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Raft

Xeelee Sequence, Book 1

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About this listen

 "Such realistic brilliance you can see a whole civilisation in it" - The Times


Stephen Baxter's highly acclaimed first novel and the beginning of his stunning Xeelee Sequence.

A spaceship from Earth accidentally survives the transition to a radically different universe. Five-hundred-years later, their descendants still struggle for existence. The Miners live on the Belt, a ramshackle ring of dwellings orbiting the core of a dead star. They trade for food from the Raft, a structure built from the wreckage of the ship, and where a small group of scientists preserve the ancient knowledge which makes survival possible.

Rees is a Miner whose curiosity about his world makes him a stowaway on a flying tree. And what he finds will change his world...©2020 Stephen Baxter (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Adventure Fiction First Contact Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera
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I have never read any of the Xeelee books so when I saw this I snapped it up and I haven't regretted a second spent either riding whales and trees or exploring a rich universe this has it all!!

Fantastical beginnings

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A demonstration of massive imagination yet always bound to a respect for physics, a really enjoyable read with an engaging and relatable protagonist.

Excellent book

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Excellent narration, emotive and captivating. He really brought the story to life & as an Irishman, I was particularly impressed with his version of Deckers Northern Ireland accent, well done sir!

Fantastic read

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Perhaps it’s because I’m a sucker for anything to do with space and ramblings on physics. But I just enjoyed listening to this audio book, the narrator was good and kept me engaged with the story. Even though the setting doesn’t span a big area, it still sets up a curiosity for the rest of the Stephen Baxter universe while also delivering a great story. And if it can do that I would warrant the experience a success.

A great start point into hard science fiction

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The world itself was fantastic and well described. The performance was fantastic and well spoken. There were a few repeated sentance but it was a minor error.

Amazing world building

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