-
Great Sky River
- Galactic Center, Book 3
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, John Rubinstein, Tom Schiff, Vikas Adam, Gabrielle de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki
- Series: Galactic Center, Book 3
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Tides of Light
- Galactic Center, Book 4
- By: Gregory Benford
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Gabrielle de Cuir, John Rubinstein, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Onboard an ancient starship, Killeen and the Bishop tribe escape the mech-ruled world of Snowglade. Seeking refuge on a faraway planet, they discover vast wonders: an organic life-form as large as a world, a planet-coring cosmic string, a community of humans ruled by a brutal tyrant, and ultimately an alien race more awesome than any they have encountered. As they battle for survival against these myriad dangers, Killeen and his crew will gain an unforeseen ally - one that may determine humanity’s true destiny.
-
-
Very Original
- By Amazon Customer on 10-26-20
By: Gregory Benford
-
Heart of the Comet
- By: Gregory Benford, David Brin
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan, Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 21 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prescient and scientifically accurate, Heart of the Comet is known as one of the great hard SF novels of the 1980s. First published in 1986, it tells the story of an ambitious manned mission to visit Halley's Comet, alter its orbit, and mine it for resources. But all too soon, native cells - that might once have brought life to Earth - begin colonizing the colonists. As factions battle over the comet's future - and that of Earth - only love, courage, and ingenuity can avert disaster and spark a new human destiny.
-
-
Challenging hard sci-fi with some characterization
- By William Tanksley, Jr. on 08-06-18
By: Gregory Benford, and others
-
A Deepness in the Sky
- By: Vernor Vinge
- Narrated by: Peter Larkin
- Length: 28 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After thousands of years searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. There are two human groups: the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds. The group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches.
-
-
A science fiction classic
- By Deadtroll on 01-26-11
By: Vernor Vinge
-
Revelation Space
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason.
-
-
The narrator ruins the book
- By Cyndi Lou from Kalamazoo on 09-06-15
-
Drive
- An Expanse Short Story
- By: James S. A. Corey
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A novella set in the universe of James S. A. Corey's NYT best-selling Expanse series. Now a Prime Original series. This story will be available in the complete Expanse story collection, Memory’s Legion.
-
-
Fun little short story
- By Anonymous User on 12-28-21
-
Eon
- By: Greg Bear
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps it wasn't from our time, perhaps it wasn't even from our universe, but the arrival of the 300-kilometer long stone was the answer to humanity's desperate plea to end the threat of nuclear war. Inside the deep recesses of the stone lies Thistledown: the remnants of a human society, versed in English, Russian and Chinese. The artifacts of this familiar people foretell a great Death caused by the ravages of war, but the government and scientists are unable to decide how to use this knowledge.
-
-
Am Epic Original SciFi Read Worth Your Time...
- By Michael on 07-01-12
By: Greg Bear
-
Tides of Light
- Galactic Center, Book 4
- By: Gregory Benford
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Gabrielle de Cuir, John Rubinstein, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Onboard an ancient starship, Killeen and the Bishop tribe escape the mech-ruled world of Snowglade. Seeking refuge on a faraway planet, they discover vast wonders: an organic life-form as large as a world, a planet-coring cosmic string, a community of humans ruled by a brutal tyrant, and ultimately an alien race more awesome than any they have encountered. As they battle for survival against these myriad dangers, Killeen and his crew will gain an unforeseen ally - one that may determine humanity’s true destiny.
-
-
Very Original
- By Amazon Customer on 10-26-20
By: Gregory Benford
-
Heart of the Comet
- By: Gregory Benford, David Brin
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan, Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 21 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prescient and scientifically accurate, Heart of the Comet is known as one of the great hard SF novels of the 1980s. First published in 1986, it tells the story of an ambitious manned mission to visit Halley's Comet, alter its orbit, and mine it for resources. But all too soon, native cells - that might once have brought life to Earth - begin colonizing the colonists. As factions battle over the comet's future - and that of Earth - only love, courage, and ingenuity can avert disaster and spark a new human destiny.
-
-
Challenging hard sci-fi with some characterization
- By William Tanksley, Jr. on 08-06-18
By: Gregory Benford, and others
-
A Deepness in the Sky
- By: Vernor Vinge
- Narrated by: Peter Larkin
- Length: 28 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After thousands of years searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. There are two human groups: the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds. The group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches.
-
-
A science fiction classic
- By Deadtroll on 01-26-11
By: Vernor Vinge
-
Revelation Space
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason.
-
-
The narrator ruins the book
- By Cyndi Lou from Kalamazoo on 09-06-15
-
Drive
- An Expanse Short Story
- By: James S. A. Corey
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A novella set in the universe of James S. A. Corey's NYT best-selling Expanse series. Now a Prime Original series. This story will be available in the complete Expanse story collection, Memory’s Legion.
-
-
Fun little short story
- By Anonymous User on 12-28-21
-
Eon
- By: Greg Bear
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps it wasn't from our time, perhaps it wasn't even from our universe, but the arrival of the 300-kilometer long stone was the answer to humanity's desperate plea to end the threat of nuclear war. Inside the deep recesses of the stone lies Thistledown: the remnants of a human society, versed in English, Russian and Chinese. The artifacts of this familiar people foretell a great Death caused by the ravages of war, but the government and scientists are unable to decide how to use this knowledge.
-
-
Am Epic Original SciFi Read Worth Your Time...
- By Michael on 07-01-12
By: Greg Bear
-
Rendezvous with Rama
- By: Arthur C. Clarke
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim, Robert J. Sawyer - introduction
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredibly, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence.
-
-
Mixed feelings
- By Tricia on 01-07-10
By: Arthur C. Clarke
-
The Eye of the World
- Book One of The Wheel of Time
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 29 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When their village is attacked by trollocs, monsters thought to be only legends, three young men, Rand, Matt, and Perrin, flee in the company of the Lady Moiraine, a sinister visitor of unsuspected powers. Thus begins an epic adventure set in a world of wonders and horror, where what was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
-
-
Mixed feelings
- By macyok9s on 09-04-19
By: Robert Jordan
-
Dragon's Egg
- Cheela, Book 1
- By: Robert L. Forward
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a moving story of sacrifice and triumph, human scientists establish a relationship with intelligent lifeforms - the cheela-living on Dragon's Egg, a neutron star where one Earth hour is equivalent to hundreds of their years. The cheela culturally evolve from savagery to the discovery of science, and for a brief time, men are their diligent teachers.
-
-
Classic Hard Science Fiction
- By Daniel Cascaddan on 01-12-18
-
Hyperion
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Pariseau, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all.
-
-
Well written but boring
- By surfgoat on 08-06-18
By: Dan Simmons
-
The Lost Starship
- By: Vaughn Heppner
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten thousand years ago, a single alien super-ship survived a desperate battle. The vessel's dying crew set the AI on automatic to defend the smashed rubble of their planet. Legend has it the faithful ship continues to patrol the empty battlefield, obeying its last order throughout the lonely centuries.In the here and now, Earth needs a miracle. Out of the Beyond invade the New Men, stronger, faster and smarter than the old. Their superior warships and advanced technology destroy every fleet sent to stop them.
-
-
Bad narration & amateur writing ruin a good story
- By Garth on 11-29-15
By: Vaughn Heppner
-
Heroes Die
- The First of the Acts of Caine
- By: Matthew Stover
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 22 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable, simply the best there is at what he does. At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions.
-
-
Finally, an epic worthy of Stefan Rudnicki
- By Douglas E. Noll on 02-04-12
By: Matthew Stover
-
Old Man's War
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First, he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce - and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So, we fight, to defend Earth and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.
-
-
Fun and Witty Military Sci-Fi
- By M. Spencer on 10-21-12
By: John Scalzi
-
Pandora's Star
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 37 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some 400 light-years in diameter, contains more than 600 worlds, interconnected by a web of transport "tunnels" known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over 1,000 light-years away, a star...vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears.
-
-
Have to resort to headphones to listen
- By Sue Nami on 10-05-16
-
Consider Phlebas
- By: Iain M. Banks
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender. Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it....
-
-
The Culture is a magnificent and enticing vision.
- By Hyacinth on 04-20-12
By: Iain M. Banks
-
Protector
- By: Larry Niven
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Phssthpok the Pak had been traveling for most of his thirty-two thousand years. His mission was to save, develop, and protect the group of Pak breeders sent out into space some two and a half million years before.
Brennan was a Belter, the product of a fiercely independent, somewhat anarchic society living in, on, and around an outer asteroid belt. The Belters were rebels, one and all, and Brennan was a smuggler. The Belt worlds had been tracking the Pak ship for days, and Brennan figured to meet that ship first.
-
-
My all time favorite
- By JerryLStarr on 07-21-16
By: Larry Niven
-
To Hold Up the Sky
- By: Cixin Liu
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii, Catherine Cho, Emily Woo Zeller, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Cixin Liu, the New York Times best-selling author of The Three-Body Problem, To Hold Up the Sky is a breathtaking collection of imaginative science fiction.
-
-
Superlatives all around!
- By restless consumer on 02-15-21
By: Cixin Liu
-
Genesis
- By: Ken Lozito
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Escaping wrongful imprisonment wasn't something Connor had in mind, but being put into stasis aboard Earth's first interstellar colony ship was something he couldn't have prepared for. For 300,000 colonists, the new colony brings the promise of a fresh start...a second chance. Connor might be the wrong man for the colony, but he's the right man to see that it survives what's coming.
-
-
Mixed bag
- By Tyson S Sukeforth on 05-31-18
By: Ken Lozito
Publisher's Summary
Nearly 100,000 years after first contact with the machines that dominate the universe, only a few hundred humans survive. Trapped on Snowglade, a barren world near the center of the galaxy, Killeen and his child, Toby, of the Bishop Trib,e are primitive scavengers, homeless and hunted by the ruling “mechs”. Then suddenly, a strange cosmic entity – neither organic nor cybernetic or living matter – reaches out from a black hole to speak with Killeen. But can the fallen descendent of starfarers understand this being in time - and seize his only chance to save his family and mankind from final annihilation?
More from the same
What listeners say about Great Sky River
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michale
- 10-07-12
No More Nigel!
This is the third novel in Gregory Benford's Galactic Center series. In book two, we left Nigel as he was rushing towards Galactic Center. We left Warren in an underwater haven built by the Skimmers, as the Swarmers continued with their dirty work of destroying life on earth. We were given a glimpse of the mechs and an understanding of their agenda. Now in Great Sky River, we see what has become of mankind in a far distant future. This is the world that was described in Benford's novella, A Hunger for the Infinite, the reason I started listening to this series in the first place.
Humans live in tribal families and lead nomadic lives on the planet Snowglade. We understand that the humans once lived in beautiful citadels and were somewhat tolerated by the mech population, until something changed and citadels were destroyed and the humans viciously hunted. The planet's climate has been changed by the mechs, from the lush and green world implied by the name Snowglade, to a dry and harsh environment suited to mechs and dangerous to humans. The Bishop family is constantly on the run, looting mech factories for food and parts. All humans have robotic enhancements and implants to help them survive. "Aspects" are the memories and personalities of fallen comrades, which can be stored in chip form and inserted into the back of the neck. Family Bishop values their Aspects and relies on the knowledge and experiences of their ancestors to stay alive.
Killeen Bishop is the new hero and faces off against the Mantis, the extremely creepy mech that harvests humans and creates artistic monstrosities for enjoyment. We see a small glimpse of Nigel, knowing that he must have passed this way on his journey to Galactic Center. Killeen finds the initials N.W. on a beautiful structure built by humans.
This story is thrilling and intense, and completely different from the two previous books. We learn what has become of humanity after mechs take over the universe. This is what I was waiting for when I started the series and I'm so glad I hung in there!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laith
- 11-12-12
A great addition to the series
Where does Great Sky River rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It's among the best
What was one of the most memorable moments of Great Sky River?
the discovery of the Taj Mahal
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
They captured the characters' personalities and moods well
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The speech about human destiny and dignity near the end
Any additional comments?
Great book!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TheBullMooseReport
- 11-27-21
I'm fan of spaceopera, & hard sci-fi. But......
I just can't get into the characters.
While there seems to be I real effort at some character development, I just can't find myself wanting to continue to read or listen when the human race is clearly heading for the crapper, and is actually been there for quite a while.
if I wanted to have nothing but bad news, with no escape, and no hope, then I'd read some depressing horror.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Fleone
- 04-19-17
Loved it.
Read this book when I was much younger and was reaquainted with it on audio book. it is one of my favorites. funny thing is that it's the middle of the storyline. now I have to get the rest.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nils Jeppe
- 10-09-18
Couldn't finish it
I just can't finish listening to this. And I think it's really the weird, fake speech the characters are using. The setup and story is, as far as I got, also really, really boring. Definitely a purchase I regret and, since the series has been going downhill, the last book I will buy from the series.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Sweet Cliff
- 05-10-22
Decent
Good book, light spoilers so keep that in mind. I wish Benford gave the chandelier humans more credit when it came to a bunch of robots showing up and terraforming the planet, maybe I've been reading too much war hammer but I was shocked when the humies didn't murder the mechs on sight, or any time during the many years it takes to terraform a planet; especially when it started spoiling their crop yields.
I also wish there was a better description of mech combat/the weapons used but this isn't a deal breaker and I found myself mostly satisfied on that front regardless.
All in all this is a solid read and would have been mindblowing back in the day when it released, even now it stands up to today's modern sci-fi. As a genre I wish hard sci-fi was more popular but I can understand why people go for the Star Wars style space opera stuff.
Nice addition to the series (I skipped 1 and 2 because f all that.) I'm excited to get onto Tides of Light which I read a while ago but want to brush up on because I remember it was heavy, and then find out where these lunatics end up after all that.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Katarzyna
- 04-06-17
Slow start but getting really good in time.
Slow start but getting really good in time. Enjoyed it. Getting next part for sure.