Ninth City Burning

By: J. Patrick Black

Narrated by: Suzanne Elise Freeman, Lincoln Hoppe, Ryan Gesell, Johnathan McClain, Mike Chamberlain, Susan Hanfield, Ariadne Meyers

For fans of Red Rising, Starship Troopers, and Ender’s Game comes an explosive, epic science fiction debut...

We never saw them coming.

Entire cities disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but dust and rubble. When an alien race came to make Earth theirs, they brought with them a weapon we had no way to fight, a universe-altering force known as thelemity. It seemed nothing could stop it—until we discovered we could wield the power too.

Five hundred years later, the Earth is locked in a grinding war of attrition. The talented few capable of bending thelemity to their will are trained in elite military academies, destined for the front lines. Those who refused to support the war have been exiled to the wilds of a ruined Earth.

But the enemy's tactics are changing, and Earth's defenders are about to discover this centuries-old war has only just begun. As a terrible new onslaught looms, heroes will rise from unlikely quarters, and fight back.

Critic reviews

Praise for Ninth City Burning

"Grabbed my attention from the first page—fresh and un-put-downable. An intriguing cocktail of science fiction, fantasy, and military adventure stirred into something new and satisfying."—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fire Touched

“A finely crafted and original science-fantasy epic full of wonder and spectacle. Highly recommended.”—Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Waking Fire

“Ninth City Burning is simultaneously an epic fantasy, a science fiction adventure, a coming of age story, and a delight.” —Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of A Red Rose Chain

“Fans of Ender, Harry Potter, Starship Troopers, and manga-style armored mobile suits will find Black’s debut the perfect ticket to a fantastic new world…This thrilling kickoff to an action-packed series will appeal to those who enjoy science fiction mixed with fantasy.” –Booklist

“Black is a fresh new voice who pays respect to the classics of SF in this enjoyable adventure debut…Given this strong foundation, readers can expect more thrilling adventures from this new author.”—Publishers Weekly

"Ninth City Burning is an intense, complex, engrossing story, a tale of multiple lives intersecting… Fans of both fantasy and science-fiction will want to keep an eye out for the next, and the next… "—Jean Johnson, national bestselling author of The Terrans

Complex, Complete, Entertaining

Fantastic detailed characters. Imaginative unique story. Artfully narrated. Thoughtful. Emotional. Worth every damn cent. Bravo.

unsure

There isn't a second book. It's publication was canceled. This book is ok. I started searching to see if this is a series. My gut says that there will be a lot of questions once I'm finished.

great listen, highly recommend

well written characters who are brought to life by each narrator so well! the story is intriguing and keeps up even for a second listen 4/5 years later

Awesome performances and great story

The story is very fluid and you really get a good sense of the struggles and emotions of the characters. As a huge fan of science fiction, the mixture of magic and technology really impressed me, and the detail through which it is explained really drew me in and I would listen to the same part a few times so I could really grasp the concept myself. The performances of the narrarators are really well done, none really standing out over the others, although my favorite was probably kisabelle(not sure of the spelling)

great listen

great story and characters I was hooked, it took me a few tries to get into the first chapter but after that I couldn't stop