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A Scanner Darkly
- Narrated by: Paul Giamatti
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
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Very enjoyable
- By Mr. J. Forsyth on 19-12-16
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after this, I'm a reader who become a book
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At last, one of the world’s greatest works of science fiction is available - just as author Stanislaw Lem intended it. To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Solaris, Audible, in cooperation with the Lem Estate, has commissioned a brand-new translation, unabridged for the first time, and the first ever direct translation from the original Polish to English. Beautifully narrated by Alessandro Juliani ( Battlestar Galactica), Lem’s provocative novel comes alive for a new generation.
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Blown away!
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2001
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It has been 40 years since the publication of this classic science-fiction novel that changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves. From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man adventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.
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Excellent... but why no 2010 on Audible yet?
- By Martin on 31-07-14
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Blade Runner
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It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill. Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignment: find them and then..."retire" them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn't want to be found!
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Why the title?
- By Mr. G. J. Walker on 10-11-09
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Total Recall
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Too short
- By j d rowley on 05-06-20
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Ubik
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Overall
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Performance
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Glen Runciter runs a lucrative business - deploying his teams of anti-psychics to corporate clients who want privacy and security from psychic spies. But when he and his top team are ambushed by a rival, he is gravely injured and placed in "half-life," a dreamlike state of suspended animation. Soon, though, the surviving members of the team begin experiencing some strange phenomena, such as Runciter's face appearing on coins and the world seeming to move backward in time.
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Very enjoyable
- By Mr. J. Forsyth on 19-12-16
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The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
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Overall
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On Mars, the harsh climate could make any colonist turn to drugs to escape a dead-end existence. Especially when the drug is Can-D, which transports its users into the idyllic world of a Barbie-esque character named Perky Pat. When the mysterious Palmer Eldritch arrives with a new drug called Chew-Z, he offers a more addictive experience, one that might bring the user closer to God. But in a world where everyone is tripping, no promises can be taken at face value.
-
-
after this, I'm a reader who become a book
- By Paul Inbj on 19-01-17
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Solaris
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Overall
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At last, one of the world’s greatest works of science fiction is available - just as author Stanislaw Lem intended it. To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Solaris, Audible, in cooperation with the Lem Estate, has commissioned a brand-new translation, unabridged for the first time, and the first ever direct translation from the original Polish to English. Beautifully narrated by Alessandro Juliani ( Battlestar Galactica), Lem’s provocative novel comes alive for a new generation.
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Blown away!
- By Peter on 16-07-11
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Overall
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It has been 40 years since the publication of this classic science-fiction novel that changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves. From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man adventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.
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Excellent... but why no 2010 on Audible yet?
- By Martin on 31-07-14
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Blade Runner
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Overall
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It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill. Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignment: find them and then..."retire" them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn't want to be found!
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Why the title?
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Too short
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If you've seen the Amazon version, read this also
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Somewhat disappointed
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That's some good Philip K Dick.
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Volume I: The King of the Elves
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Poorly made.
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The Sun is dying. Earth will perish too, consumed by the star in its final death throes. But rather than abandon their planet, humanity builds 12,000 mountainous fusion engines to propel the Earth out of orbit and onto a centuries-long voyage to Proxima Centaurai....
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Zachary Quinto - best known for his role as the Nimoy-approved Spock in the recent Star Trek reboot and the menacing, power-stealing serial killer, Sylar, in Heroes - brings his well-earned sci-fi credentials and simmering intensity to this audio-exclusive novella from master storyteller John Scalzi. One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone - 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know.
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Great book....one can't get enough of.
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The City and the Stars
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Men had built cities before, but never such a city as Diaspar; for millennia its protective dome shut out the creeping decay and danger of the world outside. Once, it ruled the stars. But then, as legend had it, the Invaders came, driving humanity into this last refuge. It takes one man, a Unique, to smash the legend and discover the true nature of the Invaders.
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Ahead of its time
- By BM on 28-11-14
Summary
Substance D - otherwise known as Death - is the most dangerous drug ever to find its way on to the black market. It destroys the links between the brain's two hemispheres, leading first to disorentation and then to complete and irreversible brain damage.
Bob Arctor, undercover narcotics agent, is trying to find a lead to the source of supply, but to pass as an addict he must become a user, and soon, without knowing what is happening to him, he is as dependent as any of the addicts he is monitoring.
Now a cult classic film starring Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. Read by Paul Giamatti.
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What listeners say about A Scanner Darkly
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- D. Oxford
- 24-10-17
Full stars, no dark
Sorry - couldn't resist :-/ Actually, though there is much bathos there is a good deal of dark pathos and a sincerely felt author's end note to underline that. More manic than most PKD and very entertainingly handled, with Paul Giamatti fully committed to every phrase.
4 people found this helpful
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- T. Irvine
- 28-04-15
Wow...
This novel starts a little slowly and seems a little rambling at first. If you're not familiar with Phillip K Dick, you'd probably be best to start with 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. That said, once this book grips you, and it will grip you, you will be sucked in completely to the weird world of Phillip K Dick. When you emerge blinking into the real world you will be... Changed somehow, and you will never see the world through the same eyes. Extraordinary.
3 people found this helpful
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- Sean V
- 29-05-15
Brilliant but not for everyone.
It's a really freaked out book well read and I truly enjoyed it. My partner however couldn't listen to it and it was banned from the car.
I will be listening to it for a second time.
2 people found this helpful
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- andy
- 19-03-20
junkies
well observed, well written and very well read. But i gave up after a few hours. If i were interested in the ramblings of paranoid junkies I'd hang out with those toothless folk near the shops.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jack S.
- 24-04-19
Slow and disappointing
Loved “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” But this was slow and long winded. Wouldn’t listen again
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-12-13
Brilliant resurrection of an abandoned read
Where does A Scanner Darkly rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
In particular this was one of my abandoned reads. So like other abandoned reads I was interested to give it a second go, albeit as an audiobook. Amongst all the audio books I've listened to and I include audio books I've heard before using Audible, this is easily the best. In fact I would say for me this was better as an audio book over a traditional read.
What was one of the most memorable moments of A Scanner Darkly?
Anyone not wishing a spoiler , should look away now, but the disintegration of Bob Arctor particularly when he arrives at the clinic
Which character – as performed by Paul Giamatti – was your favourite?
Barris easily, I could almost imagine Robert Downey Jr taking over the microphone
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I would have liked to but I didn't have the time but it did encourage me to listen to the book at times I would not have listened to another book
Any additional comments?
Its a stark read, when you think about substance addiction, but this makes the read even more compelling. I also think that its an interesting counterbalance read when considering the literature of psychedelia. For me it brings into sharp distinction the irresponsibility of a book like the Doors of Perception, even though I generally like Aldous Huxley
4 people found this helpful
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- O E Casale
- 19-10-20
Good story
My first P K Dick book and pleasantly surprised. Didn’t know what to expect as one of my favourite films is taken from a book of his but enjoyable I felt for the the central character and definitely won’t be my last book of his.
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-10-20
I'll reflect on this for a long while.
Its more than merely sci-fi entertainment going on here - the story builds and weaves and separates ingeniously, the characters and features are brilliantly detailed, it really captures a culture and its consequences.. and last but not least it's narrated superbly. it moved me and I shall think about this for some time, reading it for the first time now in 2020 you can tell that the culture described here is a little dated but actually so much of this holds up today like great sci-fi should . I should have heard or read this this long before now... quality listening. would 100% recommend.
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- Wolfie's Wibbles
- 17-08-20
Excellent performance and story
this is classic Philip k dick, exploring themes of identity and free will. Paul Giomati's performance was great too; gave extra personality to the main characters
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- Steveht
- 02-07-20
A depressing dirge of a story
The title of the review says it all I couldn't reach the end because of the unremitting darkness