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Foe

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About this listen

 A Simon & Schuster audiobook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener. Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction
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If you enjoy black mirror this is for you.
The sense of uncanny is expertly woven in this twisting tale that is as much about fear of big brother and corporations as it is about the anxiety of a dysfunctional relationship.

Haunting and enthralling

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This is a genuinely creepy and disturbing psychological sci-fi novel.

Set in the near future, Junior and Henrietta (Hen) live a dull but wholesome life on a remote farm.

Their lives are changed one day when a man arrives to tell them that Junior has been randomly long-listed to take part in a two-year space station mission orbiting the Earth. The man is called Terrance and he is from OuterMore, a shady aerospace company.

The visit unsettles the couple and brings tension to their relationship. Terrance is full of corporate bluster and faux reassurances. He convinces the couple that this is a prized opportunity and that they are both lucky.
After two years Terrance returns to confirm that Junior has been selected for the mission but during the mission Junior will be replaced in the home by biomechanical duplicate. This will be some kind of advanced robot/clone which will be indistinguishable from Junior. Cheesy Terrance moves in with the couple and monitors Junior, noting his routines, mannerisms and collecting vast quantities of data so that he can be properly replicated.
He also spends much time interviewing Hen and Junior becomes jealous and suspicious that maybe it is Terrance who will replace him.

Well I won't spoil the conclusion here but there are TWO wonderful twists, one I did see coming bur the other I didn't.
This is a clever, well planned story, it is both dark and weird and written from the perspective of Junior. It covers many issues about how well we know ourselves and each other and relationships in the setting of advanced artificial intelligence. It may leave you feeling a little melancholy.
A film adaptation of the book is planned and if you watch 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' (based on another Iain Reid novel) it will give you a great insight into Reid imagination.

Jacques Roy's delivery of the story is spot on In terms of pace and tone and adds to the atmosphere.

A creepy and disturbing psychological sci-fi novel

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I liked the promise of this story and stuck with it to see if the twist really was a twist. unfortunately it was too predictable and I'd guessed exactly what was and would happen half way through 😬

listenable but predictable

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Ian Reid is a master at writing tension. I believe this book is a lot deeper than it seems. Many think they have it figured out early, but I think there is a lot more than what is overtly stated in the book

Fantastic

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A well written and beautifully narrated story, with a mysterious, elusive theme that keeps listeners hooked the whole way through.

Gripping

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