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Ancestral Night
- Narrated by: Nneka Okoye
- Series: White Space, Book 1
- Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
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Publisher's Summary
A space salvager and her partner make the discovery of a lifetime that just might change the universe in this wild, big-ideas space opera from award-winning author Elizabeth Bear.
Halmey Dz and her partner, Connla Kurucz, are salvage operators, living just on the inside of the law...usually. Theirs is the perilous and marginal existence - with barely enough chance of striking it fantastically big - just once - to keep them coming back for more. They pilot their tiny ship into the scars left by unsuccessful White Transitions, searching for the relics of lost human and alien vessels. But when they make a shocking discovery about an alien species that has been long thought dead, it may be the thing that could tip the perilous peace mankind has found into full-out war.
Energetic and electrifying, Ancestral Night is a dazzling new space opera, sure to delight fans of Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, and Peter F. Hamilton.
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What listeners say about Ancestral Night
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Ralph Isovitsch
- 2019-05-21
"Energetic and electrifying...": Not even close
I purchased this book because of it's comparison to the work of Alastair Reynolds, and James S.A. Corey. This couldn't be farther from the truth. "Revelation Space" has modified humanity represented by Conjoiners and Ultras, while "Ancestral Night" has humans with four hands. Space-born humans in "Ancestral Night" don't compare to the intricate society and history of the Belters in the "The Expanse". Strange, god-like alien species? Nothing in "Ancestral Nights" compares to the makers of the Ring Gates in "The Expanse".
This book is long, it needs editing. It belabors too many ideas and descriptions. The dialog from the main character is distracting, it's too easy to lose track of what she is talking about. I understand the need for some internal dialog, but the musing of Haimey are just too much. As you listen, you wait and wait for the important plot points, which when they do show up, are underwhelming.
I am thinking I won't finish this book. Listen to any of the above mentioned alternatives or "The Hyperion Cantos" before you dive into the quicksand of "Ancestral Nights"
29 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Sharon
- 2019-04-18
It may be worthy, but I can't take anymore.
One of my biggest pet peeve plot styles in novels is one character dominating the book with internal, in his/her head musings, worries, mulling, and generally blathering on in their head. I was ten hours into this book with seven left to go, and if there had been one hour of conversation involving more than just the central character chatting with her own head, I'd be surprised. It's almost entirely the internal mental musings of the female lead character, who, to be fair, is in a very unique and exotic position, but is put into situations where she is alone for extended periods thinking about doing something, how to do it, whether to do it, if it is societally justified to do it, how the ancients would have done it, how another person might do it, and on and on and on, all in her head droning on for literally hours. I can't take it any more. As worthy as some of the mental health related concepts, and societal observations definitely are, and I have to hand it to Elizabeth Bear for being a profound thinker, this book definitely needed an honest editor willing to tell her this book is boring, mind numbingly boring.
44 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Davidson
- 2019-03-09
My Favorite Elizabeth Bear Novel!
Long a fan of Bear's intricately detailed and moving short stories, I felt a new surge of intrigue and power in the plot and characters of her latest novel. In a complex and exciting universe of many alien species and AIs, Bear's most amazing accomplishment is her analysis of the deep motivations and emotions that are ultimately most human.
Despite lifelong trauma and pain, our protagonist confronts the most ancient aspects of her mind and psyche to define and redefine the current self she chooses to be. The philosophical questions are fascinating. I will definitely listen to _Ancestral Night_ again, as I was so immersed in the suspenseful execution that I need to consider the deeper societal implications with a second reading. Fascinating.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Jeffery
- 2019-10-21
Irritating at Best
It often feels like they're throwing word salads at you for no reason. Like. I get it. You studied up on how certain technologies could exist. Doesnt mean you need to spill it on the page for the first 4 hours. The first 4 hours is mostly a list of all the tech and world building explained in grueling detail. Our black lesbian protagonist has a good head on her shoulders, and the book, I believe, was meant to defy the stereotype of black people and or lesbians needing to wrap those traits up as their entire identity. that was genuinely refreshing. I got the impression this was one of the authors first books. I would love to see this angle taken a few more novels down the road when she has the skill to do so.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- yevaud
- 2020-02-18
A study in neurosis.
I disregarded the comments people had made about the protagonists internal dialog much to my dismay. It reached a point of pure tedium to explore her ever branching neurosis and application of space Paxil. I REALLY disliked the narration. It was like listening to 16 hours Barbara Walters after speech therapy.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Farel
- 2019-05-03
Science was cool but story was all over
The hard sci-fi aspects great, but story and protagonist were hard to tolerate. The author bludgeons you with her world-view, and weedles in concepts that feel out of place in the story. The story itself is everywhere, I thought it was strongest in the beginning then just lost focus. Half way through the story we start saying f*ck a lot too...no problem there it just felt weird - like what happened did Hamy learn a word other than "atavistic."
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. Hartmann
- 2019-03-13
Wow ! Elizabeth Bear Sure Can Write !!!!!
She is a HIGHLY awarded science fiction author (see below) but for some reason I have not connected with her works in the past. This one is a real revelation. The writing is tight and clever -- and the plot is fine sci-fi. There is a ship, a couple of great protagonists and a fun story. It all gets very meta at points....philosophy, human/machine linked memory, personal freedom and cats--BUT the performance is so VERY fine that it works out nicely.
Her bio from Wikipedia: " She won the 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "Tideline", and the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette for "Shoggoths in Bloom".[1] She is one of only five writers who have gone on to win multiple Hugo Awards for fiction after winning the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (the others being C. J. Cherryh, Orson Scott Card, Spider Robinson, and Ted Chiang)."
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jake DiMare
- 2019-09-13
Exceptionally intelligent Science Fiction
I really enjoyed so much about Ancestral Night but I was particularly impressed with the character development, neologisms, and unique takes on future technological and societal developments.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Marcus J. Lintault
- 2019-07-03
Too much internal chatter not enough story
It was hard to get into this book. The ratio of actual story to the internal thoughts of the main character was not in tune. At about the halfway mark, I almost stopped listening because it became so bad. Listening to the second by second thoughts of anyone is simply just too much. On top of that, I felt like I was listening to a valley girl (google it) - gag me with a spoon! It was just too much internal pontificating. You could have cut out 40% of the book and nothing would have been lost and it would have been a much better story.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Zach
- 2019-05-04
I really enjoyed it.
This is my first book by the author. I really enjoyed it. It’s fresh and smart. I’m late to discover Elizabeth Bear but I’ll be reading more of her work.
2 people found this helpful
