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The Steel Remains Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,023 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ringil, the hero of the bloody slaughter at Gallows Gap, is a legend to all who don't know him and a twisted degenerate to those that do. A veteren of the wars against the lizards, he makes a living from telling credulous travelers of his exploits. Until one day he is pulled away from his life and into the depths of the Empire's slave trade, where he will discover a secret infinitely more frightening than the trade in lives.
Archeth—pragmatist, cynic, engineer, and the last of her race—is called from her work at the whim of the most powerful man in the Empire and sent to its farthest reaches to investigate a demonic incursion against the Empire's borders.
Egar Dragonbane, steppe-nomad and one-time fighter for the Empire, finds himself entangled in a small-town battle between common sense and religious fervor. But out in the wider world there is something on the move far more alien than any of his tribe's petty gods.
Anti-social, anti-heroic, and decidedly irritated, all three of them are about to be sent unwillingly forth into a vicious, vigorous, and thoroughly unsuspecting fantasy world—called upon by an Empire that owes them everything and gave them nothing.
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"Couldn't ask for a better fantasy story. I loved it despite the fact that it was so surreal in parts that I needed a second reading to fully appreciate it. Homophobes beware, though. This will definitely get your dander up, and most of us just don't want to hear it. Go back reading Mein Kampf or coloring with crayon or whatever you do for fun."
— Daniel (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Morgan has taken traditional sword and sorcery tropes and given them a hard, contemporary kick. The antithesis of the cosy fairytale, this one is for big boys.”
— Times (London) -
“Spellbinding…There’s so much to like about the adventure.”
— Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger -
“The well-developed characters and realistic battle scenes ring true, as do some gruesomely explicit sex scenes…[A] dark, gritty tale.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The award-winning author of Altered Carbon and Market Forces brings the same iconoclastic approach to his fantasy debut as he did to his SF technothrillers…Morgan’s storytelling talent and his atmospheric, hard-hitting prose make this a strong addition to mature fantasy collections.”
— Library Journal -
“Morgan takes plot elements that are as old as those of Lord of the Rings or Conan the Barbarian and gives them a freshness by importing many of the themes that drove his sci-fi work.”
— Bookmarks magazine -
“Bold, brutal, and making no compromises—Morgan doesn’t so much twist the clichés of fantasy as take an axe to them.”
— Joe Abercrombie, author of the First Law trilogy -
“Absolutely stunning. A gritty, well-constructed tale, this dark, haunting story is about a man who has seen and done terrible things. Not a typical epic fantasy, it will provide a challenge to many readers, but it’s absolutely worth reading.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!)
The Steel Remains Listener Reviews
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" Highly interesting and original foray in to fantasy noir for Richard Morgan, but I still prefer his purely Sci-Fi Takeshi Kovacs series. Dialogue is not so great, but the story is. "
— Keith, 2/11/2014 -
" Similar writing style to Morgan's other books, the characters are no nonsense and Morgan keeps the reader buried in the action, with just enough back story to have things make sense. Definitely a departure from normal large scale fantasy and in a good way. Looking forward to more in this series. Recommended. "
— Jesse, 2/1/2014 -
" First book in a series of 3. I preferred Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs series to this one. "
— Ronald, 1/18/2014 -
" Not up to the standards of his other works. Characters not as compelling nor is the storyline. Well written solid work, but his other stuff is so good that this disappoints in comparison. "
— Dave, 1/8/2014 -
" haven't read a fantasy novel since being 15. but this one really is great. mixing fantasy and thriller elements in the same vain as harry potter is a fast paces, brutal and very explicit tour de force disrespecting of any of the genres stereotypes - rather the opposite it makes good fun of them. "
— Christoph, 1/7/2014 -
" The first fantasy series by Morgan. And so every much worth it. Deeply flawed protagonists and a grim, nasty culture (slavery, social decay, decadence and a questionable sexual morality) makes it not for everyone, I guess, but hey. I loved it. "
— Sander, 12/5/2013 -
" Vintage Richard Morgan, but in a fantasy vein. "
— Michael, 6/20/2013 -
" Not sure yet. Having trouble getting on with it. There's a lot that's bugging me about it... "
— Mark, 5/29/2013 -
" 1 thumb up for interesting, non-conventional lead character. 1 thumb down for lamest plot ever. "
— Meredith, 4/26/2013 -
" Meh. Good fight scenes. That was the highlight. "
— Marc, 3/7/2013 -
" I love Richard Morgan and i must say that having a gay "Conan" was a great plot device but still not enough to highly recommend. THere are much better books out there by Morgan. "
— Daniel, 12/22/2012 -
" I thought this book was amazing. Violent, explicit sex (gay, lesbian, and het) - I have a hair-pulling kink and this book had not just one great one but two. This won't be to everyone's taste, but if you're into m/m fiction, give this one a go. "
— Hpstrangelove, 9/23/2011 -
" Really enjoyed this, and am looking forward to the sequel. "
— Anthony, 5/14/2011 -
" Kind of creepy "homo-erotica" I was not expecting. "
— Jeffrey, 5/4/2011 -
" If you like dark fantasy worlds and bitter but well intentioned heroes, who also happen to be badasses, this is the series for you. First book was great. I'm looking forward to the sequel come October. "
— jess7ica, 5/3/2011 -
" Super-duper adult fantasy. As is normal for Morgan, lots of violence and sex, so if you don't like that, don't bother. For others, though, this is a hugely rewarding read. "
— David, 4/26/2011 -
" Interesting choice for a hero, I hope there are more... "
— Donald, 4/25/2011 -
" I thought this book was amazing. Violent, explicit sex (gay, lesbian, and het) - I have a hair-pulling kink and this book had not just one great one but two. This won't be to everyone's taste, but if you're into m/m fiction, give this one a go. "
— Hpstrangelove, 4/1/2011 -
" A pretty good book, with entertaining protagonists and decent if a bit shallow villains. Interesting to have a very gay and very violent lead character, even if the sex scenes weren't to my taste. Definitely enjoyable. "
— Nate, 3/1/2011
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.