Audiobook Review: Book 2 of the Bobiverse.

For We Are Many:  Bobiverse, Book 2

Written by Dennis E. Taylor.

Narrated by Ray Porter.

 

Publisher’s Summary:

The highly anticipated sequel to Audible’s Best of 2016 – Science Fiction winner, We Are Legion (We Are Bob); a book listeners are calling “so much fun”, “what science fiction was meant to be”, and what would happen if “Andy Weir and Ernest Cline had a lovechild”.

Bob Johansson didn’t believe in an afterlife, so waking up after being killed in a car accident was a shock. To add to the surprise, he is now a sentient computer and the controlling intelligence for a Von Neumann probe.

Bob and his copies have been spreading out from Earth for 40 years now, looking for habitable planets. But that’s the only part of the plan that’s still in one piece. A system-wide war has killed off 99.9 percent of the human race; nuclear winter is slowly making the Earth uninhabitable; a radical group wants to finish the job on the remnants of humanity; the Brazilian space probes are still out there, still trying to blow up the competition; and the Bobs have discovered a spacefaring species that sees all other life as food.

Bob left Earth anticipating a life of exploration and blissful solitude. Instead he’s become a sky god to a primitive native species, the only hope for getting humanity to a new home, and possibly the only thing that can prevent every living thing in the local sphere from ending up as dinner.

Listener favorite Ray Porter returns to narrate Bob – and his many incarnations – in all of their geeky glory.

My Take:

 

Humans are now spread to 2 systems and several Bob’s are running a shuttle service from Sol to Romulus and Remus.  Other Bobs continue to explore and are coming to the realization that Fermi’s paradox has an artificial answer…The Others.  This work is rich and humorous at times yet it manages to convey thoughtful entertainment in all of its storylines.  I really want more of the Bobiverse.

 

Five out of five entertainment laughing units for writing and narration.  Enjoy!

 

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/For-We-Are-Many-Audiobook/B01N17THEO

Audiobook Review: The Perils of Starting a Solar System Civil War

Golden Son:  Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy (perhaps more)

Written by Pierce Brown.

Narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds.

Publisher’s Summary:

 

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

My Take:

 

Darrow Al Andromedaus, the Red Hell Diver, who was carved into a Gold in Red Rising is trying his damnedest to win the trust of his benefactor Nero Augustus, the Arch Governor of Mars.  The goal is to free the Reds and other low colors by breaking the Golds.  The ups and downs of Darrow’s fates are enough to give me whiplash in this installment but the action kept me into it.  A solar system Civil war is just the thing to…reach the goal?  The story and performance were excellent.  Five out of five entertainment units awarded and a laurel crown.

 

 

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Golden-Son-Audiobook/B00R6S1RCY

Audio Book Review: Of Fire and Night.

Of Fire and Night

Saga of the Seven Suns Book Five

Written by Kevin J. Anderson.

Narrated by Brilliance Audio.

King Peter and Queen Estara, figurehead rulers of Earth and the Hanziatic League, have quite the problem. His name is Basil Wensaslaus, the Chairman of the Hanziatic League. He thinks everything is his to manage, decide and dispense with. He can’t imagine that anyone else can do anything without his leave to do so. Great problem to be saddled with while at least one set of aliens plans to wipe humanity out of existence.

The Roamers, space gypsies, have a problem too. Hydrogues, Earth Defense Forces (EDF) and Ilderans all want to abuse or destroy them. Their main source of income used to be mining the atmospheres of gas giants for Ecty, starship fuel. Now they have to find other ways to stay in food. They might have to…ring some doorbells.

The Ilderans have partially recovered from the Mad designate but are yet to face the music for their treatment of the Burton survivors. Osirah, the half-breed daughter of the Mage Imperator and Neara the Green Priest, has been inserted as the communications bridge between the Imperator and the Hydrogues. A lot of centuries in the making she delivers unforeseen results.

Prince Daniel, a simpering sod of a put-up job, gets brought out of his induced coma and dropped in Amish world. You got it, right on a steaming pile of goodness.

These and many other story lines are enriched in this, the fifth book in the series. I have nothing detracting to say about this work, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Four out of five entertainment points for this installment.

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Of-Fire-and-Night-Audiobook/B002V0TPDA?pcrid=75421048860&mkwid=s_dc&pmt=&source_code=GPAGBSH0508140001&pkw=

Audiobook Review: Bring on the Gene Mods.

Koban:  The Mark of Koban, Book 2

by Stephen W. Bennett

narrated by Eric Michael Summerer

 

The first book, Koban, left off with the Krall leaving the captured and tested Humans to die on Koban.  After, Par Kur, I probably screwed up that spelling, blew out all the structural protection keeping the native predators away from the his sentient prey why would he bother to think of them after that?

The Mark of Koban shows that humans adapt to survive because we have seldom had natural defenses such as claws and size.  Genetic modifications that threaten them with execution if they ever re-enter human space are the order of the day.  Blending in exotics hardly seems worthy of mention while throwing out all arbitrary safeguards.  The Koban humans take possession of a second dome near the sea they call Hub city which is where all the “shitheads”, my label for the abstainers from the genetic mods are living.

Without spoiling too much, the Primes get a hold of a Krall ship by massacring the crew in hand to hand and close range gun fighting.  They secure knowledge of their still being alive after twenty years because “Dead Krall tell no Tales”, Muahahahahaha.

This is a great addition to the series written and narrated with some humor and appropriate shock and awe.  Other than the author being hung up on space faring humans using English standard measurements I thoroughly enjoy this series.  Yes, feisty aging Maggie is still around thumping Dillon on his cod piece.  Four out of five enjoyment points are awarded from me.

 

 

 

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Koban-The-Mark-of-Koban-Book-2-Audiobook/B00KCXFQFY