Shards of Earth: The Final Architecture, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Adrian Tchaikovsky (Author), Sophie Aldred (Narrator), Tor (Publisher)

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From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time, winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award.

Shards of Earth is the first high-octane, far-future space adventure in Adrian Tchaikovsky' Final Architecture trilogy.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery...

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans such as Idris - who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared, and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects - but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Listening Length

18 hours and 41 minutes
Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky
Narrator

Sophie Aldred
Audible release date

27 May 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Tor
ASIN

B08ZSXM9XZ
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	18 hours and 41 minutes
Author	Adrian Tchaikovsky
Narrator	Sophie Aldred
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	27 May 2021
Publisher	Tor
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B08ZSXM9XZ
Best Sellers Rank	1,118 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 13 in First Contact Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) 40 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) 58 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction

Customer reviews

5 star		59%
4 star		32%
3 star		7%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Matthew Poehler

A Universe to lose yourself in!

Reviewed in Australia on 31 July 2022

Verified Purchase

I wonder if this is the future beyond Bear Head? There are some characters, the Hivers in particular that make me think so.

Complex plot and characters with a rising sense of tension throughout.

Consistent detail through the whole narrative, and woven together with a masterful touch.

From Author to Author, Simply wonderful!

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Brian

Wow. The best sci-fi I have read in a couple of years. Better than murder bot series.

Reviewed in Australia on 4 January 2022

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New sci-fi ideas were revealed throughout the book, which I very much enjoyed. It is difficult to find original concepts in sci-fi but this book did it. And out didn't roll out the old cliches and tired plots so often found these days.

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YU LIU

Very interesting

Reviewed in Australia on 18 July 2022

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Such a masterpiece, I like the idea of the unspace and utterly mysterious godlike species. Couldn't wait to see the second book.

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Paul

Super fun space opera

Reviewed in Australia on 22 June 2021

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Very enjoyable read, great writing, interesting new concepts, but engaging and easy to understand. Can't wait for the next one.

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howard cassidy

Sci fi characters to care about

Reviewed in Australia on 28 July 2021

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Great characters and narrative with believable interesting politics.

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Amazon Customer

Reviewed in Australia on 19 July 2021

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Waiting for the sequels

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Balders

Sci-fi opera

Reviewed in Australia on 10 July 2021

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Enjoyable sci-fi opera

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Mshell

Great read!

Reviewed in Australia on 29 August 2021

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I was hesitant going in and hooked from about a third of the way.
I like the storyline and want to know more about the Architects, the Intermediaries and the Parthenon.
So many stories were started and need more explanation. Looking forward to book two.

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Top reviews from other countries

Preach

Another masterpiece

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2021

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I read a lot and I cannot leave a book unfinished which sometimes leaves me in a desert of hum drum novels, then an oasis appears and I start a book that I yearn to have the time to read when I am not reading it. Iain m Banks left a void when he passed. Tchaikovsky fills that void

His world building is imaginative and never seems to revisit itself. Paired with his story telling that somehow manages to maintain a cracking pace throughout while still managing to draw the reader into the characters in all their flawed glory.

I am so glad this is the beginning of a trilogy but it stands alone. The antagonists are an unstoppable force and instead of glossing over the faster than light travel it is embraced and expounded on until it is an integral part of the story and becomes one of a dozen reasons to turn the page.

It takes me back to the golden age of sci fi where every story was groundbreaking.

Unmissable, both the novel and the author

52 people found this helpful

Andrew

Terrible audio adaption

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 June 2021

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Huge fan of all of the authors previous SF, which I found engaging, thought provoking, and sophisticated. This book is good but like so much SF his depiction of many of the aliens is a bit juvenile. It really annoys me when SF universes are filled with species all of which are able to operate in the same atmospheric, gravitational etc environment as humans. IMO on a par with star treks alien depictions of humans with something stuck on their forehead. A TV show has an excuse. It in a book it is just lazy.

Having said that it is better than most SF out there and a good read.

I would advise you avoid the audio book version. Whoever directed the reader to overact and put on comedy accents for most of the characters deserves to be shot! The reader also had an irritating habit of putting the stress in sentences in the completely wrong place. IIt was a relief when characters died so I wouldn’t have to listen to their stupid voices any more. I will certainly be listening to a sample of any audio book before I buy in future

19 people found this helpful

Djgos

Disappointing 3.5*

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2021

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I am a HUGE fan of Adrian's - I have read numerous sci-fi and fantasy authors and he's taken over as my favourite from Ian Banks and equals K.J.Parker in those genres respectively.

In this book Adrian is perhaps a victim of his own success. Yes it is a good space opera and the characters are good, but overall it feels flat compared to his previous books. Though the last couple have also disappointed me, feeling like they were dashed out to fill in time.

It's as if he has move too far from what makes him great, his use of the unusual, the quirky - animal intelligence in Dogs of War, Children of Time/Eden - humans with animal characteristics in The Apt series, homunculi in Pretty Little Things - I could go on. He's best when weaving his stories around something tangible, something earthly. Here he relies on the ethereal, in fuzzy notions of galactic ghouls.

Perhaps it deserves a 4* rating but nah, that just doesn't feel right, so it's a 3.5.

9 people found this helpful

Hmmm... not so extraordinary

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2021

Verified Purchase

Having read most of Tchaikovsky's work over the last few years, I found this to be a relatively disappointing piece of universe building by someone who has proved a master in the past. Having slogged through to the end, I found few of the characters particularly memorable, and many of their attributes being almost willfully bolted on to try and make them interesting. The deaths of what appeared to be lead characters before they had really established themselves didn't really help. This is pure space opera but seems tolack the heart and vision of his best work.

7 people found this helpful

F. M. Havicon

A tough one to finish, way too many fight scenes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 January 2022

Verified Purchase

Getting hard these days to find new science fiction that rewards the effort of reading it. A.T. is a better writer than most, certainly far superior to the bosh that comes out of America at the moment, where small groups of talentless authors band together for mutual support, writing each other's reviews. His sci-fi is better than his fantasy, flawed by clichés, his characters involving, his science firm and accessible. However he blethers a bit, dips into writing styles that get in the way of enjoying the story. Not much story in this one, sadly, it's all recycled tried and tested huge-vision space opera, and half way through you lose count of the number of fights and battles. The writing at least is uncomplicated, he has resisted imposing a rigid style, used in many of his recent novellas. A slow novel to get into because he throws it all at you in the first few pages, and that's too much to absorb. And after that it just hits max speed. Looks like the author is trying hard to keep pace with all the other dubiously untalented space opera writers out there. It’s a shame because he can do so much better than them. He should be the one setting the pace for them.

This was a tough one to finish, my interest just couldn't be maintained towards the end.

4 people found this helpful

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Shards of Earth: The Final Architecture, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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