One of John Lee's best performances

I'm an Alistair Reynolds fan, got this the same day it became available. The story is good, but not one of his best. I realy liked the steampunky 'Terminal World' much more. If Mr. Reynolds is going to veer from his standard hard SciFi space operas, he should continue in that direction, in my humble opinion. However, John Lee really nailed this one!. His voice for the American private eye was spot on. The only other review so far was negative due to the "1920 detective noir" style. The main character is a detective from 1959...go figure. I thought it was perfect for the character and story. Bravo Mr. Lee!

23 people found this helpful

We'll always have Paris - but which one?

Paris in the 1950's, Wendell Floyd is an ex-pat American jazz musician forced to actually make a living as a private detective, although he and his partner, Andre Custin, still play occasionally. The pragmatic Floyd thinks he may solve his money troubles with the investigation of an apparent suicide. While in Paris of the distant future, Verity Auger, an archeologist, is digging into a ice-locked dead city searching for relics of the past. The listener understands early on that while Auger's Paris could be in our future, Floyd's Paris is definitely not in our past and Auger is tasked to understand what that means. Clearly these disparate tales must be linked and they do merge fairly early in the narrative and Auger and Floyd ultimately realize they are each the key for the other's mystery.

There are some flaws in this overall good story:
1. While I like the characters of Floyd and Auger, I just never "felt" the chemistry between them so the love story is a bit flat.
2. Erratic pacing. The setup is very good, with a gradual build up that generates a great deal of suspense, but the long and repetitive chase scenes and the muddled political conflict break the tension frequently in the later sections of the book.

Century Rain has some good things going for it as well:
1. Wonderful prose - I would argue that there is no Science Fiction writer who writes more elegantly than Alistair Reynolds. As always, he uses beautiful metaphors, sets vivid scenes, and employs such a wide vocabulary that my ears stay tuned even when the story slows.
2. Grand provocative ideas. We all know about The Law of the Unintended Consequences, but Century Rain takes that idea to the grandest scale and shows us a planet that has been made uninhabitable as a result of good intentions gone VERY bad and people who don't know how to quit digging when they get in a hole.
3. Gripping thriller type plot with some clever nods at Casablanca

John Lee was not at his best on this book, but was competent and did not detract. This isn't Reynolds best book, but I still found it entertaining and mind-expanding.

21 people found this helpful

Reynolds and Lee deliver another fantastic read.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, as long as they like the genre.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Century Rain?

There's a great twist in the story when you realize what is going on for the first time. Reynolds didn't come out and say it, he just gave lots of little clues. Then all of a sudden it just tipped, and I had a great ah ha moment. Wonderfully done.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I could listen to John Lee read a book about dirt and would probably be captivated. He is one of my top two favorite readers. His voice was soothing and stayed out of the way of the action in the text, and he voiced the characters so that you knew who was talking without having to think about it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There was maybe two times when I teared up, but hey, I'm an emotional guy.

10 people found this helpful

Good story - flat characters

This is my first Reynolds book. I was very impressed by the idea of this book and the science behind it. While during a few parts I felt like it was a little over my head, he mostly keeps it understandable for all readers. It was a very interesting plot and I enjoyed that it never felt boring even though it's a longer book.

While his idea and concept for the story were great, he lacked in several areas. The characters were fairly flat - which was tolerable in the older sci-fi books but I rather expect more now. I believe the problem lies in that Reynolds knows nothing about Americans.

The two main characters are American but it feels very like he watched, say, Columbo, then wrote his characters from the stereotypes on screen. Our main male character is a very typical gumshoe. And our female is a somewhat abrasive archeologist turned spy. The falling in love bit felt unfounded as well. But back to the American issue - Reynolds appears to not know about America. For example, the Americans call a flashlight a torch, which everyone knows is what Brits say. And he acts as if we have regional accents like in England, which we don't. E.g. -continually has Americans doubting she is from Nebraska because they don't recognize her accent. Well, Reynolds, no one would recognize a Nebraska accent. It's not that distinct at all. So, I felt like someone with the internet at their fingertips could easily find out more about Americans if they were going to write about them.

In all, I enjoyed the story, but only in the way I enjoy the older sci-fi books which tend to have good science but not so great with the character development. I think it's worth reading. I plan to read another book of his to see if it was writing about Americans that tripped him up or if he just has issues with characters.

The narration is fairly good. He gets a little confused on the accents early on but gets better.

7 people found this helpful

Very successful fusion of noir and hard SF

This is my favorite Reynolds novel so far--though I still have quite a few more to read. The plotting is very tight, including a satisfying joint resolution, toward the end, of several seemingly unrelated subplots. The characters are distinctive, and mesh nicely. As for the high concept, I don't want to risk spoilers by saying too much about it here. I found it very appealing. As a student of 20th Century history, I was particularly fascinated by the very subtly-crafted wrongness of Reynolds's 1959 Paris.

I can't decide whether the occasional references to "Casablanca" are fun or just a little too cute. I'm also not hugely enthusiastic about Mr. Lee's narration, especially the character voice for the main American character, with accent and phrasing just far enough off to be occasionally irritating. On the other hand, a supporting character with a Danish surname sounds pretty credible to my admittedly non-Danish ear. The defects are all minor, though. I'd give this one a strong recommendation.

7 people found this helpful

Brilliant on All Levels

I've listened to many of Reynolds' novels. This is the winner. Reynolds had me believing in his new and exciting SF inventions, but beyond that the novel is a fine mixture of mystery and terror.

6 people found this helpful

Got caught up in story once it got moving

If you could sum up Century Rain in three words, what would they be?

Grows on you, When you start to listen it has many threads that you wonder how it all fits but soon you start to understand what is happening and get captivated with the story line. If you like a single audio book without having to listen to a series then this is for you

Which scene was your favorite?

When the investigator realized that his earth was not alone it set the stage for fast action and rapid understanding of what needed to be done

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

The last 20 minutes is great but cannot say more

Any additional comments?

Great listen, would highly recommend to anyone who likes to become part of what they are listening to.

5 people found this helpful

Great SciFi

What was one of the most memorable moments of Century Rain?

The big reveal to Floyd

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

One of his best

Any additional comments?

Loved it! Another great story from Alastair Reynolds

2 people found this helpful

1920's gumshoe meets 23rd century spaceships

What did you love best about Century Rain?

the Narrator. John Lee has a wonderful voice, I could (and have) Listen to him all day.

What other book might you compare Century Rain to and why?

I see it as a cross between Casablanca and Starwars.

Which scene was your favorite?

Landing the spaceships on the Eiffel Tower and it's eventual collapse

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes, but I cannot sit that long. it took a couple of days, but I enjoyed it

Any additional comments?

Alastair Reynolds is a wonderful writer. not all of his works take place in the same universe, but the are all quite imaginative

2 people found this helpful

Alternate histories collide

In this standalone story, Alastair Reynolds manages to squeeze multiple SF sub-genres together harmoniously, ensuring something entertaining for all readers. The premise is that a dormant snapshot 'backup' copy of the earth, accurately duplicating the 1936 moment when it was mysteriously created by aliens down to the last atom, has been discovered in deep space and it has been activated by one of the warring factions from the 24th century. Now, history progresses there under the subtle influence of hostile agents who prevent WW2 as a means of stifling the technological developments that might allow the inhabitants to resist the greater holocaust they have planned for them, in the pursuit of pristine real estate. The unlikely heroes are a 24th-century archeologist who specializes in pre-apocalypse excavations, and a down-on-his-luck private investigator who begins to see that something isn't quite right in his 1959.

Sound confusing yet? It actually settles in fairly gradually, and the two Earth timelines are well delineated. The primary three or four characters are also very rounded, and a lot more believable and flawed than commonly seen in such busy plots; The private investigator Wendell Floyd, for example, sees himself primarily as a struggling musician who takes on PI work between gigs, and sees the world in a very musical way. Verity Auger, the archeologist intervening in his world, consistently and stubbornly acts in a much braver manner than she herself asserts. I was surprised to read so little about the children she left behind for her mission, but which she claims are central to her motivations.

The miracle and threat of nanotechnology are central themes explored, and in nearly every scene in which it is employed, we see unique applications that I've not seen elsewhere, and I appreciated the expanding implications of its use. Notably absent are the expected frictions and misunderstandings of characters from such disparate cultures interacting, but a technological 'hand wave' introduced early on may explain this. The pacing picked up considerably in the final third of the story, when the setting shifts dramatically, but this corresponded nicely to the rising stakes in the conflict. All in all, an exciting and thought provoking novel that lives up to expectations from this excellent author.

4 people found this helpful