Hearts of Darkness

Strange Company, Book 3

De: Nick Cole

Narrado por: Christopher Ryan Grant

Caps to pop and bodies to drop.

As intergalactic civilization collapses and descends into chaos, the Strange Company must journey to the edge of human-controlled space to board and destroy the last ship of the corrupt Monarch Empire—in order to both satisfy a debt and salvage what remains of their reputation as hard-bitten and dangerous private military contractors.

But things are never easy for mercenaries. Eccentric warrant officers running amok—when they can be found, plots to kill one of them abound, and a bad case of serious PTSD about what lies ahead for Sergeant Orion plagues his waking nightmares as the Cult of Hot Soup grows. The company must "get gud" or die trying as they master boarding operations and prepare for the worst kind of combat a space marine can get their kill on in: compartment-to-compartment fighting on a ship so advanced in technology, it's almost… alien.

Stinkeye, Hauser, Chief Cook, Sergeant Orion, and new and old Strange Company brothers are here for the violence with a ticket to ride the lightning and settle accounts with the fallen tyrants as they get their stack on and get paid. If they can make it back to their ship and a safe world beyond the limits of the known, then perhaps the company can avoid the tragedy they've been sucked into.

The only way out lies beyond a praetorian guard of heavily armed commandos, emplaced guns, and enigmatic psy-powered operators. The Heart of Darkness waits at the Oblivion Gate, for the Strange Company to make one wrong move and disappear forever.

Live. Laugh. Launch.

©2025 Nick Cole (P)2025 Podium Audio

Strangers to the universe, brothers to the end

I went in expecting the same, brutal horrors of war the previous two were, and for certain characters to die. In my heart of hearts I hoped the best of them would live. I was half disappointed, but, I did get it right. I love this book. it's 25 hours of gripping sci-fi action and clearly a veteran working through his experience fighting a war in the desert with no end in sight. It is raw and it is real and it feels like you are there, and the voice production makes it better. I felt moved and I felt things and the ending made me mad it wasn't as final as I'd hoped. I adored Orion's idiosyncracies as a person. I will probably read this book again, from Crash, Astrolon, call it what it is.

Such a unique and engaging story

I’m not sure why but I love Chief cook! These books are some of the few stories I can listen to over and over.

An Excellent wrap up to great series

10 Stars, would absolutely recommend to those seeking ye olde ruck-hobo wisdom. We have to be honest about these things.

Very good!

Love this series and the author the narration is great and I hope there is more to come

Last for now

Funny how you seem to become a part of those imaginary men and MOM. I wish them all luck and hope a new story about the Strange comes soon.

Good , end to a weird story.

Enjoyed it all for the most part. All three stories. Tied up all the plot lines.

Great end to a great story.

sad to see it end but it wraps up great. can't recommend this series enough

We have to be honest about these things.

Nick Cole's Strange Company 3: Hearts of Darkness is a brutal, heart-pounding, and surprisingly human entry into the military science fiction genre. In this installment, the PMC's of the Strange Company are faced with their most dangerous mission yet: boarding a Monarch ship, far past known space, to take on the last remnants of the corrupt Monarch Empire. Nick Cole captures the grit and the raw reality of soldiering for the payout, a reality where it's not just the downrange enemy that’s dangerous. 
One of the book's great strengths is its no-nonsense, unflinching narrative. Cole presents the grim realities of war without romanticism, a theme that Orion, the company's long-suffering record keeper, embodies perfectly with his PTSD on installment. Through Orion's nightmares, we see that the war has already done its damage, even before the climactic final battle. It's a reminder that the true cost of these endless campaigns is often paid long before a shot is fired. This story forces us to grapple with difficult truths, and as Orion himself might say, "We have to be honest about these things". 
Yet for all the grimness, the camaraderie and dark humor of the Strange Company shines through. The gallows humor is a lifeline that keeps them from drowning in the carnage. The exchanges between the drunken war wizard Stink Eye and the eccentric Chief Cook are particularly a highlight, providing much-needed, if morbid, levity amid the chaos. When Chief Cook declares something is gonna be " a whole lot of fun," you know it's probably going to involve bizarre hallucinations and copious bloodshed, but it's a testament to the Company's spirit that they'll see the absurdity in it anyway. 
The action sequences are visceral and expertly crafted, putting you right in the middle of the carnage. The boarding operation is a chaotic, close-quarters firefight, with every step forward feeling earned. And the closer the company gets to their objective, the more you feel the noose tightening around them. Through it all, the company's shared history and bond hold them together, even as they face down near-impossible odds. The stakes feel incredibly high because you care about these characters, and you're with them every step of the way, even as they drop onto a hellscape of a Dark Star. As any member of the Strange Company will tell you, "It's always a bad LZ". After all, we have to be honest about these things.

There’s always bats O…rian

Great author, great story, great narrator. I enjoy listening to all of these books. Listen we have to be honest in these things I’m not a great reviewer so don’t take my word for it. Have a listen and decide for yourself.

Best Book of the Monarch trilogy

His has to be my favorite book in the trilogy concerning the Monarch. 80-90% of the time I can figure out what the author is going to write and predict what would happen to a character.... Not in this book.

In this book, Nick surprised me multiple of time with what happen. In addition, it wrote an ending that I completely did not expect!