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  • The City We Became

  • By: N. K. Jemisin
  • Narrated by: Robin Miles
  • Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (151 ratings)

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The City We Became

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of Best Fantasy at the Audie Awards.

Winner of the BSFA Award for Best Novel.

Shortlisted for the Hugo Awards.

Nominated for the Nebula Awards.

Five New Yorkers must band together to defend their city in the first book of a stunning new series by Hugo award-winning and New York Times best-selling author N. K. Jemisin.

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got five. 

But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

©2020 N. K. Jemisin (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK

Critic Reviews

"A glorious fantasy, set in that most imaginary of cities, New York." (Neil Gaiman on The City We Became)

"The most celebrated science fiction and fantasy writer of her generation...Jemisin seems able to do just about everything." (New York Times)

"Jemisin is now a pillar of speculative fiction, breathtakingly imaginative and narratively bold." (Entertainment Weekly)

What listeners say about The City We Became

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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Can’t recommend highly enough

I love Jemisin’s work at the worst of times and this is the best! Loved every second of it. Even the parts where I wasn’t sure if my phone was having a fit. Robin Miles delivers a fantastic performance, each character so clearly delineated that each and every audio book from now I will be holding to her standard.
Seriously, do yourself a favour and give “The City We Became” a download.

Now, does anyone know how I can cultivate patience for the next book?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

It was such a fascinating tale in super heroes. But more importantly, an insight into what makes cities unique and remarkable and what makes them generic.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves urban geography.

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  • Overall
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5 stars

N.K. Jemisin went for the throat. This was so good! Wonderfully executed, with distinctive characters and relationships.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional

An exceptionally good audiobook. The novel itself was brilliant - compelling, well written, and a thoughtful insight into New York culture. The production quality of the audiobook was the best I have heard, with sound effects and music that were well-timed without being excessive. I cannot praise this audiobook highly enough.

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Fantastic!

What an absolutely brilliant story - NKJ is definitely one of the greatest SFF writers ever. And Robin Miles’ narration is completely amazing!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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New York, New York

Another great SF book by Jameson and another great narration by Robin Miles. You will never think of cities in quite the same way ever again - they live and it is us who make them live

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Love note to NY. Great narration. Okay story.

Was a pretty fun book. Kind of felt like American Gods but with cities instead of gods of old. Reckon you’d appreciate it more if you were from New York. Definitely has her vibe to the writing but lacks the originality of Jemisin’s other books. Maybe the sum of parts will make me like this more.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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absolutely fantastic

Incredibly wrought, Robin Miles takes Jemsin's story and drags you into the should and spirit of New York. The twist is breathtaking - I cannot wait for what comes next.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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What an original and gripping read!

This book is full of original ideas, strong diverse likeable characters, and a rambunctious plot.

I've read criticisms of so-called 'reverse racism' but really, you'd have to be pretty thin-skinned, as well as ignorant of the history of racist literature, to take this view. I found the references to white people's behaviour to be consistent with my experience and reading of the news.

It was such an ode to NY that it really made me want to go there one day.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible

Engaging, entertaining, educational. I was absolutely stunned by the performance, and post production. The story is unique and heartfelt. The characters are loveable and relatable. 10/10 will listen again.

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