Darien cover art

Darien

Empire of Salt Trilogy, Book 1

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Darien

By: C. F. Iggulden
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Darien by C.F. Iggulden, read by Daniel Weyman.

TWELVE FAMILIES. ONE THRONE. WELCOME TO THE EMPIRE OF SALT.

The city of Darien stands at the weary end of a golden age. Twelve families keep order with soldiers and artefacts, spies and memories, clinging to a peace that shifts and crumbles. The people of the city endure what they cannot change.

Here, amongst old feuds, a plot is hatched to kill a king. It will summon strangers to the city - Elias Post, a hunter, Tellius, an old swordsman banished from his home, Arthur, a boy who cannot speak, Daw Threefold, a chancer and gambler, Vic Deeds, who feels no guilt - and Nancy, a girl whose talent might be the undoing of them all.

As the sun sets, their arrival inside the walls will spark a series of explosive events. Before the sun returns, six destinies will have been made - and lost - in Darien.

©2017 Penguin Audio (P)2017 Penguin Audio
Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Historical Fiction Thought-Provoking

Listeners also enjoyed...

EMPEROR: The Gates of Rome, Book 1 (Unabridged) cover art
The Ill-Made Knight cover art
Nolyn cover art
Warrior: The Epic Story of Caratacus, Warrior Briton and Enemy of the Roman Empire cover art
The Dreams of a Dying God cover art
Young Bloods cover art
The Emperor's Blades cover art
The Midnight Sea cover art
Lionheart cover art
Marius' Mules I: The Invasion of Gaul cover art
Viking Slave cover art
The Nightblade Epic cover art
Hannibal: Enemy of Rome cover art
The Scour cover art
The Malevolent Seven cover art
Eagles at War cover art

Critic reviews

"A master storyteller." (Sunday Express)

"Iggulden is in a class of his own." (Daily Mirror)

"One of our finest historical novelists." (Daily Express)

All stars
Most relevant
Not since LOTR or Thomas Covenant was I as gripped by a fantasy novel. anti heroes, tavern wenches turning into mythical.beings and characters made immediately likeable. despite their flaws. wonderful!. Shane Egan Clonmel.

fantasy, yet fulfilling.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next instalment of the story.
Great characters and storylines. Loved the magical gifts.
I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.
More please!

Harry Potter with a sprinkling of Game of Thrones!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great fantasy novel. Good story and good narrator. Looking forward to part 2. Highly recommended

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great story, great performance, caught my imagination and held it. Looking forward to the next book.

BRilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

So beautifully read the story captures you and the narrator doesn't intrude. As usual, Conn Igulden tells a gripping tale with a lot of blood shed and violence, yet it never seems over done or gratuitous. I'm a bit puzzled by the inclusion of the Bible into this fantasy world which is why I gave it 4*, but maybe in the following books that will be explained. It just felt odd to have our universe included. But I'm looking forward to buying the next book.

Stunning, but bloody!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews