Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Tangled Lands  By  cover art

The Tangled Lands

By: Paolo Bacigalupi, Tobias S. Buckell
Narrated by: Kate Reading, Tim Gerard Reynolds
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From award-winning and New York Times best-selling authors Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias Buckell comes a fantasy novel told in four parts about a land crippled by the use of magic and a tyrant who is trying to rebuild an empire - unless the people find a way to resist.

Khaim, The Blue City, is the last remaining city in a crumbled empire that overly relied upon magic until it became toxic. It is run by a tyrant known as The Jolly Mayor and his devious right hand, the last archmage in the world. Together they try to collect all the magic for themselves so they can control the citizens of the city. But when their decadence reaches new heights and begins to destroy the environment, the people stage an uprising to stop them.

In four interrelated parts, The Tangled Lands is an evocative and epic story of resistance and heroic sacrifice in the twisted remains surrounding the last great city of Khaim. Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias Buckell have created a fantasy for our times about a decadent and rotting empire facing environmental collapse from within - and yet hope emerges from unlikely places with women warriors and alchemical solutions.

©2010, 2018 Paolo Bacigalupi, Tobias S. Buckell (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Tangled Lands

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    156
  • 4 Stars
    124
  • 3 Stars
    71
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    10
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    223
  • 4 Stars
    79
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    140
  • 4 Stars
    95
  • 3 Stars
    69
  • 2 Stars
    25
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An unexpected gem!

Surprisingly at points reminiscent of Greek tragedy. for every inch of good our protagonists get they get another mile of bad road. It is a book of a few short stories that string together to make a cohesive whole... and each protagonist brings something new and interesting to the equation.

Mr Reynolds and Ms. Reading turn in fantastic performances (as usual) and one can hardly find them being disappointed by picking a title with one of their names attached to it.

My single and solitary complaint is that this book is not a series. as of the time of me writing this review, there is no follow-up, and I am anxious for more. one or maybe two got a definite ending, but there are a few protagonists that I really like to see where they went and what they did afterwards... so if my vote means anything, please make another one.

Thank you for your time and consideration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Required Text

Kate Reading and Tim Gerard Reynolds do an amazing job narrating vignettes of a dystopic fantasy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great listen

This was a great listen. I love old stories like these! Old myths and tales. recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

All these stories are so ridiculously GOOD!

Each story provides background and builds the world more and more. The final arch is amazing. Kate did so good. The suspense kept me up at night. I was deeply invested in the last two stories. One was beautiful. The other bittersweet.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

how desperate would you have to get to risk magic

gritty & dark yet little gore etc.

Not the usual tropes for magic users.

Much sympathy for have nots in an analog world.

Comes back to the theme of the choices or options among hard ones. Something a single parent living hand-to-mouth can relate to in this world.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Nature of Book

When I purchased this book, I thought it was a series of four consecutive novelettes. I was disappointed to find it was just independent short stories, only loosely tied through a common environment. As I prefer epic fantasy, I was disappointed by the lack of character growth and development. However the narrators did a really good job and the stories were easy to follow. There was nothing uplifting in these books — it is a harsh world with no truly happy endings.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More, please!

Loves the writing and narration! If I have a complaint, it is only that I wanted to hear how the characters in each vignette fared. Highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting. idea

Dig these two authors and this is seriously interesting. Modern day fairy tales with modern content. Also two of my absolute favorite narrators. Kate Reading us the bomb!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent. Wish there was more!

I enjoyed this book immensely. After finishing, the first thing I did was google to see if there is more written in this world. I would love to see what other stories emerge from this setting. Definitely worth the credit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The potential is there!

I enjoyed the book but having four short stories didnt really allow it to be flushed out. I feel like I read a prologue, just wish the rest of the book aas there too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!