The Crypt: Shakedown cover art

The Crypt: Shakedown

The Crypt, 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.

The Crypt: Shakedown

By: Scott Sigler
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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 £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

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

The only way out is to die...

Few know the warship’s actual name. Fewer still know what it really is. And almost no one knows of its unique ability, an ability that could tilt the balance of power if not outright win the war.

But everyone has heard the rumors. Rumors about the worst place the Planetary Union Fleet can send you. Rumors of a ship with an eighty percent crew mortality rate. In these hushed, fearful whispers, the ship does have a name.
People call it “the Crypt,” because those aboard are as good as dead.

The PUV James Keeling can do something no other vessel in existence can do—slip into another dimension, travel undetected, then re-emerge onto our plane and surprise enemy targets. But the thing that makes the Crypt unique also makes it a nightmare for those onboard; interdimensional travel causes hallucinations, violent behavior, and psychotic breakdowns.

Keeling could be the Union’s greatest weapon, a game-changing asset that can defeat the bloodthirsty zealots of the Purist Nation, the Union’s mortal enemy. If, that is, the brass can find the right crew.

But with those dark rumors traveling at lightspeed throughout Fleet, sailors with connections, with favors to call in, or those with careers on the rise pull any string they can to avoid being assigned to the Crypt. The brightest and best shield themselves from this top-secret craft, yet the brass must send it out on critical missions.

As the war drags on and casualties pile up, Fleet crews the ship by assigning the worst of the worst. If you are convicted of assault, fraud, cowardice, theft, rape, murder—or you cross the wrong Admiral—you may find yourself aboard the Crypt. Most are given a choice: serve a two-year stint on the Keeling and have your record expunged, or be executed for your crimes.

Welcome to the PUV James Keeling, where the only way out… is to die.

#1 New York Times Bestseller Scott Sigler returns with this highly anticipated Military Sci-Fi series, THE CRYPT. It's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA meets EVENT HORIZON in this tale of service and solitude. Pre-order your copy today!

©2023 Scott Sigler (P)2023 Recorded Books
Adventure Military Science Fiction Fiction Crime Scary War Aviation

Listeners also enjoyed...

Druden (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art
Earthcore (2 of 3) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art
Alpha Wave cover art
The Eighth Continent cover art
Hunger: The Complete Trilogy cover art
The Tyr: Arrival cover art
School Days cover art
Fiction Land cover art
Arisen: Raiders Volumes 1-2 cover art
Ruins of the Earth cover art
Grimm's War: Books 1-3 cover art
Taken to the Stars cover art
The Rookie: Book 1 cover art
Generation Ship cover art
Junkyard Pirate cover art
Occupation cover art

Critic reviews

"Sigler grinds his dastardly cast of misfits into the teeth of unrelenting action and unspeakable horror to craft a gritty tale of cosmic dread that is mad, bad, and dangerous to know."—Pierce Brown, number one New York Times best-selling author of the Red Rising Saga

"Crazy, fun, and very cinematic! It's like Hunt for Red October meets Event Horizon."—Peter Clines, New York Times best-selling author of Paradox Bound

"Deeply researched, wildly entertaining, and highly recommended. Space opera with a very sharp edge!"—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of the Joe Ledger Series

All stars
Most relevant
fantastic listen , fantastic story , fantastic characters , fantastic narration and going straight into the next one

excellent

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

Having listened to the original Crypt back in the day of podiobooks and Scott’s weekly podcasts. I have to say this is hands down a masterpiece it is so polished the growth of Scott as a writer is incredible. My only negative in the whole thing is having to wait for Book 2! Us junkies need more!! Thankyou FDO for this early Christmas present. 🎁 once again another great read by Ray. Only page notes for Ray is. The pronunciation of Harrah is “huh-rar” rather than “ha-ra” hopefully Scott can send over the pronunciations of the species for the next one.

Touchdown Sigler!

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

I found myself wanting to find reasons to plug in my headphones and listen to this audiobook more than most other audiobooks. I found it easy to get into and enjoy the story.

Scott does an amazing job with his characters, he manages to introduce multiple characters but keeps it so you know who is who. Even if you’re not great with names. It is certainly helped by Ray Porters voice acting.

It is an adult book, with adult themes and language. but I fully enjoyed it. Eagerly waiting book 2!

Magnificent!

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

If you dare.

It's been a long wait but we'll worth it. Thanks Mr Sigler.

Enter the crypt...

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

Loved the story and narration. The comparison to submarine warfare is excellent. Narration top notch as always with Ray Porter. My only small criticism is that there are a lot of characters introduced quickly and it took me quite a while to remember them all and their history (which is important). At times like this an accompanying chart of who is who within the ship would have been rant helpful for reference

Intriguing plot and excellent narration

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

See more reviews