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The Cold Commands Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,604 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
With The Steel Remains, award-winning science fiction writer Richard K. Morgan turned his talents to sword and sorcery. The result: a genre-busting masterwork hailed as a milestone in contemporary epic fantasy. Now Morgan continues the riveting saga of Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah.
Only a select few have earned the right to call Gil friend. One is Egar, the Dragonbane, a fierce Majak fighter who comes to respect a heart as savage and loyal as his own. Another is Archeth, the last remaining daughter of an otherworldly race called the Kiriath, who once used their advanced technology to save the world from the dark magic of the Aldrain—only to depart for reasons as mysterious as their arrival. Yet even Egar and Archeth have learned to fear the doom that clings to their friend like a grim shadow...or the curse of a bitter god.
Now one of the Kiriath's uncanny machine intelligences has fallen from orbit—with a message that humanity faces a grave new danger (or, rather, an ancient one): a creature called the Illwrack Changeling, a boy raised to manhood in the ghostly between-world realm of the Grey Places, home to the Aldrain. A human raised as one of them—and, some say, the lover of one of their greatest warriors—until, in a time lost to legend, he was vanquished. Wrapped in sorcerous slumber, hidden away on an island that drifts between...
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"The second book in Land Fit for Heroes storyline. This story picks up shortly after the end of the first so I would recommend that you read The Steel Remains first. Otherwise, you might not understand what is going on and why. Each of the triad of main characters are enjoyable to read. They are complex and really not the kind you would expect to be heroes, but they are there doing what needs to be done. I cant wait for the 3rd book."
— Chris (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Morgan brings a fresh approach to epic fantasy, giving his world a hard edge and blending in such sf elements as machine intelligences and extraterrestrial races…Morgan’s protagonists, with their tough outward demeanor and lofty ethics, lend depth and seriousness of purpose to high fantasy and should appeal to fans of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series.”
— Library Journal -
“Gritty and visceral…Like the first volume, this is a challenging read but absolutely a worthwhile one as well.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars)
The Cold Commands Listener Reviews
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" Simon Vance is my all-time favorite narrator and Richard K. Morgan is one of the best "new" writers I've come across. When they get together, I have a really hard time turning the book off and my walks end up taking a couple extra hours. "
— Kegen, 4/18/2018 -
" Ringil's still gay. The Black Folk are still gone. The Helmsmen are still stupidly cryptic. There are some new interesting bits in the gray lands... but you won't be bothered. Ah, in order to make things more balanced, there's a lesbian scene, though Morgan clearly has more fun writing man-on-man scenes. "
— Igor, 2/14/2014 -
" The pacing was slower than The Steel Remains, and some frustrating for that. Contains some gems I am very glad to have savored. Overall, pleased. Eager for the next! "
— Andan, 2/7/2014 -
" Superb, beautiful imagery and enthralling "
— Peter, 12/30/2013 -
" This book was great once it got going but it took until two-thirds of the way through it for that to happen. Major pacing problems. "
— Jeff, 12/22/2013 -
" I should have re-read the first book before starting this. It took me half the volume to get back into the story. "
— Cori, 12/2/2013 -
" Good read, but a lot of the background arcana is frustratingly opaque and leads to a rather deus ex machine denouement. Luckily the characters are still entertaining and their stories flow pretty well, though that's not quite enough to avoid the middle-novel-of-trilogy dip. "
— Mikolaj, 11/16/2013 -
" captivating, brutal, raw ... a good read ! "
— Dietmar, 10/1/2013 -
" This book seemed to be twice as long as The Steel Remains with about half of the interesting action. The conflicts introduced in book 1 are somewhat expanded and a new overarching quest is introduced but the characters have barely moved anywhere when the books ends. "
— Daniel, 3/4/2013 -
" Could not get past page 30. If pulp fiction doesn't give me a plot and a hero by page 30, I am gone. So many good books, so little time. "
— Ross, 1/5/2013 -
" Even better than the first one. Richard Morgan might just be my favorite author. "
— Leon, 9/6/2012 -
" I've abondoned this book. Not sure when I'll pick it up again. I liked the first book in the series and I'm a huge fan of some of Morgan's other work, but this story just seems to drift. I think when the next one comes out, I'll pick it up again. "
— Jeff, 5/9/2012 -
" Richard Morgan continues to be one of my favorite authors. 'nuff said "
— David, 4/26/2012 -
" Second in the series- fast moving and smart fantasy- although a bit overly violent. Note to author/editors: enough of the double-entendres about swords and male genitalia. :-) "
— Stefan, 12/31/2011
About Richard K. Morgan
Richard K. Morgan is the acclaimed author of Market Forces, Broken Angels, and Altered Carbon, a New York Times Notable Book that also won the Philip K. Dick Award. He lives in Scotland.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.