Empire in Black and Gold
- Author Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrator Ben Allen
- Publisher Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date 10 December 2020
- Run Time 23 hours and 5 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Adventure fiction, Contemporary fantasy, Epic fantasy / heroic fantasy, Fantasy, Insects (entomology), Science fiction: steampunk.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Flexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only $7.95.
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- $13.95
- $12.95
- $11.95
- $10.95
- $9.95
Listen to a sample
What to expect
The days of peace are over.
Empire in Black and Gold is the first instalment in the critically-acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It is a world populated by kinden – species of human that have taken on the characteristics of animals, from spiders and ants to scorpions . . .
‘Brimming with imagination’ – SciFiNow
In the Lowlands, the city states have lived in peace for decades – hailed as bastions of civilization. Yet that peace is about to end. A distant empire has been conquering neighbours with highly trained soldiers and sophisticated combat techniques. And the city states are its desirable new prize.
As the empire's armies march ever closer, only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – foresees the threat. And so it falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of the cities’ leaders. He sees that war will sweep through their lands, destroying everything in its path.
But to warn his people, he must stay alive.
Empire in Black and Gold is followed by the second book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Dragonfly Falling.
The entire series is narrated by Ben Allen (Alien Clay). Listeners love the series in audio:
‘Fantastic narration that really got you to imagine this amazing world’
‘You get consumed into the world and its characters’
‘The characters are distinct with masterful accents’
‘The narration and sound design is jaw-dropping’
‘Ben Allen's narration was frankly phenomenal all the way through’
Critics Review
User Reviews
So I'm not sure about xigxag, which is a shame.
This was a good production with a great narrator, who carefully built up the large cast of characters using distinctive voices and accents for each one. By the time you get towards the end, he's performing these voices like a cast of thousands..
As to the book itself, it's okay. It's a fantasy series in which humans have affinities with different insects and arachnids. So there are beetle people, ant people, mantis people, and so on (and everyone hates the wasps, natch) and some of them have Art (magic) and some of them have Engineering. It's different to read a fantasy novel in which people fight with swords and bows, yes, but also primitive machine guns and grenades. There are engines, airshipsu2026 it's a steampunk world with a bit of mysticism and magic.
All quite enjoyable, but then there's all the fighting. As other reviewers have noted, there is a LOT of fighting, and I did find myself drifting off and losing track of all the fight scenes.
So I find myself hesitating about whether to continue. On the one hand, it's a complete series, so no danger of being left high and dry. On the other hand: ten volumes. This was already 628 print pages (nearly 24 hours). I canu2019t imagine getting through ten of these
More from the same
About xigxag
Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.