Oh boy,
we’re in deep winter now, friends. A true introvert and homebody, I do love the season, but right now, splitting my time between the cold Northeast and the even colder Midwest, even I’m getting jealous of those of you who live in milder climates. At least it’s the perfect excuse to hibernate and listen, right? If you’ve been following along here, you already know that this winter is jam-packed with exciting new releases—and once I’ve caught up with those (as much as an eternal SFF fan can ever truly becaught up), I have some dark, wintry fantasy to get to.
And then, of course, it’s Black History Month—and while I firmly believe in listening to diverse voices all year round (after all, it’s just more fun!), this month presents the perfect opportunity to be intentional in my listening by queuing up works by Black authors, past and present, who’ve paved the way in the genre, like Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delaney, and N.K. Jemisin. Hey, speaking of…
- Sam, Audible editor
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How Long 'Til Black Future Month?
- Stories
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Shayna Small, Gail Nelson-Holgate, Robin Ray Eller, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 716
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 640
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 640
N. K. Jemisin is one of the most powerful and acclaimed speculative fiction authors of our time. In the first collection of her evocative short fiction, Jemisin equally challenges and delights listeners with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great! One quibble with the audiobook editing
- By L on 03-05-19
Making Black history, imagining Black future
N.K. Jemisin is one of the authors making history in SFF—she was the first Black author to win the Hugo Award for best novel, and with her win this past year, she also became the first author to win it three years in a row (!). The titular question of her first collection of short stories is fitting for this assortment of thought-provoking tales, which bring diverse heroes to the genre.
The Future Is Now
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The Worldship Humility
- By: RR Haywood
- Narrated by: Colin Morgan
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,965
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,739
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,731
It’s been 120 years since the 50 or so worldships containing the few million survivors of the human species set off after the planet Earth was destroyed by a meteor. On the Worldship Humility, Sam, a 30-year-old Airlock Operative, is bored. Living in space should be exciting and full of adventure, except it isn’t, and he fills his time hacking 3-D movie posters and holographic adverts outside the stores in the retail zone. Petty thief Yasmine Emile Dufont is also from the WS Humility, but she is not bored....
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5 out of 5 stars
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My 1st "6 Star" Rating in Two Years--fun, smart
- By C. Hartmann on 02-03-19
In space, no one can hear you laugh…
…but the guy next to you on the train can, so listen at your own risk. Stories of survival after Earth are kind of my jam—so this Audible Original, the start of a brand new series by The Undead author R. R. Haywood, was an instant download for me. Despite its bleak premise—the Earth is destroyed by a meteor and humanity is searching through space for a new home—there’s so much fun and humor within this gem of a sci-fi adventure. But the true shining star in this listen is narrator Colin Morgan, who creates an ensemble cast of distinct voices seemingly out of thin air. As one listener remarks, How many voices can you play..!!!
I concur!
Meet the Crew
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The Golem and the Jinni
- A Novel
- By: Helene Wecker
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18,667
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17,144
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17,107
Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Enchanting Debut Novel - Delicious!
- By Tango on 04-26-13
Winter is still coming
If, like me, you yearn for the first sign of a chill in the air in October and find it a bit bittersweet when the first trees bloom in early spring; if you think there’s just something a little extra magical about the cold, gloomy months; if you think it’s pretty darn sci-fi that the coldest month of the year also occasionally has one fewer day in it; then this list is for you. These fantasy authors conjure the beauty of winter into the perfect setting for these alluring listens.
Embrace the Cold
New Releases
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The City in the Middle of the Night
- By: Charlie Jane Anders
- Narrated by: Jennifer O'Donnell, Laura Knight Keating
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 469
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 421
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 420
January is a dying planet - divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One of the best S-F novels I've ever read!!!
- By Michael J. Mcmorrow on 02-17-19
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The Ruin of Kings
- By: Jenn Lyons
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Vikas Adam, Soneela Nankani
- Length: 27 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,458
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,319
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,318
Kihrin is a bastard orphan who grew up on storybook tales of long-lost princes and grand quests. When he is claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds that being a long-lost prince isn't what the storybooks promised. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins. Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin is not destined to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing
- By Kevin Potter on 02-07-19
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Black Leopard, Red Wolf
- The Dark Star Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Marlon James
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 24 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,530
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,397
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,384
In the stunning first novel in Marlon James' Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child. Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Opaque. And hard to care about.
- By Lisa Gray on 02-07-19
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Dead Moon
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 7,814
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,193
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Story4 out of 5 stars 7,186
In the year 2243, the Moon belongs to the dead. The largest graveyard in the solar system, it was the perfect solution to the overcrowding and environmental problems that had plagued mankind for centuries. And the perfect place for Cali Washington to run away from her past. But when a mysterious meteor crashes into one of the Moon’s cemeteries, Cali and her fellow Caretakers find themselves surrounded by a terrifying enemy force that outnumbers them more than a thousand to one. An enemy not hindered by the lack of air or warmth or sustenance. An enemy that is already dead.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Why did you do this? Just why?
- By Veronica on 03-02-19
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The City in the Middle of the Night
- By: Charlie Jane Anders
- Narrated by: Jennifer O'Donnell, Laura Knight Keating
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 469
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 421
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 420
January is a dying planet - divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the best S-F novels I've ever read!!!
- By Michael J. Mcmorrow on 02-17-19
-
The Ruin of Kings
- By: Jenn Lyons
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Vikas Adam, Soneela Nankani
- Length: 27 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,458
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,319
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,318
Kihrin is a bastard orphan who grew up on storybook tales of long-lost princes and grand quests. When he is claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds that being a long-lost prince isn't what the storybooks promised. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins. Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin is not destined to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing
- By Kevin Potter on 02-07-19
-
Black Leopard, Red Wolf
- The Dark Star Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Marlon James
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 24 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,530
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,397
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,384
In the stunning first novel in Marlon James' Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child. Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Opaque. And hard to care about.
- By Lisa Gray on 02-07-19
-
Dead Moon
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 7,814
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,193
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 7,186
In the year 2243, the Moon belongs to the dead. The largest graveyard in the solar system, it was the perfect solution to the overcrowding and environmental problems that had plagued mankind for centuries. And the perfect place for Cali Washington to run away from her past. But when a mysterious meteor crashes into one of the Moon’s cemeteries, Cali and her fellow Caretakers find themselves surrounded by a terrifying enemy force that outnumbers them more than a thousand to one. An enemy not hindered by the lack of air or warmth or sustenance. An enemy that is already dead.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Why did you do this? Just why?
- By Veronica on 03-02-19
About the Editor
Sam is obsessed with sci-fi & fantasy in all forms, with a particular soft spot for robots, time travel, and kick-ass heroines. When she’s not exploring distant galaxies and treacherous dungeons, she enjoys a healthy dose of memoirs, horror, and true crime. She is also an avid knitter who uses audiobooks to get her through mundane and challenging patterns—even if the more intense listens tend to mess with her tension.