make Sal do its bidding and will not stop short of murder to obtain his obedience. It appears that the Weavers have plans as well, yet no one knows, or will admit knowing, if the legendary Weavers even exist or what they are.

Members Reviews:

Totally fun

I found the characters believable and moody. I wanted to keep reading about their adventure to ensure it would come out right - or at least hoping it would. I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I finished the books I found myself hunting for the next in the series! My kudos to Sean Williams for creating this universe!

Australian SF Reader

There is a secret cabal of the powerful existing in this future Earth. After going on the run and leaving their town, Sal and Shilly have the misfortue to find this out. They had been staying with the Stone Mages and learning about their various different abilities, and made a good friend, in Skender. Now they are brought before the Storm Weavers, who must decide their ultimate fate.

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Title: The Day Watch

Subtitle: Watch, Book 2

Author: Sergei Lukyanenko

Narrator: Paul Michael

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-30-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The second instalment of the phenomenal Russian quartet The Night Watch vampire novels set in a richly realized post-Soviet Moscow.The second book in the internationally bestselling fantasy series, The Day Watch begins where The Night Watch left off, set in a modern-day Moscow where the 1,000-year-old treaty between Light and Dark maintains its uneasy balance through careful vigilance from the Others. The forces of darkness keep an eye during the day, the Day Watch, while the agents of Light monitor the nighttime. Very senior Others called the Inquisitors are the impartial judges insisting on the essential compact. When a very potent artifact is stolen from them, the consequences are dire and drastic for all sides. The Day Watch introduces the perspective of the Dark Ones, told in part by a young witch who bolsters her evil power by leeching fear from childrens nightmares as a counselor at a girls summer camp. When she falls in love with a handsome young Light One, the balance is threatened and a death must be avenged.

The Day Watch is replete with the thrilling action and intricate plotting of the first tale, fuelled by cunning, cruelty, violence, and magic. It is a fast paced, darkly humorous, haunting world that will take root in the shadows of your mind and live there forever.

Members Reviews:

Very entertaining

This book is very entertaining and I could not stop until I had read the whole book. I loved the mix of characters and the plot of the book. You can listen to the book whilst basking in the sun in the park or whilst taking a walk. Absolutely beautiful.

Great series

I love fantasy and mild sci-fi books, and own the paperbacks of this series. But with lots of long journeys this year I decided to get these audio books for in the car, to help keep me interested and awake!

Great story, the whole series is great and would recommend. The narration is good, once you get past the odd (to me!) change from narration in an American accent, switching to a Russian(ish) accent when speaking as a character. But then I'm from the UK and it just seemed a little odd to me. Good narration though, and good quality audio.

The Day Watch: Watch, Book 2

Although I loved the films and would recommend them to any syfy movie lovers, yet again it is a case of the book being so much better than the films. For a start this book is split into three separate (although linked) stories and to do them justice each would need a film of its own. I found this book slightly harder to get into than the first and third, largely because it is often told from the point of view of the dark ones. However it is this willingness to write a universe in which characters of vastly different natures are all represented, where the reader can sympathize and in some ways understand the motives of the `bad' as well as the `good', that make this series so brilliant. The character progression that you get throughout the books of both the dark and light characters, as they learn, grow and develop their beliefs really sets the stories apart. The series is written beautifully with wonderful imagery, imagination and plot. The narrator is, in my opinion, one of the best I have heard doing both male and female voices and varying accents equally well so that it is like listening to a play with a full cast.

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Title: The Gods Abide

Author: Thomas Burnett Swann

Narrator: Bob Kuhn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-12

Publisher: Wildside Press LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Thomas Burnett Swann was a brilliant fantasy writer who died in 1976. He wrote primarily about the ancient Greek and Roman world, blending myth with romance and adventure. A reviewer in the Village Voice sums his work up well: "Swann's neo-romantic fantasies of the past are unique. He uses the stuff of myth but with twists and inventions of his own."

In this tale of the time of Rome and the Celtic kingdoms, Swann tells the story of the retreat of the pagan gods and all their array of sprites and nymphs and little folk. Facing the ruthless practicality of the new religion that denies their very right to exist, the varied prehumans face utter destruction unless they can find a sanctuary beyond detection. This short novel tells their tale and that of two of their defenders, who follow the trail of the legendary immortals to the very waters of the Styx. It is a masterpiece of poetic imagery, fantastic adventure, and sheer literary delight.

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Title: Battlefield 3: The Russian

Author: Andy McNab, Peter Grimsdale

Narrator: Rupert Degas

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-28-11

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Bullets whiz by, walls crumble, and explosions throw you to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before. In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines where they will experience heart-pounding missions across diverse locations.

EA's Battlefield games have set the standard for realism and ambition. In Autumn 2011 they're raising the bar even higher. Battlefield 3 will be the most authentic first person shooter ever. To be published alongside the game, Battlefield 3: The Russian is also best in class - the first time that a games publisher has worked so closely with an internationally bestselling author. Displaying all of McNab's trademark grit, authenticity and insight, Battlefield 3: The Russian is a scorching top-of-the-line military thriller.

Members Reviews:

Very Hard Work !

This was hard work to get through. The quality of the audio recording was one issue (too bass heavy and a little muffled). The story was ok but the performance was a bit sketchy. Certainly not one of his best stories. Disappointed.

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Title: An Occupation of Angels

Author: Lavie Tidhar

Narrator: Elizabeth Klett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-29-11

Publisher: Iambik Audio Inc

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After Archangels materialise over the bloodbaths of WWII, they take up residence in most of the worlds major cities. But what would happen if, more than quarter of a century later, something somehow managed to kill these supreme beings? Killarney knows and, as an agent working for the Bureau, a British agency thats so secret it doesnt officially exist, she finds herself embroiled in the consequences as, one by one, the Archangels die.

Assigned to trace a missing cryptographer thought to have information on the murders, she travels from England, through France, heading for the frozen wastes of the USSR. But theres an unknown third party intent on stopping her, and theres God, who also has an agenda. Not knowing who is friend and who is foe, and with only a brief glimpse of a swastika on angel wings as solid information, Killarney struggles to remain alive long enough to glean sufficient information to put together the pieces of the puzzle and complete what is, without them, an impossible mission.

Critic Reviews:

We travel with the protagonist from historic Paris to the remote, frozen wastelands of Siberia and beyond, perhaps even to Heaven itself. The action scenes are well-written and compelling. This is an adventure story, plain and simple. (Skull Salad Reviews)

An Occupation of Angels is exhausting, but in a good way. Tidhar delivers a supernatural spy novella that gallops along at a break-neck pace. True to his usual form, Tidhar drops you into the middle of the action, only feeding you pieces of information as they naturally come up in the story. The result is that youre endlessly intrigued, both by whats happening, and where and when its happening. Tidhar never falls into the trap of standing back and admiring the alternative history hes created. Rather, he uses it, with all its richness and mystery, as an effective backdrop to a cinematic thriller, and the reader is left hungry for more. (The Bookslave)

An Occupation of Angels is a breathless adventure story, finely crafted and rammed home with the assured confidence of an author very much in his stride. (SFRevue.com)

Members Reviews:

Interesting premise that never gets fully explored. Tidhar substitutes fight scenes for character development.

Interesting premise that never gets fully explored. Tidhar substitutes fight scenes for character development.

Good campy fun

A bit cheesy at the end however was a nice good spy-like romp of fun. If you have fun playing those thinly storied FPS computer games such as Doom 3 and Quake, it's got that kind of campy feel to it.

The only problems I had was keeping the characters straight and keeping the settings in mind. The main character herself has three different aliases.

I'm also glad this book isn't one I wanted to throw across the room. It doesn't like to use shock language like other books would. Though, the comparing human/thin = good and large/obese = bad did give a good record scratch while I was reading.

A fast paced spy thriller / alt history / dark fantasy...with angels!

This novella reads sort of like a dark fantasy/alt history story mashed up with a bit of James Bond, and John LeCarré's Cold War spy stories... with angels. There's a British secret organization sending agents around the world on secret business, spying on other countries and agencies, and also keeping an eye on the archangels who arrived at the end of WW2.

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Title: The House of Discarded Dreams

Author: Ekaterina Sedia

Narrator: Robin Miles

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-01-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Trying to escape her embarrassing immigrant mother, Vimbai moves into a dilapidated house in the dunes and discovers that one of her new roommates has a pocket universe instead of hair, there's a psychic energy baby living in the telephone wires, and her dead Zimbabwean grandmother is doing dishes in the kitchen. When the house gets lost at sea and creatures of African urban legends all but take it over, Vimbai turns to horseshoe crabs in the ocean to ask for their help in getting home to New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews:

Book lovers who enjoy fantasy will jump with both feet into the experience of listening to Ekaterina Sedias The House of Discarded Dreams, creatively performed by Robin Miles. While the basis of the story is of Vimbai, a Zimbabwean daughter of immigrants to the United States, finding an identity for herself that is separate from her parents and her African heritage, the story is that and so much more.

Miles adeptly captures the impatience and irritation of 20-year-old Vimbai, an only child who would like nothing more than to live an independent life. Miles easily transitions between the terribly irked Vimbai and her parents, who are grappling with their own identities no longer Africans, though not quite Americans. Vimbais mother, a university instructor of Africana Studies, indignantly perceives condescension towards all that is African in her American experiences, while Vimbais father is a nurse beleaguered by the reality that nothing he can say or do will mollify his wifes dissatisfaction with life.

When Vimbai attempts a separation from her parents by becoming the third roommate in a house by the shore, The House of Discarded Dreams spins off into a world that may or may not be of Vimbais creation. Nevertheless, Miles excels as she takes on the characterizations of Vimbais roommates, world-weary Maya and Felix, a loopy fellow with wild, dark hair that is, truly, a universe unto itself. Miles gives life to a croaky (from being stuck in the phone lines) yet highly rambunctious Psychic Energy Baby; a slippery, manipulative Manfish/catfish; but, most compellingly, to Vimbais Shona grandmother who has returned from the afterlife to guide Vimbai through the journey launched into motion with Vimbais presence in the house. Through Miles, Vimbais grandmother is a mellifluous, loving, African elder who reveals the layers in Shona legends Vimbai had been too young to grasp when her grandmother was alive. The tales not only explain the fantasy world Vimbai, Maya, and Felix temporarily inhabit but also begin to illuminate, for Vimbai, the unease and sadness with which her parents view their lives in America. As The House of Discarded Dreams progresses, Vimbai begins to accept the depth to which she is and will always remain African.

Miless ability to voice convincingly so many fantastical characters allows listeners to lose themselves in the enchanted world Ekaterina Sedia has created in The House of Discarded Dreams. Tying together one magical scene after another, her narration encourages all to journey alongside Vimbai as she navigates her way through a shape-shifting beach house with other-worldly inhabitants. Through Miless extraordinary skills Vimbai and audiobook listeners are entertained by a wise Zimbabwean grandmother who cares enough not only to give us important life lessons through Shona folktales, but also to do the dirty dishes as well.

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Title: Murder of Angels

Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan

Narrator: Jessica Almasy, Therese Plummer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Niki Ky spends her days in a medicated haze, haunted by the ghosts of those she left behind 10 years ago after a confrontation against an unspeakable evil that left her shattered. To find peace, Niki must return to the house on the side of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama-to face creatures no human should ever have to face.

Members Reviews:

Whaa???

Ok, I liked "The Red Tree". I like it a lot thus, I thought I would like this book. Well, I was wrong. It wasn't horrible, it was just so moody, whiney and hormonal and then it got downright weird. I still am not sure what the premise of the book is.

"... haunted by the ghosts of those she left behind 10 years ago after a confrontation against an unspeakable evil that left her shattered."

I still don't know what this "unspeakable evil" is. And that bothers me because I usually love this type of mystery, where the author uncovers little tidbits of information from some long forgotten past until there's an 'oh my gosh' reaction from the reader at the end but I am left confused.

I might have to listen to it again but honestly, I found that the narrator's little girl voice, used for the main character Niki, was beginning to seriously annoy me. So, it will be a long time till I want to try it again.

Blah...

Don't bother. This is one you'll wish you could get your credits back on. Hard to follow, no real direction. Tried to make it through an hour but couldnt.

Dreadful

I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this story as the narrator Jessica Almasy ruined any attempt to listen to it. Her voice is horrible, and she has the most annoying way of speaking that it made trying to follow what she was saying almost impossible.

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Title: The Voice of the Gods

Subtitle: Age of Five Gods, Book 3

Author: Trudi Canavan

Narrator: Samantha Bond

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-08

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Despite her hope for peace, as the protector of the Siyee, Auraya is unable to avoid being caught up in the building conflict. And as the gods' demands increase, she finds that she must choose between those she loves and those she's sworn to serve.

Meanwhile, Mirar enjoys acceptance and respect as he reclaims his place among his people, and Emerahl is at last able to join the Thinkers in their search for the Scroll of the Gods.

The Pentadrians, determined to take their revenge on the conquering Circlians, plot and scheme to bring down their enemies by means other than direct conflict. The key to everything, though, may lie with the Wilds, who embark upon a quest for secrets buried long ago - secrets that could change the world.

Trudi Canavan, here concludes her breathtaking new fantasy adventure - a tale of gods, heroes, magic, and forbidden love.

Members Reviews:

Amazing series

Amazing book, by one of my favourite authors. never stops thrilling. Would highly recommend a read!

Disappointing

I usually absolutely love Trudi Canavans books but I just felt let down by this last installment. The book was much shorter than the previous in the series, and a lot of the big stories and characters I thought were going somewhere just seemed to evaporate! More on the audiobook side, the narrator was changed which normally I wouldn't mind too much if both were good however a little consistency in pronunciation would go a long way - I felt like the whole time I was listening I would correct the narrator every 5 minutes!

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Title: Dreamsongs, Section 5

Subtitle: Hybrids and Horrors, from Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections)

Author: George R. R. Martin

Narrator: George R. R. Martin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-07

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

BONUS: Each selection includes extensive commentary by author George R. R. Martin

Critic Reviews:

"Fans, genre historians, and aspiring writers alike will find this shelf-bending retrospective as impressive as it is intriguing." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Hybrids and Horrors is a truly fun section of this book

Hybrids and Horrors is a truly fun section of this book, and the section of Martinâs oeuvre closest to my heart.

âMeathouse Manâ was not what I was expecting. This setting focuses on operators of crews of brainless meat puppets. I would have liked a little more corpse operator bits and less romantic lamentation. While structurally solid, with every piece building to the ending, it felt like the punch was pulled just a bit. I don't want punches pulled with potential Dangerous Visions.

âRemembering Melodyâ was an uncomfortable view of the toxic relationships that we allow to curse our lives. It was also a fascinating viewport into the late 70âs/early 80âs high-power-party-cocaine culture.

This section finally starts unmitigatedly kicking ass with âSandkingsâ. The full spectrum of reprehensible humans is on display while they channel the cruel divinity of the Greeks. This story evokes the psychological horror borne on cruelty, fear of the bogeyman, as well as entomophobia. Then to top it all off, The Maw is a monster birthed from the uncaring cosmos which only becomes more terrifying when driven mad by an uncaring god or when it adopts a primitive god consumption mythology. The ending is very evocative of âThe House on the Borderlandsâ and the creatures dancing around the house in the dream realm. And all they want to do is love. Or consume. Or both. This deservedly won a Hugo.

âNightflyersâ was an interesting take on the ghost ship concept. I can see how it was made into a film, and GRRMâs screenwriting chops were applied here, as there are a number of truly cinematic scenes. The memory jewels reminded me strongly of those used in the Dying of the Light, but apparently these are not set in the same universe considering the remainder of the technology. The most fascinating part of this was the use of the Elder Gods as peripheral motivation for the story. They are giant, unknowable, gorgeous creatures of endless hunger traveling through space and are absolutely unconcerned with the incidental problems faced by the crew of this scientific expedition.

âThe Monkey Treatmentâ had some truly horrific imagery, but the ending deflated the dread. Happy endings have to be used sparingly in horror, and this one felt less like a relief of the cessation of pain, and more a return to an indulgent past. Iâm not sure there was a lesson learned from all the torture.

âThe Pear Shaped Manâ really wanted to show me his things. This tale of relentlessly passive obsession had tendrils of the supernatural creeping in at the edges. This is the modern slasher monster that stands on your lawn and stares into your windows, but instead of waiting for you with a knife, there is a fistful of cheese doodles and a moist lower lip. This deservedly won the Stoker for Long Form, with its uncomfortable creep towards thralldom and doom.