Darien cover art

Darien

Empire of Salt Trilogy, Book 1

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
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.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Darien

By: C. F. Iggulden
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

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 Historical Fiction Fantasy Thought-Provoking City
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

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 Justice of Kings 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)

What listeners say about Darien

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    305
  • 4 Stars
    132
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    319
  • 4 Stars
    97
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    273
  • 4 Stars
    116
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting and exciting

This book was thoroughly riveting from start to finish.

I’m a big fan of Conn Iggulden and Daniel Weyman does a great job on the narration. I loved the way all the different characters inter weave

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very different, but very good

A departure from Mr Iggulden's norm, but I can't wait for the next one! Interesting characters and story arch and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible characters!!!!

Conn must be the best historical fiction writer ever but this new series of fantasy fiction (which I was nervous about) is amazing! The characters are incredibly interesting and are sewn together brilliantly.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well made heroic fantasy.

Where does Darien: Empire of Salt rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a good listen. Good story, well read. I'm looking forward to the rest in the series, when they arrive.

What other book might you compare Darien: Empire of Salt to, and why?

Well it's advertised as a 'Game of Thrones' style novel, Nobel houses competing with one another. But it wasn't at all like that, yes the novel houses are a presence within the book, but most of the story takes place with more common characters, I liked it,the author, though new to fanasy was a clear craftsman, he's a best selling historical author incase you didn't know. More Joe Abercrombie though than George R R Martin

What about Daniel Weyman’s performance did you like?

Yes, he did a great job.

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

No spoilers

Any additional comments?

The only downside was the passing over of characters, there's no pause to inform the listen it is going to happen so you go from one character to another and are like ' O right, okay' But great book, good adventure, epic at times, has magic and action.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent performance of an amazing book

another amazing book from Conn Iggulden with a brilliant narration by Daniel Weyman who really brings all of the characters to life

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent listen

Just really brilliant story-telling from the opening sentence. What a great writer! The narration is clear and un-fussy, beautifully modulated with a wonderful reading voice, pace and care. An excellent pairing of story to reader - cannot wait for the next book.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

The best books I’ve encountered for a long time. Iggulden is at least as good at fantasy as historical fiction. One of those rare books which captures you from the first line, and even rarer all the characters and their storylines are interesting, and the pacing doesn’t let up. I binged it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Harry Potter with a sprinkling of Game of Thrones!

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!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

BRilliant

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

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent fantasy read!

I couldn’t help but be impressed by Conn’s first foray into the world of fantasy literature. I have known Iggulden to be an accomplished author after reading both the Emperor and Conqueror series.

My only complaint was that as an author of Historical fiction, Conn couldn’t help but refer to real world history such as Carthage and Caesar. Although relevant, it felt a little jarring to hear whilst immersed in a fantasy world. That said, these aren’t mentioned often and the story was interesting and engaging. Highly recommended.

The narrator is also brilliant.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!