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Dark Eden

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About this listen

Dark Eden was shortlisted for the BSFA Best Novel award, and was the winner of the 2013 Arthur C. Clarke award.

A marooned outpost of humanity struggles to survive on a startlingly alien world. John Redlantern, one of the 532 degenerating descendants of two marooned space explorers, will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family, and change history. He will be the first to abandon hope, the first to abandon the old ways, the first to kill another, the first to venture into the Dark, and the first to discover the truth about Eden....

Chris Beckett is a university lecturer living in Cambridge. He has written over 20 short stories, many of them originally published in Interzone and Asimov's. In 2009 he won the Edge Hill Short Story competition for his collection of stories, The Turing Test.

©2013 Chris Beckett (P)2013 Audible Ltd Science Fiction Fiction Mind-bending

Critic reviews

"A classic theme, beautifully told" (Sunday Telegraph)

"Brilliantly brought to life by Chris Beckett, a dazzlingly inventive science-fiction writer... superbly well paced and well written, packed with ideas" (A.N Wilson, Reader's Digest)

"Human plight and alien planet are both superbly evoked in a captivating and haunting book" (Daily Mail)

"Dark Eden is an incredible novel" (SFBooks)

"Dark Eden is stunningly written" (SciFiNow)

"... a strong contender for science-fiction novel of the year...There's no justice if Dark Eden, with its beautiful, terrifying planet, slowly revealed, fails to bring Beckett awards." (Sunday Times)

"... a superior piece of theologically nuanced science fiction... I for one would relish reading a sequel" (Guardian)
All stars
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Great book. Imaginative blend of Adam and Eve and Lord of the Flies. Creates a world of living things in a world without light, seasons or time. Great story, believable characters who are not overly sentimental.

Prolific reader

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. Beckett has writing skills and the imagination to show a reader a beautifully formed world, a world I loved inhabiting and was sad to have to leave behind.

What did you like best about this story?

The world building through language and the philosophical questions it raised about the beginnings of society and humanity.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Hembrough and Jessica Martin – was your favourite?

Lizzy Spiketree. She evolved beautifully through the story, watching the main character, evolve in his own way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The heart-stopping moment Lizzy was about to be attacked had such tragic consequences it was difficult not to be moved.

Any additional comments?

The story still runs in my mind; I wonder where the small band of pioneers is now.

Impeccable World Building

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This is a well written story by a talented author - I enjoyed the thoughtfully developed theme. I saw the book was coming to an end and was natually expecting there to be a sequel - but there appears to be no sequel and the book just seemed to stop. I had the feeling that the author just got bored with his work.The official critics out takes appear to suggest the book is excellent and make no mention of the abrupt ending. Perhaps I am so use to SciFi authors writing endless shaggy dog stories volume after volume, that I natuarally expected a follow on. Anyway - enjoyable while it lasted, can do better! Please be a little more friendly to the reader or listener next time. I found the reading to be good, and matched the mood of the story well.

A Dark Ending Indeed

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This story has a great stage. A rogue planet: A planet without a sun where the majority of life on the planet has evolved bioluminescence to survive. There are some good compelling character arches and the plot continues to move throughout.

Performances from both narrators are great. Their voices clearly define different characters and have the range from young to old making both sound comfortable. One little thing that did annoy me is that the characters in the book repeat words to emphasise (saying "cold cold" rather than "really cold") and each narrator delivers this in different ways. Would've been nice to have consistency (I prefer the man's delivery) but this is a very little niggle.

A great read (listen).

Compelling characters on a rogue planet

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Would you consider the audio edition of Dark Eden to be better than the print version?

I think the readers performances added an extra dimension to an already good experience!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story flowed very well and held my interest constantly. Definitely a book I could listen to in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

This story is an excellent example of a well balanced book. It combines an interesting concept and situation in a not to unlikely future with excellent characters, well paced storyline and good plot.
I was very pleasantly surprise with this book!

Very well put together and enjoyable!

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