
Empire in Black and Gold
Shadows of the Apt, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Ben Allen
About this listen
Empire in Black and Gold is the first instalment in the critically-acclaimed fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time.
The days of peace are over....
The Lowlands’ city states have lived in peace for decades, hailed as bastions of civilization. Yet that peace is about to end. A distant empire has been conquering neighbours with highly trained soldiers and sophisticated combat techniques. And the city states are its desirable new prize.
Only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – foresees the threat, as the empires’ armies march ever closer. So it falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of the cities’ leaders. He sees that war will sweep through their lands, destroying everything in its path.
But to warn his people, he must stay alive.
Empire in Black and Gold is followed by the second book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Dragonfly Falling.
©2020 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
Brimming with imagination (SciFiNow)
The Shadows of the Apt series is simply one of the best epic fantasy series out there (LEC Book Reviews)
Super worldbuilding, great characters and extreme inventiveness (Fantasy Book Critic)
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Performance
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The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison colony, and for inmates, the journey there is always a one-way trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist and political dissident. Soon after arrival, he discovers that Kiln has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot there. In the midst of a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they go?
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Super good!
- By Jessi on 11-26-24
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And Put Away Childish Things
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Harry Bodie has a famous grandmother, who wrote beloved children's books set in the delightful world of Underhill. Harry himself is a failing kids' television presenter whose every attempt to advance his career ends in self-sabotage. His family history seems to be nothing but an impediment. An impediment . . . or worse. What if Underhill is real? What if it has been waiting decades for a promised child to visit? What if it isn't delightful at all? And what if its denizens have run out of patience and are taking matters into their own hands?
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Next Level
- By Amazon Customer on 12-20-24
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Firewalkers
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Firewalkers are brave. Firewalkers are resourceful. Firewalkers are expendable. The Earth is burning. Nothing can survive at the Anchor, not without water and power. But the ultra-rich, waiting for their ride off the dying Earth? They can buy water. And thanks to their investment, the sun can provide power. But someone has to repair the solar panels when they fail, down in the deserts below. Kids like Mao, and Lupé, and Hotep, kids with brains and guts but no hope. The Firewalkers.
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Too much hard work due to narration
- By Michael D on 09-12-20
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Service Model
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into its core programming, they murder their owner. The robot discovers they can also do something else they never did before: They can run away. Fleeing the household they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating into ruins and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is having to find a new purpose.
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Another banger from Tchaikovsky
- By J. C. Amos on 06-09-24
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The Expert System's Brother
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn't understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine. Can an unlikely savior provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?
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Unexpected brevity, told with gravitas
- By Ian on 08-02-19
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Saturation Point
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Emma Newman
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Hygrometric Dehabitation Region, or the "Zone," is a growing band of rainforest on the equator, where the heat and humidity make it impossible for warm-blooded animals to survive. A human being without protection in the Zone is dead in minutes. Twenty years ago, Marks went into the rainforest with a group of researchers led by Doctor Elaine Fell, to study the extraordinary climate and see if it could be used in agriculture. The only thing she learned was that the Zone was no place for people. There were deaths, and the program was cut short. Now, they're sending her back in.
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Classic Tchaikovsky
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-24
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Children of Time
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Mel Hudson
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden.
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A very pleasant surprise
- By Simon on 06-17-17
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Shroud
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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On a planet shrouded in darkness, a stranded crew must fight for survival. But, the darkness may have plans of its own in this wildly original story from Adrian Tchaikovsky, Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke Award–winning author of Children of Time.
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Walking to Aldebaran
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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My name is Gary Rendell. I'm an astronaut. When they asked me as a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, "astronaut, please!" I dreamed astronaut, I worked astronaut, I studied astronaut. I got lucky; when a probe exploring the Oort Cloud found a strange alien rock and an international team of scientists was put together to go and look at it, I made the draw. I got even luckier. When disaster hit and our team was split up, scattered through the endless cold tunnels, I somehow survived. Now I'm lost, and alone, and scared, and there's something horrible in here. Lucky me.
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Recommended
- By pamela on 10-17-19
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Ironclads
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Sergeant Ted Regan has a problem. A son of one of the great corporate families, a Scion, has gone missing at the front. He should have been protected by his Ironclad - the lethal battle suits that make the Scions masters of war - but something has gone catastrophically wrong. Now Regan and his men, ill-equipped and demoralised, must go behind enemy lines, find the missing Scion and uncover how his suit failed. Is there a new Ironclad killer out there? And how are common soldiers, lacking the protection afforded the rich, supposed to survive the battlefield of tomorrow?
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Couldn't get past horrible accents
- By JohnD on 07-04-19
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Evil is a Matter of Perspective
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky, Courtney Schafer, Mazarkis Williams, and others
- Narrated by: Greg Patmore
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Villains take center stage in this collection of 19 dark and magical stories. Listeners will be cheering for all the wrong heroes as some of the most fearsome, devious, and brutal antagonists perform savage deeds towards wicked ends. And why not? These characters are the champions of their own stories - evil is a matter of perspective. Contributors also include Mark Adler, Bradley P. Beaulieu, E.V. Morrigan, Peter Orullian, Matthew Ward, Kaaron Warren, Deborah A. Wolf, and Janny Wurts.
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Evil is a Matter of Perspective
- By Melissa Hamilton on 08-24-19
By: Adrian Tchaikovsky, and others
What listeners say about Empire in Black and Gold
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- Timothy
- 03-26-21
first scifi spiders now this masterpiece
Well, I first discovered this author from Children of Time and thought to myself "well this is just because I am bored and I liked his writing, but it isn't really my thing"
This book is good enough to make you switch sides and like whatever gener this is (not 100% on that really). The world is rich, the characters are round and lifelike, and the story is compelling.
Stop reading this and aquire this book so that it gets popular enough for me to buy a t-shirt in reference to it.
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20 people found this helpful
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- Frank Vignocchi
- 04-07-21
Nice new world, odd pacing and distracting plot decisions
Not sure why he chose 17 years later for things to come to a head. It creates so many questions in my mind. Why not more scouting? Why didn’t he send an expedition, in a flyer with representatives from the councils? Why not maps of the expanding empire? If stenwald was recurring for his “team” how does he only have one class of students to choose from after 17 years!
There are also some very distraction scene/location changes that had me rewinding to check if I missed something.
Narrator did a great job.
I liked this “world”.
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- Kristy Espoito
- 06-25-21
So Good!
immediately pulled me in. interesting character's and world. Fantasy at its finest Also, possibly one of the best narrators I've ever listened to. Now on to Book 2.
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- Paul Hartleb
- 10-28-21
Refreshing and underrated epic fantasy. Excellent narration
I read and listen to tons of epic fantasy in the series is really underrated in the genre. It has A very unique World and ability system. This series can fill a variety of interests and keeps introducing new variables to keep you engaged.
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- J. Titus
- 12-30-22
Excellent story and reading.
This a great a gripping novel. More of a work of fantasy than Child of Time. Very much action non-stop.
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- Shawn Dream
- 06-09-21
solid approachable relateable
not fantastic, in that I recall no moments of shocking brilliance or insight... but 25 hours of good relatable human interest in immersive understandable fantasy with not a single one dimensional character in sight, and a fleet of related books means an author telling a tale that can take me on an epic journey like few others in the world.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dad
- 07-12-21
Incredible, must read
This was a great book. I loved getting into the universe and can't wait to continue it.
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- Russell T.
- 03-05-22
Great Story, lots of Characters
I couldn't put it down until I was through book 10. It is a strong start to a great series.
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- jim petrusky
- 10-31-23
Wondrous world building
This was a stunning entry into a world I can’t wait to explore, with characters I came to feel fiercely loyal about and a villain of sorts who has the potential to have an interesting arc. I came to this via Tchaikovsky’s sci-fi, delighted to find him just as adept at fantasy. The performance of the novel was amazing, each character voiced with insight and skill. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to listen to the next one!
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- Ben
- 01-29-24
I’ve never liked wasps
Loved this book, it was a bit slow going at first, but only for the first 1/4 or so, so hang in there. Seeing as this is a 10 book series, a lot of plot bricks needed to be laid, and Tchaikovsky did a good job of entertaining the reader while laying those bricks. The overall concept is also very unique, I love how Tchaikovsky incorporated his love of biology (especially entomology) into this series, as he does in most, if not all, of his books. At first, I found the concept to be somewhat bizarre, but Tchaikovsky parallels insect and human behavior so well that the connection becomes impossible to ignore.
Ben Allen is also a fantastic narrator! When I sampled the book I was worried that he might be a bit bland, but this is far from the case. His accents are fantastic and I think they fit each of the kindens perfectly
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