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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,399
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Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.
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The human soldiers stranded on the planet Paradise have been recruited into an alien legion to do the dirty jobs that the high-tech species won't do. Their first mission is to kick the enemy off a backwater planet no one cares about. It's a simple assignment, except everyone has a hidden agenda, and the planet could become a deathtrap.
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On the edge of the galaxy, a diplomatic mission to an alien planet takes a turn when the Legionnaires, an elite special fighting force, find themselves ambushed and stranded behind enemy lines. They struggle to survive under siege, waiting on a rescue that might never come. In the seedy starport of Ackabar, a young girl searches the crime-ridden gutters to avenge her father's murder; not far away, a double-dealing legionniare-turned-smuggler hunts an epic payday; and somewhere along the outer galaxy, a mysterious bounty hunter lies in wait.
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I would listen to RC Bray read a phone book
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Outland
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 445
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When an experiment to study quantum uncertainty goes spectacularly wrong, physics student Bill Rustad and his friends find that they have accidentally created an inter-dimensional portal. They connect to Outland - an alternate Earth with identical geology, but where humans never evolved. The group races to establish control of the portal before the government, the military, or evildoers can take it away. Then everything changes when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts in an explosion large enough to destroy civilization and kill half the planet.
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Excellent!
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When Ivan Pritchard signs on as a newbie aboard the Mad Astra, it's his final, desperate stab at giving his wife and children the life they deserve. He can survive the hazing of his crewmates, and how many times, really, can near-zero g make you vomit? But there's another challenge looming out there, in the farthest reaches of human exploration, that will test every man, woman and AI on the ship - and will force Ivan to confront the very essence of what makes him human.
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It’s been 120 years since the 50 or so worldships containing the few million survivors of the human species set off after the planet Earth was destroyed by a meteor. On the Worldship Humility, Sam, a 30-year-old Airlock Operative, is bored. Living in space should be exciting and full of adventure, except it isn’t, and he fills his time hacking 3-D movie posters and holographic adverts outside the stores in the retail zone. Petty thief Yasmine Emile Dufont is also from the WS Humility, but she is not bored....
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3 out of 5 stars
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Colin Morgan as a narrator is not for me.
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We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,399
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Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The human soldiers stranded on the planet Paradise have been recruited into an alien legion to do the dirty jobs that the high-tech species won't do. Their first mission is to kick the enemy off a backwater planet no one cares about. It's a simple assignment, except everyone has a hidden agenda, and the planet could become a deathtrap.
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5 out of 5 stars
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On the edge of the galaxy, a diplomatic mission to an alien planet takes a turn when the Legionnaires, an elite special fighting force, find themselves ambushed and stranded behind enemy lines. They struggle to survive under siege, waiting on a rescue that might never come. In the seedy starport of Ackabar, a young girl searches the crime-ridden gutters to avenge her father's murder; not far away, a double-dealing legionniare-turned-smuggler hunts an epic payday; and somewhere along the outer galaxy, a mysterious bounty hunter lies in wait.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I would listen to RC Bray read a phone book
- By Justin on 2018-03-17
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Outland
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 445
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 420
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 419
When an experiment to study quantum uncertainty goes spectacularly wrong, physics student Bill Rustad and his friends find that they have accidentally created an inter-dimensional portal. They connect to Outland - an alternate Earth with identical geology, but where humans never evolved. The group races to establish control of the portal before the government, the military, or evildoers can take it away. Then everything changes when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts in an explosion large enough to destroy civilization and kill half the planet.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent!
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 894
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 837
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When Ivan Pritchard signs on as a newbie aboard the Mad Astra, it's his final, desperate stab at giving his wife and children the life they deserve. He can survive the hazing of his crewmates, and how many times, really, can near-zero g make you vomit? But there's another challenge looming out there, in the farthest reaches of human exploration, that will test every man, woman and AI on the ship - and will force Ivan to confront the very essence of what makes him human.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Ray Porter is quickly becoming a favourite.
- By Schills on 2018-06-20
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 199
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 200
It’s been 120 years since the 50 or so worldships containing the few million survivors of the human species set off after the planet Earth was destroyed by a meteor. On the Worldship Humility, Sam, a 30-year-old Airlock Operative, is bored. Living in space should be exciting and full of adventure, except it isn’t, and he fills his time hacking 3-D movie posters and holographic adverts outside the stores in the retail zone. Petty thief Yasmine Emile Dufont is also from the WS Humility, but she is not bored....
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3 out of 5 stars
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Colin Morgan as a narrator is not for me.
- By Martin Gauthier on 2019-08-03
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Leviathan Wakes
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 316
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 296
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The first book in the landmark Expanse series, now a major television series! Leviathan Wakes is James S. A. Corey's first novel in the epic New York Times best-selling series The Expanse, a modern masterwork of science fiction in which humanity has colonized the solar system.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic narrator and great story!
- By Samantha on 2018-02-16
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Ascendant: Book 1
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 103
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 102
The Wizard's Council of Tarador was supposed to tell young Koren Bladewell that he is a wizard. They were supposed to tell everyone that he is not a jinx, that all the bad things that happen around him are because he can't control the power inside him, power he doesn't know about. The people of his village, even his parents, are afraid of him, afraid he is cursed. That he is a dangerous, evil jinx.
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5 out of 5 stars
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good book but mis labeled
- By Anonymous User on 2019-06-21
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Hell Divers
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 181
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 169
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More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to Earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers - men and women who risk their lives by diving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.
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5 out of 5 stars
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a tale of heroism and sacrifice
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Fear the Sky
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 137
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From the Audie-nominated narrator of The Martian. In eleven years' time, a million members of an alien race will arrive at Earth. Years before they enter orbit, their approach will be announced by the flare of a thousand flames in the sky, their ships' huge engines burning hard to slow them from the vast speeds needed to cross interstellar space. These foreboding lights will shine in our night sky like new stars, getting ever brighter until they outshine even the sun, casting ominous shadows and banishing the night until they suddenly blink out.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One of the Best SciFi's out there
- By Somedood on 2019-10-01
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Children of Time
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 517
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 486
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 483
Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden.
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5 out of 5 stars
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SF masterwork in the style of Brin or Vinge
- By Blythe on 2018-09-16
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Red Rising
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 709
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 669
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Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Greatest Narrative Experience
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Steel World
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 52
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 49
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....
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5 out of 5 stars
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A fun read
- By Anonymous User on 2018-01-28
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The Collapsing Empire
- The Interdependency, Book 1
- Written by: John Scalzi
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- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 272
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 266
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 266
Our universe is ruled by physics, and faster-than-light travel is not possible - until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transports us to other worlds, around other stars. Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It's a hedge against interstellar war - and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.
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3 out of 5 stars
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ok novel
- By Scott Duncan on 2017-11-03
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Artemis
- Written by: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Rosario Dawson
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,961
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,837
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,831
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not much to see here.
- By C. Scott on 2018-04-13
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Unsouled
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Sacred artists follow a thousand Paths to power, using their souls to control the forces of the natural world. Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan. When faced with a looming fate he cannot ignore, he must rise beyond anything he's ever known...and forge his own Path.
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5 out of 5 stars
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one of the best examples of the heroes journey
- By Kelly on 2019-05-05
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Freedom’s Fire
- Freedom’s Fire Series, Book 1
- Written by: Bobby Adair
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1
The first interstellar war, a generation ago, left humanity enslaved. Now humans fight in the armies of their masters to save themselves from annihilation. At least, that's what the propaganda insists is true. What the layers of lies keep hidden is how badly the new war is going for the people of earth. Now it's Dylan Kane's turn to blast into the heavens and join the battle, but what his masters don't know is that by putting a weapon in his hands, they're giving him the key to unlocking his hopes of freedom.
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Genesis: Arisen, Book 0.5
- Written by: Michael Stephen Fuchs
- Narrated by: R. C. Bray
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story5 out of 5 stars 9
Tucked away in a high-tech Tactical Operations Center, inside an isolated safehouse in the Horn of Africa, sits Agency analyst Zack Altringham. He is Kenyan-born, Princeton-educated, badly burnt-out - and condemned by his language and cultural skills to a lifetime of fighting America's shadow counter-terror wars.
Publisher's Summary
Nominee, 2018 Audie Awards — Audiobook of the Year
We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.
The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.
When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar; they aren't our enemy. Our allies are.
I'd better start at the beginning.
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars407
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4 Stars117
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3 Stars24
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2 Stars6
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5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars450
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4 Stars62
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3 Stars11
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars365
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4 Stars117
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3 Stars29
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2 Stars12
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1 Stars3
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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
- jesse cornelious
- 2018-10-31
Easily one of the better books I've read..
Book starts off excellent and consistent, plot moves forward with no gaps in quality, I was ready to rate the book an easy 4 or 5, and had decided to buy the second book within the first hour of listening.
It wasn't until the final third of the book when.. 'an additional character' is added that then flips the entire book on its ear, suddenly the story went from cruising along at a good clip to hyperdrive, never leaving me with the opinion that the author didn't give everything the detail and breadth of story that it deserved as it happens.
The addition of the new character has provided me with some of the best laughs I've had in a very long time, the writing and character building is out of this world and deserves all of the awards it has garnered.
RC Bray's ability to convey different characters through voice acting and accents/imitation had me genuinely stopping and thinking several times throughout the experience if I'd even enjoy the book as much as I had been if I had been left to imagine the characters in my head while reading the book to myself on paper.
Bray brings the main character, and every other, alive in a way that is distinct and detailed in such a way that it's rarely necessary to read aloud the portions of the text that say "Bob said"/"Steve shouted" or any such description. If direction from the author wasn't given on how each character's mood, tone of voice, and attitude was meant to be conveyed, I would be genuinely surprised, because he emulates each one so accurately, it's impossible to imagine the author intended any other way for the characters to be portrayed.
The first half of this book is excellent, earning it an easy 4, the second half earns it such a solid and unwavering 5 out of 5 that I may have to go back and edit all of the reviews for books I've read prior to now, retroactively.
It's that good.
12 of 12 people found this review 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
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2018-09-21
Awesine book
#Audible1 great book , great narration . loved the plot , as well as the rest of the series
4 of 4 people found this review 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
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-11-24
Hard to get into but worth it
If you’re like me and loved The Exapnse series and wanted more, you probably stumbled on this one like I did. It’s good, but hard to get into, there’s a lot of military slang and stuff, it’s not hard science, the aliens are pretty cliche (hamsters, lizards, beetles etc.) and the first book has got a lot of building to do to set way for the following books and building the world, once you get through that though it gets quite entertaining and enjoyable, especially once’s Skippy gets introduced! So give it a go! I promise it gets better!
3 of 3 people found this review 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
- Mr P J Hill
- 2018-04-05
Enjoyable and fun Sci-Fi
It's not really serious, it's not ridiculous either. It's entertaining, fun, light and exciting. I burned through this book fast and bough the next in the series as soon I finished it. I'm currently enjoying SPECOPS just as much.
There a few military jargon bits that are not necessary near the beginning but it's not bad. Also RC Bray does a great job with the accents especially Bishop.
#Audible1
3 of 3 people found this review 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
- Bill
- 2017-12-07
Steller writing and great characters.
So glad I purchased this book, looking forward to the rest of the series. I hope that the rest has the same chemistry that this book has. The main character and Skippy are a hoot to listen to. RC Bray again knocks it out of the park with this audio book, the conversations between Skippy and other characters had me laughing out loud.. Well worth the purchase ..
3 of 3 people found this review 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
- Anny
- 2017-12-01
Good story, love the humour, must read!
Can't wait to start on the next one, very entertaining, never boring. Well written and good sf. You want to spend your time on this one.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- ChrisCW
- 2018-10-23
Great Entertainment!
The story doesn't really move sci-fi genre forward much and borrows heavily from a lot of other sources, but this is a prime example of why it pays to have a really good narrator perform these books. Yes, most of the female characters sound like hairy gruff men but at least you can tell the difference between ALL characters and the narrator switches easily between various American accents, British and other foreign accents, and then throws in some computer generated and alien vocalizations in the mix.
Story was good at first but then Skippy comes along and made it great.
Good humor and superb vocal performance has made this one of my favorite Audibles yet and looking forward to the whole series.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2018-09-29
Skippy makes it all worth it
The beginning is a bit boring, but after that the awesomeness begins and it's awesome!
2 of 2 people found this review 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
- Scott
- 2018-01-20
Took a bit, but now I'm ready for the second
Skippy and Joe's dynamic makes this book totally worth it. Once Skippy is introduced, this book gets sooooo mivjpre fun.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Aaron
- 2019-01-23
Slow start but worth the wait
Slow start but worth the wait its not until like 8 and a half hours in dose it start getting good but the setup was needed for future books im sure.
1 of 1 people found this review 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
- Gary Glenn
- 2017-06-27
Sci Fi I didn't know I wanted
I usually over analyze anything I read or watch, not wanting to waste my time on dribble or uninteresting content. After spending too much time sorting through different audio books, I settled on the Expeditionary Forces series as it appeared interesting and is, well, a series. If I enjoyed it, that would postpone the excruciating task of finding another book.
I am ecstatic that I made this choice. As much as the story is engaging, the narration is as good or better than any I've listened to. Even sound effects are not needed to add anything. Very well done.
A little more science fiction detail wouldn't hurt but does not detract from the enjoyment of this writing.
The humor throughout was unexpected but welcome and well done. Not found very often in well written Sci Fi.
Off to start the second book!
289 of 304 people found this review 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
- Tim
- San Diego, CA
- 2017-06-29
Brilliant, Funny, Clever... a Sci Fi must have
It’s hard to know where to start when describing this instant modern classic. I’ve loved Sci Fi since I was yay high…I cut my teeth on space operas like the works of EE. Doc Smith. This is the next generation of space opera and it’s fabulous. It’s also quite funny in many places. It’s action packed but doesn’t feel silly like a lot of action fiction does. The plot includes dueling alien races of giant hamsters and lizards, faster than light travel and a snarky deus ex machina artificial Intelligence the size of a can of coke. Sounds ridiculous but is actually compelling, weirdly credible and wildly entertaining. I’m already most the way through book two which puts me close to a third of the way through a 50 hour epic. If you love hard Sci Fi, if you are a Trekki or a Star Wars fan you will lap this up.
193 of 204 people found this review 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
- Eileen
- 2018-01-30
Alanson and Bray ROCK!!!
This audible book is the perfect union between author and narrator, really, it doesn’t get better! I loved this book, sci-fi with humor, you can’t go wrong! R.C. Bray is freaking awesome, I don’t think anyone could have done a better job, he’s totally a gifted narrator! I’m already through to book 4 and waiting on book 5 if that tells you how much I like this series so jump on this train, it’s a great ride!
17 of 18 people found this review 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
- Jim "The Impatient"
- 2017-01-04
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
CHEESEBURGERS
A few months ago I VOLUNTOLD you that BOB would have legions of fans. Now I am telling you this will be the next book to hit number one in Sci-Fi Contemporary. This book has science galore, comedy galore, aliens galore and space battles. To say I love it would be an IMPLIED DUH, but than OVERKILL IS UNDER RATED.
YOU GOT SOME SPLAINING TO DO LUCY
The book is over 16 hours long, and Jim The Impatient listened to all 16+ hours and was entertained all the way. Alanson has great timing and knows how to keep a story from going stale. For example, just when I thought the book was going to enter a shoot-em up phase and become boring, we are introduced to SKIPPY, an A-HOLE AI, who is witty and funny. There is something here for all Sci-Fi fans. Nothing is really new, but a lot of the good old stuff is used. For instance there are ELDERS, CLIENT RACES, PATRONS, ANCIENT ARIFACTS AND THE COLLECTIVE.
EMBRACE THE SUCK
I am not saying this is my favorite, just that it will hit number one. My favorites in the category and in order are, The Martian, Ready Player One, Bob and than this book. Some might roll their eyes at the serendipity of finding Skippy and all that he does to get them out of trouble, but if you can get past that you will love this.
SCREW ONE SHEEP
I have been listening to books since the cassette days. I have heard lots of great narrators. I don't believe I have ever heard one grow in their job as well as Bray. He started out good, with his great voice, but what he has put into the last couple of books, I have listened to has just blown my mind. Based on the last two books, he read for me, I would say he has to be my favorite.
ALPHA MIKE FOXTROT
545 of 617 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Christine D.
- Georgia
- 2017-07-07
Slapstick Meets Sci-Fi
Would you consider the audio edition of Columbus Day to be better than the print version?
Yes, the reader gave a fantastic performance.
What was most disappointing about Craig Alanson’s story?
Skippy....just....Skippy. And how everything after that worked out conveniently fine for our heroes. Hardly any real conflicts because the soda can went behind the scenes and magically solved the issues they were having. Roses and rainbows after that.
Which scene was your favorite?
Some of the interactions between Skippy and Joe were entertaining; Skippy discovers the internet.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Chuckles, but nothing extreme.
Any additional comments?
The story stopped being good after Skippy showed up....think, Jar Jar Binks with a brain. After that, it felt like a comedy sitcom like "Alf", goofy alien saves the day. And the condescending nature of the beer can reminded me of the little green alien that showed up once in an episode of the Flintstones..."dumb dumb"... I likely won't be buying the next book in the series as long as Skippy's around to conveniently fix everything before anyone gets hurt. The story becomes predictable...oh no, lizards!..oh, wait...never mind, Skippy will just blow up their ship from the inside and 100 light years away. No need to panic. Rinse, repeat.
30 of 34 people found this review 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
- W. Keith Withey
- 2017-06-27
Fun SciFi best since "Hitchhikers Guide...."
Serious but fun and Joe's encounter with "Skippy" the AI made me laugh out loud! Clever writing by Craig Alanson, and Joes character is brilliant and funny yet dead serious. Brings me back to the tough, wisecracking characters in WWII movies. Joe is smarter than he gives himself credit for, and is masterfully narrated by R.C. Bray. What a hoot!!!
16 of 18 people found this review 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
- Victor
- Williamsville, NY, United States
- 2017-05-07
Think "Farscape" not "Star Trek"
What made the experience of listening to Columbus Day the most enjoyable?
Great story of a young soldier from rural Maine that who's life is changed radically when aliens show up in his little home town. The story becomes a little ridiculous when he meets an super-intelligent alien AI but its well written and fun so it's easily forgiven. However, by book two, it starts to get a little redundant. Regardless, I am very much looking forward to book 3 and beyond.
What other book might you compare Columbus Day to and why?
I would compare it to the TV show "Farscape" the sometimes ridiculous and some times funny sci-fi show. It even includes wormholes...
Which character – as performed by R.C. Bray – was your favorite?
Sippy is my favorite character... He's an "a**hole". lol
16 of 18 people found this review 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
- Sarah Castleberry
- 2017-04-12
Entertaining
It's a new take on alien invasion - very creative!
I wish there was more character development -- only the main character has any depth of backstory that we know of. Other people around him are very one-dimensional and exchangeable.
However - there was a LOT of world building and plot to get across.
So it's more of a fun, block-buster romp, and overall and entertaining read.
Looking forward to the sequels!
4 of 4 people found this review 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
- Washington, DC
- 2016-12-17
Well...THAT was Certainly a Lot of Fun !!
At 16 hours, this is actually like reading two separate books -- the first is a pretty well done military "grunts in space" story. It is a notch above the usual because of the narration which is just great. But at about the halfway point, it transforms to a space opera-type of tongue-in-cheek story that is somewhere between Redshirts and Ready Player One -- inside jokes, clever asides and a much more self-aware story....and did I mention the narrator???? I'm not going to give away the story -- which is not really rocket science (sorry) -- but I think you will very much enjoy.
102 of 122 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Matthew
- Kansas City, MO, United States
- 2017-02-22
A Book to Lighten Up the Mood
Any additional comments?
This is one of those shallow, entertaining on-the-rails rollercoaster books I love. The whole point is escapism and laughs. Sorry, but there isn't any real character development, giant allegories, or any of that silly "literature" stuff here.
What we do have is one poor combat grunt that keeps ending up in the worst possible place at the worst possible times. Each time he ends up there good ol' Lady Luck comes around and beats him with a baseball bat filled with love and barbwire. Plucky plans against different enemy alien shenanigans and a fateful meeting with a uproarious lonely male (weird right?) AI ensues. The AI even admits that he's a jerk.
So if you want a hilarious adventure romp on easy mode, pick this book up, I mean it is like Old Man's War or Willful Child. If not, go pick up I dunno, 2001 or something.
43 of 51 people found this review 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
- Lewis Down
- 2019-04-10
High-sci-fi through the eyes of an army grunt
amazing story, full of subverted expectations, heart-wrenching humanity, and deep moral choices. I wish I could say more without spoiling anything.
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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
- Robert
- 2017-07-25
A lot of fun
A good pace, plenty of action, comedy, and a bit of drama. Physics were a little off, but hey, it's sci fi. A great read/performance none the less.