David Drake has 36 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 13 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.9★ across 39 ratings. The most-rated is In the Heart of Darkness.
To Clear Away the Shadows
Summary
NEW ENTRY IN DAVID DRAKE'S LANDMARK RCN SERIES ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE The truce between Cinnabar and the Alliance is holding, and the Republic of Cinnabar Navy is able to explore regions of the galaxy without the explorers being swept up in great power conflict. The Far Traveller is probing sponge space to open routes for Cinnabar traders - and for RCN warships if war breaks out again. But besides astrogation, the Far Traveller is to survey and catalog life forms on the worlds it touches. Harry Harper has just been posted to the Traveller. He's an RCN officer by convention, a scientist by training - and a member of one of leading aristocratic families on Cinnabar by birth. Lieutenant Rick Grenville would rather serve on a warship in the heart of battle, but peace and the whim of the Navy Board have put him on an exploration vessel instead. He finds that the dangers on the fringes of civilization are just as great as those from missiles and gunfire that he expected to face. As internal struggles cause the Alliance to relax its iron grip, regional forces are attempting to increase their own power - and they're not fussy about the means they use. Besides the biological answers that officials on Cinnabar expect the Far Traveller to find, the ship's Director of Science, Doctor Veil, has her own agenda: to learn more about the Archaic Spacefarers who roamed the universe tens of thousands of years before humans reached the stars. The crew of the Far Traveller is poised to clear more of the shadows away from the deep past than ever before in human history - if they survive. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for prequel Though Hell Should Bar the Way: “Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake’s skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today." (The Daily News of Galveston County)
©2019 David Drake (P)2019 Audible, Inc.
Blood and War
Summary
The human race had settled more than a hundred worlds before it met the Emerging Planets Fairness Court - six alien species who sit in judgment on all galactic newcomers. Soon the human fleets - even the troubleshooting Harriers - find themselves under the eyes of stern overseers known as the Mromrosii.
©1993 Bill Fawcett and Associates (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
The Reformer
Summary
On this planet, humans had forgotten their heritage - until it came looking for them! After the collapse of the galactic Web, civilizations crumbled and chaos reigned on thousands of planets. Only on planet Bellevue was there a difference. There, a Fleet Battle Computer named Center had survived from the old civilization. When it found Raj Whitehall, the man who could execute its plan for reviving human civilization, he and Center started Bellevue back on the road leading to the stars; and when Bellevue reached that goal, Center sent copies of itself and Raj to the thousands of worlds still waiting for the light of civilization to dawn. On Hafardine, civilization had fallen further than most. That men came from the stars was not even a rumor of memory in Adrian Gellert's day. The Empire of Vanbret spread across the lands in a sterile splendor that could end only in another collapse, more ignominious and complete than the first. Adrian Gellert was a philosopher, a Student of the Grove. His greatest desire was a life of contemplation in the service of wisdom...until he touched the "holy relic" that contained the disincarnate minds of Raj Whitehall and Center. On that day, Adrian's search for wisdom would lead him to a life of action, from the law courts of Vanbret to the pirate cities of the Archipelago and battlefields bloodier than any in the history he'd learned. The prize was the future of humanity.
©2000 David Drake, S.M. Stirling (P)2020 Recorded Books Inc.
What Distant Deeps
Summary
No rest for the weary....Captain Daniel Leary and his friend, the spy Adele Mundy, have been in the front lines of Cinnabar's struggle against the totalitarian Alliance. Now these galactic superpowers have signed a peace of mutual exhaustion - but the jackals are moving in! The Republic of Cinnabar was on the verge of collapse under the weight of taxes, casualties, and war's disruption of trade. That the Alliance of Free Stars was in even worse condition helped only because it has made peace possible. Years of war have been hard on Daniel and harder still on Adele, whose life outside information-gathering is a tightrope between despair and deadly violence. Their masters in the RCN and the Republic's intelligence service have sent them to the fringes of human space to relax away from danger. But the barbarians of the outer reaches have their own plans, plans which will bring down both Cinnabar and the Alliance. The enemies of peace include traitors, giant reptiles, and barbarian pirates whose ships can outsail even Daniel Leary's splendid corvette, the Princess Cecile. Unless Daniel, Adele, and their unlikely allies succeed, galactic civilization will disintegrate into blood and chaos. So they will succeed - or they'll die trying!
©2010 David Drake (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
The Steel
Summary
On a mission to reunite the planet Bellvue, Raj Whitehall and his men must conquer a group of barbarians or else his civilization could plunge into an era of darkness.
©1993 S.M. Stirling and David Drake (P)2019 Recorded Books
Some Golden Harbor
Summary
The tyrannical Alliance continues its war against the Republic of Cinnabar, and Daniel Leary, newly promoted to Commander, and his crew have a new mission: stop Dunbar's World from falling to an invasion by the planet Pellegrino. Nataniel Arruns, son of the dictator of Pellegrino, has landed with a large contingent, intending to set himself up as the ruling warlord, with the planet's population becoming serfs of the Pellegrinian overlords. And Dunbar's world has no more than their local police force to oppose him.Leary again commands the corvette Princess Cecile, but on this mission her missile tubes are empty. Only one man is in a position to aid Leary, but the rich and powerful would rather see him fail than succeed in stopping the invasion. Leary must somehow overcome a large entrenched force on an island defended by powerful plasma cannon and shipkilling missiles and backed up by a heavily armed warship in orbit, all while commanding only a small and virtually unarmed spacecraft.But Leary again has the help of Signals Officer Adele Mundy, who can make computer networks do the apparently impossible. Leary, Mundy, and the crew of the Princess Cecile have gone up against impossible odds before, and their opponents in those victorious missions are still wondering just what hit them.
©2006 David Drake (P)2008 Audible, Inc.
The Far Side of the Stars
Summary
While the Republic of Cinnabar is at peace with the Alliance, warriors like Lt. Daniel Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy must find other work, like escorting a pair of wealthy nobles on an expedition to the back of beyond! The Princess Cecile, the corvette in which they carved their reputations in letters of fire, has been sold as a private yacht, but she still has her guns, her missiles, and her veteran crew. Daniel and Adele will need all of those things as they face winged dragons, an Alliance auxiliary cruiser, jealous lovers, and a mysterious oracle that really does foresee the future. That won't be enough, though, when they penetrate a secret Alliance base and find a hostile fleet ready for a war that will sweep Cinnabar out of a strategically crucial arm of the galaxy. Preventing that will involve skill, courage, and more luck than a sane man could even pray for; and it will require a space battle on a scale that a tiny corvette like the Princess Cecile has no business being involved in. But she'll be in the middle of it anyway, because Daniel, Adele, and their Cinnabar crew would never turn their backs on a fight! BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author David Drake.
©2003 David Drake (P)2008 Audible, Inc.
The Storm
Summary
The thrilling re-telling of Arthurian legend from master of science fiction and fantasy David Drake continues! A young Champion must rescue a friend and battle an enemy at the heart of a chaotic world. The universe has shattered into chaos and monsters. Jon, the Leader, is dedicating his life to reuniting the scattered hamlets into a Commonwealth where all humans can live protected against the darkness and the things that live in that darkness. But no man can reshape the universe by himself. Jon has Makers to build weapons and clerks to handle the business of government - but he also needs Champions to face the powers of chaos which will not listen to any argument but force. Lord Pal of Beune is one of those Champions. He has fought monsters and evil on behalf of Mankind, and he will fight them again. But now Guntram, the man who transformed Pal from an ignorant rube into a bulwark of the Commonwealth, has disappeared. Pal must locate his friend and mentor - and then he must battle an entity which may be at the core of the splintered universe! Pal of Beune: A humane man in a universe full of inhumanity. Pal of Beune: A strong man in a universe where some recognize only strength. Pal of Beune: A hero who will keep going until something stops him - and who hasn't been stopped yet! “I finished The Storm last night. I loved it. It was such a sweet read. Pal is one of [Drake’s] best people, humane and strong and generous, and his voice carries the whole book.” (Cecelia Holland, author, The Sea Beggars) “Counterbalancing the setting’s strangeness, Pal himself is thoroughly levelheaded and decent, the kind of hero readers will enjoy rooting for. This is an enjoyable exploration of a pleasantly peculiar world.” (Publishers Weekly) "...a wonderful cast of characters in a fabulous world of courtiers, peasants, Beasts, and mysterious Envoys. Drake has imbued Arthurian legend with a convincing SF spin." (Booklist)
©2019 David Drake (P)2019 Audible, Inc.
Classic Tales of Horror
Summary
This collection of classic horror stories is sure to give you goose bumps, raise the hair on the back of your neck, and put some fright in your night. Includes Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch, Coin of the Realm by Charles L. Grant, Something Had to be Done by David Drake, The Graveyard Rats by Henry Kuttner, The Small Assassin by Ray Bradbury, Calling Card by Ramsey Campbell, The Words of Guru by C.M. Kornbluth, and Passengers by Robert Silverberg.
©1998 Martin Greenberg (P)2016 Phoenix Books
The Heretic
Summary
Abel Dashian's world doesn't need a hero. Duisberg is one of thousands of planets plunged into darkness and chaos by the collapse of the galactic republic, but where other worlds have begun to rebuild a star-travelling culture, Duisberg remains in an uneasy balance between mud-brick civilization and bloodthirsty barbarism. The people of Duisberg have a god: Zentrum, a supercomputer from the ancient past. Zentrum has decided to avoid another collapse by preventing civilization from rising from where it is. And because even a supercomputer and the powerful religion which it founded cannot block all progress, Zentrum has another tool: Every few centuries the barbarians sweep in from the desert, slaughtering the educated classes and cowing the peasants back into submission. These are the Blood Winds, and the Blood Winds are about to blow again. This time, however, there's a difference: Abel Dashian, son of a military officer, has received into his mind the spirit of Raj Whitehall, the most successful general in the history of the planet Bellevue - and of Center, the supercomputer which enabled Raj to shatter his planet's barbarians and permit the return of civilization. One hero can't stop the tide of barbarians unless he has his own culture supporting him. To save Duisberg, Abel must break the power of Zentrum. With the help of Raj and Center, Abel Dashian must become...The Heretic!
©2013 David Drake and Tony Daniel (P)2021 Recorded Books Inc.
The Hammer
Summary
A monolithic computer is using General Raj Whitehall to reunite the planet and start humanity back on the road to technological achievement, but armies of musket- and saber-wielding barbarians stand in the way.
©1992 S.M. Stirling and David Drake (P)2019 Recorded Books
The Tyrant
Summary
On the planet Hafardine, civilization must rediscover progress or collapse. Adrian, guided by disembodied electronic mentors from space, has brought gunpowder and steam power to the Kingdom of the Isles to break the stranglehold of the Empire. But he will have to avoid being killed by the suspicious king he serves, by the barbarians he must recruit, and even by his insanely vengeful brother.
©2002 Eric Flint and David Drake (P)2021 Recorded Books
The Way to Glory
Summary
Riots blaze in the streets of Cinnabar, threatening not only the Government but the Republic of Cinnabar Navy. The forces of the tyrannical Alliance are probing outnumbered Cinnabar garrisons among the distant stars, using guile and treachery as well as brute strength. Lt. Daniel Leary has earned promotion, but politics have put him under an officer whose paranoia has already led him to execute men out of hand. Signals Officer Adele Mundy has repeatedly proved her loyalty as Cinnabar's most accomplished intelligence agent, but now elements within the Republic want to draw her into a conspiracy like the one that led to her rich and powerful family's massacre. Leary and Mundy must face riot-torn streets, spies in an outlying base, and an anarchic planet where violence is the only law. Only if they succeed at every stage will they reach the final test: a space battle against an overwhelming Alliance force. Even for Daniel Leary it will be a difficult fight to win, and almost impossible to survive.
©2005 David Drake (P)2008 Audible, Inc.
The Chosen
Summary
The hottest team in military SF is back in action - with Book I of a red-hot sequel to The General series! Planted by interstellar probes on hundreds of human-occupied worlds, the downloaded personalities of Raj Whitehall and the ancient battle computer known as Center work together for planetary unity. Their goal is to prepare those worlds for membership in the Second Federation of Man. But on one planet they do the opposite: on Visager they work to prevent unity. For on Visager a nation-state of vicious militarists is about to start the final war to unite their world - once that is accomplished and their technology has matured they will turn outward, bringing their fatal racist infection to the stars. John Hosten is the son of a high general of the Chosen. Jeffrey Fair is the son of an admiral of the only nation on Visager that might be capable of halting the onslaught. Through a strange twist of fate they have become as brothers united in their hatred of all that the Chosen hope to do. Only they - with the aid of the disembodied voices of their mentors from the stars - stand between eternal tyranny for their world and eternal war for the galaxy.
©2012 S. M. Stirling (P)2020 Recorded Books, Inc.
The Sword
Summary
For five years Raj Whitehall has led his men across the face of the planet Bellevue. With saber and bayonet he has conquered one barbarian nation after another. Now his greatest enemy is his own overlord, Barholm Clerett, who’s so paranoid of Raj’s victories that he is reduced to only one thought: Raj Whitehall must die.
©1995 S.M. Stirling and David Drake (P)2020 Recorded Books
The Forge
Summary
On a planet that was once part of a vast interstellar civilization, humans survive on the edge of barbarism amid the ruins of the once-great empire.
©1991 S.M. Stirling & David Drake (P)2019 Recorded Books