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  • The Book of Strange New Things

  • By: Michel Faber
  • Narrated by: Josh Cohen
  • Length: 19 hrs and 27 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (328 ratings)
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The Book of Strange New Things cover art

The Book of Strange New Things

By: Michel Faber
Narrated by: Josh Cohen
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Summary

'I am with you always, even unto the end of the world . . .'

Peter Leigh is a missionary called to go on the journey of a lifetime. Leaving behind his beloved wife, Bea, he boards a flight for a remote and unfamiliar land, a place where the locals are hungry for the teachings of the Bible - his 'book of strange new things'. It is a quest that will challenge Peter's beliefs, his understanding of the limits of the human body and, most of all, his love for Bea.

The Book of Strange New Things is a wildly original tale of adventure, faith and the ties that might hold two people together when they are worlds apart. This momentous novel, Faber's first since The Crimson Petal and the White, sees him at his expectation-defying best.

©2014 Michel Faber (P)2014 Canongate Books Ltd

What listeners say about The Book of Strange New Things

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The book of boring old things

What disappointed you about The Book of Strange New Things?

Long winded, slim on plot and characterisation, poor editing (how many similes and descriptions of sweatiness does this book need?!)

What will your next listen be?

Nothing by michel faber, that's for sure. I would not have believed that this is the same guy who wrote crimson petal. What a let down

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He had a tendency. To stop in the. Middle
Of sentences. As if he hadn't read ahead to know it still carried on

Very annoying

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Book of Strange New Things?

I would have chopped about 2/3rds of the book. Certainly the endless passages of scripture teaching.

I would have added

- a plot
- proper back stories of key characters
- different character viewpoints
- subtlety

Any additional comments?

I think I'm actually going to return this book. It took up too many hours of my life that I'll never have back

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40 people found this helpful

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

Not just for sci-fi fans, a compelling human story

I bought this audiobook having previously enjoyed The Crimson Petal and the White by the same author. This book could not be more different but was also a compelling listen.

The book is set in the near future but, although staged in sci fi territory, the story is concerned with human themes: relationships, the nature of faith, belonging.

The imagined world is detailed, fascinating and convincing and will satisfy sci fi fans . The underlying human themes develop slowly and the book is a thought provoking commentary on the nature of modern human relationships and connectedness.

Credit must go to the narrator who manages the challenge of an entirely new language with great skill.

I really enjoyed this book and the issues raised remained with me long afterwards. A thought provoking and intelligent listen.

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31 people found this helpful

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

The Book of Ssssstrange New Things

Really interesting ideas, and engaging story.

Was originally only going to give it 3 stars, as I felt quite a few things were unresolved and some of those big ideas were left high and dry. However, I've been reflecting on the story, and the characters for a few days - I really cared about what would happen to them, and the book and the strange environment have stayed with me. Surely the sign of a clever and involving piece of work.

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23 people found this helpful

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

always with you until the end of time

A love bigger than faith, bigger than space, a love that a firms "And remember that I am always with you until the end of time."
This love is the beginning and the end of this book, the backbone of all else in this strange pages with aliens, corporations and so many secrets that no one wants to explore.
A recognisable universe like ours in many ways but with unusual omissions and inexplicable or unexplained reasoning that take you to a world that is claustrophobic in nature, by its very open space and distance from ours.
Communication is limited by technology and exclusion of information from the protagonists, the corporation, language, the lovers, by the very design of the author.
Faith is a big topic in this book and is explored in a compelling way that makes you care for those that believe, especially when doubt begins to enter in their hearts.
I enjoyed this book very much and will digest it for a long time. For those that are not sure about this story, I would say it is a closer relative of the SF of Ray Bradbury that any other; it is not about machines or how they work, space theories or time theories, but about us and our humanity, the construct is only a way to stress and test, it is not meant to be a reality more like a dream that sometimes becomes a nightmare.
The narrator made the book real, even when he had the task of speaking in a none human language.

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20 people found this helpful

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

A really interesting adventure

If you could sum up The Book of Strange New Things in three words, what would they be?

original, interesting, creative

What did you like best about this story?

the moral dilemmas that Peter faces is very real and relatable despite the fantasy setting of the story.

What does Josh Cohen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I really liked his interpretation of the Oasians voices and pronunciation

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the fear that the Oasians felt when Peter hurt himself, really brought home for me how important it was to them to have a religious leader, and the bond they felt with this man.

Any additional comments?

I am a huge fan of The Crimson Petal and the White. To be honest, if it weren't for my love of that book I would have passed this title over on the basis of it's subject matter. However, Faber's skill meant that I thoroughly enjoyed a book which was about two things I am essentially not very interested in!

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19 people found this helpful

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

worst book i've read in a long time

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

this is a dreadful book with huge plot holes and inconsistencies. the characters have no redeeming qualities, i found them irritating and illogical.

Has The Book of Strange New Things put you off other books in this genre?

no

How could the performance have been better?

the alien speak was awful

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

no

Any additional comments?

dont get this book

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12 people found this helpful

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

A Strange Book Indeed

I was intrigued by the premise of this book: a missionary going to a strange new place to live with his flock and bring them the word of God, whilst maintaining a relationship with his wife who is only reachable via a form of email with no pictures.

It's difficult knowing what to write without giving away any plot. There *is* plot, but it's tenuous, and what there is is slightly fantastic to say the least. And by that I mean fantasy-like, rather than brilliant.

The team of people at the USIC base seem jaded and gelded. The happenings around Bea feel too far fetched to happen so fast. The way Peter and Bea react to each other's messages seems a little unconvincing.

I thought the narrator did a very competent job. I found him believable as Peter and felt he gave him all the colour and personality allowed for in the book. As for his pronunciations, bravo that man! I have no idea how they compare to the spellings in the text (a drawback of audio over a paperback), but they sounded convincing to me!

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12 people found this helpful

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

Different and Fascinating

Would you listen to The Book of Strange New Things again? Why?

I would rather read it. I did not enjoy the narrator's attempts to pronounce the words the aliens say when trying to speak English.

What other book might you compare The Book of Strange New Things to, and why?

This book is quite unique but the closest I could get to a comparison is Michael Faber's "Under The Skin".

What about Josh Cohen’s performance did you like?

Yes apart from the attempt to speak like the aliens. That was rather painful.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really

Any additional comments?

It is a good story and keeps you reading to see how it works out and what is really going on. I found the extensive Christian sermons very tedious and think they could have been shortened.

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9 people found this helpful

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

Largely uneventful, irritating narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not, it's very dull.

Would you recommend The Book of Strange New Things to your friends? Why or why not?

No, it is boring. Infuriatingly uneventful; the protagonist's character s developed for 3/4th of the book, in largely the same way (casual link to personal history, repeat).

Would you be willing to try another one of Josh Cohen’s performances?

Absolutely not. Strikes me more as a stage actor than a narrator – gets way too involved in putting on voices. The aliens' voices are very irksome to listen to for the number of hours required to complete the book, and when they sing it's genuinely excruciating. Might just be personal, but I want a book read to me, not hear an actor audition for a stage role.

Was The Book of Strange New Things worth the listening time?

Barely.

Any additional comments?

Committing to hearing one person's voice for 16+ hours is a big decision – I recommend people listen to as many samples as possible before downloading.

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8 people found this helpful

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

Anti science fiction

The Book of Strange New things follows evangelist minister Peter who is sent by a shadowy US corporation to a strange alien planet where he preaches Christianity to eager aliens who provide food to the earthly colonists in return for medicine. The aliens are indistinguishable to each other due to their lack of any facial features and strange language. We immediately start to wonder what his purpose on the planet is when we hear that his predecessor disappeared mysteriously. Peters enthusiasm to spread Gods word blinds him to the apocalypse which is being reported back from Earth, leading to misunderstandings between Peter and his wife who has remained on earth to look after their cat. Through the book you wonder what is really happening on earth and what the purpose of this strange mission is.

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6 people found this helpful