
The Element of Fire
Ile-Rien Series, Book 1
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 $18.91
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Derek Perkins
-
By:
-
Martha Wells
About this listen
The kingdom of Ile-Rien lies in peril, menaced by sorcerous threats and devious court intrigues. As the weak King Roland, flattered and misled by treacherous companions, rules the country, only his ruthless mother, the Dowager Queen Ravenna, guards the safety of the realm. But now rumors arise that Urbain Grandier, the dark master of scientific sorcery, has arrived to plot against the throne. And Kade, bastard sister of King Roland, appears unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade's true desires are cloaked in mystery. Is she in league with the wizard Grandier, or is she laying claim to the throne? It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen's Guard and Ravenna's former lover, to sort out who is friend and who is foe in a deadly game to keep the Dowager Queen and the kingdom she loves from harm. But is one man's steel enough to counter all the magic of fayre?
©1993 Martha Wells (P)2013 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Cloud Roads
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
-
-
Very original but flawed
- By David on 06-22-13
By: Martha Wells
-
City of Bones
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working on the edge of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors and to support Sagai's family. When Khat is hired to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, they are both reluctant to become involved. But the request comes from the Warders, powerful mages who serve Charisat's Elector.
-
-
Enjoyable story
- By Diana on 09-23-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Between Worlds
- The Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories "The Potter's Daughter" (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), "Holy Places", "Rites of Passage", "Houses of the Dead", "Reflections" (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as "Night at the Opera" (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).
-
-
As always, Martha Wells rocks!
- By Mark Hancock on 03-08-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Emilie and the Hollow World
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure. Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.
-
-
Ugh
- By Shelly Frey on 01-31-25
By: Martha Wells
-
Wheel of the Infinite
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every year in the great Temple City of Duvalpore, the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the sacred rite takes on added significance. For it is then that the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. Should the holy image be marred, the world will suffer a similar injury. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel.
-
-
Great Story, Not Keen on Narrator
- By Sires on 01-22-14
By: Martha Wells
-
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 Cloud Roads
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
-
-
Very original but flawed
- By David on 06-22-13
By: Martha Wells
-
City of Bones
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working on the edge of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors and to support Sagai's family. When Khat is hired to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, they are both reluctant to become involved. But the request comes from the Warders, powerful mages who serve Charisat's Elector.
-
-
Enjoyable story
- By Diana on 09-23-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Between Worlds
- The Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories "The Potter's Daughter" (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), "Holy Places", "Rites of Passage", "Houses of the Dead", "Reflections" (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as "Night at the Opera" (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).
-
-
As always, Martha Wells rocks!
- By Mark Hancock on 03-08-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Emilie and the Hollow World
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure. Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.
-
-
Ugh
- By Shelly Frey on 01-31-25
By: Martha Wells
-
Wheel of the Infinite
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every year in the great Temple City of Duvalpore, the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the sacred rite takes on added significance. For it is then that the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. Should the holy image be marred, the world will suffer a similar injury. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel.
-
-
Great Story, Not Keen on Narrator
- By Sires on 01-22-14
By: Martha Wells
-
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 Fragile Threads of Power
- By: V. E. Schwab
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Michael Kramer
- Length: 21 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.
-
-
Best in the series!
- By Pat on 10-09-23
By: V. E. Schwab
-
Translation State
- By: Ann Leckie
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Enae's grandmaman passes away, Enae inherits something unexpected: a diplomatic assignment to track down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. No one actually expects Enae to succeed; it's an empty assignment meant to keep hir occupied. But Enae has never had a true purpose—no one ever expected hir to do more than care for grandmaman—so sie is determined to accomplish this task to the best of her ability.
-
-
Single themed and not on par with the series
- By Andrew Pollack on 07-01-23
By: Ann Leckie
-
The Crystal Cave
- The Arthurian Saga, Book 1
- By: Mary Stewart
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myrdden Emrys - or as he would later be known, Merlin - leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon, and the conception of Arthur, king for once and always.
-
-
Fantasy as literature.
- By bluestatereader on 01-25-17
By: Mary Stewart
-
The First Blade of Ostia
- A Society of the Sword Prequel
- By: Duncan M. Hamilton
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bryn’s earliest memory is of watching duels in the arena. His earliest dream is of taking his place there. Amero dal Moreno has no dreams. His life has been about fulfilling the expectations of others. In search of a path of his own, the dreams of others are too tempting to resist. After years of sacrifice and hard work, Bryn Pendollo is finally a professional duellist. Becoming the First Blade of Ostia no longer seems the childish fantasy it once did. To find the man standing in his way is also his best friend will test him in ways he would never have believed.
-
-
Loved it
- By Andrew Stone on 10-24-19
-
The Final Empire
- Mistborn Book 1
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 24 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison.
-
-
Prepare for sleepless nights
- By tercia on 10-21-18
-
Gideon the Ninth
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap out of the audio, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse.
-
-
Fun. Not art, very gory, but 100% fun.
- By Sarah K. on 10-27-19
By: Tamsyn Muir
-
The Fifth Season
- The Broken Earth, Book 1
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the way the world ends...for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the Earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
-
-
The Nay-Sayers are Wrong.
- By Steve Groves on 02-10-20
By: N. K. Jemisin
-
Sufficiently Advanced Magic
- Arcane Ascension, Book 1
- By: Andrew Rowe
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
-
-
Very good book
- By Jason N. on 07-20-17
By: Andrew Rowe
-
The Shadow of What Was Lost
- Licanius, Book 1
- By: James Islington
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 25 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs, once thought of almost as gods, were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets.
-
-
Atrocious. Almost abusive.
- By Captain Spanky Of Nazareth on 06-10-20
By: James Islington
-
Rosemary and Rue
- An October Daye Novel, Book 1
- By: Seanan McGuire
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world of Faerie never disappeared: it merely went into hiding, continuing to exist parallel to our own. Secrecy is the key to Faerie’s survival—but no secret can be kept forever, and when the fae and mortal worlds collide, changelings are born. Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, these second-class children of Faerie spend their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations.
-
-
Missed Matched Pair
- By G Reinhardt on 11-26-11
By: Seanan McGuire
-
City of Last Chances
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse. What will be the spark that lights the conflagration? Despite the city's refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood–that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores.
-
-
Occupied Paris during WW2 In Fantasy World?
- By caleb on 06-19-23
-
The Spare Man
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tesla Crane, one of the richest women in the world, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between Earth and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and her husband is named as the prime suspect. To save him from the frame-up, Tesla will risk exposure and face demons from her past. Even though doing so might make her the next victim.
-
-
Classic mystery, forward worldbuilding
- By Deana on 10-16-22
Critic reviews
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Wizard Hunters
- Fall of Ile-Rien, Book 1
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Talmadge Ragan
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ile-Rien is in peril. A mysterious army known only as the Gardier has surrounded the country, attacking in ominous black airships. Hope is not lost though, for a magical sphere created by Ile-Rien's greatest sorcerer may hold the key to defeating the faceless enemy. But the sphere is unpredictable and has already claimed several lives. When a magical spell goes disastrously awry, young Tremaine Valiarde and a brave band are transported to another world-a world of rough magics, evil mages, honorable warriors, and a secret Gardier base.
-
-
skip the listen, read the book
- By Cascadian on 11-08-13
By: Martha Wells
-
City of Bones
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working on the edge of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors and to support Sagai's family. When Khat is hired to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, they are both reluctant to become involved. But the request comes from the Warders, powerful mages who serve Charisat's Elector.
-
-
Enjoyable story
- By Diana on 09-23-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Emilie and the Hollow World
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure. Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.
-
-
Ugh
- By Shelly Frey on 01-31-25
By: Martha Wells
-
Wheel of the Infinite
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every year in the great Temple City of Duvalpore, the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the sacred rite takes on added significance. For it is then that the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. Should the holy image be marred, the world will suffer a similar injury. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel.
-
-
Great Story, Not Keen on Narrator
- By Sires on 01-22-14
By: Martha Wells
-
The Cloud Roads
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
-
-
Very original but flawed
- By David on 06-22-13
By: Martha Wells
-
Between Worlds
- The Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories "The Potter's Daughter" (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), "Holy Places", "Rites of Passage", "Houses of the Dead", "Reflections" (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as "Night at the Opera" (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).
-
-
As always, Martha Wells rocks!
- By Mark Hancock on 03-08-21
By: Martha Wells
-
The Wizard Hunters
- Fall of Ile-Rien, Book 1
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Talmadge Ragan
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ile-Rien is in peril. A mysterious army known only as the Gardier has surrounded the country, attacking in ominous black airships. Hope is not lost though, for a magical sphere created by Ile-Rien's greatest sorcerer may hold the key to defeating the faceless enemy. But the sphere is unpredictable and has already claimed several lives. When a magical spell goes disastrously awry, young Tremaine Valiarde and a brave band are transported to another world-a world of rough magics, evil mages, honorable warriors, and a secret Gardier base.
-
-
skip the listen, read the book
- By Cascadian on 11-08-13
By: Martha Wells
-
City of Bones
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working on the edge of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors and to support Sagai's family. When Khat is hired to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, they are both reluctant to become involved. But the request comes from the Warders, powerful mages who serve Charisat's Elector.
-
-
Enjoyable story
- By Diana on 09-23-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Emilie and the Hollow World
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure. Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.
-
-
Ugh
- By Shelly Frey on 01-31-25
By: Martha Wells
-
Wheel of the Infinite
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every year in the great Temple City of Duvalpore, the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the sacred rite takes on added significance. For it is then that the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. Should the holy image be marred, the world will suffer a similar injury. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel.
-
-
Great Story, Not Keen on Narrator
- By Sires on 01-22-14
By: Martha Wells
-
The Cloud Roads
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.
-
-
Very original but flawed
- By David on 06-22-13
By: Martha Wells
-
Between Worlds
- The Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories "The Potter's Daughter" (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), "Holy Places", "Rites of Passage", "Houses of the Dead", "Reflections" (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as "Night at the Opera" (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).
-
-
As always, Martha Wells rocks!
- By Mark Hancock on 03-08-21
By: Martha Wells
-
Witch King
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Eric Mok
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well. But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence? Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
-
-
I gave up
- By Mara P on 06-26-23
By: Martha Wells
-
All Systems Red (Dramatized Adaptation)
- The Murderbot Diaries, Book 1
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Alejandro Ruiz, Bradley Foster Smith, Holly Adams, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.”
-
-
Narrators are the opposite of what we want
- By Badger Badger on 09-12-23
By: Martha Wells
-
Razor's Edge
- Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion, Book 1
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Times are desperate for the Rebel Alliance. Harassment by the Empire and a shortage of vital supplies are hindering completion of a new secret base on the ice planet Hoth. So when Mid Rim merchants offer much-needed materials for sale, Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo lead an Alliance delegation to negotiate a deal. But when treachery forces the rebel ship to flee into territory controlled by pirates, Leia makes a shocking discovery: The fierce marauders come from Leia's homeworld of Alderaan, recently destroyed by the Death Star.
-
-
Not the typical Star Wars Book
- By Mara on 11-06-13
By: Martha Wells
-
Queen Demon
- The Rising World, Book 2
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Eric Mok
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dahin believes he has clues to the location of the Hierarchs' Well, and the Witch King Kai, along with his companions Ziede and Tahren, knowing there's something he isn't telling them, travel with him to the rebuilt university of Ancartre, which may be dangerously close to finding the Well itself.
By: Martha Wells
-
An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors
- The Risen Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: Curtis Craddock
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 18 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born with a deformed hand and an utter lack of the family's blood magic, Isabelle is despised by her cruel father. She is happy to be neglected so she can secretly pursue her illicit passion for math and science. Then, a surprising offer of an arranged royal marriage blows her life wide open and launches her and Jeane-Claude on an adventure that will take them from the Isle des Zephyrs in l'Empire Céleste to the very different Kingdom of Aragoth, where magic deals not with blood but with mirrors.
-
-
Can't recommend it enough!
- By A Miller on 06-26-18
By: Curtis Craddock
-
The Expert System's Brother
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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?
-
-
Unexpected brevity, told with gravitas
- By Ian on 08-02-19
-
The Post-Human Omnibus
- Books 1-4
- By: David Simpson
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 24 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before he was Oldtimer, he was Craig Emilson, a young doctor,sucked into military service at the outbreak of World War III. Enlisting to become a Special Forces suborbital paratrooper, Craig is selected to take part in the most important mission in American military history, a sortie into enemy territory to eliminate the world's first strong artificial intelligence.
-
-
Man, I really wanted to like this book
- By Consumer on 04-29-15
By: David Simpson
-
Knighthood
- Atlantis Rising Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Evan Currie
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world fell, the invaders won, and demons now ruled what had once been man's domain. The great works of a once powerful civilization lie in ruins, its people having forgotten the wonders of their forefathers as they now live in the yoke. Not everyone is willing to go quietly into the endless night, however. Human pests still infest occasional parts of the conquered world. In one nearly uninhabitable part of that world, a very young such pest has come of age and, without understanding what it means, she walks in the shadow of destiny.
-
-
bad bad bad
- By Mr.Snuffy on 04-20-22
By: Evan Currie
-
Space Junk
- A Military Sci-Fi Series (Waymaker Wars, Book 1)
- By: Rachel Aukes
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Jack Hale and his crew of ragtag scavengers live by a code. They do the job, get paid, and keep their heads down. Salvaging a distant section of the asteroid belt seemed like the perfect job. But when he and his crew stumble across a mining camp filled with dead bodies, their plans for a quick payday quickly go out the airlock. Especially when they find a scared little girl who knows the truth about the massacre.
-
-
Boyo, this is good!
- By Lonnie-The GreatNorthernTroll-Moore on 05-05-22
By: Rachel Aukes
-
Spindle's End
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy, Pernicia, on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep - a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her....
-
-
New title: Detailed lies.
- By Katie-Rose on 03-11-21
By: Robin McKinley
-
Redemption's Blade
- After the War, Book 1
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years ago, the renegade demigod known as the Kinslayer returned. His armies of monsters issued from the pits of the earth, spearheaded by his brutal Yorughan soldiers. Thrones toppled and cities fell as he drove all before him. And then he died. A handful of lucky heroes and some traitors amongst his own, and the great Kinslayer was no more. Celestaine was one such hero and now she has tasked herself to correct the worst excesses of the Kinslayer and bring light back to her torn-up world. With two Yorughan companions she faces fanatics, war criminals, and the monsters and minions the Kinslayer left behind....
-
-
The story of what happens after the epilogue.
- By Matthew on 08-20-18
-
Finna
- Finna, Book 1
- By: Nino Cipri
- Narrated by: Amanda Dolan
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an elderly customer at a Swedish big box furniture store - but not that one - slips through a portal to another dimension, it's up to two minimum-wage employees to track her across the multiverse and protect their company's bottom line. Multi-dimensional swashbuckling would be hard enough, but those two unfortunate souls broke up a week ago. To find the missing granny, Ava and Jules will brave carnivorous furniture, swarms of identical furniture spokespeople, and the deep resentment simmering between them.
-
-
A very happy trans nerd🤓
- By Anonymous User on 10-22-21
By: Nino Cipri
Loved it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Pacing struggles but very fun
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great storytelling
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the ending was a bit of a letdown but the ride was worth it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narration is excellent (though not perfect). Derek Perkins’ voice is lovely and a pleasure to listen to, as is the voices he gives to many of the characters.
Very entertaining
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
However, the weak king is a secondary character. I didn't get into the main characters. I wish Wells would devote a greater percentage of the text to characterization and relationship development. She is strong on plot and action -- which is important -- but I need to care about the characters, and that means I need to know them, individually and as a team.
So, after half a dozen false starts, I finally got into the characters just enough to stay the course. This is primarily a kingdom based fantasy, with a romantic relationship on the side. I didn't get deeply drawn into the story of Kade and Thomas, because his past affair with Queen Ravenna overshadowed it.
The fantastical elements include shape shifting, wizards, wards, dark fey from the Unseelie Court, light fey from the Seelie Court (Tatiana and Oberon).
Lots of unnatural disgusting creatures. Lots of bloody battles. Treason, court intrigues, and various betrayals. A few kisses. Cool scenes of the castle, home of the Queen of Darkness and Air (aka Kade).
I liked this book, but not as much as her award-winning The Death of the Necromancer.
Action packed, but lacking something
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
MUST LISTEN
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well realized fantasy world
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Derek Perkins is a superb narrator and good fit for this book. He has a cultured English accent with a warm, nicely modulated voice and he does good character voices - especially for the Fae. This is a male narrator who doesn't make the women characters sound wimpy or goofy.
I will definitely be listening to more from Martha Wells.
A Different Take on High Fantasy
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Highly Recomended
A long time coming to audio.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.