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The City We Became
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
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The World We Make
- A Novel
- Written by: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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All is not well in the city that never sleeps. Even though the avatars of New York City have temporarily managed to stop the Woman in White from invading—and destroying the entire universe in the process—the mysterious capital "E" Enemy has more subtle powers at her disposal. A new candidate for mayor wielding the populist rhetoric of gentrification, xenophobia, and "law and order" may have what it takes to change the very nature of New York itself and take it down from the inside.
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Robin Miles is Amazing
- By Nicole on 2023-01-23
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The Book of Koli
- Written by: M. R. Carey
- Narrated by: Theo Solomon
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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.mKoli 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.
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Great story and Narrating
- By oolybooly on 2022-08-31
Written by: M. R. Carey
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The Fall of Koli
- Written by: M. R. Carey
- Narrated by: Theo Solomon, Saffron Coomber, Hanako Footman
- Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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What will the future hold for those who are left? Koli has come a long way since being exiled from his small village of Mythen Rood. In his search for the fabled tech of the Old Times, he knew he'd be battling shunned men, strange beasts and trees that move as fast as whips. But he has already encountered so much more than he bargained for. Now that Koli and his companions have found the source of the signal they've been following - the mysterious "Sword of Albion" - there is hope that their perilous journey will finally be worth something.
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An epic journey
- By Joanna Bowen on 2022-10-18
Written by: M. R. Carey
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Hellboy: The Bones of Giants
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On the frozen shores of Sweden, a freak lightning storm reveals the skeleton of a giant man, his bony fist gripped tight to the shaft of an ancient iron hammer. It's not every day that the remains of a Norse god and his war hammer appear on a beach, and the occult detective called Hellboy knows that whatever is coming next won't be pleasant.
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A Must For Hellboy Fans
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Written by: Christopher Golden
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Hellboy: The Lost Army
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In 525 BC, the Persian king Cambyses sent 50,000 soldiers across the conquered Egyptian desert to take an oasis city not far from where the Libyan border stands today. According to Greek history, a hurricane-force sandstorm struck near the end of their 600-mile trek. The army - all 50,000 men - vanished without a single trace. Fast forward to 1986. A British archaeological team, sent to the edge of the Great Sand Sea to exhume evidence of the incident, has also gone missing.
Written by: Christopher Golden
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The Broken Kingdoms
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In this stunning sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, one blind woman will challenge the will of the gods and change the fate of the world. In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it....
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Narrator Criticism
- By Patricia Rose on 2023-01-26
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The World We Make
- A Novel
- Written by: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All is not well in the city that never sleeps. Even though the avatars of New York City have temporarily managed to stop the Woman in White from invading—and destroying the entire universe in the process—the mysterious capital "E" Enemy has more subtle powers at her disposal. A new candidate for mayor wielding the populist rhetoric of gentrification, xenophobia, and "law and order" may have what it takes to change the very nature of New York itself and take it down from the inside.
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Robin Miles is Amazing
- By Nicole on 2023-01-23
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The Book of Koli
- Written by: M. R. Carey
- Narrated by: Theo Solomon
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.mKoli 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.
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Great story and Narrating
- By oolybooly on 2022-08-31
Written by: M. R. Carey
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The Fall of Koli
- Written by: M. R. Carey
- Narrated by: Theo Solomon, Saffron Coomber, Hanako Footman
- Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
What will the future hold for those who are left? Koli has come a long way since being exiled from his small village of Mythen Rood. In his search for the fabled tech of the Old Times, he knew he'd be battling shunned men, strange beasts and trees that move as fast as whips. But he has already encountered so much more than he bargained for. Now that Koli and his companions have found the source of the signal they've been following - the mysterious "Sword of Albion" - there is hope that their perilous journey will finally be worth something.
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An epic journey
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Hellboy: The Bones of Giants
- Written by: Christopher Golden
- Narrated by: Wayne Mitchell
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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On the frozen shores of Sweden, a freak lightning storm reveals the skeleton of a giant man, his bony fist gripped tight to the shaft of an ancient iron hammer. It's not every day that the remains of a Norse god and his war hammer appear on a beach, and the occult detective called Hellboy knows that whatever is coming next won't be pleasant.
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A Must For Hellboy Fans
- By JBVC on 2022-10-27
Written by: Christopher Golden
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Hellboy: The Lost Army
- Written by: Christopher Golden
- Narrated by: Wayne Mitchell
- Length: 7 hrs
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Overall
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In 525 BC, the Persian king Cambyses sent 50,000 soldiers across the conquered Egyptian desert to take an oasis city not far from where the Libyan border stands today. According to Greek history, a hurricane-force sandstorm struck near the end of their 600-mile trek. The army - all 50,000 men - vanished without a single trace. Fast forward to 1986. A British archaeological team, sent to the edge of the Great Sand Sea to exhume evidence of the incident, has also gone missing.
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The Broken Kingdoms
- Written by: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Casaundra Freeman
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
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In this stunning sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, one blind woman will challenge the will of the gods and change the fate of the world. In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it....
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Narrator Criticism
- By Patricia Rose on 2023-01-26
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
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- Narrated by: Casaundra Freeman
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
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Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian North. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.
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not as good as other Jemisin books
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-04-17
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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Hellboy: Oddest Jobs
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- Narrated by: Seth Podowitz
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Longtime contributor to the Hellboy mythos Christopher Golden brings together a crew of luminaries including Joe R. Lansdale and China Miéville, cross-genre sensation Barbara Hambly, celebrated mystery writer Ken Bruen, best-selling science-fiction and fantasy novelist Tad Williams, and a bevy of other skilled storytellers eager to spin a tale or two about the world's greatest paranormal detective. Some of the biggest names in horror, mystery, and fantasy come together to pay homage to Mike Mignola's Hellboy!
Written by: Author Various
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The Shadowed Sun
- Dreamblood, Book 2
- Written by: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Gujaareh, the city of dreams, suffers under the imperial rule of the Kisuati Protectorate. A city where the only law was peace now knows violence and oppression. And nightmares. A mysterious and deadly plague haunts the citizens of Gujaareh, dooming the infected to die screaming in their sleep. Trapped between dark dreams and cruel overlords, the people yearn to rise up - but Gujaareh has known peace for too long. Someone must show them the way. Hope lies with two outcasts.
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world builder extraordinaire
- By Brenda on 2019-08-17
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The Priory of the Orange Tree
- Written by: Samantha Shannon
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The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction - but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
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Underwhelming
- By Trillium25 on 2019-04-07
Written by: Samantha Shannon
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The Kingdom of Gods
- Written by: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Casaundra Freeman
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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For 2,000 years, the Arameri family has ruled the world by enslaving the very gods that created mortalkind. Now, the gods are free, and the Arameri's ruthless grip is slipping. Yet they are all that stands between peace and world-spanning, unending war. Shahar, last scion of the family, must choose her loyalties. She yearns to trust Sieh, the godling she loves. Yet her duty as Arameri heir is to uphold the family's interests, even if that means using and destroying everyone she cares for.
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The Obelisk Gate
- The Broken Earth, Book 2
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- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
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This is the way the world ends, for the last time. The season of endings grows darker, as civilization fades into the long cold night. Essun - once Damaya, once Syenite, now avenger - has found shelter, but not her daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request. But if Essun does what he asks, it would seal the fate of the Stillness forever. Far away, her daughter Nassun is growing in power - and her choices will break the world.
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Exceptional Storytelling and Narration
- By sean on 2019-12-11
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
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The Bone Shard Daughter
- Written by: Andrea Stewart
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, Feodor Chin, Emily Woo Zeller
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The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands. Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.
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Can't Wait for the Sequel!
- By Jamie @ Books and Ladders on 2022-10-21
Written by: Andrea Stewart
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The Jasmine Throne
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Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin. The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household, biting her tongue and cleaning Malini’s chambers.
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was NOT disappointed
- By Erica Marx on 2021-07-29
Written by: Tasha Suri
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For the Wolf
- Written by: Hannah Whitten
- Narrated by: Inés del Castillo
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose - to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again. But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood - and her world - whole.
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Was engaging enough.
- By Hugo the Bat Boy on 2023-01-03
Written by: Hannah Whitten
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Fantastic Four: What Lies Between
- Written by: Peter David, Marvel
- Narrated by: Natalie Duke
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Reed Richards is brought in on a consult to oversee a privately funded dimension-spanning device...a device that will give wealthy patrons the opportunity to experience interdimensional travel. Never mind that the consortium wants to launch a sweeping endeavor that would be branded as Fantastic Forays, with the world's greatest superhero team receiving a cut of the profits; their brilliant lead scientist, Rachel Hunt, has now discovered a way to safely traverse interspace - the main conduits situated between dimensions - that allows one access to a multitude of realities.
Written by: Peter David, and others
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The Bone Ships
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Two nations at war. One prize beyond compare. For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted. Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favor. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war.
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A brilliant sea story!
- By Christian G. Cameron on 2022-07-16
Written by: RJ Barker
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The Killing Moon
- Dreamblood, Book 1
- Written by: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe . . . and kill those judged corrupt. But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows.
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Innovative & addictive
- By Brenda on 2019-08-12
Written by: N. K. Jemisin
Publisher's Summary
Three-time Hugo Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author N.K. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, a "glorious" story of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City.
In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power.
In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her.
In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.
And they're not the only ones.
Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She's got six.
For more from N. K. Jemisin, check out:
The Inheritance Trilogy
- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
- The Broken Kingdoms
- The Kingdom of God
- The Inheritance Trilogy (omnibus edition)
"Shades in Shadow: An Inheritance Triptych" (e-only short fiction)
The Awakened Kingdom (e-only novella)
Dreamblood Duology
- The Killing Moon
- The Shadowed Sun
- The Dreamblood Duology (omnibus)
The Broken Earth
The Fifth Season
The Obelisk Gate
The Stone Sky
How Long 'til Black Future Month? (short story collection)
"A glorious fantasy." (Neil Gaiman)
What the critics say
"A love/hate song to and rallying cry for the author's home of New York... Fierce, poetic, uncompromising." (Kirkus, starred review)
"The City We Became is a wonderfully inventive love letter to New York City that spans the multiverse. A big middle finger to Lovecraft with a lot of heart, creativity, smarts and humor. A timely and audacious allegorical tale for our times. This book is all these things and more." (Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning)
"It's a glorious fantasy, set in that most imaginary of cities, New York. It's inclusive in all the best ways, and manages to contain both Borges and Lovecraft in its fabric, but the unique voice and viewpoint are Jemisin's alone." (Neil Gaiman)
"Some of the most exciting and powerful fantasy writing of today... Jemisin's latest will attract...even those who don't typically read genre fiction." (Booklist, starred review)
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What listeners say about The City We Became
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sam
- 2021-10-06
Should have listened to the other critical reviews…
I ignored all the critical reviews I read before buying this book since the concept is just so good! It’s unique and fresh, and I was willing to try it out despite the comments about the plot and character development... and gosh were they right. So many characters blend together I still don’t know who is who. They are just angry, cussing and confused folks, and it’s repetitive like this for chapters on end. But I pushed through that to try and give it a chance because the performance is done quite well. It’s the best one I’ve heard to date. Is that worth dragging yourself through the monotonous middle? *shrug* up to you. I won’t be continuing this series.
1 person found this helpful
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- Nicole
- 2022-12-14
THIS IS SO GOOD
One of the best audio books I ever listened to. Totally unique story, and an absolutely amazing performance by Robin Miles.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2022-11-08
Mind stretching and creative!
can’t express how much I love the imagination of of NK Jemisin, and she doesn’t disappoint as she turns her creativity to the magical realism of cities. The narration is excellent, the diversity in characters and fantastical ties with real life events is an immense joy. Highly recommend this duology.
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- Jamie @ Books and Ladders
- 2022-09-20
Can't Wait for the Sequel!
TLDR Review: This was an extremely well-produced audiobook and I highly recommend listening to it if you can! I thought that the beginning was really interesting and had a lot of really great elements too it, but the middle got a little too big to handle. It has really intricate characters and fantastic worldbuilding, but something was lost in the middle. But the 70% onward mark brought it all back together and the ending was fantastic! I can't wait to see where this story goes into the next book in the series.
This was a really interesting story and an even more interesting concept. I loved the idea of people being the embodiment of a city, or in this case that five people came together to be a full city with each representing a specific area. I have been to NYC and seen a bunch of the boroughs, so it was so interesting to see them come to life in a person, but not just in a token or stereotypical way. I enjoyed how we met each of the avatars, which is what these characters are called, and how they decided to work together. I loved the "found family" aspect to it and how they figured out how to best work together.
I loved the overlapping themes of social justice and how it is to be Black in America, especially as a woman. I also appreciated the youth perspective as well as feeling isolated or alienated because of a Zip Code. I think that this was a good story and one that was needed for the time. Do I think that some people will be turned off because of the way that Jemisin writes about being Black? Yes. Are they wrong? Also yes.
But the writing style in general isn't for everyone. Something I also struggled with when I read Jemisin's THE FIFTH SEASON was the writing style and getting into the character's mindset. With five perspectives, this was even more difficult for me. Everyone was unique and felt different - I didn't have an issue figuring out who was who - but I definitely didn't get into everyone's heads the same way. I felt that this lost it's way in the middle because of that but it did pick up again around 70% with the climax of this book.
I appreciated that instead of using the "city" as a character, the city was divided into characters. That made for such an interesting worldbuilding and made me appreciate the surrounding and setting that much more. Knowing that the city was the main catalyst for this, made it a really interesting way of viewing how the characters grew and developed. But I still wanted more - I think often using the backdrop of New York was an easy way of getting out of having some more difficult conversations or growth for the characters.
I am definitely excited to see where this goes next, how the characters become a full team, and what that means for their individuality since they need to be together to "be" New York. But this is definitely worth the read, especially if you love Jemisin's other works!
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- Jamie Charles
- 2022-01-19
Robin Miles Brings New York Alive
January 2022 | 4/5
I started my year with the short story that inspired this work, and to be honest, it was just OK. So I thought I knew what I was getting with the novel, this time I choose the audiobook with Robin Miles, and Holy fucking shit, what a different experience.
The book starts with a retelling of the short story, and I understood the text was not to be read with my innervoice - I don't have the skills. Robin Miles brought this book to life. The different accents and inflections of the five boroughs of New York needed a voice actor (or a full cast) to make it work.
So the book is about the great city of New York coming to life - but there's a problem - New York has so many personalities it's kinda stuck in limbo. Will it join the other great cities or fail like the lost city of Atlantis?
I'm excited to see where Jemisin takes this series in future releases.
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- Cath Albu
- 2021-07-15
An instant favorite
First off: the voices are incredible. Distinctive, realistic, and so true to the characters. Definitely one of the best audiobook performances I've had the pleasure of listening to.
The story itself is also excellent. Loved the twists and turns, the world the author has crafted, and the characters she chose to portray. This was my first book by NK Jemisin, and it definitely won't be the last!
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-07-06
brilliant!!
this books is plain brilliance. I really loved the story and characters. Robin Miles is a fantastic narrator and did an amazing job bringing it all to life.
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- junkaholic
- 2021-04-26
Captivating story, fun magic, great characters
(no spoilers)
The audio and voice acting is some of the best I have heard. Each character has a distinct voice and all the portrayed emotion and speaking quirks transported me into the story. I will definitely be following this narrator's other projects!
I was initially intrigued by the concept of cities being protagonists and it did lead to an interesting magic system where the means by which the characters solve problems is fun, unpredictable and surprising. some hard fantasy fans might be frustrated that the magic isn't as properly defined as other fantasy novels but I think it suits this story very well.
I have read Jemisin's other novels so I knew the character's would not disappoint. what I enjoyed the most was how contemporary and relatable the characters were. I feel like I got to witness how people experience the world differently due to their race, culture, ethnicity, gender, and each of their perspectives played a critical role in the story.
Highly recommend, especially if you enjoy all things New York but I don't think it's a necessity to appreciate this story.
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- TC
- 2021-02-06
The narrator knocked it out of the park!
I’m not a sci-fi person. I tried this book after numerous people recommended it, including as a gateway to sci-fi. I still don’t like sci-fi, but the character development was incredible and the plot was gripping. It was the narrator, though, who blew this out of the water. The music and sound effects of course take it that step further, but even without those few little flourishes, the narration was the best I’ve heard. Distinctive voices, perfect accents, vocalizations and laughs and sighs that brought the book to life.
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- David Flett
- 2021-01-18
Incredible
Absolutely awesome. The story is great and the narration is just incredible and elevated the already great work.
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- Joe
- 2020-04-13
I don't understand the hype
Stereotypical characters, cringeworthy dialogue, boring plot. Essentially an expanded wikipedia entry about NYC, not a good thing. Like a marvel movie, no real stakes, just wait until another superhero arrives with greater powers. No matter how many fantastical things happen, characters are somehow surprised each time.
107 people found this helpful
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- dk
- 2020-04-13
Fresh, Unique, So Good.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks, but rarely write reviews. After listening to this book though, I just had to. Everything about this listen was fantastic. I've read other Jemisin works, and liked them all, but this is by far my favorite. I love scifi and fantasy, but sometimes it's hard to find truly new and unique stories and characters. This book though, is like nothing else I've read. Just so great and original, with diverse and interesting characters that felt like real people/cities. ;)
Also, the audio production was one of the best I've ever heard - maybe even better than Dune! Robin Miles was a phenomenal narrator. I can hardly believe she voiced all those characters! To be able to do all those NY accents so well, AND a fairly decent British accent? Crazy. The suble audio effects were just perfect, and icing on the cake.
Just buy this book now. Seriously.
75 people found this helpful
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- Jenny
- 2020-06-10
Interesting worldbuilding but so what?
I like N.K. Jemisin but I don't always read past the first book of her series, and I think a closer examination of my feelings of this book help explain why.
In the book, people are transformed into different boroughs of New York City (one person per borough,) because the city is under attack. Some stereotypes are at play in those sections but it's fun as each person is "discovered." They each seem to have other characteristics in addition to their city presences that make them an asset to the team. Originally, while enjoying this part of the book, I was also partially annoyed because here I am with one more book that is completely focused on New York as if its the only place in the world. A very diverse view of the city, of course, but still it's just the city. I will agree to suspend my judgment on this feeling that so many New Yorkers seem to have because I've never been. But as a non New-Yorker, I must admit to a bit of prejudice against another NY novel.
Anyway, along with this transformation comes the ability to see a layer of the city that is hidden to others - warping and relocating of borders, wormlike invasions that reminded me of all the demon-possession novels I read in my fundamentalist childhood (ha!), and a woman in white who seems able to fill the tiniest or endless space. There are hints of multiple dimensions and she also seems to be a master of spaceTIME as well, knowing what will happen, and what would happen in alternate dimensions. (I was interested in her world but we only see tiny glimpses.) Some of the boroughs join up and fight evil until they find the last borough, and hijinks ensue.
But ... I mean, that's kind of it. I enjoyed the worldbuilding to a certain extent, but then felt like - so what? Why did I sit through all those hours of audio? I thought I missed something so I've listened to the end three times and I'm like okay... that's it? I don't even know what is going to matter enough to consume books 2 and 3.
I get that there is an underlying metaphor going on of the danger to New York being racism. Good, timely. But what's the story moving forward?
That's all I'm left feeling really. I'm not sure I'm left with anything to fight for or care about.
I listened to the audio and Robin Miles is excellent as always; I felt the times the production people decided to use effects were ... the wrong choice. Characters who are thinking to themselves suddenly having reverb, some sentences stalling like on a bad internet connection, some unnecessary screeching - it wasn't all the time, thank goodness, but the times it happened felt too often.
61 people found this helpful
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- ByEqualMeasure - julie
- 2020-09-04
Good Potential
I can not recommend this book.
The story was very well produced. Excellent narration.
However the ending was abrupt. After it was over I was left wholly dissatisfied. The author does not flesh out the antagonist. A lot of clues are given to the fact perhaps the cities are wronging and killing -however, inadvertently trillions across the multiverse. Then it is over with all the questions still in place. For that reason I can't recommend this as an enjoyable read. To say that you are right just because an alien looks different or is baised on different physical laws with different angles doesn't work for me.
38 people found this helpful
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- C
- 2020-04-20
Amazing accents
As someone who has chosen to be a New Yorker, I appreciate this love letter to the city. I liked the author's insights into each borough's personality. Also, as my title stated, I loved the narrator's different accents. She has so much soul and sass. This is the first time I enjoyed listening to the disclaimer at the end of the audiobook, so I hope whoever reads this listens until the end of the recording.
30 people found this helpful
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- TX lilbit
- 2020-04-17
Absolutely amazing - cathartic love letter to NYC
Wow - I’m not usually a sci-fi fan. New York and all of its wonderful millions has been in my thoughts with the current corona virus crisis so I gave this a shot, and it may be my favorite audiobook in a dozen years of heavy audiobook consumption. This author has poured their love of the city into this super entertaining pro-diversity/interconnectedness/liberal democracy allegory. And the narrator! Robin Miles deserves a Tony for her incredible diverse yet accurate characters and the heart she puts into each one.Those whose politics and values give them trouble with it - well, as the author points out, they still have Lovecraft :-).
26 people found this helpful
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- Jonathanji
- 2020-05-06
Absolutely phenomenal!
Listening to an N.K. Jemisin story read by Robin Miles is like witnessing Serena Williams dominate while Beyoncé performs the soundtrack. This story is incredible. Robin Miles is peerless in her performance. I hope there are more stories to follow.
19 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2020-04-18
Brilliant and Expertly Produced
This is the best From this author which is saying a lot. It is supremely gratifying to have it so well performed and produced. I am in Harlem during coronavirus nyc so this is especially poignant. Thank you Ms. Jemisin, Ms Miles and all those behind this stunning experience.
I do wish I had been a copy editor. New York has no payday loan shops. They are illegal. New Jersey Transit? I have never seen a dining car. I appreciate the author occasionally adopting founder over flounder. Nonetheless this IS, make no mistake, a masterpiece. The rhythms of the soliloquy, the voices of the characters-- astonishing.
16 people found this helpful
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- Amir Yakatally
- 2020-08-28
Stereotypes and a bit corny
Big fan of broken earth series. However, this story never grabbed me. The characters did not seem real to me and I’m a lifelong New Yorker exposed to people from every part of the city. The fantasy is imaginative and vivid though seems pointless. The parts that aren’t fantasy paint an unrealistic and divisive world based on assumptions very biased world view.
15 people found this helpful
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- nightowl
- 2020-03-28
NKJ has done it again
Amazing new work from NKJ, accompanied by a stunning audio production! Gripping, funny, engaging, visceral, absolutely worth your time.
13 people found this helpful