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Only Human cover art

Only Human

Written by: Sylvain Neuvel
Narrated by: William Hope,Charlie Anson,Laurence Bouvard,Adna Sablylich,full cast
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Publisher's Summary

Pacific Rim meets The Martian in the explosive follow-up to Sleeping Giants ("One of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory" —NPR) and Waking Gods ("Pure, unadulterated literary escapism" —Kirkus Reviews).

Brilliant scientist Rose Franklin has devoted her adult life to solving the mystery she accidentally stumbled upon as a child: a huge metal hand buried beneath the ground outside Deadwood, South Dakota. The discovery set in motion a cataclysmic chain of events with geopolitical ramifications. Rose and the Earth Defense Corps raced to master the enigmatic technology, as giant robots suddenly descended on Earth’s most populous cities, killing one hundred million people in the process. Though Rose and her team were able to fend off the attack, their victory was short-lived. The mysterious invaders retreated, disappearing from the shattered planet...but they took the scientist and her crew with them.

Now, after nearly 10 years on another world, Rose returns to find a devastating new war - this time between humans. America and Russia are locked in combat, fighting to fill the power vacuum left behind after the invasion. Families are torn apart, friends become bitter enemies, and countries collapse in the wake of the battling superpowers. It appears the aliens left behind their titanic death machines so humankind will obliterate itself. Rose is determined to find a solution, whatever it takes. But will she become a pawn in a doomsday game no one can win?

Read by William Hope, Charlie Anson, Laurence Bouvard, Adna Sablylich, Laura Kirman, Aaron Vodovoz, Julie Rogers, Christopher Ragland, Patricia Rodrigues, Jennifer Woodward, Karina Fernandez, Eric Meyers, Madeleine Rose, Lance C. Fuller, and the author, Sylvain Neuvel.

"Packing a surprisingly powerful thematic punch, this novel is an addictive blend of science fiction, apocalyptic thriller, and chillingly timely cautionary tale. Two (giant, robotic) thumbs up!" (Kirkus Reviews)

"Boasting a winning combination of briskly paced action and futuristic dystopia tempered by cautious optimism, Only Human brings a fitting, satisfying end to the Themis Files series." (RT Book Reviews)

©2018 Sylvain Neuvel (P)2018 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"This action-packed tale with apocalyptic stakes is a fitting finale to this wonderfully cinematic series." (Publishers Weekly)

"Series fans will be eager for [Sylvian] Neuvel's ever-so-satisfying conclusion to his rip-roaring science-fiction adventure tale." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Only Human

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Eva's Voicing... What's going on with that?

I thought the choice for Eva's voice was odd in this installment. It didn't match up with what you'd expect given her adoptive parent's country of origin. In the second installment of this series, the actor voicing Eva's part has an accurate accent, and is extremely compelling in her performance. I really would have liked to hear that actor continue the performance, and incorporate aspects of the Esat Ekt accent, as you'd expect... given... stuff that would constitute a spoiler so I won't say... Long story short: I wish they'd stuck with that actor. The performance of Eva here seemed to lack depth when compared to the rest of the brilliant cast. I don't mean to single her out, this is simply a top notch production, so even small flaws can stand out. Was it a subtle Brooklyn / New York accent with, something else? It was so hard to pin down, and deviates so greatly from what I heard in the 2nd installment, that it often pulled me out of the story.

Still, so good overall, besides that nit pick.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great story. poor choice of narration

good final book, but I have to admit, I enjoyed the first two books much more. I thought that Eva did a great job, but have to question why the casting director choose her. Her accent got in the way, but she did a great job. overall a good ending to the trilogy.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Book. Bad Accents.

The story is good. But the accents drive me crazy. I thought Vincent's French Canadian accent was bad last couple books. But Eva has a New York accent for no reason in this book...

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

bad ending in the trilogy

struggled to finish this one, kinda boring kinda just blah. not much to say. very different from the first 2.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great performances

This was a great little sci fi trilogy. I really enjoyed how it was presented in a series of notes and diary entries, kind of like the Mars segments of The Martian. Many of the actors, especially Charlie Anson, had fantastic performances. My only two issues was the decision to give Eva a Long Island accent when she was from Puerto Rico, that was bizarre, and the lack of sound effects during the heavy action scenes. You’d have actors screaming and shouting during a fight scene, sounding great, but it was too weird without the bangs and clangs of robots fighting. I do however love the satisfying ending that rounded everything up, always great when that happens.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Feels like the genre changed

the series went from mystery and intrigue in the first two books, to politics and racism in the last book.

There was hardly any curiosity or excitement in the last book, and I didn't feel any strong character development.

The two most interesting characters were killed off in the second book, and they didn't really flesh out the remaining characters enough for me to give the crap about their struggles.

Felt like the genre of this book changed, and I got something I wasn't set up for in the first two.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Should have stopped at two

This was a struggle for me. The story was ok, but nothing to write home about. It certainly answers the Cliff hanger from book two. The performance however was excruciating, especially for the aliens and Eva. Why would a Latina suddenly have a harsh NY accent btw? It was one off the more annoying audio books I’ve experienced. Vincent and Rose were top notch, again. I could have survived never resolving the cliffhanger from two

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

Content Warning: islamaphobia, death, torture, religious persecution, war, othering, depictions of broken bones and violence

Wow, wow, wow! This was such a good conclusion to this series! Another huge time skip, but such great political commentary and I loved the further worldbuilding of the aliens. I loved everything about this entire series and it's definitely one I will be recommending to everyone.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

masterpiece

this final chapter of this trilogy is really as good as the first two...so GOOD AND ORIGINAL.so sad when it ends I will remember that story for a long time and will be re listening it too.....Amaze,amaze,amaze...

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Eva’s accent ruined this audiobook for me

Eva’s accent is completely different and doesn’t make any sense compared to the other books. It’s so off-putting I couldn’t continue listening

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