The Fourth Consort: A Novel

by Edward Ashton Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

Overview

A new standalone sci-fi novel from Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (the inspiration for the major motion picture Mickey 17).

“Barrie Kreinik, one of the best narrators around, succeeds in making distinct characters not just of Dalton and Neera, Breaker and some of the aliens, but even of the AI translator that's embedded in Dalton's neck.” -The Valley Breeze

Dalton Greaves is a hero. He's one of humankind's first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood.

That's what they told him, anyway. The only actual members of Unity that he's ever met are Boreau, a giant snail who seems more interested in plunder than spreading love and harmony, and Boreau's human sidekick, Neera, who Dalton strongly suspects roped him into this gig so that she wouldn't become the next one of Boreau's crew to get eaten by locals while prospecting.

Funny thing, though-turns out there actually is a benevolent confederation out there, working for the good of all life. They call themselves the Assembly, and they really don't like Unity. More to the point, they really, really don't like Unity's new human minions.

When an encounter between Boreau's scout ship and an Assembly cruiser over a newly discovered world ends badly for both parties, Dalton finds himself marooned, caught between a stickman, one of the Assembly's nightmarish shock troops, the planet's natives, who aren't winning any congeniality prizes themselves, and Neera, who might actually be the most dangerous of the three. To survive, he'll need to navigate palace intrigue, alien morality, and a proposal that he literally cannot refuse, all while making sure Neera doesn't come to the conclusion that he's worth more to her dead than alive.

Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, The Fourth Consort asks an important question: how far would you go to survive? And more importantly, how many drinks would you need to go there?

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Humor, interspecies diplomacy, and unexpected alliances enliven this zippy sci-fi romp... Ashton strikes an impressive balance of humor, action, and thought-provoking sci-fi concepts. It’s a lot of fun watching his eccentric characters navigate sticky situations." —Publishers Weekly

"This is a deep surprise of a story as it contemplates the perils and pitfalls of communication and the difficulty of reaching anything like understanding with a species with which one shares few if any frames of reference. Readers who found the struggle to communicate in Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea will enjoy... [and] fans of the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Darmok” will find this to be a familiar and similarly complex and heartbreaking tale." —Library Journal (starred)

"Ashton excels at creating compelling characters. Especially impressive is how believable his different alien races are: Each has its own culture and motivations, and they all make sense... Speculative fiction is a lens for us to reflect upon ourselves in interesting ways, and this is ultimately a delightful examination of what it means to be human." —Booklist

"Reminiscent of the movie Enemy Mine (1985) and Alan Dean Foster’s novel Nor Crystal Tears (1982)—but much cozier... Light and enjoyable, it’s less about galactic intrigue and more about a man realizing where he stands in the universe." —The Wall Street Journal

MAY 2025 - AudioFile

Barrie Kreinik narrates a sci-fi story that mixes alien politics with communication mishaps. Dalton is the first representative to join Unity--a galactic confederation of various species--but he fumbles through his first assignment with an alien soldier known as "Stickman." Kreinik moves smoothly through the varied accents of characters. Conversations between Dalton and the alien soldier are both comical and heartbreaking, with Kreinik imbuing the back-and-forth miscommunications with surprising depth. The story moves fast, but Kreinik's narration commands the ear, shifting between distinct characters that sound almost like different actors. A fascinating performance of a heartbreaking and endearing story of communication and connection. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192561669
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	02/25/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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