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The Downloaded
- Narrated by: Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby, Vanessa Sears, Colm Feore, Andrew Phung, full cast
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
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The Downloaded
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Publisher's Summary
In 2059, two vastly different groups of people portrayed by the compelling trio of Brendan Fraser (Academy Award winner), Luke Kirby (Emmy Award winner), and Vanessa Sears (Dora Award winner) undergo cryonic suspension. While their bodies are frozen, their minds, still active and awake, are uploaded into a massive quantum computer. The first group are all astronauts, about to leave Earth on a one-way interstellar colonization mission. The second group consists of convicted murderers and volunteers who elect to serve their sentences in a virtual-reality prison. But while both groups are suspended, a global cataclysm devastates most of the Earth, and their cryosleep is extended by more than 500 years.
Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.
Trailer
About the creator
About Brendan Fraser
About Luke Kirby
About Vanessa Sears
Behind the Scenes
What listeners say about The Downloaded
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Bill
- 2023-10-28
I made it through a few hours…
I managed a few hours but it got tedious. Tries really hard to hit all the social justice hot buttons and it just got tiresome.
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18 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Mobile skii
- 2023-10-27
Great performance, terrible story.
There's a reason why in sci-fi writers will use some sort of far-future black magic tech as their plot drivers, its very hard to screw up something nobody understands. Then you decide to use concepts that have been heavily researched (while doing no research yourself) and drop the ball, people notice. and the rest of the mistakes in the story that would be overlooked start to become glaring.
Minor Spoilers below:
The premise is a Fallout 4 meets Dr. Stone collection of humans unwittingly preserved into the far future awake to find earth sans-humanity 500ish years later. So far, so good. However the driver of this reset button on the world is a CME causes a Carrington event-like electromagnetic storm that fries all unshielded electronics. Being denied use of their cell phones humanity collectively goes "Well, I guess I'll die" as opposed to rebuilding. This leads to other questions such as if a basic civilian cryo-storage facility that housed the MCs got out unscathed why wouldn't military complexes and data centers, places currently shielded against EMP and have backup generators, also be perfectly fine. Gravity and wind didn't turn off, so wind turbines and hydro-electric generators could be kluged back into service at reduced capacity until full industry is restored. Ironically, solar power (which kept or sleeping characters preserved) would be the worst cooked by an EM wave.
A better approach to a "humanity got noped out of existence centuries ago plot" would just leave the cause a mystery and let the reader come to their own conclusions.
The cast did a pretty good job at trying to bring life the characters, except Sears who seemed to struggle with her character (though in fairness the space captain she plays is sloppily written)
I will give full props to Sawyer for the exploration of digital freedom to create ones own personal Heaven and Hell and the consequences therein.
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10 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
- Anonymous User
- 2023-11-02
Now that's entertainment!
Both a fun and thoughtful romp through a post-apocalyptic scenario, as only Robert J. Sawyer can pull off. I thought the contrast between the astronauts and ex-cons provided good tension, and the Mennonites were a nice touch too. I loved that the story was placed in Waterloo: Sawyer always gives his work a proudly Canadian flourish. And it was a magnificent, layered theatrical performance of the audio book - Brendan Fraser was especially good, and fresh from his Academy Award! I love that Sawyer's brand of thoughtful science fiction is commanding such star power today.
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7 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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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Kevin S Terry
- 2023-10-28
Glad I did not pay for this
Booooring. Not sure how I made it through. I know I tuned out a few times
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7 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
- Holly
- 2023-11-02
well written and entertaining!
I always enjoy Robert J Sawyer's work and this was no exception. Well-researched science, three-dimensional characters, a stellar cast of voice actors and a hopeful ending. Would recommend!
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-11-01
Bingable and reflective
This is sci fi I can get into. It felt similar to Orwell's martian chronicles, and an Arthur C Clarke piece. Would love to see a film adaptation if it hasn't happened already.
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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
- Rob Tyrie, Serial Entrepreneur
- 2023-11-08
what a fantastic production.all together entranced
Author! Author! I really really love this piece of art... It's more than a book it's more than an audiobook it's more than a radio play and it's more than a serial... You write great characters as always... And those great actors eat it up for breakfast lunch and dinner and however future martians eat! I believe that this should get a special award from both Hugo and Nebula... The last two episodes should be read by every head of state and every CEO to get a fictional view of a very realistic future.. that's how stunningly drawn the situations are.
The core of the book of the characters and the things they experience with robots and artificial intelligence in space travel are all on top of people's minds right now and the challenges that the characters go through are things we need to think about now.
The plot and action is fantastic, matching the premise.
Cheers to you and thank you for the art and artistry ... ( And settings and characters from Canada to boot!👍) ... I do hope that this gets option for the screen it's made for of course... Listen to it and enjoy.
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4 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
- tech guy
- 2023-11-06
Great performance. Very creative story.
Loved this one. Another gem from Sawyer and the cast delivers a big screen performance.
100% recommend.
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4 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
- Kelly
- 2023-11-06
So, so good!
5 stars all around.
I enjoyed the philosophical bites as well. Hope they make more like it.
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4 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
- Sultron
- 2023-11-05
I want to listen to it again
Very entertaining. Many characters who I would like to go back and get to know better the second time around.
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4 people found this helpful
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-10-27
Poor writing- agenda piece
If you have attention to detail or enjoy sci fi this is NOT for you. This short piece couldn’t remember details and small matters from beginning to end. It is very left/right agenda based and if you are looking to relax there are much better titles. I’m sure many will want to click on it because like me you saw Brandan Frasier, but honestly as much as I wanted to like him- he just fell flat.
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43 people found this helpful
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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
- Cristina
- 2023-10-30
Promising but too political
A conservative bully joyfully murdered, evil white people… the premise was promising but it’s so polarizing. No thanks. I want a sci-fi (even a dystopian one) to get away from racist storylines not be drenched in them.
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38 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
- Matthew S Pederson
- 2023-10-30
Why the need to racebait?
Who are these writers that want to sew further racial division and hatred? There's a constant look how evil white people are in the narative of this story. It's not the trolls on the internet that's causing animosity between races in the world. It's the writers for Amazon.
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33 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Joe Finn
- 2023-11-05
Woke, woke and more woke
Transgender love, Black women in highest positions of authority, global warming will destroy the world, people who don’t take the Covid vaccine want to destroy humanity, and a self-professed “bleeding heart liberal” saves the day. The villains, murderers and rapists are mostly straight white males. If that’s your thing, this production will reinforce your worldview.
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22 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
- Travis
- 2023-11-05
Gen Z Masterpiece
Preferred pronouns, top and bottom surgery justifications, pointless story jumping around trying to find a plot, deeply disappointed. No wonder it is free. Only listened to it because Brandon Frazier is in it.
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17 people found this helpful
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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
- Kate Rose
- 2023-11-07
Not my cup of tea.
Way too much liberal agenda involved in the story. Very anti God.
The foul language was unnecessary to the story. I really don't read to get involved in more politics and more woke agenda trash. I want to read a story that is just a pure story without all the extraneous garbage inserted.
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16 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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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Benjamin R. Rodrigue
- 2023-11-07
Interesting concept.. poorly executed.
I really like the concept and so much could have been done with it. Unfortunately, it has more political and social grandstanding than story and the authors opinions detracted from the story.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Cleo
- 2023-11-10
Predictable woke trash.
Listened to hundreds of books. First written review. If you like woke narratives about “Covid 50 “ , LGBTQ, mocking believers in GOD and just unimaginative trash, this book is for you. Narrators great, storyline predictable, subtle and in my opinion trash.
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13 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
- Takashi
- 2023-10-31
Interesting End.
I needed a quick listen though wanted a apocalyptic scent to the theme and this story wetted my taste. A selling point was the comments calling the story “Woke”. I found it amusing that treating others as you wish to be treated, and real history upset those reviewers so much.
Only thing I wish it had more of is both the final moments of the last humans left behind. As well as more detail about Home.
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12 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
- Cogit8tor
- 2023-10-27
Creative, Distopian, Yet somehow optimistic.
Rob Sawyer takes us on an adventure through virtual, physical, and psycho-social space in a story of survival and transformation as five groups of entities five centuries in the future decide their respectively destinies, on Earth, Mars, and the distant stars.
The voice acting is excellent and helps carry the tale effectively. Highly recommended.
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12 people found this helpful