Narrator too confusing

While I enjoyed the story line, it was hard work keeping track of which character was speaking as the narrator's voice kept the same pitch throughout the story. Wish I could have read this one.

3 people found this helpful

Dark story of a man trying to recover his identity

A man wakes up in an unfamiliar, dark room, with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

There's a voice, his caretaker, Dr. Kuhn, who will help him remember who he is and recover his physical health.

He slowly gets stronger, the pain goes, his sight returns, and he is starting to recover his memories. Yet, something is wrong. Dr. Kuhn won't answer some questions, questions that seem perfectly reasonable and straightforward. He does learn there's been a pandemic, and a lot of people died.

How many? Where is he? And who is he, really? Is Dr. Kuhn friend or foe?

This story was, obviously, written before we were aware of the COVID-19 pandemic that would soon disrupt our lives, but those who didn't have their heads in the sand knew another global pandemic would come. The characters are well-depicted, and the picture of the world they're in is built up in small details revealed in their conversations. It's quite well done, and yet, it's a story I don't quite connect with. It doesn't work for me.

I bought this audiobook.

2 people found this helpful

Snoozefest

This is quite literally one of the most boring stories I've heard in a long time. It just dragged on and on. And on.

2 people found this helpful

Best of the Six

This was the most thought-provoking of the six books in the Forward collection. You can figure out what is going to happen but are still never really told why. And it will keep you thinking long after you finish reading.

2 people found this helpful

Unclear narration detracts from the story

The setup of the story is very interesting and could be done in an absolutely stunning way, I'm sure, but I had a hard time tracking who was saying what because of the narrator's nearly unvaried droning. It's sad to say 'didn't finish' on a story this short, but I just couldn't take the narration. In what is essentially a conversation, you've got to have some voice differentiation between the characters.

I'll be finishing the story, but not in audio.

2 people found this helpful

It will give you the chills

This is a very suspenseful story. A cautionary tale of "what if". It was hard to listen to just as the Covid pandemic was starting, but still worth it.

1 person found this helpful

Terrifying

This short story will leave you contemplating your own reality should the world leave you alone.

1 person found this helpful

Disturbing and Creepy

Paul Trembley does unsettling and creepy very well. He does not let up with his addition to the Forward series. He captures a very disturbing possibility in the future of science.

1 person found this helpful

The story is familiar to me...

This story brought to mind the ending of a certain novel I recently finished; to name it would give away what is going on here. I was also reminded of a few episodes of The Twilight Zone. I had seen Tremblay's name, read many good reviews of his work, but this was my first dalliance with his writing, and this story IS very well written. I enjoyed the subtle eeriness of the narrator's voice too and was mesmerized even though I had a strong feeling of where the story was going. This was a very pleasurable rainy afternoon listen.

1 person found this helpful

Sci-fi

This was a quick book. I listened as an audio book. While listening I thought I had it figured out when binary was used but it was a surprise ending. Another good sci-fi book by Paul Tremblay. He always gives room for thought.