
In the Courts of the Crimson Kings
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

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $17.62
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Todd McLaren
-
By:
-
S. M. Stirling
About this listen
Venus is a primitive world. But on Mars, early hominids evolved civilization earlier than their earthly cousins, driven by the needs of a harsh world growing still harsher as the initial terraforming ran down. Without coal, oil, or uranium, their technology was forced onto different paths, and the genetic wizardry of the Crimson Dynasty united a world for more than 20,000 years.
Now, in a new stand-alone adventure set in this world's AD 2000, Jeremy Wainman is an archaeologist who has achieved a lifelong dream: to travel to Mars and explore the dead cities of the Deep Beyond, searching for the secrets of the Kings Beneath the Mountain and the fallen empire they ruled.
Teyud Zha-Zhalt is the Martian mercenary the Terrans hire as guide and captain of the landship Intrepid Traveller. A secret links her to the deadly intrigues of Dvor il-Adazar, the City That Is a Mountain, where the last aging descendant of the Tollamune Emperors clings to the remnants of his power...and secrets that may trace their origin to the enigmatic Ancients, the Lords of Creation who reshaped the Solar System in the time of the dinosaurs.
When these three meet, the foundations of reality will be shaken - from the lost city of Rema-Dza to the courts of the Crimson Kings.
©2008 S. M. Stirling (P)2008 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Conan: Blood of the Serpent
- The All-New Chronicles of the World's Greatest Barbarian Hero
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conan the Barbarian, the world’s most famous fantasy hero, returns in an all-new novel tied directly to the famous works by his legendary creator, Robert E. Howard. Set early in his life, Conan has left his northern homeland to cut a bloody swath across the legendary Hyborian Age. A mercenary, a soldier, a thief, and a pirate, he faces conquering armies, malicious sorcerers, and monstrous creatures—against which he wields only the sword held in his powerful grasp.
-
-
Conan is back, and more gritty and real than ever!
- By Luke Batchelor on 12-14-22
By: S. M. Stirling
-
Island in the Sea of Time
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 25 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During a perfect spring evening on Nantucket, a violent storm erupts and a dome of crawling, colored fire blankets the island. When the howling winds subside and the night skies clear, the stars appear to have shifted. The mainland has become a wilderness of unbroken forest, where tools of bronze and stone litter the beaches, and primitive natives scatter in terror.
-
-
Listen to this before "Dies the fire"
- By Kevin McLaughlin on 11-26-08
By: S. M. Stirling
-
Dies the Fire
- A Novel of the Change
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Havel was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane's engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And, as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident.
-
-
Misleading description....
- By David on 06-12-08
By: S. M. Stirling
-
The Peshawar Lancers
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the mid-1870s, a violent spray of comets hits Earth, decimating cities, erasing shorelines, and changing the world's climate forever. And just as Earth's temperature dropped, so was civilization frozen in time. Instead of advancing technologically, humanity had to piece itself back together.... In the 21st century, boats still run on steam, messages arrive by telegraph, and the British Empire, with its capital now in Delhi, controls much of the world.
-
-
Narration should be redone
- By Dawno on 08-29-18
By: S. M. Stirling
-
The Forge
- By: S. M. Stirling, David Drake
- Narrated by: Franklin Pierson
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a planet that was once part of a vast interstellar civilization, humans survive on the edge of barbarism amid the ruins of the once-great empire.
-
-
Well done performance of an old favorite
- By Josué del Norte on 09-04-19
By: S. M. Stirling, and others
-
Black Chamber
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1912, just months before the election, President Taft dies suddenly, and Teddy Roosevelt wastes no time in grabbing power as he wins another term as president. By force of will, he ushers the United States into a new, progressive era with the help of the Black Chamber, the mysterious spy organization watching his back.
-
-
a new old world
- By Sean Dustman on 07-17-18
By: S. M. Stirling
-
Conan: Blood of the Serpent
- The All-New Chronicles of the World's Greatest Barbarian Hero
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conan the Barbarian, the world’s most famous fantasy hero, returns in an all-new novel tied directly to the famous works by his legendary creator, Robert E. Howard. Set early in his life, Conan has left his northern homeland to cut a bloody swath across the legendary Hyborian Age. A mercenary, a soldier, a thief, and a pirate, he faces conquering armies, malicious sorcerers, and monstrous creatures—against which he wields only the sword held in his powerful grasp.
-
-
Conan is back, and more gritty and real than ever!
- By Luke Batchelor on 12-14-22
By: S. M. Stirling
-
Island in the Sea of Time
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 25 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During a perfect spring evening on Nantucket, a violent storm erupts and a dome of crawling, colored fire blankets the island. When the howling winds subside and the night skies clear, the stars appear to have shifted. The mainland has become a wilderness of unbroken forest, where tools of bronze and stone litter the beaches, and primitive natives scatter in terror.
-
-
Listen to this before "Dies the fire"
- By Kevin McLaughlin on 11-26-08
By: S. M. Stirling
-
Dies the Fire
- A Novel of the Change
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Havel was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane's engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And, as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident.
-
-
Misleading description....
- By David on 06-12-08
By: S. M. Stirling
-
The Peshawar Lancers
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the mid-1870s, a violent spray of comets hits Earth, decimating cities, erasing shorelines, and changing the world's climate forever. And just as Earth's temperature dropped, so was civilization frozen in time. Instead of advancing technologically, humanity had to piece itself back together.... In the 21st century, boats still run on steam, messages arrive by telegraph, and the British Empire, with its capital now in Delhi, controls much of the world.
-
-
Narration should be redone
- By Dawno on 08-29-18
By: S. M. Stirling
-
The Forge
- By: S. M. Stirling, David Drake
- Narrated by: Franklin Pierson
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a planet that was once part of a vast interstellar civilization, humans survive on the edge of barbarism amid the ruins of the once-great empire.
-
-
Well done performance of an old favorite
- By Josué del Norte on 09-04-19
By: S. M. Stirling, and others
-
Black Chamber
- By: S. M. Stirling
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1912, just months before the election, President Taft dies suddenly, and Teddy Roosevelt wastes no time in grabbing power as he wins another term as president. By force of will, he ushers the United States into a new, progressive era with the help of the Black Chamber, the mysterious spy organization watching his back.
-
-
a new old world
- By Sean Dustman on 07-17-18
By: S. M. Stirling
-
The Aeronaut's Windlass
- The Cinder Spires, Book 1
- By: Jim Butcher
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 21 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since time immemorial the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace. Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy's shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels.
-
-
A Brave New World
- By Don Gilbert on 10-02-15
By: Jim Butcher
-
1638: The Sovereign States
- Ring of Fire
- By: Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, Paula Goodlett
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United Sovereign States of Russia struggles to set in place the traditions and legal precedents that will let it turn into a constitutional monarchy with freedom and opportunity for all its citizens. At the same time, they’re trying to balance the power of the states and the federal government.
-
-
Tying ALL the USSR and Holmes stories together
- By Rigger76 on 05-08-24
By: Eric Flint, and others
-
Monster Hunter International
- By: Larry Correia
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 24 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a 14th story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit.
-
-
Suprizingly entertaining
- By Konstantin on 02-17-12
By: Larry Correia
-
Planetside
- By: Michael Mammay
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
War heroes aren't usually called out of semi-retirement and sent to the far reaches of the galaxy for a routine investigation. So when Colonel Carl Butler answers the call from an old and powerful friend, he knows it's something big - and he's not being told the whole story. A high councilor's son has gone MIA out of Cappa Base, the space station orbiting a battle-ravaged planet. The young lieutenant had been wounded and evacuated - but there's no record of him having ever arrived at hospital command.
-
-
Refreshing Sci-Fi
- By Chris Duemig on 08-01-18
By: Michael Mammay
-
Pacific Vortex!
- By: Clive Cussler
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fully armed and with all hands onboard, the nuclear submarine Starbuck sailed into the calm Pacific Ocean for sea trials - and vanished. No wreckage, no signals, no survivors: nothing...until ace maritime troubleshooter Dirk Pitt finds a single chilling clue in the shark-torn surf off Hawaii - the log of the Starbuck. 'Do not search for us, it can only end in vain....' A crazed journal of madness and death is all that remains.
-
-
It was good and awful at the same time.
- By SK on 10-26-23
By: Clive Cussler
-
Forging Hephaestus
- Villains' Code Series, Book 1
- By: Drew Hayes
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 26 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gifted with meta-human powers, Tori Rivas kept away from the limelight, preferring to work as a thief in the shadows. But when she's captured trying to rob a vault that belongs to a secret guild of villains, she's offered a hard choice: prove she has what it takes to join them or be eliminated. Apprenticed to one of the world's most powerful (and supposedly dead) villains, she is thrust into a strange world where the lines that divide superheroes and criminals are more complex than they seem.
-
-
A Nice Surprise with some Really Fun Characters
- By Small Mountain on 09-29-17
By: Drew Hayes
-
Alice Isn't Dead
- A Novel
- By: Joseph Fink
- Narrated by: Jasika Nicole
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keisha Lewis lived a quiet life with her wife, Alice, until the day Alice disappeared. After months of searching, presuming she was dead, Keisha held a funeral, mourned, and gradually tried to get on with her life. But that was before Keisha started to see her wife, again and again, in the background of news reports from all over America. Alice isn't dead, and she is showing up at every major tragedy and accident in the country. Following a line of clues, Keisha takes a job as a long-haul truck driver and begins searching for Alice.
-
-
Great story, but conditionally recommended.
- By Hayley Lambert on 11-02-18
By: Joseph Fink
-
Worldwar: In the Balance
- By: Harry Turtledove
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 26 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
War seethed across the planet. Machines soared through the air, churned through the seas, crawled across the surface, pushing ever forward, carrying death. Earth was engaged in titanic struggle. Germany, Russia, France, China, Japan: the maps were changing day by day. The hostilities spread in ever-widening ripples of destruction: Britain, Italy, Africa...the fate of the world hung in the balance. Then the real enemy came.
-
-
Awesome
- By W on 03-29-10
By: Harry Turtledove
-
1632
- Ring of Fire, Book 1
- By: Eric Flint
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Eric Flint has received glowing critical praise for his Ring of Fire alternate history series. In this first installment, a West Virginia town is transported from the year 2000 to 1631 Germany at the height of the Thirty Years’ War. Thrust into conflict, the town residents must also contend with moral issues such as who should be considered a citizen.
-
-
NOT ALL THAT BAD
- By Randall on 11-26-18
By: Eric Flint
-
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- By: George R. R. Martin
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits. Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet.
-
-
What separates Lloyd from Dotrice
- By Pusang Tulog on 10-14-15
-
The Draco Tavern
- By: Larry Niven
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a tremendous spacecraft takes orbit around Earth's moon and begins sending smaller landers down toward the North Pole, the newly arrived visitors quickly set up a permanent spaceport in Siberia. Their presence attracts many, including Rick Schumann, who establishes a tavern catering to all the various species of visiting aliens, a place he calls the Draco Tavern. From the mind of best-selling author Larry Niven come 27 tales and vignettes from this interstellar gathering place.
-
-
A Great Listen
- By D. Arkless on 04-07-07
By: Larry Niven
-
West of Eden
- By: Harry Harrison
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixty-five million years ago, a disastrous cataclysm eliminated three quarters of all life on Earth. Overnight, the age of dinosaurs ended. The age of mammals had begun. But what if history had happened differently? What if the reptiles had survived to evolve into intelligent life? In West of Eden, best-selling author Harry Harrison has created a rich, dramatic saga of a world where the descendants of the dinosaurs struggled with a clan of humans in a battle for survival.
-
-
Narration is flat and monotonous.
- By Sande on 06-28-17
By: Harry Harrison
Critic reviews
I love this novel
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great book ends suddenly
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great homage
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
While the theme of the series (research into the Lords of Creation) was carried over from the first book, there was also an emphasis on the Marian political system and the "Game of Thrones" intrigues.
A prior review mentioned that they found the narration irritating. I personally did not have any problem with the narrators voice, or the characterizations. I had little difficulty telling which character said which line.
Martian political thriller
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you thought Venus was weird...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of my favorites
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is better than the first book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Story Without an End
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Comic book time
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.