The Book of Koli

By: M. R. Carey

Narrated by: Theo Solomon

"A captivating start to what promises to be an epic post-apocalyptic fable" (Kirkus), The Book of Koli is the unforgettable story of a young boy struggling to find his place in a world where nature itself has turned against humanity. Everything that lives hates us...Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable landscape. A place where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.
Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He believes the first rule of survival is that you don't venture too far beyond the walls.
He's wrong.

For more from M. R. Carey, check out:The Girl With All the GiftsFellsideThe Boy on the BridgeSomeone Like Me

By the same author, writing as Mike Carey:
The Devil You Know
Vicious Circle
Dead Men's Boots
Thicker Than Water
The Naming of the Beasts

Critic reviews

"This is a beautiful book. Gripping, engaging, and absolutely worth the time it takes to burrow yourself into its reality. I can't recommend it highly enough."—Seanan McGuire on The Book of Koli

"Deeply humanistic, and full of lush characterization and worldbuilding...what a glorious beginning [The Book of Koli] is. M.R. Carey hefts astonishing storytelling power with plainspoken language, heartbreaking choices, and sincerity like an arrow to the heart. The Book of Koli is one of the best books I expect to read this year."
—Locus on The Book of Koli

"A captivating start to what promises to be an epic post-apocalyptic fable. Narrator Koli's inquisitive mind and kind heart make him the perfect guide to Carey's immersive, impeccably rendered world."—Kirkus on The Book of Koli

"The cadence and pacing of [Koli's] voice adds a depth and richness to the strange and malevolent world."—Booklist on The Book of Koli

"An exciting post-apocalyptic coming-of-age trilogy ... Readers will finish The Book of Koli eager to read the next installment."—Shelf Awareness on The Book of Koli

"Told in an enchanting, confessional first-person, we're with Koli all the way, from the stifling security of village life into the direst peril."—Daily Mail on The Book of Koli

"A highly imaginative fable."—Nerd Daily on the Book of Koli

"A thought-provoking and deeply engaging story ... profoundly and doggedly humane."—C. A. Fletcher on The Book of Koli

"Carey writes with compassion and fire - strange and surprising and humane."
—Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls on The Boy on the Bridge

"Heartfelt, remorseless and painfully human...as fresh as it is terrifying. A jewel."—Joss Whedon on The Girl With All the Gifts

"A master storyteller." —io9

We're killing trees? What if the opposite happens?

I usually just listen to my audiobooks on my long drive to and from work, but this one took over my cooking time, tv time, house cleaning time, and lunch hour.

I have enjoyed all of M. R. Carey's work so far, but this one really impressed me.

Just started second book in the series. So far, so good

Interesting but flawed

Overall I enjoyed this story. The one major issue I had is with the narration. Solomon does a great job with the central character, Koli. But the narration of the AI character, Mono no aware and anything related to Japanese pronunciation is absolutely awful. It just makes the character impossible to believe and impossible to listen to. I’m surprised that audible allowed this. I mean really, would it be too much to ask that they confer with a native speaker of Japanese to check the pronunciation of names, places, and terms. This needs a redo.

1 of audibles best titles

i had this in my wish list for SO long. what a mistake. these 3 books are my favorite out of the hundreds and hundreds I've listened to here. i usually look for longer titles (who wants to waste a precious credit on a few short hours?) and this isnt even my genre preference. this book is SO WELL WRITTEN and well thought out and well performed on top of it all. what a gorgeous collection of words and characters and worlds! ive never used the bookmark feature before these books and very rarely write reviews. koli and friends will be in your heart long after you listen and im still talking like mynono. HIGHLY highly recommend.

Fantastic…highly recommend

Just finished Book 1 in this series and am purchasing the next one as soon as I complete this review. M.R. Carey’s writing is excellent and Theo Solomon’s narration perfectly captures the personalities of Koli, Ursula, et al. Highly recommend.

An Original Idea!

Yet another dystopian book (I thought). But no! Finally, some originality! It is definitely from the POV of a teenage boy, but it makes sense and it's different.