
Age of Ash
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $28.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Soneela Nankani
-
By:
-
Daniel Abraham
About this listen
From a Hugo award-winning New York Times bestselling author comes a "fascinating" epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city where every story matters (Joe Abercrombie)—and the fate of the city is woven from them all.
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold.
This is Alys's.
When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why. But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.
Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.
“An atmospheric and fascinating tapestry, woven with skill and patience.” –Joe Abercrombie, New York Times bestselling author of A Little Hatred
For more from Daniel Abraham, check out:
The Dagger and the Coin
The Dragon's Path
The King's Blood
The Tyrant's Law
The Widow's House
The Spider's War
Critic reviews
“An atmospheric and fascinating tapestry, woven with skill and patience.” (Joe Abercrombie, New York Times best-selling author of A Little Hatred)
“[An] outstanding series debut, which instantly hooks readers with dual mysteries.... Readers will eagerly anticipate the sequel.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
“Age of Ash’s Kithamar is a spectacular creation, a city brought to life by dense, intricate worldbuilding and subtle magic. Fans of Scott Lynch or Robert Jackson Bennett will enjoy this one.” (Django Wexler, author of Ashes of the Sun)
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Blade of Dream
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Sean Rohani
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all. In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again.
-
-
Awful narrator
- By Dave on 07-23-23
By: Daniel Abraham
-
A Shadow in Summer
- Long Price Quartet, Book 1
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit Seedless, an and at bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity.
-
-
REALLY Hard to Rate!
- By Trip Williams on 04-27-15
By: Daniel Abraham
-
The Briar King
- The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1
- By: Greg Keyes
- Narrated by: Patrick Michael
- Length: 19 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The kings woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber.
-
-
Good stuff
- By Jake on 06-10-10
By: Greg Keyes
-
Tales of the Greatcoats
- Swashbuckling Fantasy Stories
- By: Sebastien de Castell
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson, Kristin Atherton, Chris Humphreys
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here are eight tales of the Greatcoats, legendary sword-fighting magistrates brought together by an idealistic young king and disbanded after his execution as a tyrant. Follow along through their swashbuckling adventures, their triumphs and defeats, their darkest hours and their moments of shining redemption as they struggle to bring justice to a corrupt kingdom.
-
-
More joe Jameson
- By A on 01-15-22
-
Gunmetal Gods
- Gunmetal Gods, Book 1
- By: Zamil Akhtar
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifty thousand gun-toting paladins march behind him, all baptized in angel blood, thirsty to burn unbelievers. Only the janissaries can stand against them. Their living legend, Kevah, once beheaded a magus amid a hail of ice daggers. But ever since his wife disappeared, he spends his days in a haze of hashish and poetry. To save the kingdom, Kevah must conquer his grief and become the legend he once was. But Micah writes his own legend in blood, and his righteous conquest will stop at nothing. When the gods choose sides, a legend will be etched upon the stars.
-
-
Great Narrator, Great Book
- By KYLE LOCKHAVEN on 10-28-21
By: Zamil Akhtar
-
Sons of Darkness
- The Raag of Rta, Book 1
- By: Gourav Mohanty
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Senator Krishna and his third wife Satyabhama have put their plans in motion, both within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders, to protect it from total annihilation. But they are soon to discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever – and that they are not the only players on the board.
-
-
Nice book. flawed narration
- By Reader of a lost Art on 11-03-23
By: Gourav Mohanty
-
Blade of Dream
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Sean Rohani
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all. In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again.
-
-
Awful narrator
- By Dave on 07-23-23
By: Daniel Abraham
-
A Shadow in Summer
- Long Price Quartet, Book 1
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit Seedless, an and at bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity.
-
-
REALLY Hard to Rate!
- By Trip Williams on 04-27-15
By: Daniel Abraham
-
The Briar King
- The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1
- By: Greg Keyes
- Narrated by: Patrick Michael
- Length: 19 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The kings woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber.
-
-
Good stuff
- By Jake on 06-10-10
By: Greg Keyes
-
Tales of the Greatcoats
- Swashbuckling Fantasy Stories
- By: Sebastien de Castell
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson, Kristin Atherton, Chris Humphreys
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here are eight tales of the Greatcoats, legendary sword-fighting magistrates brought together by an idealistic young king and disbanded after his execution as a tyrant. Follow along through their swashbuckling adventures, their triumphs and defeats, their darkest hours and their moments of shining redemption as they struggle to bring justice to a corrupt kingdom.
-
-
More joe Jameson
- By A on 01-15-22
-
Gunmetal Gods
- Gunmetal Gods, Book 1
- By: Zamil Akhtar
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifty thousand gun-toting paladins march behind him, all baptized in angel blood, thirsty to burn unbelievers. Only the janissaries can stand against them. Their living legend, Kevah, once beheaded a magus amid a hail of ice daggers. But ever since his wife disappeared, he spends his days in a haze of hashish and poetry. To save the kingdom, Kevah must conquer his grief and become the legend he once was. But Micah writes his own legend in blood, and his righteous conquest will stop at nothing. When the gods choose sides, a legend will be etched upon the stars.
-
-
Great Narrator, Great Book
- By KYLE LOCKHAVEN on 10-28-21
By: Zamil Akhtar
-
Sons of Darkness
- The Raag of Rta, Book 1
- By: Gourav Mohanty
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Senator Krishna and his third wife Satyabhama have put their plans in motion, both within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders, to protect it from total annihilation. But they are soon to discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever – and that they are not the only players on the board.
-
-
Nice book. flawed narration
- By Reader of a lost Art on 11-03-23
By: Gourav Mohanty
-
The Bladed Faith
- By: David Dalglish
- Narrated by: Devante Johnson, Imani Parks
- Length: 18 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cyrus was only twelve years old when his gods were slain, his country invaded, and his parents—the king and queen—beheaded in front of him. Held prisoner in the invader's court for years, Cyrus is suddenly given a chance to escape and claim his revenge when a mysterious group of revolutionaries comes looking for a figurehead. They need a hero to strike fear into the hearts of the imperial and to inspire and unite the people. They need someone to take up the skull mask and swords and to become the legendary "Vagrant"—an unparalleled hero and assassin of otherworldly skill.
-
-
lackluster narration
- By Anonymous User on 04-20-22
By: David Dalglish
-
The Way of Edan
- The Edan Trilogy, Book One
- By: Philip Chase
- Narrated by: Allen Walker
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holy war. Magic rooted in empathy and transcendence. Fantasy creatures as never seen before. The Kingdom of the Eternal will awaken when the Way of Edan holds sway over all of Eormenlond. So say the prophecies. With unrivalled power in the gift, the Supreme Priest Bledla leads Torrlond and its mighty army to convert rival kingdoms by the sword and by the fang.
-
-
Brilliantly Narrated Philosophical Fantasy
- By iSamwise on 10-14-24
By: Philip Chase
-
Foundryside
- A Novel
- By: Robert Jackson Bennett
- Narrated by: Tara Sands
- Length: 19 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic - the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience - have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine.
-
-
Parts & Sums
- By CaffineFreeJAVA on 05-07-19
-
Knight in the Nighttime
- Twinborn Chronicles, Volume 1
- By: J. S. Morin
- Narrated by: Mikael Naramore
- Length: 24 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By day, Kyrus Hinterdale lives the mundane life of a scribe. By night, he lives out the adventures of Brannis Solaran, a failed sorcerer turned knight. When Brannis leads his battalion into the forest on a routine scouting mission, they are overwhelmed by a goblin force. While leading the survivors to regroup and prepare the empire for the inevitable war, Brannis struggles to understand why a scribe from his own dreams, suddenly seems to be able to perform the magic he never could.
-
-
not great
- By S. O'Conor on 03-24-19
By: J. S. Morin
-
We Are the Dead
- The Last War Trilogy
- By: Mike Shackle
- Narrated by: Nicola Bryant
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jia's people learned the hard way that there are no second chances. The Egril, their ancient enemy, struck with magic so devastating that Jia's armies were wiped out. Now terror reigns in the streets, and friend turns on friend just to live another day. Somehow Tinnstra - a deserter, a failure, nothing but a coward - survived. She wants no more than to hide from the chaos. But dragged into a desperate plot to retake Jia, surrounded by people willing to do anything to win the fight, this time Tinnstra will need to do more than hide.
-
-
Criminally Underrated Gem in a world of Dark Fantasy
- By Nic on 04-24-23
By: Mike Shackle
-
Traitor's Blade
- The Greatcoats, Book 1
- By: Sebastien de Castell
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Greatcoats - legendary heroes, arbiters of justice...or notorious traitors? The Greatcoats are travelling magistrates bringing justice to all...or at least they were, before they watched the Dukes impale their King's head on a spike. Now the land's heroes are reviled as traitors, their Greatcoats in tatters. Facio, Kest and Brasti have been reduced to working as mercenaries, but when they find their employer dead - and are forced to watch as the killer plants evidence framing them for the murder - they realise things are about to get even worse.
-
-
Excelente Historia y narrador.!
- By Jonnathan on 03-20-19
-
Web of Eyes
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a piece of the crown prince's soul is stolen by a traitorous warlock, disgraced knight Torsten Unger makes it his sworn duty to get it back and save the last hope for the kingdom. But he can't do it alone. Self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Thief" Whitney Fierstown sits in the castle dungeon, destined for the gallows until Torsten offers this choice: rot and die in a dank cell or join him on a dangerous expedition to put his skills to good use and earn his freedom.
-
-
A Fantasy Version of 48 Hours
- By John Kang on 12-24-18
By: Rhett C. Bruno, and others
-
ILLBORN
- The Illborn Saga, Book One
- By: Daniel T. Jackson
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Priestley
- Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long ago, The Lord Aiduel emerged from the deserts of the Holy Land, possessed with divine powers. He used these to forcibly unite the peoples of Angall, before His ascension to heaven. Over eight hundred years later, in a medieval world which is threatened by war and religious persecution, four young men and women begin to develop supernatural abilities. These forbidden and secret powers will shatter the lives that they have known, and will force each of them to confront the mystery of the ethereal Gate which haunts their dreams.
-
-
A MUST READ!!!!
- By Lorrie F. on 07-02-25
-
Once There Were Heroes
- A Time of Dragons, Book 1
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dragons Riders: The last noble warriors in the realm. Only heroes can embolden the ordinary. For centuries, millennia, the Dragon Riders galvanized generation after generation, adding Riders to their ranks and birthing dragons from their eggs. But there are no more heroes. War with the Andarens is like nothing the Riders, nor the armies of Erador, have ever faced. In the place of heroes, there are only soldiers now. Fodder for the machine of war. This time of twilight is set to be the crowning hour of the dark when the light is losing its grip.
-
-
No Dragons Here
- By Connor on 03-29-24
-
The Darkness That Comes Before
- The Prince of Nothing, Book One
- By: R. Scott Bakker
- Narrated by: David DeVries
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, evoking a time both 2,000 years past and 2,000 years into the future, untold thousands gather for a crusade. Among them, two men and two women are ensnared by a mysterious traveler, Anasûrimbor Kellhus - part warrior, part philosopher, part sorcerous, charismatic presence - from lands long thought dead. The Darkness That Comes Before is a history of this great holy war, and like all histories, the survivors write its conclusion.
-
-
Finally in audiobook!
- By Andy on 06-28-12
By: R. Scott Bakker
-
Engines of Empire
- By: R. S. Ford
- Narrated by: Alison Campbell, Ciaran Saward, Phoebe McIntosh, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, whose responsibility it is to keep the gears of the empire turning. That’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation. Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.
-
-
Soooooo bad
- By Amazon Customer on 02-13-24
By: R. S. Ford
-
Fall of Radiance
- The Complete Series (An Epic Fantasy Boxed Set: Books 1-5)
- By: Blake Arthur Peel
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
- Length: 50 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Get the Fall of Radiance boxed set, featuring all five action-packed books in the best-selling epic fantasy series - including adventure, magic, war, and a bond between warriors that can't be broken.
-
-
Disappointed by the narrators
- By Shantul Nigam on 03-20-21
There are just 3 long sections and you have to listen for a break in the story to stop. You have no idea if the next break will be in 5 minutes or 25.
I liked the book, but the format was frustrating.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It’s not not bad. It’s just not great, and fails in comparison with other fantasy novels about cities.
The narration is…well, it’s professional-grade, but the characters are, frankly, unnecessarily morose and whiny. In part because of how they are written, but more because of how the narrator portrays them.
World building is a bit thin
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was…ok. It wasn’t bad. But, neither was it amazing.
Others have said it was, perhaps, a bit boring and I’d have to echo that. I’m pretty patient when it comes to audiobooks, and even I found this to be pretty slow moving. I can’t point to any one thing that really stood out for me in the book. Which is not what you’d want. It simply wasn’t memorable. At all.
Just ok. Not quite what I’d hoped for
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Aside from that, this is a great story about 2 young women dealing with grief in their own ways as they unknowingly get caught in of more powerful groups with grand machinations for the city they live in. Fewer point of view characters than I expected after coming off of The Expanse but the tempo and pacing is well done. Knocked* out the audiobook in about 2 days (which is great considering the printed book's sat unopened on my night stand for a few years).
*I have about 30min of the 1st book left but have already purchased the sequel.
Chapter Readers/Listeners Beware!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Finally, this story will keep you guessing as to how it’s unfolding. Often I feel like some plots are fairly predictable but this one had enough twists to keep me wondering what would happen next.
It is a very tight story and the character building is great!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Narration a bit awkward
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I didn’t realize this was a trilogy, as this story could be a stand-alone, but I’m excited about the next one. Daniel Abraham is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Not the book I was expecting- but the one I needed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I once read somewhere that Fantasy relies on magic to drive the story, while Magical Realism treats magic more as a backdrop, an accent to human stories. By this definition, I'd say Daniel Abraham rides the line between the two. His magic is quiet, yet insistent; not flashy explosions and comic-esque superpowers but something more creeping, fundamental, unfathomable. And his worlds push back against the base warlike culture of Us vs Them, Hero vs Villain. He doesn’t write morally absolute characters, but people. Real living breathing people whose feelings, habits, flaws, struggles, and growth are so believable they leap from the page. When I revisit Abraham's stories (and I routinely do) it’s for the humans within them.
If you like what I said above then you will love this book. I will say that if you’re after a more standard epic fantasy, start with Dagger & Coin, though it’s still far from standard in my opinion; if you want something more profoundly human and utterly unique, go for Age of Ash or for Long Price Quartet. For what it’s worth, Age of Ash is my favorite Daniel Abraham book to date, and it reads more like a full story unto itself rather than the beginning of a series. Kithamar 2 and 3 are meant to follow the same year from different perspectives, so I don't think reading the first book necessarily locks you into the whole series (though I definitely plan to read the books that follow.)
Regarding the narrator: I often listen at a 1.15-1.25 speed but I had to dial it back to standard for Nankani and pay closer attention at first, mainly because I was unaccustomed to her voice (which, when I reflect on how many male narrators dominate this genre, might just mean my ear has some programmed bias to root out.) That said, Nankani has a very clean and even voice, though it can sometimes feel a little too clean/even, without as many tonal ups and downs as some readers. And, while I needed time to warm up to her, I also got the sense that she herself needed time to warm up to the material. Somewhere after the first couple hours I felt like she finally had the thread, and l grew to really appreciate her by the end of the book.
Another Great Read From An Author Who Defies Genre
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What I did NOT enjoy was the reader. At best she does enunciate clearly, but she varies her voice patterns more of her own preference than in response to the content of the book itself. It’s like she had a deck of cards labeled with moods, and she drew them randomly as she read. And at her worst she opted for this nasally, annoyed inflection that was fine for moments where, say, Alys was disgusted by something, but this same disgusted tone was often just slipped into in the middle of a descriptive passage. I was often confused by her choices.
So while I think I’ll grow to love this book more after books 2 & 3 help me better appreciate the foreshadowing that is surely all over the place, I also dread the idea that I’ll have to sit through this mediocre reader again.
Enjoyable — Looking Forward to the Rest
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It was kind of boring. Neither main character was very interesting or had useful insight
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.