Download the Top 100 Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Dreams and Shadows

Author: C. Robert Cargill

Narrator: Vikas Adam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the debut novel Dreams and Shadows, screenwriter and noted film critic C. Robert Cargill takes us beyond the veil, through the lives of Ewan and Colby, young men whose spirits have been enmeshed with the otherworld from a young age. This brilliantly crafted narrative - part Neil Gaiman, part Guillermo Del Torro, part William Burroughs - follows the boys from their star-crossed adolescences to their haunted adulthoods.

Cargill's tour-de-force takes us inside the Limestone Kingdom, a parallel universe where whisky-swilling genies and foul-mouthed wizards argue over the state of the metaphysical realm. Having left the spirit world and returned to the human world, Ewan and Colby discover that the creatures from this previous life have not forgotten them, and that fate can never be sidestepped. With sensitivity and hopeful examination, Cargill illuminates a supernatural culture that all too eerily resembles our own. Set in a richly imagined and constructed world, complete with its own richly detailed history and mythology, Dreams and Shadows is a deeply engaging story about two extraordinary boys becoming men.

Members Reviews:

dark and tragic but wonderfully written

this story seems disjointed at the start. separate tragically horrible short stories beginning what turns out to be an excellently written plot and memorable characters

Loving it

Nearly finished this audiobook, and absolutely loving it, I only listen in small blocks to make the whole experience last longer!

Good story, well read.

Demonic Pixies

There is a veil between this world and the supernatural world of fairies, pixies, goblins etc. It's not a case of pretty wee flower fairies at the bottom of the garden, it's Tinkerbell in major psycho beastie mode and drunk angels on the rampage.

A baby is swapped with a changeling shortly after its birth and the two boys' lives are followed to adulthood.

Avoid at all costs

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

Nothing

Would you ever listen to anything by C. Robert Cargill again?

Never

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Vikas Adam?

Anyone

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dreams and Shadows?

All of them

Any additional comments?

Quite possibly the worst book I've ever suffered through, performed in an affected fake accent punctuated by falsetto screeching.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Wartorn: Resurrection

Author: Robert Asprin, Eric Del Carlo

Narrator: George Newbern

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The legendary warlord, Dardas, died more than 250 years ago. Now, his spirit lives on in a host body, resurrected by a magician to lead a conquering army across the city-states of Isthmus. But there are military scholars familiar with Dardas's tactics - scholars who may hold the key to stopping his army.

Members Reviews:

Great start to a new series

The various city-states in the Isthmus have never known wholesale war but that is about to end. The ruler of Felk, Lord Motokin has planned for years to conquer the city- states and become Emperor of the Isthmus. He amassed a large army and trained in his own college a group of powerful wizards who would give that army instant transportation and communications. He places them under the command of a two hundred and fifty year old general remembered in the history books as Dardas the Butcher.

The city states of Windal, Callah and Sook fall immediately and the entire population of U'delph are killed, the city leveled to the ground. Although Dardas knows he needs periodic rejuvenation spells from a wizard under Motokin's command, the general is plotting to turn the magician's loyalty towards him. However, there are plans in the works from an assortment of people to stop this madness. One man is raising up a resistance in Callah while the leader of the powerful city-state Petgrad is trying to unite the city states so there's a chance they can win against the horde that is coming for them.

This story is told from the perspective of many individuals including a mercenary, a scholar, a collaborator, a resistance fighter and Dardas. Once the reader adjusts to the changing points of view, the transitions between these various viewpoints are smooth and makes for a fascinating reading experience. With the exception of the collaborator and the general who are deliberately made despicable, the audience will like the other characters and feel close to them. That Robert Asprin and Eric Del Carlo can accomplish such a feat is a testament to their tremendous talent.

Harriet Klausner

A rare miss for Asprin

Robert Asprin is a great writer. That being said, I didn't love this book. It just wasn't my cup of tea. While it had good writing, it never spoke to me. Which is odd since most of Asprin's books hit me like a bullet right between the eyes.

Worth a read

I am a huge fan of Robert Asprin's, ever since my Uncle handed down the Myth series books. I was excited to see a new series from him, and was drawn into the story. I do have to agree, though, with the "6 mini stories" in the book. I sometimes had to go back to figure out where that character left off... which got frustrating at times. However, I still enjoyed the story, and while the theme has been done before, the style of writing that the authors use makes it unique.

Recommended

Very interesting..

I read this book about a year ago and since then I have been anxiously waiting for the next book in the series. I won't go into plot, but I will tell you this, the ending will force you to buy the next book in the series.

Very intriguing use of Magic and politics in this book. It's not "Game of Thrones", but its a quick and dirty read.

4 out of 5: Very good book for the weekend.

Five Stars

none

Ascolta questo libro audio completo gratuitamente su https://hotaudiobook.com

Titolo: Conan - La Fenice sulla lama [Conan - The Phoenix on the Sword]

Autore: Robert Ervin Howard

Narratore: Stefano Volpe

Formato: Unabridged

Durata: 1 hr and 33 mins

Lingua: Italiano

Data di pubblicazione: 02-05-13

Editore: Area51 Publishing

Categoria: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Riepilogo Editore:

Dal genio di Robert E. Howard, la prima, originale avventura di Conan il Barbaro. Gotico, epico, selvaggio.

From the genius of Robert E. Howard, the first, original adventure of Conan the Barbarian. Gothic, epic, wild.

Please note: This audiobook is in Italian.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Warrior's Bones

Subtitle: Dragonlance: The New Adventures: Goodlund Trilogy, Book 3

Author: Stephen D. Sullivan

Narrator: Christine Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Catriona Goodlund returns to face her past and save her future.

Buried alive and left for dead, Catriona awakes in a tomb, sealed off from her family and friends. At the culmination of her long journey home, will she prove that she has the strength to be the warrior she was born to become?

In this final installment of the Goodlund Trilogy, Catriona finds she has - the heart and soul of a warrior.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Skunk Ape Semester

Author: Mike Robinson

Narrator: Steve Baker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-13

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Prompted by a health scare and an academic shake-up, zoologist and amateur Bigfoot researcher Dr. Jeremy Fishleder goes on sabbatical and plans a road trip around the country to places of strange repute. Three students decide to join him and, as they delve into the wilds of earth and steel, together they discover secrets hidden in the shadows of outer as well as inner nature.

Critic Reviews:

"On the Road meets The X-Files! (Marla Miller, author and columnist)

"A love song to Fortean Americana....a truly unique book." (Richard Freeman, author and director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology)

"A journey of the heart, mind and spirit. I was captivated from the first page." (Syrie James, best-selling author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen)

Members Reviews:

I was a bit disappointed as I thought it was about Bigfoot more so ...

The book is well written but does not really deliver on the title. It is more a tale of this professor's trek across the country with his students checking up on various legends and paranormal creatures, etc. They never really get into any real investigating but more so talking to witnesses and listening to stories, and the only brush they have with danger comes from other humans. I was a bit disappointed as I thought it was about Bigfoot more so than all of this other stuff. Good writing, but the title misrepresents the book.

Amazing journey

Jeremy Fishleder sees a six-foot tall creature with silver gray, extremely long fur and a smell bad enough to bring tears to his eyes as a child. This sighting ignites a lifelong passion in cryptozoology. When the university where he teaches decides his class is no longer science, he takes a sabbatical and begins a journey that will change his view on life in general.

ike Robinson pens a compelling tale that draws the reader into the world of Forteans, people who search for Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape, or Chupacabra among many other creatures. The story isn't just about finding these creatures, but also finding one's self. I found myself drawn into the tale, at times laughing, or gasping with horror, or even crying as Robinson examined human frailty along with many theories of what these creatures are and why they are among us.

Skunk Ape Semester is one of those books where I moved outside my comfort zone, and I'm glad I did. This isn't a story for the faint of heart, and all of those with a good deal of disbelief will cast it aside, but if you have a yearning for the mythic fabled and adventure, you'll love this story.

Not really about Bigfoot at all.

When I first began this book, I thought I knew where it was headed, which was squarely off into the realm of fantasy or perhaps magical realism. It took me until I had read about half to realize that this was actually NOT a work of fantasy, but rather a literary novel about a small group of people using the pretext of a search for a mythical creature to discover important facts about themselves as individuals. Therefore, I don't think it will give anything away to say they never actually find Bigfoot.

This is not so much a novel as a series of vignettes chronicling the road trip of this intrepid band of cryptid hunters. Their fearless leader, Jeremy Fishleder is clearly the mouthpiece of the book's author, serving as a way for Mr. Robinson to offer up his own musings on Life, the Universe, and Everything. Mr.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Poisoned Lands

Subtitle: Stormlands, Book 3

Author: John Maddox Roberts

Narrator: Michael McConnohie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

While traveling throughout the south, Ansa, son of King Hael, meets Fyanna, and together they become caught up in the chaos caused by the arrival of the conquering armies of Grania.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Necessary Beggar

Author: Susan Palwick

Narrator: David Roche

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-18-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Praised as "a deeply felt, deeply moving tale...chilling and finely tuned" (Publishers Weekly), Susan Palwick's first novel Flying in Place won widespread acclaim for its haunting exploration of a troubled childhood. Now, after a decade, Palwick returns with the powerful tale of a family cast out of an idyllic realm, learning to live in our own troubled world - an exciting and insightful examination of humanity in the spirit of Ursula Le Guin's The Disposessed and Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.

Lmabantunk, the Glorious City, is a place of peace and plenty. But it is also a land of swift and severe justice. Young Darroti has been accused of the murder of a highborn woman who had chosen the life of a Mendicant, a holy beggar whose blessing brings forgiveness. Now his entire family must share his shame, and his punishment - exile to an unknown world.

Grieving for the life they have left behind, Darroti and his family find themselves in a hostile land - an all-too-familiar American future, a country under attack in a world torn by hatred and war. There, each tries to cope in their own way.

Some will surrender to despair. Some will strive to preserve the old ways. Some will be lured by the new world's temptations. And some, sustained by extraordinary love, will find a way to heal the family's grief and give them hope.

Members Reviews:

An engaging story, sensitively told

I had looked forward to this book being released in Kindle format but unfortunately this didnt happen (as of this date, anyhow). A mixed blessing, perhaps, as the audio version is superb. Whether this is a fantasy or fictional novel is a debatable point but matters little as, what struck me the most, is the excellence of the writing.

The storyline is simple enough, concerning a family transplanted from somewhere else to the United States. It recounts the familys impressions of everyday life in Reno, Nevada over many years, contrasting and comparing their own foreign traditions and beliefs with those of the ordinary people around them. The book is witty and thoughtful but not particularly judgemental; the latter being left to the readers discretion. A highly recommended read.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Incorporated Knight

Author: L. Sprague de Camp, Catherine Crook de Camp

Narrator: Ray Chase

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-11-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Preferring trade to chivalry, practical-minded Eudoric Dambertson reluctantly sets out to kill a dragon to appease his would-be father-in-law and learns some discomfiting truths about dragon aying.

Members Reviews:

Totally Hilarious!

What if you had a knight with less alturistic nobility & more profit motive? Not a mercenary;just a guy looking for a peaceful way to make a buck.Having read chapters published in(if I recall correctly)the 'Flashing Swords!' anthologies edited by Lin Carter I just had to see how the story ended.

I was not disappointed.Highy suggested.

Not classic but still enjoyable

There aren't any wars going on and local monsters have been pretty well subdued. So when his magician-instructor offers Eudoric Dambertson a deal--knighthood and his daughter for two yards of dragon skin, Eudoric agrees. He sets off on a quest that doesn't quite turn out the way he intends--ending up in prison for hunting season violations--but learns some valuable lessons along the way. One of the most basic lessons concerns women. Eudoric has problems with women. He'd like to get married, have a loving relationship, but the woman he gets interested in either run off with someone else, or come with dangerous entanglements.

Spurned by his first love, Eudoric decides to make his fortune building a stagecoach line, offering shock-absorbed comfortable journeying to horse-weary travellers. In a magical world where enterprise is often scorned and where getting a business franchise is difficult, Eudoric doesn't find it an easy task--in fact, he's sent off after more monsters. Eudoric may not be the bravest or most noble guy around, but he's smart and manages to twist things in his own favor.

Authors L. Sprague and Catherine Crook de Camp take a twist on traditional heroic fantasy. Rather than a muscled and empty-headed hero with women falling around him, Eudoric has problems with women, uses his head rather than his thews, and goes for pragmatism rather than heroics any day. It makes for an amusing story and Eudoric is an interesting character who insists on learning from what happens to him and making the best of the opportunities that come his way. Sprague de Camp has created several of the masterpieces of SF/Fantasy and INCORPORATED isn't in that category. But it is an enjoyable read.

In search of an Honest Living

Set in a far corner of de Camp's Novaria world, The Incorporated Knight follows the attempts of Eudoric Dambertson to succeed in his world not by becoming a knight of reknown and fame, but by becoming a businessman of good stature, a goal looked down apon by his contemporary's, who believe the proper knight is a muscle-bound, sword swinging bone-head who's main aims in life are wenching and deeds of valor. His first attempt to win into a family with spurs and commercial bindings pits him to recover a few yards of dragon hide. Which he does, it's through a miss-chance involving gun powder and the law, which disagrees with poaching dragons out of season and throws him in the slammer.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Night Shifters

Author: Emily Devenport

Narrator: Emily Devenport

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-12

Publisher: Emily Devenport

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

"Hazel - Promise me you won't give up on your dreams." That's the last thing Hazel remembers her mother saying. She really means to keep that promise. But she suspects shes broken it - or maybe just failed to fully realize it, because she hasnt become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a mermaid - or anything much, really. Yet, in one way, she has kept her promise - because Hazel is a Grand Champion Dreamer. When shes asleep, she dreams a dazzling universe full of heroes and monsters, princesses and goddesses, cities and temples and gardens that make the most wonderful places on Earth seem dull in comparison.

During the day, she does what she has to do to pay the bills. At bedtime, she turns in, confident that she will dream, and that the sun will come up in the morning. So on the evening of her last day, she embraces the night wholeheartedly and drifts into the universe of her imagination.

But when the alarm goes off, she opens her eyes to darkness. The sun hasnt come up, the world outside has become a City of Night, and the dwellers there are Night Shifters - gods and elves, daemons and djinns, dreamers and wizards. All of them have their own agendas, all of them are chasing Hazel, and as she fights to understand this world of dreams and her place in it, she cant help remembering what her mother said.

And she wonders. All those years ago, when she swore to never give up on her dreams, did she really understand what she was promising?

Members Reviews:

A fantastical journey

Every now and then I read a book that, when finished, makes me sit there and think "huh". I confess it took me an entire day to sort out exactly how I felt about it. The conclusion I came to was this: what a fascinating ride. The voice (no pun intended...read it to find out why I say that) feels a lot like Neil Gaimon. This is a huge compliment in my mind, and one not to be taken lightly. It's a little out there, a little on the child-like side, but in the end quite gripping and compelling.

First Line: "Don't give up on your dreams, Mom advised. I promised I wouldn't. I really meant to keep the promise, but I thought I had broken it -- or maybe just failed to fully realize it, because I had not become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a mermaid. Or anything much, really. But on that fateful night, seventeen years later, I remembered that conversation when I went to bed." To me this first bit was awkward, as it felt like a flashback in a flashback disguised as reflection. It is confusing to follow and doesn't help set the place or give the reader a firm foundation. Then again...be prepared to never have a firm foundation because this is all about a dream world and who has firm foundations in dreams? Nobody!

To be honest, to me the real first lines of this story are a bit further along. "I was a Grand Champion Dreamer. When I was asleep I dreamed a dazzling universe full of heroes and monsters, princesses and goddesses, cities and temples and gardens that made the most wonderful places on Earth seem dull in comparison." To me that embodies the entire story and is a perfect place to begin. (I might put it in present tense...because it's what she IS, not what she WAS, but that's just me).

I think the largest point of confusion in this story, more than the fuzzy beginning, was that the protagonist, Hazel, is 26 years old.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Heartland

Subtitle: Codex of Souls, Book 2

Author: Mark Teppo

Narrator: Andy Caploe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-03-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fantasy: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The second novel of the Codex of Souls furthers explores the strange occult world first introduced in Lightbreaker. Mark Teppos vision of a magical underworld is a non-stop adventure that continues to bring new light to the occult origins of our history.

Markham returns to Paris where he lost his love, and nearly his life. The ancient order of manipulative magicians that once cast him out is now in turmoil...a turmoil made all the greater by the swaths of destruction that Markham tried to avert in the Pacific Northwest.

Teamed with an unlikely partner, Markham seeks to overturn the corrupt remains of an order no longer able to police its own practitioners. Yet, he can't escape the feeling that he's still just a pawn in a larger game.

Editorial Reviews:

Narrator Andy Caploe gives an intense performance in this second installment of the Codex of Souls series, shading protagonist Markham's interior voice with jaded doubt as he seeks to overturn the group of magicians who cast him out five years before. Markham jumps from one altercation to another in Paris, and the physical violence he encounters is matched by emotional turmoil when his former lover Marielle appears. Caploe doesn't hold back on the drama as Markham wrestles with the issue of free will versus determinism, and fans of urban fantasy will have their appetites whetted for the next book in this series.

Members Reviews:

Nice Series

I enjoyed this and it's predecessor, Lightbreaker. I recommend this for action magic lovers and even those, like myself, who would not be seen dead with a deck.

No Spoilers...

Heartland (The Codex of Souls)

Mark Teppo

(2009), Paperback, 425 pages, Release 26 Jan 2010

**Want spoilers??** None here today!

Mark Teppo's second book in The Codex of Souls picks up at the end of the cleverly crafted bridge just past the end of Lightbreaker. He crafts a dark tale of twisted intrigues, using an encyclopedic array of magickal and physical disciplines; tarot to Qabalah, spell-casting to sword fighting.

There is a richness of language and image not seen in Lightbreaker, and a complexity of characters more fully made real. References to well-documented historic and esoteric source materials are well presented and integrated in such a way that it is not a challenge to suspend belief. What is a challenge, however, is trying to anticipate where the story will take you - just about the time I thought I knew there would be a new fork in the path which might lead to an entirely different end.

I look forward to new works by this author. He writes engagingly and accessibly, but with sufficient depth and color to create a positively vivid word picture.

Well Done!

Original review posted at [...]

(Because Amazon doesn't have .5 star increments this work is granted +.5 stars vs Librarything.com review)

One of the most original Urban Fantasy series going.

Heartland by Mark Teppo is the second in The Codex of Souls series, which picks up soon after the action of where Lightbreaker (reviewed here) drops you. In fact the excerpt for Heartland at the end of Lightbreaker doesn't appear in Heartland itself so definitely check it out as it lays out the impetus behind this volume.