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Bee Speaker
- Author
- Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 5 June 2025
- Run Time
- 13 hours 39 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Rating
- 5.0 (3 reviews)
What to expect
Nominated for Best Audiobook: Science Fiction & Fantasy at The Speakies (The British Audio Awards).
From the Arthur C. Clarke award winner, Adrian Tchaikovsky, comes the third instalment of the DOGS OF WAR science fiction series, a future where genetically engineered “Bioforms” have inherited not the Earth, but the Solar System.
The end of the world has been and gone.
There was no one great natural disaster, no all-consuming world war, no catastrophic pandemic. Only scores of storms, droughts, and selfish regional conflicts. Humanity was not granted a heroic end. Instead, it bled to death from a thousand cuts.
But where Earth fell apart, Mars pulled together. Engineered men and beasts, aided by Bees – an outlawed distributed intelligence – survived through co-operation, because there was simply no alternative.
Fast forward to today. A signal – ‘For the sake of what once was. We beg you. Help.’ – reaches Mars.
How could they refuse? A consortium of Martian work crews gather the resources for a mission: a triumphal return to the blue-green world of their ancestors. And now here they are – three hundred million kilometres from home.
And it has all already gone horribly wrong.
Critics Review
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'A gripping dive into bioethics and artificial intelligence'
New Scientist on DOGS OF WAR
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'You don't need to have read Dogs of War to enjoy Bear Head – but why deny yourself the pleasure?'
The Times on BEAR HEAD
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'Funny, appalling, gruesome and uplifting (often at the same time), Bear Head is propelled by a cracking plot that balances dystopian satire with a palpable sense of moral peril'
Daily Mail on BEAR HEAD
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'If you're a fan of Black Mirror, this classic dystopian book will have you hooked within the first few pages. Smart, fast-paced, and razor-sharp, this book is surprisingly funny while still remaining deeply thought-provoking'
Daily Express on BEAR HEAD
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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'A rousing good read'
Guardian on BEAR HEAD
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'A book that’s by turns funny and poignant, while all the time moving at a cracking pace... he may just be the UK’s best science fiction novelist.'
SFX Magazine
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Tchaikovsky is brilliant at thinking his way into the minds of these tinkered-with animals.
New Scientist
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'An absolute stunner of a read, which sits as a fabulous standalone... Punchy, amusing, beautifully created and imaginative, join one heck of a rescue mission as it answers a plea for help.'
LoveReading
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This series tackles big and timely issues such as freedom, agency and the slim line between philosopher-king and authoritarian dictator—all while leaving room for sarcastic bees, snarky reptiles and comical (though well-meaning) monks.
The Wall Street Journal
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrator
- Adrian Tchaikovsky, Gabrielle Nellis-Pain, Rod Hallett
- Duration
- 13 hours 39 minutes
- Release Date
- 5 June 2025
- ISBN
- 9781035901449
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Science fiction: cyberpunk / biopunk, Science fiction: military, Genetic engineering
- Rating
- 5.0(3 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(3 reviews)
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Bee Speaker by Adrian Tchaikovsky, read by Rod Hallett, Gabrielle Nellis-Pain, and Adrian Tchaikovsky.Nominated for Best Audiobook: Science Fiction & Fantasy at The Speakies (The British Audio Awards).From the Arthur C. Clarke award winner, Adrian Tchaikovsky, comes the third instalment of the DOGS OF WAR science fiction series, a future where genetically engineered “Bioforms” have inherited not the Earth, but the Solar System. The end of the world has been and gone. There was no one great natural disaster, no all-consuming world war, no catastrophic pandemic. Only scores of storms, droughts, and selfish regional conflicts. Humanity was not granted a heroic end. Instead, it bled to death from a thousand cuts.But where Earth fell apart, Mars pulled together. Engineered men and beasts, aided by Bees – an outlawed distributed intelligence – survived through co-operation, because there was simply no alternative.Fast forward to today. A signal – ‘For the sake of what once was. We beg you. Help.’ – reaches Mars. How could they refuse? A consortium of Martian work crews gather the resources for a mission: a triumphal return to the blue-green world of their ancestors. And now here they are – three hundred million kilometres from home.And it has all already gone horribly wrong.
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