A Short, Sharp Shock
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Narrated by:
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Richard Powers
About this listen
Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning author of the best-selling trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, was called “a literary landscape artist, creating breathtaking vistas” by the Detroit Metro News. Now he confirms his reputation for brilliance and for the unexpected in this luminous short work.
A man tumbles through wild surf, half drowned, to collapse on a moonlit beach. When he regains consciousness, he has no memory of who he is or where he came from. He knows only that the woman who washed ashore with him has disappeared sometime in the night and that he has awakened in a surreal landscape of savage beauty - a mysterious watery world encircled by a thin spine of land.
Aided by strange tribesmen, he journeys to the cove of the spine kings, a brutal race that has enslaved the woman and several of the tribesmen. That is only the beginning of his quest, as he struggles to find her identity in this wondrous and cruel land - and seeks out the woman whose hold on his imagination is both unfathomable and unshakable.
Haunting and lyrical, filled with uncommon beauty and terrible peril, A Short, Sharp Shock is an ambitious and enthralling story by one of science fiction’s most respected talents.
Kim Stanley Robinson is noted for the verisimilitude of his characters and for the meticulously researched hard-science basis of his work. His works contain ecological themes and emphasize the strong link between the human characters and the natural world. He has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards.
©1990 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“The novels and short stories of Kim Stanley Robinson constitute one of the most impressive bodies of work in modern science fiction.” (New York Times)
“Kim Stanley Robinson, justly famous for his science fiction, has created a mesmerizing fantasy work in A Short, Sharp Shock…Robinson’s imagination is far-ranging and he has a pointed way with words…Robinson’s evocation of pain is unforgettable. A Short, Sharp Shock is guaranteed to haunt the reader for a long time.” (Amazon.com editorial review)
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Stormfall is a dragon born with a coat the color of a starry night. When a violent storm strikes his island aerie, he is carried on hurricane winds into the complicated and sometimes cruel world of men. There, his journey takes him from fisher dragon to farmer, pit-fighting dragon to warrior, each step leading him closer to a remarkable destiny. But war is coming to the land of Remus, and with it a crossroads for the Night Dragon and the young soul-boy he allows on his back.
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Awesome!! Original story line! Made my top 5
- By Alex Sanders on 02-04-17
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Dragon's Blood
- The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume 1
- By: Jane Yolen
- Narrated by: Marc Thompson
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Dragons are trained to fight to the death, and two determined teens help free them in this spellbinding saga. Training a dragon to be a fighting champion is the only way to freedom for 15-year-old Jakkin.
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can't even listen to it
- By Ingvor V. Franklin on 11-12-17
By: Jane Yolen
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Wild Magic
- The Immortals, Book 1
- By: Tamora Pierce
- Narrated by: Tamora Pierce
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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When Daine comes down from the mountains, she carries with her two things: a dark secret about her own past, and a strangely powerful magic that even she doesn't understand.
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Doesn't do the book justice.
- By S. L. Garner on 04-07-05
By: Tamora Pierce
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Flight of the Dragon Kyn
- By: Susan Fletcher
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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"You must go to the dragon. You must leave tonight." Before she even hears the words, Kaeldra already knows she must find the mother dragon whose draclings have just hatched and get some of the precious milk in order to save her foster sister’s life. Since Kaeldra can communicate with dragons, she is the only one who can accomplish the task. And so she begins a journey that will entwine her fate with that of three little draclings and one would-be dragon slayer.
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praise Dragons
- By Dragon Lizard Lord King Chaos Tiamatzilla on 07-28-15
By: Susan Fletcher
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Edge of Eternity
- By: Randy Alcorn
- Narrated by: Roger Marsh, Phil Ross
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Abridged
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Nick Seagrave is a disillusioned business executive who has lost loved ones to tragedy and his family to neglect. Now, at a point of great crisis, he finds himself inexplicably transported to what appears to be another world. Suddenly he's confronted with profoundly clear views of his own past and personality. And he's enabled to see, hear, taste, and smell the realities of both heaven and hell - realities that force him to face dangers and trials far greater than any he's known before.
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AMAZING
- By Julie R. VanderMate on 08-12-10
By: Randy Alcorn
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Orion
- Orion Series, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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John O'Ryan is not a god...not exactly. He is an eternal warrior destined to combat the Dark Lord through all time for dominion of the Earth. Follow him, servant of a great race, as he battles his enemy down the halls of time, from the caves of our ancestors to the final confrontation under the hammer of nuclear annihilation.
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Cornucopia of Genre's
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-10-12
By: Ben Bova
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The Familiars
- By: Adam Jay Epstein
- Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Running fast to save his life, Aldwyn ducks into an unusual pet store. Moments later Jack, a young wizard in training, comes in to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. Aldwyn's always been clever. But magical? Jack thinks so - and Aldwyn is happy to play along. He just has to convince the other familiars - the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert - that he's the powerful cat he claims to be. Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and two other young wizards are captured by the evil queen of Vastia!
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Good kid's story
- By Ed on 04-18-13
By: Adam Jay Epstein
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The Cloud Roads
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
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Very original but flawed
- By David on 06-22-13
By: Martha Wells
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Arena
- 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Karen Hancock
- Narrated by: Aimee Lilly
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Transported surreptitiously to a terrifying alien world with limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie Hayes finds herself engulfed in a perilous battle for freedom—for her very life. After agreeing to participate in a routine psychology research experiment, she must unravel the mysteries shrouding her only route of escape or risk succumbing to the deadly deception of the Arena. A journey through the treacherous terrain of a strange and terrifying world. A powerful allegory that will capture your imagination with its timelessness and aching familiarity.
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Captivating and intriguing
- By Si on 11-17-23
By: Karen Hancock
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The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe
- By: Kij Johnson
- Narrated by: Kij Johnson
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Professor Vellitt Boe teaches at the prestigious Ulthar Women's College. When one of her most gifted students elopes with a dreamer from the waking world, Vellitt must retrieve her.
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it took me a few trys to ger through this audio
- By Melanie on 05-13-17
By: Kij Johnson
What listeners say about A Short, Sharp Shock
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Matt
- 01-09-19
Wicked, thrilling, exciting
This book is a TRIP. While it is not my favorite KSR book, it should be regarded as one of his greats. The storyline was fantastic, though hard to follow at times. The characters were interesting, and expressive. The DETAIL in this book is second to none in terms of fantasy fiction. KSR is a lyrical genius, and his genius is on full display in a Short, Sharp Shock.
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2 people found this helpful
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- James T. Hopper
- 05-01-12
I never bought or received this book.
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I never bought or received this book. Sorry
Would you recommend A Short, Sharp Shock to your friends? Why or why not?
I never bought or received this book. Sorry
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
I never bought or received this book. Sorry
Could you see A Short, Sharp Shock being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
I never bought or received this book. Sorry
Any additional comments?
I never bought or received this book. Sorry
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Performance
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- Jessica
- 10-28-13
I have three words for this book: L frikin SD
What would have made A Short, Sharp Shock better?
This story was very difficult to follow. If the author had not been so into licking toads, it might have helped.
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