The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms Audiobook By N. K. Jemisin cover art

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Casaundra Freeman
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After her mother's mysterious death, a young woman is summoned to the floating city of Sky in order to claim a royal inheritance she never knew existed in the first book in this award-winning fantasy trilogy from the NYT bestselling author of The Fifth Season.

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.

With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate -- and gods and mortals -- are bound inseparably together.

Accolades & Awards

Locus Award
2011
Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Locus Award Epic Action & Adventure

Critic reviews

"In the first book of Jemisin's richly detailed Inheritance trilogy, an outcast heroine must find a way to hold her own amid the treachery of her grandfather's court. I've got a special place in my heart for political intrigue, so this book was a delight through and through!"—Cassandra Clare
"THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS is the provocative and exciting debut novel by a writer whose work I hope to be reading for a long time to come."

—Kate Elliott, author of Shadow Gate
"In THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, N.K. Jemisin has created a smart, passionate heroine and an extraordinary world. Marvelous work from a marvelous storyteller!"—Carol Berg, author of Breath and Bone
"Many books are good, some are great, but few are truly important. Add to this last category The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin's debut novel... This is the must-read fantasy of the year."—Booklist

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Imaginative Worldbuilding • Complex Mythology • Distinct Character Voices • Unique Fantasy Elements • Masterful Performance

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If you're into a fantasy world political thriller with a kind of a supernatural theme added in for good measure, then this book is for you. Love, politics, suspense, twists, plots, subplots... This book has it all. There's something in it for everyone, in my opinion. A great story from the author and a wonderful performance by the voice actor performing this wonderful story. Great job.

Bravo!

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After listening to the Broken Earth trilogy, at the beginning of this audiobook I was rather disappointed. I thought it lacked the nuance and interest that series made me fall in love with and, at first. While I would certainly not describe this as a quite to the level that the first two books of Broken Earth manage to reach, it eventually becomes this absolutely entrancing tale that I really loved. All that introduction to the world was absolutely necessary too as it does set up the central mysteries, it's just hard to see at first. The characters are well drawn and the questions the book asks, while not as necessarily deep as Broken Earth, are still important and interesting. The best part is that this feels like a complete story in isolation, so even if you do not intend on finishing the series right away this book serves as a fantastic standalone novel. As I am getting into the sequel I am realizing there are important thematic questions the book poses which remain unanswered and I am unraveling more of this rabbit hole of analysis that fantasy can provide of the human condition.

The narration is fairly top notch as well. The character voices are memorable and distinct. They remain animated but not overly animated throughout the telling. It's the kind of narration that doesn't draw attention to itself above the source material, which is, in my view, the goal.

Takes a Second But Eventually Pops Off

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run of the mill fantasy plot with unique world-building and excellent narration. i really enjoyed it

very enjoyable

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I loved this. Such beautiful writing and command of form. Parallels to our existence while dreaming new worlds. Here for the ride and can’t wait to keep going

Beautiful world building

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Like most books halfway through I wondered where it would take me. The book is original, relatable, dark, and whimsical all in one. It is a great beginning to the trilogy and starts to build the world that the next books will be in. I can’t wait to read the next book.

The performance was on point. There was energy and emotion in the characters. They were really brought to life.

Another great story

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