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Dark Age
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Curless, Moira Quirk, James Langton, Rendah Heywood
- Series: Red Rising, Book 5
- Length: 33 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
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Iron Gold
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Curless, Julian Elfer, and others
- Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ten years after the events of Morning Star, Darrow and the Rising are battling the remaining Gold loyalist forces and are closer than ever to abolishing the color-coded caste system of Society for good. But new foes will emerge from the shadows to threaten the imperfect victory Darrow and his friends have earned. Pierce Brown expands the size and scope of his impressive Red Rising universe with new characters, enemies, and conflicts among the stars.
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bad way to finish
- By Anonymous User on 07-09-2018
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Morning Star
- Book III of the Red Rising Trilogy
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 21 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society's mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.
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Arguably the best trilogy I have ever read.
- By Matt on 14-02-2016
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Golden Son
- Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.
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A perfect book for a 15 year old boy
- By Sean Mulligan on 29-07-2020
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Red Rising
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet.
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Very enjoyable with some quibbles
- By Gareth J. Davies on 11-03-2015
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Golden Son
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal, elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down society from within. It's a journey that will take him further than he's ever been before, but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?
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Lots to keep you interested
- By Simon on 15-12-2020
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Red Rising: Sons Of Ares Volume 1 [Dramatized Adaptation]
- Red Rising: Sons Of Ares, Book 1
- By: Pierce Brown, Rik Hoskin
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the world of the best-selling YA series Red Rising comes a story of love and loss and rage! In the future, when mankind has spread across the stars, the hierarchy of man is dictated by the color of one’s caste. The Golds rule all, but what will happen when one falls for a lowly Red? See how a forbidden love will set the course of events for the future and lead to the formation of the formidable Sons of Ares!
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keeps on delivering
- By Jing-ting on 02-03-2021
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Iron Gold
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Curless, Julian Elfer, and others
- Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ten years after the events of Morning Star, Darrow and the Rising are battling the remaining Gold loyalist forces and are closer than ever to abolishing the color-coded caste system of Society for good. But new foes will emerge from the shadows to threaten the imperfect victory Darrow and his friends have earned. Pierce Brown expands the size and scope of his impressive Red Rising universe with new characters, enemies, and conflicts among the stars.
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bad way to finish
- By Anonymous User on 07-09-2018
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Morning Star
- Book III of the Red Rising Trilogy
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 21 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society's mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.
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Arguably the best trilogy I have ever read.
- By Matt on 14-02-2016
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Golden Son
- Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.
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A perfect book for a 15 year old boy
- By Sean Mulligan on 29-07-2020
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Red Rising
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet.
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Very enjoyable with some quibbles
- By Gareth J. Davies on 11-03-2015
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Golden Son
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal, elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down society from within. It's a journey that will take him further than he's ever been before, but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?
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Lots to keep you interested
- By Simon on 15-12-2020
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Red Rising: Sons Of Ares Volume 1 [Dramatized Adaptation]
- Red Rising: Sons Of Ares, Book 1
- By: Pierce Brown, Rik Hoskin
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the world of the best-selling YA series Red Rising comes a story of love and loss and rage! In the future, when mankind has spread across the stars, the hierarchy of man is dictated by the color of one’s caste. The Golds rule all, but what will happen when one falls for a lowly Red? See how a forbidden love will set the course of events for the future and lead to the formation of the formidable Sons of Ares!
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keeps on delivering
- By Jing-ting on 02-03-2021
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Dreadgod
- Cradle, Book 11
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The battle in the heavens has left a target on Lindon’s back. His most reliable ally is gone, the Monarchs see him as a threat, and he has inherited one of the most valuable facilities in the world. At any moment, his enemies could band together to kill him. If it weren’t for the Dreadgods. All four are empowered and unleashed, rampaging through Cradle, and grudges old and new must be set aside. The Monarchs need every capable fighter to help them defend their territory.
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amazing as usual. wish it was longer
- By Amazon Customer on 10-07-2022
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Red Rising: Sons of Ares: Volume 2: Wrath (Dramatized Adaptation)
- By: Pierce Brown, Rik Hoskin
- Narrated by: full cast, Richard Rohan, Holly Adams, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
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Fitchner’s quest for revenge continues as he and the other Sons of Ares seek out the Golds who have wronged his family. But actions come with repercussions, and an elaborate game of cat and mouse is on. A battle of Gold versus Gold erupts further into more than acts of vengeance and becomes the seeds of a revolution.
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Cytonic
- The Third Skyward Novel
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Spensa's life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell - the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What's more, she travelled light-years from home as a spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home. Now, the Superiority - the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life - has started a galaxy-wide war.
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Disappointing after a great novellas
- By Anonymous User on 08-12-2021
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The Wisdom of Crowds
- The Riotous Conclusion to The Age of Madness
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 23 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds. With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch.
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Almost
- By Anonymous User on 16-09-2021
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The Hunger of the Gods
- Book Two of the Bloodsworn Saga
- By: John Gwynne
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 22 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own - and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance. Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her. Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god.
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Incredible
- By Telmach on 24-04-2022
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Hyperion
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.
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doop.
- By Tom on 13-12-2016
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He Who Fights with Monsters 6
- A LitRPG Adventure (He Who Fights with Monsters, Book 6)
- By: Shirtaloon, Travis Deverell
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The world teeters on the brink of destruction. The people who should be saving the Earth ignore Jason Asano's warnings and choose to loot the house as it burns down around them. He lacks the strength to save the world himself, but resolves to do it anyway, impossible be damned. The impossible, in this case, means seizing a power that no mortal should touch. It's a choice from which there is no turning back, and marks Jason's first step into a wider cosmos that he is not yet ready to face. Holding the fate of two worlds in his hands, Jason must decide for himself what home truly means.
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love these God Dam books
- By Anonymous User on 03-07-2022
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The Blade Itself
- The First Law: Book One
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer, is trapped in a twisted and broken body - not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers.Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain and shallow, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men.
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Gritty, violent, dark..... And hilarious. Enjoy
- By Marc on 15-11-2015
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Rhythm of War
- The Stormlight Archive, Book 4
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
- Length: 57 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage. Now, as new technological discoveries begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.
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Exit point for most readers?
- By Anonymous User on 04-02-2021
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The Fifth Season
- The Broken Earth, Book 1
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the way the world ends...for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
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Incredible
- By Claudia VB on 14-08-2018
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The Wolf
- Under the Northern Sky, Book 1
- By: Leo Carew
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Leo Carew's debut novel The Wolf, the first book in the Under the Northern Sky series, is a masterpiece in epic historical fantasy - a new voice to rival David Gemmell or George R. R. Martin. Violence and death have come to the land under the Northern Sky. The Anakim dwell in the desolate forests and mountains beyond the black river, the land under the Northern Sky. Their ancient ways are forged in Unthank silver and carved in the grey stone of their heartland.
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thrilling!
- By Sweetheart1 on 01-07-2022
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The Final Empire
- Mistborn, Book 1
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 24 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families, and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields. But now a troublemaker has arrived, and there is rumour of revolt.
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Epic and engrossing
- By Billie on 20-05-2015
Publisher's Summary
For a decade, Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?
Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.
But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.
On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?
Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.
Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation - and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.
As alliances shift, break, and re-form - and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed - every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.
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What listeners say about Dark Age
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 31-07-2019
CASHUS
Goryhell, get this slow mumbling awful Lysander narrator off this book. Hard to believe that they could find a more unconvincing narrator than the one who read Lyria in Iron Gold. But damn, RecordedBooks has underachieved wonderfully, done it again.
10 people found this helpful
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- Ben Persson
- 01-08-2019
WTF IS GOING ON WITH VOICES
different actors, pronunciations and tones consistency is the name of the game. Don't buy past book 3 if you want your happy bubble in tact.
9 people found this helpful
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- justarb
- 25-12-2019
Not up to the usual standard
I have really enjoyed this series, but this book was quite the disappointment. The narration was jarring - while I could understand having a different narrator for each character’s chapter, the narrators used wildly different accents for the same character. Even the pronunciation of names was inconsistent between narrators which made following the story a bit of a pain.
Narration aside, the actual story was not up to the standard of the rest of this series. Main characters were killed off, sometimes in pointless or meaningless ways, and to be honest, I just couldn’t care about them any more. For some reason, the writing felt different and I just couldn’t empathize with the characters or the story. Some of the hyperbolic descriptions were too over the top and outrageous and it felt too forced.
I will probably still get the next book, but I won’t be looking forward to it with the same sense of anticipation that I waited for each of the previous installments.
3 people found this helpful
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- John
- 06-09-2019
One book too many
Enjoyed earlier books however I am now struggling to sustain interest. All the best Darrow.
2 people found this helpful
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- K E naysmith
- 29-08-2019
Too many plots running simultaneously
It was a really messy book. Because it has been a while since the last book the characters had faded in my mind but then they introduce heaps more and run lots of simultaneous plots the result is confusion and a lack of identity with any one character. It also has a very dire vibe with very little to get excited about, I came away vaguely depressed. Looks like it's trying to be a game of thrones copy, but I think it should revert back to why these books have always been great; more hunger games and less game of thrones.
2 people found this helpful
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- peastri
- 04-08-2019
Relentless
I can never say enough about this series and no matter how much praise I heap on it I will never do it the justice it deserves.
Dark Age hits the ground sprinting offering a level of anxiety riddled intensity that makes Golden Son look like a picnic.
It's not for the faint hearted it's relentless and keeps you moving for fear you'll be caught in the crossfire. You'll rage, cry, fatigue, despair, endure and hope… hope? lol.
Never am I as immersed in a world and its characters as I am when I'm with the Rising. I'm not looking forward to it ending, I don't know how I'll cope - per aspera ad astra, hail Pierce! you bloodydamn marvelous pixie.
2 people found this helpful
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- Daniel Lucas
- 31-05-2021
A struggle
The change in narrators isn't a good thing. Made it quite a struggle to engage.
The story seemed rushed and lacking detail compared to previous books in the series.
1 person found this helpful
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- Ricky
- 28-02-2020
One of my favourite series
This series is incredible and I cant wait for the next one. A unqie setting, great characters, action packed story.
I have to join fellow readers who hate the new narration arrangement though. TGR did such a great job on his own, why are your overcomplicating it now? Some of the other narrators are ok (Mustang for example) but some of the others are terrible. I can't remember specifically which narrator it was, but there was a scene where someone other than TGR did a quick voice-over for Darrow. Please, dont EVER do that again.
1 person found this helpful
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- MR R S BROOKES
- 09-08-2019
A bit predictable but fun
The series has always been an over the top space opera and this installment is no different. It is mostly fun but somehow the emotional rollercoaster is becoming a bit tiresome for me. I like some of the new characters coming through though and look forward to seeing where they go.
1 person found this helpful
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- Pierfrancesco Staci
- 25-05-2022
absolutely awesome narration
Looking forward to reading the last. This was undoubtedly one of the best books I've had the pleasure to enjoy.
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- Andrea
- 22-08-2019
Changed Narrators!?! Trash Move Amazon/Audible.
WTF. Lysander had the best voice and this new guy obviously didn't even listen to the other books because he didn't even attempt to pronounce the names of people or places correctly. The recast ed two characters in fact. Just pay them what they want. We sure pay enough for these books!!!!! I am very disappointed in Audible. Very disappointed indeed. It is very hard to listen to. Save your money and read the book. This was just pathetic.
107 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-08-2019
Sound volume
I sure wish the sound engineers had put all the narrators at the same volume
76 people found this helpful
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- Rickey Hill
- 07-09-2019
The hope inspired by the series is gone
Too many characters and overwhelmingly sadistic . No one to like or champion. Uncertain if I want to read the next book. The series should have ended with book 3.
46 people found this helpful
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- Jeff C
- 28-09-2019
Don’t listen to this
I’ve been with this series since the beginning, and have recommended that others read it. I no longer recommend this series. It took a year to write publish and record this garbage. I couldn’t wait for it to end, and now that it has, I feel cheated. What made the series great was thrown out and replaced by Game of Thrones style over the top garbage. Goodbye!
41 people found this helpful
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- Zach Titze
- 15-08-2019
Quiet Audio
The book is a good continuation from Iron Gold but the performance is so quiet at times I have to blast it to hear what the characters are saying.
20 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 14-08-2019
Least favorite so far.
As much as I looked forward to this book I was a little bit disappointed by time the end came. It felt too....disjointed. As if side quests kept popping up to interrupt the main story.
Even if they were overall connected to the main plot, it still felt like way too much time was spent focused on them. Like a side story could have been written instead.
Alot of the ruminations from the characters felt like filler to pad out the dialogue. I hope the next book is more tightly focused.
31 people found this helpful
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- Veronica L Miskowski
- 31-08-2019
Past its Prime
A terrific series that has become tedious. Rather than reaching climactic highs, I kept wishing this read to end. The first few books were wonderful, now the series is searching for a good ending. This wasn't it.
25 people found this helpful
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- Bailey
- 06-03-2020
Should’ve stopped after the trilogy
I feel like the author found success in the first three books and then thought he should ride it out and make a long sci-fi epic. In doing so the originals characters feel diluted and the new ones don’t fit into the feel of the first books. And the worst part is the gross senseless violence. Stuff that just didn’t add to the story. The characters are no longer relatable. And that’s not to mention the switch in narration. I gave the performance 3 stars because TGR is TGR but the rest....
11 people found this helpful
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- Lore
- 11-09-2019
More bloodshed and a new PoV character
The war has spread and it now consumes the entire solar system. Blood and violence are pervasive as the fledgling Republic tries to hang against those who oppose it. Many want to return to the old color based society and others view this conflict as an opportunity to rise to power, so there is no shortage of combatants available. Like the last book, Iron Gold, this story is told from the perspectives of the same PoV characters (plus Mustang this time) and each of them experiences this conflict from a different location within the solar system. With such a complicated set of battles it will take you some time to get your bearings, especially if it has been a while since you read the last book, but once you get everything sorted out this is another wild ride in a series that remains surprisingly compelling.
The body count rises as humanity tries to find some sort of equilibrium in the aftermath of Darrow's rebellion, and it is his storyline that remains the most compelling of the bunch. The other PoV characters all play key roles in the conflict and some new characters also rise to prominence, including Darrow's son Pax who grows into an interesting character in his own right. Despite a number of big moments that have unalterable impact to some of the main characters, this book is not without some Deus Ex Machina which can be a little unsatisfying. However, if you are a fan of the series then you should definitely pick this one up but don't expect much to be resolved in the big picture. The individual battles are tense and exciting, but they do not bring an end to the overall war, so this series will be moving on to book 6.
Once again it is an ensemble cast of narrators with each PoV character being voiced by a different person. I found them all to be excellent with Tim Gerard Reynolds remaining the best of the bunch.
9 people found this helpful
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- Tom
- 31-07-2019
Why??
Should've had Tim Gerard Reynolds narrate the entire book. He is amazing the others are lame.
97 people found this helpful
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- Bjarte
- 09-08-2019
Fantastic book, but!
I asked pierce brown over twitter why they changed two of the narrators and he responded that it was because of fan comments.
I don't think this was a good choice as both new narrators are in my eyes not as good as those they replaced.
That being said, this is a brutal master piece that is better than Iron Gold.
9 people found this helpful
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- Zachary
- 02-09-2020
Bloody damn prime.
First things first: the story is, as ever, epic. You don’t want me to tell you what happens, so suffice it to say this book is wonderfully gripping like all those before it; books 2, 3 and 4 exhibited a slight decline in the chaotic nature of our beloved protagonist, but it’s safe to say that’s on the climb once more. It is full of beautifully arranged twists, turns, and shock-factor reveals - both predictable and otherwise. New and old characters change in ways we love and hate. The future of the worlds looks equally hopeful and bleak in an arrangement which keeps the reader impossibly hooked on more. I loved this book. Dare I say it could be my favourite so far...?
Voice actors: you gory well know, obvious as one of Sevro’s farts inside a scarab skin, that most other voice actors simply are not in the same league as T.G.R. (Darrow); whose abilities I need not waste time appraising here; although in this book I felt a distinct improvement from the backup actors to those that came before.
Lyria: Slightly-annoying-and-airy-wistful-Irish-Lyria (from the earlier books) is acted rather better by the slightly more common Londoner’s tongue in this book, in my opinion. No spoilers here, but Lyria’s actor also does a VERY good job of reading for Gold and Obsidian characters. Lyria has gone from among my least favourite chapters/characters to one of my favourites.
Lysander: Lysander is also far, far better than the earlier actor, who by all accounts could have been reading from a textbook at school for a subject he doesn’t care about - “get through it as fast as possible, and if I can save time by exercising exactly the same cadence for each sentence, regardless of speech or narration, I will.” This actor does a MUCH better job. Uppity little pricklick makes you want to reach through the touchscreen and smack him into Lykos.
Ephram: Ephram still fails to annunciate his ‘S’ sounds (making ‘he’ and ‘she’ a real hoot to decipher), and his fricatives are a bit loose, but his sense of presence in the story as well as his ability to bring zeal to his flow with the book is excellent - almost as good as TGR.
Virginia: doesn’t get a great deal of airtime compared to the others, but builds a great character with what she’s allocated. Calm, authoritative, threatening, sharp, she’s every bit what I imagine mustang-come-sovereign to be.
*Sevro’s voice* Spend your credits and hard earned cash heeeere! Come and get your next dose of the Reeeeaaaapperrrrrr!!!!!
5 people found this helpful
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- richard
- 05-08-2020
Change in readers?
There was nothing wrong with the two readers dropped in part 4. In fact I though they were just as good. There is nothing wrong with the two new readers.
What is wrong is that a change was made.
The two new readers must re-record book four. Or the previous readers read book 5.
Am very surprised that the author and publishers after auditions and appointments and publication would succumb to internet trolls and change the readers for this book.
That is poor judgement.
You see it’s not just a single characters voice who changed. It was the readers repertoire of voices who interacted with that character.
That said and out the way... The story is epic! I have read all 5 books during ‘lockdown’ and what a pleasure it has been at this time.
Thank you
3 people found this helpful
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- Dave
- 12-10-2019
Death and more death
Nope I didn’t enjoy this. Yep there are characters that you want to hear their path but there was no tea plot no real engaging story. I ended up running this in 1.5 speed and even then still skipped ahead on the last 4 hours. Such a shame I loved the first 3 enjoyed the 4th but this nope I’m done. Some of those scenes were just too much.
5 people found this helpful
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- J. Thompson
- 07-05-2021
33 hours and more questions than answers
This series of books has been a ride and a half, spending time getting to love and hate these characters for so long.
This epic was a bit of a let down for me though.
I found it over long, confusing in places and the end was just a bit meh.
I didn't hate the book and parts had me gripped but it just didn't have the zip of the first four books.
Still, an overall spectacular story and brilliant performances from the cast.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-04-2021
Found it hard to carry on listening
The story has to much battle going on at the beginning which made me not want to listen to it. I found it hard to follow and picture where they even were. I've listened to the trilogy many times and love it but this is just a slog to get through. Also why are they pronouncing names wrong, have the narrator even heard the fist books
1 person found this helpful
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- Julian Bowdidge
- 14-11-2019
Everyone now comes from Essex apparently.
The problem with audio books is that you don't see the names of characters written down, so at times you can be a little lost as to who this knight is or that tyrant.
With a character sheet that had grown quite long over the previous 4 books, it's time for a bit of a cull.
Delivered with the usual gusto and a grand sweep Mr Brown thins out the herd, game of thrones style, with as much gore as he can muster.
However, there is a slight nagging feeling that half way through the book, he had a cracking new idea for the direction the narrative should be heading in. A random new character out of the blue is dropped into the narrative and any conflict with past plot points is hand waved away.
Which sets up the final book nicely.
I await which regional accent Lyria will get next with interest.
1 person found this helpful
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- Gadget
- 06-09-2019
Gripping; but minor audio and performance issues
I found this absolutely gripping. While a little clichéd in places, it made my drive to and from work speed by, and sets the scene for the final book of this trilogy.
Regarding the quality of the audiobook:
The main issue I had with the audio was that it was too quiet. Much of my commute is on the motorway, so I expect to have to turn the volume up a bit. However, for this book, I had to turn it up a lot; and for Ephraim in particular, even with the volume at maximum, there were still times when I couldn't hear everything he said.
Regarding the narrators: Ephraim and Darrow were as solid as ever. I preferred the accent of the previous Lyria, but the new one did a good job, and the voice she used for Victra was just right. Where the previous Lysander sounded like he was bored of the whole thing (and not in a good way), the new one did a good job in combining casual arrogance and a general feeling of superiority and destiny. Virginia I felt was the weakest of the bunch; while she was fine when voicing Virgina herself, she made no changes for other characters, which was occasionally confusing; and she made a number of mispronunciations.
Finally, the producers didn't do a great job of ensuring consistency between all the narrators. It meant that some names and places were pronounced differently by different people; and the same character could end up with a different accent depending on who was voicing them (for example, when Ephraim was quoting Lyria, he used the accent of the narrator from the previous book.)
But despite all that, this was still a good listen.
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- Its_Just_Dave_Now
- 23-08-2019
Shame about the new readers and new accents...
Loved all of them, but to many new readers and accents for the same charictors
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- N16
- 16-07-2022
Excellent depth but beware change of narrators.
The book is brilliant. The world building and dark happenings all excel. Had I read it this would be a gushing five star review BUT they changed narrators for Lysander and Lyria and I I had to stop listening for a month and come back to it. It’s really jarring so I recommend preparing or leaving a gap between audio books.
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