Try it out by listening to a sample.
-
Black Earth
- How We Got Here
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
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
Buy for $9.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
What truths lie in the black void between the stars?
It’s late September 2019 when a young astronomer working at the Haleakala Space Observatory in Maui, Hawaii, accidentally spots a black dot in the night sky and is calculated to be closely trailing Earth by only seventy-five million miles…on the same ecliptic plane.
NASA launches an unmanned probe to Earth’s nearest neighbor, given the name ILK-87b. The images coming back from the black planet both shock and amaze those inside the halls of NASA. Curiosity, fear, and dread overcome insiders as infrastructure is detected on the black mass. Scientists are confounded since infrared telescopes are not detecting a heat signature. After a secret meeting of the G8 world leaders, an international manned mission is scheduled.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Prior to the scheduled manned mission, a secret satellite orbiting the planet – now dubbed Black Earth – detects light emanating from a triangular structure with pentagon-shaped corners. When astronauts finally arrive, two of them – Dr. Carrick ‘Rock’ Michaels and Dr. Kaley ‘Kinzi’ London – are dispatched to investigate. When they arrive at the triangular mega-plex, they are shocked when an exterior airlock door opens. What the two find on the other side will change everything we know about man’s origins on Earth and how climate change decided the fate of a once-great society…Zenith.
Inside the structure called The Triad, Carrick and Kinzi stand face-to-face with a one-hundred-fifteen-year-old man named Erik, who greets the two by saying: “What took you so long?” Erik tells them the story of Zenith and its mass migration to Earth beginning 6000 years ago. As the astronauts are preparing to depart for their journey back to Earth, Carrick shocks them by saying that he will remain on Black Earth. Over the next thirteen months, Carrick will learn the history of Zenith and what prompted its mass migration to Earth. Carrick will be shocked to discover that many of Earth’s greatest historical figures are actually from the planet Zenith. These figures – hundreds of them – helped shape Earth’s growth and spurred its medical and technological advancements. Not all of these historical figures were good, though.
The connection between Erik and Carrick is unexplainable and will lead to a story that has never been told before. This story will connect the dots of the universe and answer the age-old questions: Are we alone in the universe? How humans came to be on Earth? What are the origins of religion, racism, and segregation? And finally: How we got here?
What happens next will bridge the planetary gap between Earth and Zenith, life and death, time and space; and will result in the heartbreaking story of love, family, and mankind’s past, present, and future.
This title uses virtual voice narration
Related to this topic
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
Wynonna Earp
- Tales from Purgatory
- By: Emily Andras
- Narrated by: Melanie Scrofano, Tim Rozon, Dom Provost-Chalkley, and others
- Length: 4 hrs
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Saddle up and join Wynonna Earp on an immersive new audio adventure in the gritty supernatural world of Purgatory. This Audible Original invites you deeper into the Weird West to follow Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano), as she embarks on her craziest adventure yet: riding off into the sunset with her soulmate, Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon)—yes ... that Doc Holliday. Brace yourself for more wise-cracking demon hunters, earth-shattering revelations and all the genre-blending action you've come to expect from the cult hit TV series.
-
-
Happy #Earper ☺️
- By Kate Skidmore on 10-17-24
By: Emily Andras
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
Constituent Service
- A Third District Story
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Amber Benson
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ashley Perrin is fresh out of college and starting a job as a community liaison for the Third District–the city’s only sector with more alien residents than humans. Ashley’s barely found where the paper clips are kept when she’s beset with constituent complaints–from too much noise at the Annual Lupidian Celebration Parade to a trip-and-fall chicken to a very particular type of alien hornet that threatens the very city itself. And if that’s not terrifying enough, Ashley is next up at the office karaoke night.
-
-
What a silly and sweet quick listen!
- By Geoffrey Christian on 10-08-24
By: John Scalzi
-
Temporal
- By: Julian Simpson, Richard MacLean Smith, Bec Boey, and others
- Narrated by: Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jessie Mei Li, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the not-too-distant future, a 21-member crew launches from Earth. Their mission: to establish a temporary colony on Mars. Little do they know that colony will become permanent–and the last stand of the human race. Because, without warning, every single person left on Earth simply...vanishes. Now, a thousand years later, the resources needed to sustain life are running out, and the very existence of the Mars colony is threatened. Humankind has only one option–to return to its home planet.
-
-
It was ok.
- By Cregg Terasa on 08-06-24
By: Julian Simpson, and others
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
Wynonna Earp
- Tales from Purgatory
- By: Emily Andras
- Narrated by: Melanie Scrofano, Tim Rozon, Dom Provost-Chalkley, and others
- Length: 4 hrs
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Saddle up and join Wynonna Earp on an immersive new audio adventure in the gritty supernatural world of Purgatory. This Audible Original invites you deeper into the Weird West to follow Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano), as she embarks on her craziest adventure yet: riding off into the sunset with her soulmate, Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon)—yes ... that Doc Holliday. Brace yourself for more wise-cracking demon hunters, earth-shattering revelations and all the genre-blending action you've come to expect from the cult hit TV series.
-
-
Happy #Earper ☺️
- By Kate Skidmore on 10-17-24
By: Emily Andras
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
Constituent Service
- A Third District Story
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Amber Benson
- Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ashley Perrin is fresh out of college and starting a job as a community liaison for the Third District–the city’s only sector with more alien residents than humans. Ashley’s barely found where the paper clips are kept when she’s beset with constituent complaints–from too much noise at the Annual Lupidian Celebration Parade to a trip-and-fall chicken to a very particular type of alien hornet that threatens the very city itself. And if that’s not terrifying enough, Ashley is next up at the office karaoke night.
-
-
What a silly and sweet quick listen!
- By Geoffrey Christian on 10-08-24
By: John Scalzi
-
Temporal
- By: Julian Simpson, Richard MacLean Smith, Bec Boey, and others
- Narrated by: Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jessie Mei Li, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the not-too-distant future, a 21-member crew launches from Earth. Their mission: to establish a temporary colony on Mars. Little do they know that colony will become permanent–and the last stand of the human race. Because, without warning, every single person left on Earth simply...vanishes. Now, a thousand years later, the resources needed to sustain life are running out, and the very existence of the Mars colony is threatened. Humankind has only one option–to return to its home planet.
-
-
It was ok.
- By Cregg Terasa on 08-06-24
By: Julian Simpson, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Dark Matters
- Dark Matters Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Dow
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rudolph "Rudy" Dersch is the newly minted CEO of the world's largest, multi-trillion-dollar corporate conglomerate. But the job comes with an unexpected twist - an invitation to join the Consortium, a small, secretive group of global elites who effectively decide what's best for the rest of humanity. How does Rudy's struggle to reconcile business and family impact the world's future? And who, if anyone, can break the Consortium's iron grip on the status quo?
-
-
Great story line that builds into real captivating
- By Janine Lex on 09-05-17
By: Michael Dow
-
Dust
- The Obelisks Series, Book 1
- By: Ari Marmell
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Flight Engineer Cynthia Han and her fellow astronauts aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 81 has proved as mundane as space travel ever gets. Yes, this would be Cynthia’s final NASA mission, for reasons she has so far kept from the rest of the crew; and yes, the latest billionaire “space tourist” has managed to irritate everyone on board. Still, none of them could have asked for a smoother experience. Until the morning they wake up to silence. All communication with Earth, gone.
-
-
Diamond in the Rough
- By Michael on 04-01-23
By: Ari Marmell
-
Frozen Orbit
- By: Patrick Chiles
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set to embark on NASA's first expedition to the outer planets, the crew of the spacecraft Magellan learns someone else has beaten them by a few decades: a top-secret Soviet project codenamed Arkangel. Now during their long race to the Kuiper Belt, astronauts Jack Templeton and Traci Keene must unwind a decades-old mystery buried in the pages of a dead cosmonaut's journal. The solution will challenge their beliefs about the nature of humanity, and will force the astronauts to confront the question of existence itself.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Joshua Kring on 05-19-21
By: Patrick Chiles
-
Contact Us
- A Jake Corby Sci-Fi Thriller
- By: Al Macy
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 22, 2018, every person on Earth sneezes. Simultaneously. Hours later, an alien spacecraft appears over New York City and broadcasts a dire message of impending doom. The future of the human race will depend on the whims of a solitary extraterrestrial who appears in the form of Walter Cronkite. Yes, that's right, Walter Cronkite, the deceased news anchor! Ex-FBI troubleshooter Jake Corby has faked his death and dropped out of sight, living like a hermit in a small town. But the president is convinced Corby's still alive. He wants Jake, with his unique problem-solving skills, added to ...
-
-
Can’t finish narration is grating
- By C. White on 05-10-24
By: Al Macy
-
3zekiel
- By: Peter Cawdron
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deep within the Congo, a team of scientists prepares for the greatest event in the history of humanity, making first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial species. Only the jungle is no place for doubts. Could first contact be our last?
-
-
avoid this book
- By Ralf Månsson on 07-19-22
By: Peter Cawdron
-
Earthrise 2115: First Contact
- By: J. C. Gunn
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 3 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The orbital debris salvage ship THX-1138 and its Commander Lieutenant Joachim Lee and his young crew are tasked to de-orbit an abandoned space station from the early 21st century. Something very unusual was going on with the derelict Long March of the People-7. They discover that the station has had a visitor from somewhere in the Deep Dark. Was this event the real First Contact? Earthrise 2115: First Contact is a novella that tells the tale of an event that took place approximately 50 years before the adventures of the crew of the starship Richard P. Feynman and is part of the Earthrise ...
-
-
Outstanding hard Sci fi
- By J.C. Gunn on 03-05-24
By: J. C. Gunn
-
Dark Matters
- Dark Matters Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Dow
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rudolph "Rudy" Dersch is the newly minted CEO of the world's largest, multi-trillion-dollar corporate conglomerate. But the job comes with an unexpected twist - an invitation to join the Consortium, a small, secretive group of global elites who effectively decide what's best for the rest of humanity. How does Rudy's struggle to reconcile business and family impact the world's future? And who, if anyone, can break the Consortium's iron grip on the status quo?
-
-
Great story line that builds into real captivating
- By Janine Lex on 09-05-17
By: Michael Dow
-
Dust
- The Obelisks Series, Book 1
- By: Ari Marmell
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Flight Engineer Cynthia Han and her fellow astronauts aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 81 has proved as mundane as space travel ever gets. Yes, this would be Cynthia’s final NASA mission, for reasons she has so far kept from the rest of the crew; and yes, the latest billionaire “space tourist” has managed to irritate everyone on board. Still, none of them could have asked for a smoother experience. Until the morning they wake up to silence. All communication with Earth, gone.
-
-
Diamond in the Rough
- By Michael on 04-01-23
By: Ari Marmell
-
Frozen Orbit
- By: Patrick Chiles
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set to embark on NASA's first expedition to the outer planets, the crew of the spacecraft Magellan learns someone else has beaten them by a few decades: a top-secret Soviet project codenamed Arkangel. Now during their long race to the Kuiper Belt, astronauts Jack Templeton and Traci Keene must unwind a decades-old mystery buried in the pages of a dead cosmonaut's journal. The solution will challenge their beliefs about the nature of humanity, and will force the astronauts to confront the question of existence itself.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Joshua Kring on 05-19-21
By: Patrick Chiles
-
Contact Us
- A Jake Corby Sci-Fi Thriller
- By: Al Macy
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 22, 2018, every person on Earth sneezes. Simultaneously. Hours later, an alien spacecraft appears over New York City and broadcasts a dire message of impending doom. The future of the human race will depend on the whims of a solitary extraterrestrial who appears in the form of Walter Cronkite. Yes, that's right, Walter Cronkite, the deceased news anchor! Ex-FBI troubleshooter Jake Corby has faked his death and dropped out of sight, living like a hermit in a small town. But the president is convinced Corby's still alive. He wants Jake, with his unique problem-solving skills, added to ...
-
-
Can’t finish narration is grating
- By C. White on 05-10-24
By: Al Macy
-
3zekiel
- By: Peter Cawdron
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deep within the Congo, a team of scientists prepares for the greatest event in the history of humanity, making first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial species. Only the jungle is no place for doubts. Could first contact be our last?
-
-
avoid this book
- By Ralf Månsson on 07-19-22
By: Peter Cawdron
-
Earthrise 2115: First Contact
- By: J. C. Gunn
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 3 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The orbital debris salvage ship THX-1138 and its Commander Lieutenant Joachim Lee and his young crew are tasked to de-orbit an abandoned space station from the early 21st century. Something very unusual was going on with the derelict Long March of the People-7. They discover that the station has had a visitor from somewhere in the Deep Dark. Was this event the real First Contact? Earthrise 2115: First Contact is a novella that tells the tale of an event that took place approximately 50 years before the adventures of the crew of the starship Richard P. Feynman and is part of the Earthrise ...
-
-
Outstanding hard Sci fi
- By J.C. Gunn on 03-05-24
By: J. C. Gunn
-
Earth 2.0
- The Arrival
- By: Scott Ganley
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Earth is dying – the only hope for humanity lies amongst the stars Climate change, war and pollution has finally reached the tipping point and Earth will soon be incapable of supporting life. As temperatures across the globe rise to dangerous levels, the planet’s atmosphere begins slowly rotting away. Access to food and clean water has become scarce and mankind is forced to turn to the stars in search of a solution. In a neighboring galaxy, an alien planet may offer humanity a second chance. In a desperate bid to save humanity, thousands of colonists are hurled into the cosmos ...
-
-
Good Story but Not Good Science
- By Rainer on 10-31-24
By: Scott Ganley
-
The Eternity Artifact
- By: L. E. Modesitt Jr.
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer, Cindy Kay
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five thousand years in the future, humankind has spread across thousands of worlds, and more than a dozen different governments exist in an uneasy truce. But human beings have found no signs of other life anywhere approaching human intelligence. This changes when scientists discover a sunless planet they name Danann, traveling the void just beyond the edge of the galaxy at such a high speed that it cannot be natural. Its continents and oceans have been sculpted and shaped, with but a single megaplex upon it - close to perfectly preserved.
-
-
Excellent story, mediocre narration
- By Ira Elton Eure on 05-31-24
-
Rare Earth
- By: Kurt Allan
- Narrated by: Derek Shoales
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Waldo Packwood has had a rough time of things lately. He's lost his job, his friends, and finally his family. At 50 years old, he's living alone in a small apartment wondering what's happened to his life. He's unexpectedly asked to travel to Hector 1, a lone asteroid in the Jupiter Trojans, to investigate the missing crew. His trip is a struggle from the beginning, as he discovers more about those around him and what they're willing to do to keep Hector 1 to themselves.
-
-
Entertaining!
- By Avalene on 09-12-21
By: Kurt Allan
-
Sleeping Gods Boxed Set
- Books 1-2
- By: Ralph Kern
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell, Jeffrey Kafer, Michael Kramer
- Length: 29 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Includes books one and two in the Sleeping Gods series: Endeavor and Erebus.
-
-
As a set, it was so so
- By Sarah Bellew on 08-30-21
By: Ralph Kern
-
The Hole
- Hard Science Fiction
- By: Brandon Q. Morris
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mysterious object threatens to destroy our solar system. The survival of humankind is at risk, but nobody takes the warning of young astrophysicist Maribel Pedreira seriously. At the same time, an exiled crew of outcasts mines for rare minerals on a lone asteroid. When other scientists finally acknowledge Pedreira's alarming discovery, it becomes clear that these outcasts are the only ones who may be able to save our world, knowing that the Hole hurtles inexorably toward the sun.
-
-
Just OK. Won't repeat it. Won't do more this auth.
- By R. Frazier on 07-02-20
-
The Hercules Text
- By: Jack McDevitt
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a remote corner of the galaxy, a message is being sent. The continuous beats of a pulsar have become odd, irregular, and artificial. It can only be a code. Frantically, a research team struggles to decipher the alien communication. And what the scientists discover is destined to shake the foundations of empires around this world - from Wall Street to the Vatican.
-
-
Lots to recommend here!
- By Matthew on 10-19-18
By: Jack McDevitt
What listeners say about Black Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 03-31-24
Awestruck
A moving story of how one man's sacrifice began the tumbling of dominoes, and would help another man find his reason, his purpose, and his family. Some hard science here, not a fantasy sci-fi like 3 Body Problem. No laser beams needed. This story is powerful, and felt real to this reader. I look forward to the follow-up.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-01-24
nonsensical storyline, nonsensical science fiction, nonsensical foray into politics, racism, religion
nonsensical storyline, nonsensical science fiction, nonsensical foray into politics, racism, religion. performer was clearly bored and expressed zero emotion.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!