Try free for 30 days
-
The Empire's Ruin
- Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk, Joe Jameson, Oliver Cudbill
- Length: 35 hrs and 33 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $43.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
The Emperor's Blades
- Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
- By: Brian Staveley
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.
-
-
Slow to start, but then you can't put it down
- By Cameron Ellis on 18-07-2016
-
Once There Were Heroes
- A Time of Dragons, Book 1
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dragons Riders: The last noble warriors in the realm. Only heroes can embolden the ordinary. For centuries, millennia, the Dragon Riders galvanized generation after generation, adding Riders to their ranks and birthing dragons from their eggs. But there are no more heroes. War with the Andarens is like nothing the Riders, nor the armies of Erador, have ever faced. In the place of heroes, there are only soldiers now. Fodder for the machine of war. This time of twilight is set to be the crowning hour of the dark when the light is losing its grip.
-
-
Progressive story
- By Anonymous User on 26-02-2024
-
The Will of the Many
- Hierarchy, Book 1
- By: James Islington
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 28 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world now, but they do not know everything. I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilized society in allowing my strength, my drive, and my focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.
-
-
Very impressive
- By Matthew on 29-05-2023
-
The Mercenary Code
- The Shattering of Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: Emmet Moss
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Centuries ago, the murder of a beloved king tore apart the Kingdom of Caledun. The land was plunged into chaos and thousands perished. A new order was established in an attempt to return Caledun to its former glory. It failed, but in its place rose the beginnings of the Code. During this same period, the mystical caretakers of the Great Wood retreated from the world of Kal Maran, their disappearance an ominous harbinger of the suffering that was to follow. The Great Wood now grows out of control. Cities, towns, and villages have fallen before the relentless march of the forest.
-
-
Entertaining story.
- By Jan-Cesar on 02-03-2023
-
Spellmonger
- Spellmonger, Book 1
- By: Terry Mancour
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well: He found a quaint little shop, he befriended the local lord, the village folk loved him, he found a sharp young apprentice to help out, and, best yet, he met a comely young widow with the prettiest eyes.
-
-
Slow and steady with a climactic ending
- By Leilani Coetzee on 04-07-2017
-
The Red Sea
- The Cycle of Galand, Book 1
- By: Edward W. Robertson
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Dante Galand was just a boy, his father, Larsin, sailed away to make his fortune. And never returned. Since then, Dante has become a great sorcerer. A ruler. A destroyer of kings. And he's just learned that his father is living on a forbidden island at the edge of the known world. Where he's dying of a mysterious plague. In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father.
-
-
The story continues.
- By Stefan on 12-07-2017
-
The Emperor's Blades
- Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1
- By: Brian Staveley
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.
-
-
Slow to start, but then you can't put it down
- By Cameron Ellis on 18-07-2016
-
Once There Were Heroes
- A Time of Dragons, Book 1
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dragons Riders: The last noble warriors in the realm. Only heroes can embolden the ordinary. For centuries, millennia, the Dragon Riders galvanized generation after generation, adding Riders to their ranks and birthing dragons from their eggs. But there are no more heroes. War with the Andarens is like nothing the Riders, nor the armies of Erador, have ever faced. In the place of heroes, there are only soldiers now. Fodder for the machine of war. This time of twilight is set to be the crowning hour of the dark when the light is losing its grip.
-
-
Progressive story
- By Anonymous User on 26-02-2024
-
The Will of the Many
- Hierarchy, Book 1
- By: James Islington
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 28 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world now, but they do not know everything. I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilized society in allowing my strength, my drive, and my focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.
-
-
Very impressive
- By Matthew on 29-05-2023
-
The Mercenary Code
- The Shattering of Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: Emmet Moss
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Centuries ago, the murder of a beloved king tore apart the Kingdom of Caledun. The land was plunged into chaos and thousands perished. A new order was established in an attempt to return Caledun to its former glory. It failed, but in its place rose the beginnings of the Code. During this same period, the mystical caretakers of the Great Wood retreated from the world of Kal Maran, their disappearance an ominous harbinger of the suffering that was to follow. The Great Wood now grows out of control. Cities, towns, and villages have fallen before the relentless march of the forest.
-
-
Entertaining story.
- By Jan-Cesar on 02-03-2023
-
Spellmonger
- Spellmonger, Book 1
- By: Terry Mancour
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well: He found a quaint little shop, he befriended the local lord, the village folk loved him, he found a sharp young apprentice to help out, and, best yet, he met a comely young widow with the prettiest eyes.
-
-
Slow and steady with a climactic ending
- By Leilani Coetzee on 04-07-2017
-
The Red Sea
- The Cycle of Galand, Book 1
- By: Edward W. Robertson
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Dante Galand was just a boy, his father, Larsin, sailed away to make his fortune. And never returned. Since then, Dante has become a great sorcerer. A ruler. A destroyer of kings. And he's just learned that his father is living on a forbidden island at the edge of the known world. Where he's dying of a mysterious plague. In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father.
-
-
The story continues.
- By Stefan on 12-07-2017
-
Montego
- A Glass Immortals Novella
- By: Brian McClellan
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Montego al'Bou is an orphan, a provincial peasant boy left alone by the recent death of his grandmother. Possessing nothing more than his grandmother's cudgel, he strikes out to the capital where the influential Grappo have offered to bring him up in the luxury of an Ossan guild-family. He finds his welcome frosty, his new home full of confusing responsibilities.
-
The Wolf of the North Trilogy
- Wolf of the North, Books 1-3
- By: Duncan M. Hamilton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 32 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wolf of the North: It has been generations since the Northlands have seen a hero worthy of the title. Many have made the claim, but few have lived to defend it. Timid, weak, and bullied, Wulfric is as unlikely a candidate as there could be. Jorundyr's Path: Jorundyr's Path is walked only by the brave. As Wulfric pursues Adalhaid's Blood Debt, he soon learns that the path to revenge is never easy. The Blood Debt: A blade fit for a hero. An army for a tyrant. A reckoning long awaited, and a tale reaching its end.
-
-
Couldn’t put it down
- By Anonymous User on 07-07-2023
-
The Jewel of Dantenos
- Lee Starfinder Adventure: From the World of the Godling Chronicles, Book 0.5
- By: Brian D. Anderson
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 1 hr and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Filled with confidence and no small measure of arrogance, young Lee Starfinder and Millet Gristall set off on their very first adventure. Lee quickly discovers that life beyond Hazrah can be far deadlier than he could have ever imagined. And soon he must learn that muscle and steel cannot replace loyalty, bravery, and friendship.
-
-
A tad predictable
- By Mitchvg on 26-01-2022
-
The Choice of Magic
- Art of the Adept, Book 1
- By: Michael G. Manning
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ancient magic of wizards was anything but dark. It was the enlightenment that lifted humanity from the squalor of superstition, and the worship of fell spirits and capricious gods, but those days are gone. The shining glory of the sorcerers burned away the subtlety of wisdom, replacing it with easy power, held only in the hands of the elite - a new age built upon the elemental supremacy of aristocrats and the ignorance of the masses.
-
-
awesome book
- By Anonymous User on 07-04-2021
-
The Cartographer: Complete Series
- By: AC Cobble
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 44 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This set includes all three books in AC Cobble's Cartographer Series. A pair of unlikely investigators walk a dangerous path into the past, uncovering secrets best left alone in this dark, fantasy thriller. The fate of empire is to crumble from within. A heinous murder in a small village reveals a terrible truth. Sorcery, once thought dead in Enhover, is not. Evidence of an occult ritual and human sacrifice proves that dark power has been called upon again. Twisting threads of clues lead across the known world to the end of a vast empire, and then, the trail returns home.
-
-
Narration was fabulous and the story was compelling
- By publusher on 04-04-2024
-
Forsworn: A Powder Mage Novella
- By: Brian McClellan
- Narrated by: Julie Hoverson
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Erika ja Leora is a powder mage in northern Kez, a place where that particular sorcery is punishable by death. She is only protected by her family name and her position as heir to a duchy. When she decides to help a young commoner-a powder mage marked for death, fugitive from the law-she puts her life and family reputation at risk and sets off to deliver her new ward to the safety of Adro while playing cat and mouse with the king's own mage hunters and their captain, Duke Nikslaus.
-
The Storm Below Box Set
- Books 1-5
- By: JMD Reid
- Narrated by: Zachary Johnson
- Length: 112 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This bundle contains the complete Storm Below Saga - that's five audiobooks of epic fantasy! Action-packed, dark, and intense, this fantasy series features characters you are certain to love and others you will love to hate.
-
-
Eden Searl is a flog
- By Anonymous User on 20-04-2023
-
The King's Ranger Boxset: Books 1-3
- By: AC Cobble
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 32 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rew, the King’s Ranger, accepted a role on the far edge of the realm to avoid the morass of intrigue and betrayal that bleeds from the heart of the kingdom. His only desire is to shoulder the burden he’s taken, to protect the village of Eastwatch, and to monitor the wilderness beyond. When three youths are arrested for petty theft in the village and beg for help, Rew’s friend insists he take responsibility for them. By ties stronger than steel, Rew is forced onto a path he knows leads to chaos. The King’s Ranger will battle to grant the youths a life he never had a chance of.
-
-
An ingenious adventure
- By Catherine Webb on 11-08-2022
-
The Executioner's Song Box Set
- Books 1-3
- By: D. K. Holmberg
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
- Length: 37 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Executioners don’t solve crimes; they punish those who commit them. Or, so Finn thought before apprenticed to one. Poverty-stricken Finn Jagger would give anything to heal his ailing mother. With his father imprisoned, Finn has joined a thieving crew to earn the money he needs to save her. When the latest heist turns to disaster and lands him on death row, Finn’s future seems to be tied up with a noose. Until the king’s executioner claims him as an apprentice. Finn soon learns an executioner has far more power and greater responsibility than he’d ever realized.
-
-
Classic dark fantasy with genuine characters
- By Joe on 04-03-2023
-
Court of Assassins
- The Ranger Archives, Book 1
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legend. Myth. Nightfall has long been rumored to be nothing more than whispers on the breeze. If only it were so. In those halls of darkness, where children are taken from the world and given to shadow and dust, Asher is destined for that same fate. He will become the myth. He will become the legend. He will become the whisper of Death itself.
-
-
Clean and clever.
- By Rachael on 06-10-2022
-
Of Blood and Fire
- The Bound and the Broken, Book 1
- By: Ryan Cahill
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North. In the remote villages of Southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving - a test of courage and skill that not all survive. But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war.
-
-
Loved it
- By Diana Hinson on 02-09-2023
-
The Ember Blade
- The Darkwater Legacy, Book 1
- By: Chris Wooding
- Narrated by: Simon Bubb
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He's never questioned it; that's just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend, Cade, are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free.... But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie.
-
-
All is forgiven!
- By Christo on 14-12-2018
Publisher's Summary
Brian Staveley, author of The Emperor's Blades, gives listeners the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy based in the world of his popular series the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, The Empire's Ruin.
Best of Summer 2021 - Polygon
The Annurian Empire is disintegrating. The advantages it used for millennia have fallen to ruin. The ranks of the Kettral have been decimated from within, and the kenta gates, granting instantaneous travel across the vast lands of the empire, can no longer be used.
In order to save the empire, one of the surviving Kettral must voyage beyond the edge of the known world through a land that warps and poisons all living things to find the nesting ground of the giant war hawks. Meanwhile, a monk turned con-artist may hold the secret to the kenta gates.
But time is running out. Deep within the southern reaches of the empire and ancient god-like race has begun to stir.
What they discover will change them and the Annurian Empire forever. If they can survive.
Critic Reviews
“Brian Staveley’s books are epic in every sense of the word. His characters are complex, his history deep, his plots rife with action and intrigue. He’s a giant in the genre, no doubt.” (Nicolas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld)
“If you loved Brian Staveley's Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, then hang onto your war hawk, 'cause his new book, The Empire’s Ruin, returns to the world of the crumbling Annurian Empire in a spectacular way. Fans of Staveley's work, and those who enjoy epic fantasy outside the conventional mold, are going to unearth treasure.” (R.S. Belcher)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Empire's Ruin
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Boris
- 12-09-2021
story is good but not as good as previous books.
previous books had better story but if you enjoyed those books, you will definitely like this one as well. great preformance by narrators
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Aaron
- 17-02-2022
Moira Quirk steals the show
Overall I really enjoyed the book and all the narrator's were good but Moria was absolutely brilliant. I loved getting more of Gwenna and look forward to the next one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jacqui
- 15-07-2021
amazing book!
this is the first time I have submitted a review. I have listened to hundreds of books. I can't rate this highly enough. it's a must listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ronnie Smart
- 09-11-2021
An amazing work of epic fantasy
I loved this. Astounding world-building and characterization. I'd rank it up there with 'The Emperor's Blades'. Has shades of Vandermeer and Mieville, with an ending that left me emotionally shattered.
Amazing work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sami Asmar
- 13-05-2022
Better than the first three books.
Much better than the first three books. But wish there was some story about Valen
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Telmach
- 29-08-2022
Bit of an oddball but really enjoyable
I think it started out really fast paced in the first chapter but it got really dull after that with the amount that Gwena was complaining non-stop. Even that "dull" bit had a lot of interesting twists and turns so it was bearable. but it really picked up about 1/3 or 1/2 of the way through and was very enjoyable. In my opinion, the author's style seems to have matured a bit, as the thoughts the people have seem more realistic and relatable.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!