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Shards of Earth
- The Final Architecture, Book 1
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
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Shards of Earth
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Summary
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.
Critic reviews
"One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction." (Christopher Paolini)
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What listeners say about Shards of Earth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Thomas Kovar
- 18-06-21
Good solid stuff.
A good yarn that passes the time but won't change your world.
Aldred is smooth and measured if perhaps lacking in gravitas. The narrative tumbles along at a heady lick, but never managed to move me or grab me by the scruff of the neck.
Definitely worth it if you like that kind of thing, but all the usual tropes and cliché won't convert the uninitiated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sk
- 10-08-21
Buy it!!!
Really, really great. Glad I took a chance on it.
Will look for more by this author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Sawyer
- 11-09-21
Faster paced than other Tchaikovsky….
…but that is not a bad thing. His great characterisations and complex world building are on show as well as his optimism. If you liked his others then you will love this too. Excellent narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex Kelaru
- 30-04-22
Excellent space adventure
Great book, well written and good performances. The twists and turns of the story keep on coming and there is no sign of suspension of disbelief, every plot twist and reaction is well thought. I felt the choice of tone of voice for some of the characters was something off, felt like the characters won't speak that way considering they are captain of a ship or a powerful mind-bending pilot, just felt like they would have a more serious tone considering who the characters are. Nonetheless, didn't disturb from what is an excellent listen. On to book 2 !
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- cat of ulthar
- 24-01-23
Gungo Ho space opera
This is more action based hard SF than I am used to from Tchaikovsky, I have only read the Children of Time books and this doesn't compare to that. To be fair it is very pacey and reminiscent of Peter F Hamilton, in a good way.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Keon
- 09-09-21
A book book, but not his best
It’s not the stellar world building of “Children of Time” or the deep emotional attachments of “Dogs of War”. But it is a solid entry in the cannon of the authors books. The story is interesting and the characters are varied and engaging. I didn’t get the same feeling of personal connection as I did with some of the authors other characters, but it’s still a good book. Glad I got it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. Megarry
- 12-11-23
Wow!
Fantastic writing, and Sophie Alred’s performance is far beyond any other book I’ve listened to this year.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Zapadias
- 17-08-21
Decent enough
I’d only read Children of Time and Children of Ruin before this so take that into consideration. Both of those books I found to be incredibly creative and compelling to read. What I got with this was something of a rinse and repeat space opera. A well trodden story and predictable character mashups - with some more endearing than others. Dialogue was uninspiring and I’m not sure whether it was narrator or not, but I found a number of the crew generally pretty annoying and whiny and not particularly endearing. The creatures of both the children books were far more relatable. Will I listen to the next one? Probably. However, for his type of jaunt I’d recommend Peter Hamilton or Iain Banks or even the Expanse series for a far more rewarding experience.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-02-22
Fun start to a space opera
Great fun with good pacing and characters, atmospheric world building and interesting concepts and threats
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joseph Elliott-Coleman
- 12-06-21
Adrian Tchaikovsky does it again
Space opera served up hot. A brilliantly imaged universe with wonderfully fleshed out characters whose dialogue had me laughing my ass off at points. (A good knifing?! Seriously Adrian? 😂) Seriously, it Adrian Tchaikovsky. That alone should be reason enough to part with your shekels.
Also, Sophie Aldred is quickly becoming Adrian Tchaikovsky most evocative and impressive narrators. She has a gift for bringing his diverse characters to life. Brilliant and enviable!
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