Blood of the Cosmos

The Saga of Shadows, Book Two

By: Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 21 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Blood of the Cosmos: the second book in Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of Shadows trilogy.

An epic space opera of the titanic conflict of several galactic civilizations against a life-destroying force of shadows, a dark, cosmic force that has swept through the undercurrents of the human interstellar empire. The intertwined plots, overflowing with colorful ideas, a large cast of characters, and complex storylines span dozens of solar systems, alien races, and strange creatures.

As the second book of the trilogy opens, the humans and Ildirans, having narrowly escaped annihilation at the hands of the Shana Rei and their robot allies in book one, are desperate to find a way to combat the black cloud of antimatter of the Shana Rei. The mysterious alien Gardeners, who had helped them previously, turn out to be a disaster in disguise and because of them the world tree forests are again in danger. The allies believing they have found a way to stop their dreaded enemies, a new weapon is tested, but it's a horrible failure, throwing the human race and its allies to the brink of extinction.

©2015 WordFire, Inc. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Very entertaining! !!

I absolutely loved this book! I can't wait until the next one comes out!! It amazed me that it was not hard for me to follow the storyline because I have not listened to the first set of books (Saga of the Seven Sons).

clearly didn't read other books

The narrator clearly didn't read the previous saga. There is some glaring pronunciation differences that really bug me. Other then that it is a great book

Space is getting more crowded

Blood of the Cosmos is the Kevin J Anderson's 2nd installment in the Saga of Shadows series. Book 2 picks up where the first ended with multiple plot lines continuing to evolve. While no new characters are introduced, the Anthos receive attention and we learn some of their backstory. The Shana Rae and the Clickiss robots continue their Sherman's march to the sea strategy, while the bloater extraction business gets messy for Lee Eastwander. Fireheart Station's big ring project is brought online with unexpected results. Fortunes are won and lost quickly.

There are few if any new sci-fi elements, except for bigger versions of some older stuff. There is little resolution of ongoing situations with the general direction being bad for both humans and Illdyrans. Perhaps the one glimmer of hope is a possible treatment for Prince Rain may have been found. While the complexity of the tale is enormous (20 - 30 major characters are followed), Anderson's easy going story telling style makes keeping track of everyone painless. Sadly, this installment ends with little hope, although the mystery of the bloaters (and their "singing") remain obscure. An as of yet unidentified power player remains to be revealed, although there are hints that even the elementals are a bit gun-shy to get involved.

The narration is well done with a fantastic range of voices, particularly given the range of characters. The only criticism is that the delivery is a bit on the slow side; a slightly faster pace would have been preferred.

Shadows continue to grow, within and without.

great continuation of an exciting tale. I really like the character per chapter format. a true enticement to keep reading.

OMG!!!

How long before the next book, and audible book!
I thought KJ Anderson could not exceed " The saga of seven Suns...boy was I wrong. Then to have Mark Boyett read them....wheeee hoooo...
This series can not end with 3 books....it needs at least 7 or more...

Great Job, Kevin.

Thrilling saga

A great continuation from book 1.
Full of interesting twists and atmosphere.
Highly recommend

Fun

Fun read. I can't wait for the next book in the series. Dang cliff hangers

The Saga Continues!

...and the sage continues. 'The Saga of the Seven Suns' continues to be written, as the Sage of Darkness plays out!

Mark Boyett does his usual fantastic job of Narration! He's one of the great narrators that can make 'a good story', great!

Love this series

Great series of books. An excellent append to the Saga of the the seven sun's.

Amazing as always

I can't get enough of Mr. Anderson's stories. I couldn't imagine that after the first saga he could / have the energy to come with another one.. But he did and it only got better. I truly hope this isn't the last saga of this magnificent universe.
Story is amazing and diverse, very detailed (maybe not Tom Clancy wise but very good), right amount of humor and jumps between the events.
But it's mostly the ingenuity of coming up with this universe of the Spiral Arch and the characters.
They should make a movie out of it! Or better still a mini series.