Try free for 30 days

  • The Last Sword Maker

  • The Course of Empire Series, Book 1
  • By: Brian Nelson
  • Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
  • Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (131 ratings)

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Last Sword Maker cover art

The Last Sword Maker

By: Brian Nelson
Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $31.99

Buy Now for $31.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

A taut, fast-paced thriller about the coming high-tech arms race between the United States and China

In the high mountains of Tibet, rumors are spreading. People whisper of an outbreak, of thousands of dead, of bodies pushed into mass graves. It is some strange new disease … a disease, they say, that can kill in minutes.

The Chinese government says the rumors aren’t true, but no one is allowed in or out of Tibet.

At the Pentagon, Admiral James Curtiss is called to an emergency meeting. Satellite images prove that a massive genocide is underway, and an American spy has made a startling discovery. This is no disease. It’s a weapons test. Chinese scientists have developed a way to kill based on a person’s genetic traits. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. The success of their new weapon proves that the Chinese are nearing “Replication”—a revolutionary breakthrough that will tip the global balance of power and change the way wars are waged.

Now the US must scramble to catch up before it is too late. Admiral Curtiss gathers the nation’s top scientists, including a promising young graduate student named Eric Hill who just might hold the missing piece to the replication puzzle. Soon Hill and his colleague Jane Hunter are caught up in a deadly game of sabotage as the two nations strive to be the first to reach the coveted goal. But in their headlong race, they create something unexpected … something the world has never seen and something more powerful than they had ever imagined.

The Last Sword Maker is an exciting globe-trotting thriller with unforgettable characters that depicts a haunting vision of the future of warfare.

©2018 Brian Nelson (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Last Sword Maker

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    77
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    81
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    74
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very thought provoking

Interesting story and thought provoking on where technology could lead us. Well worth a listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

Loved it! Easy to picture being right there in there story! Exceptional storytelling by the narrator and a well thought out and believable story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Listen

I listened to this book all the way through it was amazing. Looking forward to part two.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hard to Stop Listening

Great narrator! Very tense dramatic book thar was very enjoyable. Great side plots that fed into the mainstream well

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

gripping

I lost sleep for one night, as I was so engrossed with story I listened to it in one session .. a great read!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read!

I'll admit I originally listened to this as it was included, the first few chapters were a little slow but I stuck with it and thoroughly enjoyed it! Such a clever story teller, mixing recent history and politics to make a believable storyline. The technology is explained to also be believable. Nanotech is an amazing technology that with a little imagination can create interesting, believable storylines. I have already downloaded the second book in this series which is also included, and I'm sure I'll purchase the third instalment too. This story has opened my eyes to the plight of Tibetans in recent history, making me want to find out more about this. I am so invested in the characters in this story and can't wait to find out what happens next. Finally the narrator was wonderful, perfectly suited for this story, it was easy to distinguish between the characters and he had an infinity for accents. Even the female voices were believable! Awesome listen all round, couldn't put it down!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

FANTASTIC!!

Fascinating exciting and as a warning scenario ..very scary. No matter whose side you are on or who you see as
"the baddies"...... this is a scenario ...a technology that needs to be avoided. Its just too risky. LOVED this book though 10/10!!! Narration...fabulous. Thank you Audible!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

weapons and their wielders

Science and the world at war! A story woven together with real knowledge and care. Not a book for children and young teens (violence and hard decisions), but certainly worth the read if you enjoy war stories. Great narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic concept

Thoroughly well researched and presented, brilliant SciFi fantasy with military action and repercussions. loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting performance, great story

I loved the characters. You saved the little girl. No dogs were killed to establish the evil antagonist... as evil. I appreciated the consideration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.