The Flaxen Tyranny

By: Simon Evans

Narrated by: Jane Wing

The future arrived, and it wore the face of a nightmare.The sentient starship Echo vanished on a mission to colonize a new world. Now, he's back–but Earth is on its knees.

A brutal alien empire, the Flaxens, are mercilessly exterminating humanity. A colossal metallic cylinder casts an ominous shadow over Jupiter, controlled by an enigmatic AI. And the solar system teeters on the brink of collapse.

Captain Kip Eastcott and the crew of Echo must unravel the mysteries of a forgotten past and fight for a future they may never see. But their greatest threat could be the one they trust the most: Serilda, a captivating young woman raised in a Flaxen concentration camp with a dangerous secret that could destroy them all.

Can they defy time, tyranny, and treachery, or will humanity fall to the Flaxens?

©2024 Simon Evans (P)2024 Simon Evans

Well paced and crafted sci-fi story

This is my first exposure to Somon Evans, the author of this book. He crafted a believable, well paced, sci-fi story that included imaginative world building, good character design and development, and solid plot progression. While i wouldn't categorize this as hard sci-fi, i wouldn't call it fluff either. Evans strikes a good balance between the two, and I enjoyed my time with this book. There are moments of descriptive brilliance sprinkled throughout the book, which gives us a glimpse into what the author is capable of.

The narrator did a good job bringing the characters to life, especially her performance of Cylli.

The story is i teresting twist on sci-fi genre

The story was an iteresting twist on sci-fi genre, characters carried the story and made it enjoyable

Super fantastic story

This had all the things a story could want in it it had action and world building and a love story all combined to bring a really good story that will keep you interested throughout and I can’t wait for book 2

couldn't get into it

I tried and tried. Gave it 9 hours. But I couldn't ever figure out the different voices. I kept getting lost. Maybe I'll give it another go at a later date to try again tho.

Good and relativey positive SciFi

Quite an interesting SciFi book. It is a very hopeful book with a litte twist ending. The main good characters vere lovable, specially that one AI (no spoilers!). Even if it is not my kind of SciFi, I can recommend this to anyone who likes that genre with a more positive messaging, even with some feeting mentions of terrible acts.

How dark it turned

I really liked how this story got dark in the middle portion. Wasn't expecting it to go to those places with war and all, but goodness did I like it! The heros made me like them; thr villians made me dislike (even hate, looking at you fat cat). My only real problem that irked me a bit was the name. The name of the cylinder real is my biggest dislike. Cute, but now for me. But over all I enjoyed this book

Likable Characters and Fast Paced Story

I ended up really enjoying this audiobook. I found the characters likable immediately, such as the Captain Kip, Susan, and the half-flaxen girl Serilda. The AI characters such as Echo were just as compelling, and I liked that for the most part they ended up being wanting to help the humans survive. The Flaxens, along with the other villains in the story, were truly ruthless, destructive, and formidable.

The author did a great job balancing between the light and dark moments of the story. There is good world building without getting overburdened by unnecessary detail. The story really sped up on the last third of the book, and I didn't want to stop listening. The ending was satisfying and a great setup for the next book.

Mind powers, AI and fighting evil space Nazis

Solid sci-fi. Good characters. Some entirely too realistic. Dark as heck at times, but happy-ish ending?

The only complaint I have is that the narrator needs a little more work on masculine voices.

Magnificent + detailed space opera worth the time

Simon Evans is a storyteller that has masterfully constructed both environments and situations that create obstacles for our endearing main characters and their AI companions. The Flaxen Tyranny is told in a deliberate and tension-building manner that connects the listener to the characters, understanding their motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. The sci-fi elements are grounded and believable, while the atrocities and horrors of alien war are emotionally disturbing. The fight for humanity's survival is told expertly by Jane Wing whose vocal range personifies each man, woman, child, alien, and AI with clarity and individuality. I will definitely be watching for the next installment. [Disclosure: I received this title for free and listened at 1.7x]

brilliant story

Great science fiction story that fits right along with the likes of star wars, star trek, alien, and avatar!