Elysium Fire cover art

Elysium Fire

Inspector Dreyfus, Book 2

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Elysium Fire

By: Alastair Reynolds
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

Featuring Inspector Dreyfus - one of Alastair Reynolds' most popular characters - this is a fast-paced SF crime story, combining a futuristic setting with a gripping tale of technology, revolution and revenge.

One citizen died a fortnight ago. Two a week ago. Four died yesterday...and unless the cause can be found - and stopped - within the next four months, everyone will be dead. For the Prefects, the hunt for a silent, hidden killer is on....

Alastair Reynolds has returned to the world of The Prefect for this stand-alone SF mystery in which no-one is safe. The technological implants which connect every citizen to each other have become murder weapons, and no-one knows who or what the killer is - or who the next targets will be. But their reach is spreading, and time is not on the Prefects' side.

Read by John Lee.

©2018 Alastair Reynolds (P)2018 Hachette Audio Science Fiction Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller Technology Crime

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All stars
Most relevant
Love ARs books, especially the Blue Remembered Earth series but I couldn’t listen to this long enough to pick up the story. The narrators voice does not flow for me. KBH much easier to listen to.

Awful narration

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I have listened to a few of Reynolds books, a little bit through lack of choice but I found the first couple were good. There have been a couple of comments about the narration, which I agree with, the direction or editing does not separate scenes, at all and the voice inflection doesn’t change enough to differentiate. Added to that an interesting storyline but filled with blah blah blah. Noticed it previously but this time it really stuck out. The author likes his characters and no one leaves the story, so there’s no drama in dangerous situations. The security guy in the red shirt dies. Lastly the conclusion of the last 3 books have been obvious, but left with holes. The author obviously feels this as the end drags as he tries to cover the gaps. This book was like the packet of crisps between lovely meals.

Slow story and rushed narration

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I usually absolutely love the John Lee narration, but he's changed the accents of all the main characters apart from Ng: Sparver, Dreyfus, Aumonier, Clearmountain and Bowdry now *all* sound like snooty aristocrats drawling through their noses. It's hard to tell them apart, but also this is the accent Mr Lee usually applies to irritating bad guys, so now everyone other than Ng sounds like an arrogant, bored toff.

I'll keep listening, because it's Alastair Reynolds and it's Tom Dreyfus et al., but I hope the narration improves and the story is Reynolds' usual magnificence, not another Terminal World.

Edit: I got used to the accents, but couldn't help hearing Sparver in his old accent. The story is brilliant, though a question (no spoilers) remains unanswered/ambiguously so – perhaps it's deliberate, in true Reynolds style...

Disappointing narration, still great Reynolds

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It's been a while since I was absorbed in a book as much as this one. It's far better than the first book (The Prefect as was) and a cracking mystery by itself.
Recommended.

A joy from start to finish

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All round a good production, as always with Reynolds you need to stay alert, a nice mix of genres and I'd like to see another in his series but then again I'd like to see many more books by the author.

More of a detective tale than pure sci-fi.

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