The Book of Koli Audiobook By M. R. Carey cover art

The Book of Koli

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The Book of Koli

By: M. R. Carey
Narrated by: Theo Solomon
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About this listen

"A captivating start to what promises to be an epic post-apocalyptic fable" (Kirkus), The Book of Koli is the unforgettable story of a young boy struggling to find his place in a world where nature itself has turned against humanity.

Everything that lives hates us....

Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable landscape. A place where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.

Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He believes the first rule of survival is that you don't venture too far beyond the walls.

He's wrong.

For more from M. R. Carey, check out:

  • The Girl with All the Gifts
  • Fellside
  • The Boy on the Bridge
  • Someone like Me

By the same author, writing as Mike Carey:

  • The Devil You Know
  • Vicious Circle
  • Dead Men's Boots
  • Thicker Than Water
  • The Naming of the Beasts
©2020 M. R. Carey (P)2020 Hachette Audio
Adventure Dystopian Fiction Literary Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Scary
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Critic reviews

"A thought-provoking and deeply engaging story...profoundly and doggedly humane." (C. A. Fletcher on The Book of Koli)

"[A] beautiful book. Gripping, engaging, and absolutely worth the time it takes to burrow yourself into its reality. I can't recommend it highly enough." (Seanan McGuire on The Book of Koli)

"The cadence and pacing of [Koli's] voice adds a depth and richness to the strange and malevolent world." (Booklist on The Book of Koli)

Featured Article: Listen Like the World Is Ending with These Apocalyptic Audiobooks


Apocalyptic audiobooks all have one big thing in common: each is set in a world that is ending or just on the brink of collapse. Outside of that, apocalyptic and postapocalyptic stories take on all sorts of topics, twisting and turning into so many different genres and directions. Whether you love sci-fi adventures or prefer character-driven stories that reflect on real-world issues, this collection of listens has something for everyone.

What listeners say about The Book of Koli

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Pheonomenal characters

I usually don't like to have to read or listen to three books to get the while story. And post apocalyptic themes would not ordinarily appeal to me.

But I listened to all three of the books in the Koli series and I wish there were more. This is among the best books I have read or listened to in a long time.

I loved the characters, especially Koli, but actually all of them. I cared about them. Great character development! Even the characters who did bad things were not one dimensional, but complex and interesting.

The world that the author created, a diminished world after the world destroyed itself in war and ecological degradation was believable and fascinating. The natural world turned hostile to humankind after humankind had been so destructive to it.

And the author's description of how precious the last remaining technology would be in a devastated world was amazing. This was the best description of what can happen when AI becomes self aware.

If the author ever writes a prequel or sequel, I will listen to it.

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voice acting

voice acting for the Japanese AI, named Mono no aware, could be considered offensive. whether you think so or not, it's extremely irritating to listen to a grown man do a schoolyard imitation of a generic Asian girl accent. it just sounds stupid and obnoxious and begs the question, did anybody stop for one second and think maybe we don't need to do this to tell the story? Even if they didn't think it was racist someone should have thought this sounds irritating to the ear for the length of an audiobook.

also author uses tech terms in a way that shows they didn't bother taking two minutes to look up what they mean.

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Solid start but pace a bit slow

Very clever writing just a tad dragging as the story is formed. I liked but didn't love due to pace.

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No Zombies

While I absolutely loved The Girl With All the Gifts, I was just a little reluctant to read another post apocalyptic book by M.R. Carey because I'm just not that into zombies. Thankfully, this book has zero zombies and was completely plausible. Koli lives in a world far into our future. A world where technology is a mysterious thing of the past, and those who are able to unlock the secrets of any technological device have the power in a sort of hierarchy.

I don't want to give away any part of this book because the journey you will find yourself on with Koli needs to unfold naturally. I myself found it hard to put this one down. It is a thought provoking, exciting, quite imaginative look at what our future may possibly hold. Thankfully, this is only book 1 of a trilogy, and I will anxiously await what is next in store for Koli as he continues on his journey. I highly recommend this book and I will likely listen to it a few times more while I await the release of The Trials of Koli.

Narration by Theo Solomon was absolutely perfect for Koli. Some of the reviews of the written version of this book were highly critical of Carey's style of writing. I think those reviewers would have enjoyed the audio version better. I looked at the written version and loved it just as much as the audio version. It's just a very outstanding book in my very humble opinion.

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Great start to a series

I loved this book, but only get it if you want to start a series, because this book is barely self-contained. I’ll typically wait until the series before starting it. I don’t like stores to drag out for years, but not everyone is the same.

The story was good, but the writing and language was the real draw for me.

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I've been waiting for a read like this

This was completely engaging The characters are fascinating and real. The plot is exciting.

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So very good

I love this author. The narrator was new but superb. Cannot WAIT for the next one!

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Something Different

The language of this book caught me off guard at first but is very clever. It is part of the ambiance that pulls you into this world. The voice actor did an incredible job. The characters are very likeable and realistic. The main character breaks with tradition in many unexpected ways. He isn't very ambitious or smart but it works well. I really enjoyed this story and am currently reading the second. I recommend this.

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Excellent story

The characters get better, the story gets better as it goes along and while I didn’t start off as thrilled about the read when I started by the end of the book I was totally engrossed and looking forward to the next chapter of Koli’s life.

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Best Book I've Read In A While

I never expected to enjoy this book so much. I think it was far better than The Girl With All The Gifts.

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