
The Stone in the Skull
The Lotus Kingdoms, Book 1
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rendah Heywood
-
Firdous Bamji
-
By:
-
Elizabeth Bear
About this listen
The Gage was an artist, once, and a lover. To avenge his murdered beloved, he allowed a sorcerer to sheathe his body in mirrored bronze. His vengeance is complete now; the sorcerer has long since perished. But the Gage endures.
The Dead Man had a purpose once as well: he was raised to be the protector of a Caliph. The Caliph died; the Dead Man did not. Now the Dead Man and the Gage have become companions of the sword, itinerant mercenaries. They have come east and south, through the passes of the Steles of the Sky, bearing a message to the besieged young queen of one of the Lotus Kingdoms. There, they will discover magic, mystery, betrayal, love - and, perhaps, finally, a purpose.
©2017 Sarah Wishnevsky Lynch (P)2017 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Hammered
- Jenny Casey Series, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Bear
- Narrated by: Carolina Hoyos
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once Jenny Casey was somebody's daughter. Once she was somebody's enemy. Now the former Canadian special forces warrior lives on the hellish streets of Hartford, Connecticut, in the year 2062. Racked with pain, hiding from the government she served, running with a crime lord so she can save a life or two, Jenny is a month shy of fifty, and her artificially reconstructed body has started to unravel. But she is far from forgotten. A government scientist needs the perfect subject for a high-stakes project and has Jenny in his sights.
-
-
Gritty cyberpunk with an evil corporation
- By Michael G Kurilla on 08-26-24
By: Elizabeth Bear
-
Gideon the Ninth
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap out of the audio, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse.
-
-
Fun. Not art, very gory, but 100% fun.
- By Sarah K. on 10-27-19
By: Tamsyn Muir
-
This Is How You Lose the Time War
- By: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
- Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?
-
-
Flowery poetic word salad
- By Austin on 02-11-20
By: Amal El-Mohtar, and others
-
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the witch built the 40-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword - and the lovely Princess Floralinda. But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the 40th. In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
-
-
A Joy and a Delight (not for children)
- By Andrew Vigil on 12-02-20
By: Tamsyn Muir
-
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
- By: T. Kingfisher
- Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter, and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance. But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona's worries.
-
-
A tour de force unimaginably good
- By Joella Berkner on 10-21-21
By: T. Kingfisher
-
The Mask of Mirrors
- By: M. A. Carrick
- Narrated by: Nikki Massoud
- Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ren is a liar and a thief, a pattern-reader and a daughter of no clan. Raised in the slums of Nadežra, she fled that world to save her sister. Now, she has returned with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future. But in the city of dreams, her masquerade is just one of many. Enigmatic crime lord Derossi Vargo, stony captain of the guard Grey Serrado, dashing heir Leato Traementis, and the legendary vigilante known as the Rook all have secrets that could unravel her own.
-
-
This is what I come to the fantasy genre for.
- By Julie D. on 02-13-21
By: M. A. Carrick
-
Hammered
- Jenny Casey Series, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Bear
- Narrated by: Carolina Hoyos
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once Jenny Casey was somebody's daughter. Once she was somebody's enemy. Now the former Canadian special forces warrior lives on the hellish streets of Hartford, Connecticut, in the year 2062. Racked with pain, hiding from the government she served, running with a crime lord so she can save a life or two, Jenny is a month shy of fifty, and her artificially reconstructed body has started to unravel. But she is far from forgotten. A government scientist needs the perfect subject for a high-stakes project and has Jenny in his sights.
-
-
Gritty cyberpunk with an evil corporation
- By Michael G Kurilla on 08-26-24
By: Elizabeth Bear
-
Gideon the Ninth
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap out of the audio, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse.
-
-
Fun. Not art, very gory, but 100% fun.
- By Sarah K. on 10-27-19
By: Tamsyn Muir
-
This Is How You Lose the Time War
- By: Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
- Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?
-
-
Flowery poetic word salad
- By Austin on 02-11-20
By: Amal El-Mohtar, and others
-
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower
- By: Tamsyn Muir
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the witch built the 40-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword - and the lovely Princess Floralinda. But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the 40th. In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
-
-
A Joy and a Delight (not for children)
- By Andrew Vigil on 12-02-20
By: Tamsyn Muir
-
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
- By: T. Kingfisher
- Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter, and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance. But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona's worries.
-
-
A tour de force unimaginably good
- By Joella Berkner on 10-21-21
By: T. Kingfisher
-
The Mask of Mirrors
- By: M. A. Carrick
- Narrated by: Nikki Massoud
- Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ren is a liar and a thief, a pattern-reader and a daughter of no clan. Raised in the slums of Nadežra, she fled that world to save her sister. Now, she has returned with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future. But in the city of dreams, her masquerade is just one of many. Enigmatic crime lord Derossi Vargo, stony captain of the guard Grey Serrado, dashing heir Leato Traementis, and the legendary vigilante known as the Rook all have secrets that could unravel her own.
-
-
This is what I come to the fantasy genre for.
- By Julie D. on 02-13-21
By: M. A. Carrick
-
Ancillary Justice
- By: Ann Leckie
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.
-
-
Has some redeeming value, but is deeply flawed
- By Matthew J. Mimnaugh on 08-07-19
By: Ann Leckie
-
The Kaiju Preservation Society
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food-delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization”. Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world.
-
-
I'm listening with a permanent smile on my face
- By Lucy A. Pithecus on 03-15-22
By: John Scalzi
-
New Spring
- The Wheel of Time Prequel
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.
-
-
Read it after reading others in the series
- By Stacy Fair on 12-13-07
By: Robert Jordan
-
The Witness for the Dead
- Book One of the Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy
- By: Katherine Addison
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.
-
-
Same feel, not as satisfying as Goblin Emperor
- By CalyEk on 07-02-21
-
The Drowned Woods
- By: Emily Lloyd-Jones
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict, and eighteen-year-old Mererid “Mer” is well-acquainted with both. She is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Under the prince’s orders, she located the wells of his enemies, and he poisoned them without her knowledge, causing hundreds of deaths. After discovering what he had done, Mer went to great lengths to disappear from his reach. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.
-
-
Hang in there..
- By Trice on 09-25-23
-
The Spare Man
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tesla Crane, one of the richest women in the world, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between Earth and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and her husband is named as the prime suspect. To save him from the frame-up, Tesla will risk exposure and face demons from her past. Even though doing so might make her the next victim.
-
-
Classic mystery, forward worldbuilding
- By Deana on 10-16-22
-
The Killing Moon
- Dreamblood, Book 1
- By: N. K. Jemisin
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe . . . and kill those judged corrupt. But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows.
-
-
Refreshing Take on Fantasy
- By Patrick on 06-22-12
By: N. K. Jemisin
-
The Space Between Worlds
- By: Micaiah Johnson
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total. On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands.
-
-
Refreshing
- By Amazon Customer on 08-19-20
By: Micaiah Johnson
-
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
- Monk & Robot, Book 1
- By: Becky Chambers
- Narrated by: Em Grosland
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
-
-
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
- By Daniel Cascaddan on 07-15-21
By: Becky Chambers
-
The City of Brass
- A Novel
- By: S. A. Chakraborty
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by - palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing - are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs.
-
-
it's a love/hate thing
- By Zahai on 02-28-18
-
The Heroic Age Trilogy
- A Mortal Techniques Box Set
- By: Rob J. Hayes
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 44 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ein is on a mission from God...the God of Death. Time is up for the emperor of Ten Kings, and it falls to Ein, an eight-year-old boy, to render the judgement of the reaper. He can't do it alone, but luckily the world is full of travelling heroes. There's only one catch; in order to serve him, they must first die.
-
-
Amazing narration by Kim Bretton+ incredible story
- By M. Wanchoo on 02-18-22
By: Rob J. Hayes
-
Translation State
- By: Ann Leckie
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Enae's grandmaman passes away, Enae inherits something unexpected: a diplomatic assignment to track down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. No one actually expects Enae to succeed; it's an empty assignment meant to keep hir occupied. But Enae has never had a true purpose—no one ever expected hir to do more than care for grandmaman—so sie is determined to accomplish this task to the best of her ability.
-
-
Single themed and not on par with the series
- By Andrew Pollack on 07-01-23
By: Ann Leckie
What listeners say about The Stone in the Skull
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael G Kurilla
- 08-16-24
A tale in the Lotus Kingdom
Elizabeth Bear’s The Stone in the Skull is part buddy tale between an automaton and his bodyguard, the ‘dead man’ carrying a secret message and part succession obsessed with two women, one a widow and son and the other never married, each trying to hold their realms together while war is brewing. The automaton and the dead man provide the environmental overview as they traverse the lands on their mission to deliver their message, while both women are struggling with maintain their positions of leadership against growing headwinds.
Bear offers an extremely slow intro, setting up what begins as three separate storylines. The ‘bromance’ supplies background on the political and military situation throughout the region. Each woman has unique issues as they struggle to retain power and influence in their respective realms.
The narration is adequate with the choice of two narrators highlighting shifts in perspective. Character distinction is reasonable. Pacing is slow.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jesslyn H
- 12-07-17
Wonderful
While I was listening to this book on audio, I kept thinking "This is like beautiful poetry. This is like a 5 course dinner". I don't even LIKE poetry and am not sure that a formal cruise ship dinner rates as any 5-course, but it was the only way my brain could interpret and define how beautifully Ms Bear put her words and this story together.
This story is about as far from fast-paced as you can get, but it builds and builds and builds while you realize what it's all about. Women and (in)equality of power, prejudice, religion, gender identity, life, love....and magic.
All of that sounds like an exhausting list, but is done so subtly that you don't get hit over the head with anything. Much like the exquisite unwinding of her language, the plot slowly unwinds as well. Right up to the bang at the end.
I cannot express how eager I am to get my hands on the rest of the series. This book was VERY well done. Hm....re-reading my review. Perhaps I used the wrong analogy; some of you lucky souls will get what I mean. :)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Radagast_Brown
- 09-17-19
Great World Building
Loved the world Elizabeth Bear built, and all the vivid, living, breathing, flawed characters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bells
- 08-19-21
not her best book
Elizabeth Bear is an amazing author... but I'm 3/4 of the way through this book and I have no idea what the point is. it's 3/4 of the book is character development... without any idea of what the story is... I kind of feel like that's not a great example of her writing.
most of her books have excellent character development but also have an excellent plotline. intricate and interwoven... but not this book.
I definitely recommend reading all of Elizabeth Bear's other works before you start him on this one because this one might turn you off from her writing.
and 3/4 of the way through the book and I am giving up on it 😓 usually if I start a book I finish it even if I hate it... but this book made me want to not listen to my audible and instead I began reading books again to avoid it... I decided that's a really reasonable bar for abandoning it.
but again she is an amazing writer... I just have no idea what the point of this book is and I don't think I should have to read the whole thing just to find out.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. Dent
- 04-13-19
I have the digital print book and love it
The two readers are an interesting approach - though they use different pronunciations for some of the character names with is a bit jarring. The story itself is wonderful - interesting characters, beautiful settings, intriguing magic and political situation - there is at least one more book forthcoming in this series. If you liked STELES OF THE SKY you will like this - it's set in the same world some 40 years after that story ends.
My low overall rating is because this is billed as "unabridged" and the tech support person confirmed this. It isn't. It's missing a segment that's in the printed book and while the love scene that's been clipped isn't critical a further part of the story IS. I've already talked to tech support and we re-downloaded the book to no avail, it absolutely is not in there. And that, far more than the two readers differing pronunciation of the names, is quite disappointing to me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful