The Siren Depths

By: Martha Wells

Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

All his life, Moon roamed the Three Worlds, a solitary wanderer forced to hide his true nature - until he was reunited with his own kind, the Raksura, and found a new life as consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. But now a rival court has laid claim to him, and Jade may or may not be willing to fight for him. Beset by doubts, Moon must travel in the company of strangers to a distant realm where he will finally face the forgotten secrets of his past, even as an old enemy returns with a vengeance. The Fell, a vicious race of shape-shifting predators, menaces groundlings and Raksura alike. Determined to crossbreed with the Raksura for arcane purposes, they are driven by an ancient voice that cries out from… The Siren Depths.

©2012 Martha Wells (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Excellence in Worldbuilding

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended and will continue to recommend The Tales of the Raksura series but no one listens to me. Just in case, though... If you are looking for a series of fantasy novels that defy Tolkien-true tropes, this series for you. Set in the Three Worlds, a world whose geography and inhabitants are almost wholly unfamiliar from our own, Martha Wells' flying dragon shifters are so familiar to us because of their humanity. I love this series wholeheartedly. Start with The Could Roads. Our hero, Moon, doesn't even know what he is or where he's from. That's wonderful for the reader because we get to know the Raksura and the Three Worlds as Moon searches for a place to call home. Then, in the second novel, The Serpent Seas, Moon and members of the Indigo Cloud court have to fight to make their home safe and secure. This third novel very satisfactorily answers our remaining questions about who Moon really is and where he's from. It's lovely how the author turns traditional gender roles around and then has her characters subvert them some more. Brilliant.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't begin to choose. Okay, Moon first. He's prickly and prone to fighting and loyal and honorable. Then, Stone who is even more prickly, prone to fighting and is ancient, to boot.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Malachite refers to Moon and Jade as children (even though she's telling them to shut up), I knew that she had accepted Jade as Moon's queen, even though it means he must leave her and his new found home.

Excellent story and narration

I love this series!!! Such wonderful characters. I want to walk onto the pages and into this world.🥰

Favourite installment

The little lost duckling finds his family and not only do they want and love him, they're pretty amazing-scary. You really feel for Moon in this story and the emotional rollercoaster. The background story which eventually becomes central to the excitement is terrific. Martha leaves you with so many more questions about this incredible world she's created.

Pure Excellence.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. The world building is magnificent. The characters and their interactions are so engaging you can't help but stay up later than you should just to find out what happens next.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Siren Depths?

When Stone demands to be let into Opal Night.

What about Christopher Kipiniak’s performance did you like?

Everything. He did such a good job of giving everyone a distinct voice that I had no problem distinguishing the different characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the royal clutch tries to negotiate with Moon in an attempt to get him to stay at Indigo Cloud.

Any additional comments?

Try to listen to this when you have no obligations the next day because you might find yourself pulling an all-nighter, like I did, because it's just to good to put down.

Everything I expected and more

I never get tired of the Raksura series. I’ve just listened to the whole set again. Drama, excitement, conflict and resolution - Martha Wells makes the characters seem so alive and all so different. I feel my world expand as I listen to these stories.
Wells also walks a knife’s edge between youth and adult fiction, and I find that rare in contemporary authors. It never feels sappy and I never get the sense that adult themes have been inserted just to get the adult audience. My 14 yr old son loves these books as much as I do.
Christopher Kipiniak is the perfect match for a narrator - I forget he’s there at all because the voices are all so believable. Total immersion is what I want and that’s what I get.

I love them all.

I have all 5 books on Kindle and 4 of the books on audible. The narration for all the books is excellent and easy to listen to which I have multiple times. I hope Audible gets the last book the harbour of the sun soon because it's not fun getting to the last book and not being able to finish the series.

Siren Depths

I like the books in this series and hope that there are more. It is a different type of other world and quite interesting.

Fun book, not my favorite narrator

Like the previous booms in the series, The Siren Depths delivers a fast-paced story in a vivid world. Also like the prior books, the audiobook narrator is a bit heavy-handed with characterization when it comes to voicing characters. He's improved some since the earlier books, though--eirher that, or I've just got used to him.

Wells needs to wright more on this story line

Finally more of the culture is revealed. I just love this story. More must be made. This one focused more on the main characters culture which makes me happy.

Excellent story and narration

I read the books, and now the Audible versions. I recommend all Martha Wells work!