The Ark and the Empire: Audiobook
Book 1 of the Shards series
According to The Books Insider's catalog data, The Ark and the Empire runs 14.2 hours as an unabridged audiobook, narrated by John Smith (about 9.5 hours at 1.5× playback speed).
The instrument When will you finish it?
Based on 14.2 hours of listening.
| Your pace | You'll finish in |
|---|---|
| 30 min / day | 29 days |
| 1 hour / day | 15 days |
| 2 hours / day | 8 days |
| 1 hour / day at 1.5× | 10 days |
You'll finish in – by –
Part of The Audiobook Finish-Time Calculator: the same instrument for any audiobook we measure.
What our data says
- At 14.2 hours, it runs longer than 83% of the 13,430 Historical (Fiction) audiobooks in our catalog.
More narrated by John Smith
John Smith narrates 9 unabridged audiobooks in our catalog, 62 hours in all.
About as long, on the Historical (Fiction) shelf
1,890 Historical (Fiction) audiobooks in our catalog run within 10% of this length. The most popular on the store:
- Before We Were Yours
- The Women
- The Four Winds
- The Giver of Stars: Reese's Book Club
- The Alice Network
Computed from 409,794 English-language unabridged audiobooks in The Books Insider catalog (store data read November 3, 2026). Lengths are the store's own running times. Methodology.
About this listen
The Ark and the Empire is book 1 of Michael Livingston's Shards series: a 14.2-hour unabridged recording, read by John Smith, released January 15, 2026, on the Historical (Fiction) and Epic Fantasy shelves.
The listen at a glance
- Length
- 14.2 hrs
- Narrated by
- John Smith
- Released
- January 15, 2026
- Format
- Unabridged audiobook
- Language
- English
- Store shelves
- Historical (Fiction), Epic Fantasy, Historical (Science Fiction & Fantasy)
- Series
- The Shards #1
- ISBN
- 9781035922772
How to listen to The Ark and the Empire free
New members at audiobooks.com get three free audiobooks with the trial.
Separately, the store's catalog carries more than 10,000 audiobooks that are always free to stream.
Start listening freeQuestions listeners ask
How long is The Ark and the Empire as an audiobook?
The Ark and the Empire runs 14.2 hours unabridged. At 1.5× speed that drops to roughly 9.5 hours.
Is The Ark and the Empire free as an audiobook?
Yes, for new listeners: the trial starts you with three free audiobooks.
Who narrates The Ark and the Empire?
The Ark and the Empire is narrated by John Smith.
Is The Ark and the Empire worth listening to at 1.5× speed?
At 1.5× you'd finish in about 9.5 hours, saving 4.7 hours.