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Cold People

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Cold People

By: Tom Rob Smith
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
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About this listen

'An ambitious, cinematic thriller' Observer
'Stunning' Publishers Weekly
'Absolutely captivating' Booklist

What if the only hope for survival becomes the greatest threat?

From the brilliant, bestselling author of Child 44 comes a suspenseful and fast-paced novel about a colony of global apocalypse survivors seeking to reinvent civilisation under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist… Antarctica.

Cold People follows the journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most extreme environment on the planet. But their goal is not merely to survive the present. Because as they cling to life on the ice, the remnants of their past swept away, they must also confront the urgent challenge: can they change and evolve rapidly enough to ensure humanity’s future? Can they build a new society in the sub-zero cold?

Original and imaginative, as profoundly intimate as it is grand in scope, Cold People is a masterful and unforgettable epic.

©2023 Tom Rob Smith (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, UK
Dystopian Family Life Science Fiction Suspense Fiction Exciting

What listeners say about Cold People

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not Tom's best

Tom's ability to stretch out visuals to build over time is excellent, however the story itself goes nowhere. So many short stories within that the link to each seemed like an afterthought. Was not a fan of the narrators voice, though her ability change tone between characters was unlike any other narration I have heard so far.

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Meandered to nowhere

I did enjoy the themes this book presented. The descriptive nature of the writing is excellent. The story just went nowhere. You’re invested in so many characters but it just never gets there.

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  • Overall
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Complex, nuanced & timely post apocalyptic page turner!

I’ve loved Tom Rob Smith’s writing since reading his first novel, “Child 44”. His writing credits extend to some brilliant TV (“The Assassination of Gianna Versace”, “London Spy”, “Mother, Father, Son”) and other critically acclaimed novels like “The Farm”. I mention his other works because “Cold People”, essentially a science fiction novel by definition, could be seen as a massive departure in terms of genre. But the hallmarks of his writing – tight, taut prose, complex character development, clever plotting and exhaustive research, all underpinned by a seemingly deep desire to reflect and understand human nature – are on full display here in this impressive page turner. Brilliant narration by Rebecca Lowman. This was a story I couldn’t drag myself away from, and one that will have me thinking deeply about long after its conclusion.

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Compelling

It’s a clever variation - a story about alien invasion that barely touches on the invasion, but addresses the best, flawed hope for survival. Enjoyable and literally chilling.

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