The Trials of Koli

By: M. R. Carey

Narrated by: Theo Solomon, Saffron Coomber

"Absorbing, stunning, and emotionally rich." (Locus)

The journey through M. R. Carey's "immersive, impeccably rendered world" (Kirkus) - a world in which nature has turned against us - continues in The Trials of Koli, book two of the Rampart Trilogy.

The earth wants to swallow us whole....

Koli never planned to set foot outside his small village. He knew that beyond its walls lay a fearsome landscape filled with choker trees, vicious beasts, and Shunned men. But when he was exiled, he had no choice but to journey out into this strange world where every moment is a fight for survival.

And it's not just Koli's life that is threatened. Whole villages just like his are dying out.

But Koli heard a story, once. A story about lost London, and the mysterious tech of the Old Times that may still be there. If he can find it, there may still be a way for him to change his own fate - by saving the lives of those who are left.

The Rampart Trilogy:

• The Book of Koli
• The Trials of Koli
• The Fall of Koli

For more from M. R. Carey, check out:

• The Girl with All the Gifts
• Fellside
• The Boy on the Bridge
• Someone 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

©2020 M. R. Carey (P)2020 Orbit

Critic reviews

"A broken world that is both marvelously expansive and claustrophobically menacing. Fans of postapocalyptic science fiction will find plenty to hold their attention." (Publishers Weekly)

"If you loved M.R. Carey's The Book of Koli, you will love The Trials of Koli just as much, if not more... Absorbing, stunning, and emotionally rich." (Locus on The Trials of Koli)

Loved it as much as the first one!

can't wait for the next one! But at the same time don't want it to end!

I’m so hooked!

I’m thoroughly enjoying the characters and world in this series. I’m caught between wanting to immediately start the last one, but be sad because it’s the last one…. I think ?

And great M.R. Carey

4.5
I’m not a series reader, but I’m bummed the third book isn’t out yet. I don’t want to loose traction or flow with the story. Great listens, Carey is a great storyteller.

Engaging sequel

2nd book of trilogy that continues dystopian saga of a future medieval realm blessed by random technology from the future. This book adds a parallel perspective from Spinner who is frankly less likable in person. The gender issues faced by Cup weigh a bit heavy in this presentation. The repeated near death experiences sometimes have a deus ex machina resolution but you kind of know what has to happen if there is going to be a third book!

Fantastic futuristic series!

I just finished listening to all three books in the series and am going to leave the same review for each. This is such an incredible trilogy! I laughed so hard in parts and even cried at one point. I also spent a lot of time worrying about the characters. It's so silly to worry about characters in a book but the story was written so well that I couldn't help myself. I absolutely loved all three books and I will definitely relisten to them.

Fantastic

Entertaining, suspenseful. Love the characters. i am a big Mike Carey fan. He never disappoints.

Post-apoc sci-fi with great minority rep

THE RAMPART TRILOGY (The Book of Koli, The Trials of Koli, and TheFall of Koli) by M. R. CAREY


This is a review of THE RAMPART TRILOGY (The Book of Koli, The Trials of Koli, and the Fall of Koli) by M. R. CAREY

This is a non-ARC review. I purchased the audiobooks with my personal funds. Would purchase them again for myself or a friend. No hesitation.

THE NARRATION

Final rating: SS tier / FIVE stars / 100% recommend

Narrated by Theo Solomon in book one, with full cast Saffron Coomber and Hanako Footman joining in books two and three, respectively.

An Ideal narrator not only conveys a book unobtrusively but also elevates the book as a whole. All narrators did a fantastic job but my commendations are extended most to Theo Solomon who truly brought alive Koli’s tenderness and kindness and made the dialect of the prose effortless to experience. I anticipate that I will enjoy these books several times more because of the collective performance.

THE BOOKS

Final Rating: SS tier / FIVE stars / will read it again / 100% recommend

Genre: post-post apocalyptic fantasy/Sci-fi; rebuilding of civilizations. but it doesn’t involve very much of the *science* part of sci-fi. The emphasis is on cultural adaptations people have made in a deconstructed, de-industrialized, exceptionally harsh world. It is genre-bending in ways and difficult to explain, but it is neither hard science fiction nor high fantasy.

Audience: mature, though the protagonist is a young adult / teenager.

Recommended for those who love: completed trilogies, man vs. nature, man vs. machine, flawed and dynamic characters, found family, minority representation (Black protagonist, male to female transgender support character, Asian support character), a fall from grace story arc, robots, AI companions, killer trees.

Content warnings: death, sex, graphic violence, initially flawed and/or harmful representation of minority persons but I feel these were wholly and completely redeemed with character progression. This was intentional by M. R. Carey and serves as meaningful reflections of harmful views in our society at present. I loved how M. R. Carey was truthful about the bias people have against two minorities specially and how each of these characters looked that bias right in the face and told it to f*** off. The two minorities in question are Asian persons, trans persons.

Immediate impressions: HOOOOLYYYYYY. I loved M. R. Carey’s take on Zombies in “The girl with all the gifts” but “The Rampart Trilogy” is a treasure and is not something fantasy lovers should miss.

Overview: The Rampart Trilogy’s protagonist, Koli, resides in the village of Mythen Rood in post-post apocalyptic UK. The large civilizations of our modern world have long collapsed in a global war, and all that is left of our advancements are our war-mechs and man-eating flora bio-engineered to withstand nuclear warfare. These two threats oppose one another, and create a hostile and near unsurvivable wilderness for remaining men. Mythen Rood survives with the assistance of some of our “tech” — which only “wake” for those chosen ramparts. And Koli wants to be a rampart.

Reflection: these books are BRILLIANT. The complexity of the world building is delivered in sure strokes to paint an environment this is immersive without being overwhelming. The characters have personal stakes and conflicts. There are themes of found family and redemption. There are themes of “sometimes bad people are bad people.” The action is punchy and Carey builds suspense with precision. I WANT TO READ THEM ALL AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME. These left me with a book hangover like no other and I am still recovering.

Prose: masterfully crafted with a unique dialect and sentence structure illustrating the dynamic persistence of language and how it changes over time. Especially In the absence of a structured educational system. All the while I did not feel like it was an obstacle to the story and only elevated the books. I enjoyed the audiobook version of the trilogy and highly recommend these, as the narrators did a wonderful job breathing life into the characters with this dialect. Koli’s character especially.

Depth/Impact: Make these into a movie already. This trilogy is meant for film. PLEASE.

Constructive feedback: the pacing of book 3 — “The Fall of Koli” — felt somewhat off-beat at times, a bit meandering and loose when compared to the first two books. But I honestly struggle to say that at all as a criticism and ONLY say it because no books are flawless and everyone should be suspect of gleaming reviews.

inclusive, well written, well spoken, well done!

And now I have nightmares of choker seeds, well worth the read! I love it!

Love this series!

Fascinating world and story. 3 dimensional characters that I came to care about. The kind of book I didn't want to end because I miss the characters when it's over. The narration is perfect.

enjoyable follow up.

Fun dystopian listen from a world quite primitive and just discovering old tech left behind. Characters continue to be engaging. Atmospheric descriptions. I look forward to the conclusion. Sometimes I just need a fun listen.