A Half-Built Garden
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Narrated by:
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Kate Handford
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By:
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Ruthanna Emrys
About this listen
A literary descendent of Ursula K. Le Guin, Ruthanna Emrys crafts a novel of extraterrestrial diplomacy and urgent climate repair bursting with quiet, tenuous hope and an underlying warmth. A Half-Built Garden depicts a world worth building towards, a humanity worth saving from itself, and an alien community worth entering with open arms. It's not the easiest future to build, but it's one that just might be in reach.
On a warm March night in 2083, Judy Wallach-Stevens wakes to a warning of unknown pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. She heads out to check what she expects to be a false alarm—and stumbles upon the first alien visitors to Earth. These aliens have crossed the galaxy to save humanity, convinced that the people of Earth must leave their ecologically-ravaged planet behind and join them among the stars. And if humanity doesn't agree, they may need to be saved by force.
But the watershed networks that rose up to save the planet from corporate devastation aren't ready to give up on Earth. Decades ago, they reorganized humanity around the hope of keeping the world livable. By sharing the burden of decision-making, they've started to heal our wounded planet.
Now corporations, nation-states, and networks all vie to represent humanity to these powerful new beings, and if anyone accepts the aliens' offer, Earth may be lost. With everyone’s eyes turned skyward, the future hinges on Judy's effort to create understanding, both within and beyond her own species.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.
©2022 Ruthanna Emrys (P)2022 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“This complex, complicated, gorgeous musing on the future of humanity and the power of connection, the things we owe to each other and the essential strength of consensus, deserves to be the first contact novel that defines a generation.”—Seanan McGuire
“A fascinatingly rich and original vision of our future world, explored at a moment of crisis; a vitally important exploration of the meaning of family and community; and a refraction of today's conundrums through a fresh interpretation of first contact.”—Malka Older
“Emrys’ fast-paced and fun story paints a picture of a future that’s imaginable within our lifetimes. Hers is a unique and ultimately hopeful vision of the world we might bequeath to our grandchildren.”—Karl Schroeder
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Senior co-administrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility, Dr. Mackenzie Connor was a biologist who studied the spawning habits of salmon. Then, last season, just as she and Dr. Emily Mamani were starting their research, they were interrupted by the arrival of Brymm, the first Dhryn to set foot on Earth. And suddenly everything changed for Mac, Emily, Brymn, the human race, and all the member races of the Interspecies Union. Base was attacked, Em was kidnapped by the mysterious Ro, and Mac and brymn had to flee for their lives to the Dhryn home world.
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Love the story - 'hero's' voice not for me
- By GADFLY64 on 11-04-20
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Starfish
- Rifters Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: Peter Watts
- Narrated by: Gabriel Vaughan
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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A huge international corporation has developed a facility along the Juan de Fuca Ridge at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to exploit geothermal power. They send a bio-engineered crew - people who have been altered to withstand the pressure and breathe the seawater - down to live and work in this weird, fertile undersea darkness.
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An excellent story, but only half of it
- By Casey on 02-12-20
By: Peter Watts
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Not Alone: First Encounter
- By: Craig A. Falconer
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Not Alone: First Encounter is a prequel to the globally acclaimed Not Alone series, set several years before two worlds collide under the weight of the grandest conspiracy of all time. For the first time ever, First Encounter lifts the curtain on a deadly series of events surrounding the initial meeting between the ruthless Richard Walker - untouchable head of the controversial Interspace Defense Agency - and a young truth-seeker from Birchwood, Colorado....
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Already part of Not Alone: Origins
- By Danny on 07-25-21
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Building Harlequin's Moon
- By: Larry Niven, Brenda Cooper
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The first interstellar ship, John Glenn, fled a solar system populated by rogue AIs and machine/human hybrids, threatened by too much nanotechnology, and rife with political dangers. The John Glenn’s crew intended to terraform the nearly pristine planet Ymir in hopes of creating a utopian society that will limit intelligent technology, but by some miscalculation they have landed in the wrong system.
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Excellent - but needed to be twice as long
- By DAVID on 10-11-12
By: Larry Niven, and others
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Superdreadnought Bundle, Books 1-3
- By: C. H. Gideon, Tim Marquitz, Craig Martel, and others
- Narrated by: Phil Thron
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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This bundle edition collects the first three audiobooks in the Superdreadnought series, an action-packed, high-stakes military sci-fi space-opera epic.
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A month balled super dreadnought is activated and released by the queen
- By Zugash on 07-02-23
By: C. H. Gideon, and others
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The Event
- By: Nathan Hystad
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Cities all around the world reported strange alien vessels descending. Some saw them as the heralds of a new age; others fired everything they had at them. All were taken as the beams lashed down and drew them into the sky. Dean was left behind, seemingly the last man on Earth. A trail of clues left by his dead wife guides Dean on a perilous journey across America and beyond to learn the truth behind the mysterious ships and save humanity from its doom.
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Did not inspire me to get the next book.
- By MD on 12-13-18
By: Nathan Hystad
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The Legacy of Heorot
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling science fiction superstars Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle combine their talents with those of Steven Barnes in an extraordinary adventure of humankind’s first outpost in the farthest reaches of space. Light years from Earth, colonists land on a planet they name Avalon. It seems like a paradise—until native creatures savagely attack. It will take every bit of intelligence, courage, and military-style discipline to survive.
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Great read!
- By Thomas on 12-05-12
By: Larry Niven, and others
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Beyond
- Founding of Valdemar Series, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire's exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda's father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.
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Exceptional Listen
- By Amazon Customer on 09-27-21
By: Mercedes Lackey
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Mimic and the Space Engineer Omnibus
- Space Shifter Chronicles, Books 1-3
- By: James David Victor
- Narrated by: Nick Tecosky
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Higgens has the best job in the galaxy. Except for the fact that he’s technically a janitor on a galactic mining vessel. When he discovers an unknown alien species, his world gets turned upside down. He will have to find unlikely allies if he is going to save his new friend and help her build a new home. The Mimic and the Space Engineer boxed set contains the first three books in the Space Shifter Chronicles. If you like fast-paced space adventures with engaging, and quirky, characters, you will love Higgens, Mimic, and their adventures in space.
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Interesting premise, but I've read better
- By Reviewer on 12-05-20
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The Engines of God
- By: Jack McDevitt
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Humans call them Monument-Makers. An unknown race, they left stunning alien statues scattered on distant planets throughout the galaxy, encoded with strange inscriptions that defy translation. Searching for clues about the Monument-Makers, teams of 23rd century linguists, historians, engineers and archaeologists have been excavating the enigmatic alien ruins on a number of planets, uncovering strange, massive false cities made of solid rock. But their time is running out.
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Conceptually intriguing, but uneven writing style
- By Michael G Kurilla on 05-12-11
By: Jack McDevitt
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Vigilante
- By: Michael Anderle, Natalie Grey
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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When a mine owner thinks that he's above the law and continues to utilize slave labor to keep his mines running, Barnabas, a former Ranger One, must fight for justice.
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If I could I would give 10 stars..
- By Trish R. on 08-05-21
By: Michael Anderle, and others
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Forty Signs of Rain
- Science in the Capital, Book 1
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim, Kim Stanley Robinson
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The best-selling author of the classic Mars trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt returns with a riveting new trilogy of cutting-edge science, international politics, and the real-life ramifications of global warming as they are played out in our nation's capital - and in the daily lives of those at the center of the action. Hauntingly realistic, here is a novel of the near future that is inspired by scientific facts already making headlines. BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Kim Stanley Robinson.
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Its all
- By steve on 01-07-09
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Cyteen
- Cyteen, Books 1-3
- By: C. J. Cherryh
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Jonathan Davis
- Length: 36 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The saga of two young friends trapped in an endless nightmare of suspicion and surveillance, of cyber-programmed servants and a ruling class with century-long lives – and the enigmatic woman who dominates them all.
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This is a Heavy Book (lovely too)
- By troy on 05-20-12
By: C. J. Cherryh
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What listeners say about A Half-Built Garden
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jason
- 09-18-24
Truly Fantastic
I loved this book so much. It did everything that I could want from a sci-fi: it had a compelling character-driven story, it presented fascinating new ideas, it helped me to see our world in a new light. I simply cannot recommend this book strongly enough!
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- Heidi Garvin
- 11-28-22
delightful
A bit repetitive at times, but a delightful fantasy. I kept anticipating big plot twists that didn't come in the ways I expected. It's a straightforward story but still very enjoyable.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jasper
- 10-23-23
Wonderfully reimagined first contact
Ruthanna Emrys doesn't turn away from the hard things. This book is beautiful and hopeful, and highlights fears of what we are doing to each other and the planet right now. I would be so thrilled with this version of first contact.
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- Michael Moore
- 06-24-23
it is about the search for connection
This book deserves better than whatever I can write about it. it is apocalyptic and hopeful and despairing often at the same time and I loved every moment of it. This is the most important book I've read in a long time and I cannot emphasize that enough.
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- Treena
- 10-27-23
Extraordinary speculative fiction
Like nothing else I’ve ever read. A space opera set on earth. A future that is both dystopian and full of hope and wonder. A fantastic vision of where we could be headed societally and universally. Even the areas where suspension of disbelief are required are done artistically. Super interesting futuristic imagination.
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- Kimball Malone Scott
- 09-01-24
A much needed dose of optimism!
If we are going to address the future’s challenges we need to imagine success. That is the role of utopian science fiction.
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- Geekmama
- 05-28-23
Excellent
I really enjoyed this take on the alien encounter. It was a joy to listen to and took into account many issues we are facing today. I liked the exploration of gender as well from both the human factions and the two alien species. It was an interesting conversation and a lovely part of the story. The book took a loving look at what a family is and can be, what our relationship with earth is and can be and how both these things are connected.
I further enjoyed how these heavy topics (add in religion and politics as well) were handled in such a gentle, beautiful way but also with humor and pop culture references. At times I had tears and at times I was giggling. Excellent sci fi read.
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1 person found this helpful
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- SunshineWolfe
- 08-18-24
Symbiosis as Ethics
I loved everything about this story. Imagining a messy and yet consensual minded future with aliens.
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- Dansonofdirm
- 08-03-22
A Better World is Possible
The best type of Science Fiction, a vision of the future both compelling and corporeal
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3 people found this helpful
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- Jgall
- 02-21-24
Got boring, plot disappeared quickly
I wanted to like this book because I like kind sci-fi, but a few chapters in, it became more about gender dynamics than about the encounter/rescue plot. Eventually got bored trying to hold the plot thread with so many characters and not much happening, and I gave up. I’m all for gender progressive books but I need an exciting plot to be the priority.
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1 person found this helpful