• Beyond the Hallowed Sky

  • Lightspeed, Book 1
  • By: Ken MacLeod
  • Narrated by: Elliot Chapman
  • Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (4 ratings)

Try for $0.00
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.
Beyond the Hallowed Sky By cover art

Beyond the Hallowed Sky

By: Ken MacLeod
Narrated by: Elliot Chapman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.97

Buy for $15.97

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

Publisher's summary

When a brilliant scientist gets a letter from herself about faster-than-light travel, she doesn't know what to believe. The equations work, but her paper is discredited - and soon the criticism is more than scientific. Exiled by the establishment, she gets an offer to build her starship from an unlikely source. But in the heights of Venus and on a planet of another star, a secret is already being uncovered that will shake humanity to its foundations.

Science fiction legend Ken MacLeod begins a new space-opera trilogy by imagining humankind on the precipice of discovery - the invention of faster-than-light travel unlocks a universe of new possibilities and new dangers.

©2021 Ken MacLeod (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK
Hard Science Fiction Space Exploration Space Opera
Show more Show less

Critic reviews

"An exceptional blend of international politics, hard science, and first contact." (Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series)

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

 Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

 Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

 Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

 Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

 Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

 Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

 Try for $0.00 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about Beyond the Hallowed Sky

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jason van Niekerk

Makes the politics nearly as interesting as the cosmic mystery

This is an accelerating toboggan from near-future political thriller to high-stakes space opera, with a ship-building building workers’ commune very suddenly joining an FTL arms race, just as an implacable alien menace emerges.

It’s all the best of Ken MacLeod: punning chapter titles, Scottish socialists, AI spies and gripping plotting.

There are a few bits where the narrator flubs a reading or pronunciation, but his nuanced accent work goes a long way to make up for that.

I absorbed this over a few days, and can’t wait for the next one.

Report this

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!