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  • Diaspora

  • By: Greg Egan
  • Narrated by: Adam Epstein
  • Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (50 ratings)
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Diaspora cover art

Diaspora

By: Greg Egan
Narrated by: Adam Epstein
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Editor reviews

It's the late 30th century, and mankind has splintered into diverse beings: the human fleshers, the Gleisner robots, and the artificially intelligent polises. Polis orphan Yatima has traveled back to Earth as an interstellar disaster is about to destroy the planet, beginning a monumental struggle for survival. Greg Egan explores issues of human identity in a future world. It's a heady concept that is grounded by Adam Epstein, whose sober and clear-headed approach - as well as his judicious use of accents to delineate the characters - makes Diaspora a fascinating exploration of human existence.

Summary

Behold the orphan. Born into a world that is not a world. A digital being grown from a mind seed, a genderless cybernetic citizen in a vast network of probes, satellites, and servers knitting the Solar System into one scape, from the outer planets to the fiery surface of the Sun. Since the Introdus in the 21st century, humanity has reconfigured itself drastically. Most chose immortality, joining the polises to become conscious software.

Others opted for gleisners: Disposable, renewable robotic bodies that remain in contact with the physical world of force and friction. Many of these have left the Solar System forever in fusion drive starships.

And there are the holdouts. The fleshers left behind in the muck and jungle of Earth - some devolved into dream-apes; others cavorting in the seas or the air; while the statics and bridges try to shape out a roughly human destiny.

But the complacency of the citizens is shattered when an unforeseen disaster ravages the fleshers, and reveals the possibility that the polises themselves might be at risk from bizarre astrophysical processes that seem to violate fundamental laws of nature. The Orphan joins a group of citizens and flesher refugees in a search for the knowledge that will guarantee their safety - a search that puts them on the trail of the ancient and elusive Transmuters, who have the power to reshape subatomic particles, and to cross into the macrocosmos, where the universe we know is nothing but a speck in the higher-dimensional vacuum.

©2013 Greg Egan (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Diaspora

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

awful reading. 0 stars.

I think audible is experimenting with computer generated readings. this is the oddest and worst reading I've ever come across, genuinely think it might be a computer. can I have my credit back? This is impossible to listen to.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Awful Narration!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I was recommended this book as I am a fan of hard science fiction such as the works of Asimov, Poul Anderson and Arthur C Clarke. However the experience was ruined for me by poor narration. The guys voice is monotonous and annoying. I couldn't bear it so I stopped listening. Perhaps I'll read a hard copy or e-book version in the future since the premise of the story seems interesting.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Impossible to listen to the narrator

I have read and enjoyed the book previously and wanted the audiobook. The reader has a repellent, monotone delivery and I couldn't cope with more than 30 minutes before returning it for a refund.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars

Have to defend the Narrator

I don't usually leave reviews but looking through the others, I feel I had to defend Adam Epstein. I thought he gave a good performance, he made all the characters distinct from each other and I felt is tone fit the book overall. If you are interested in buying the book here, do it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Senility simulator

I feel this is exactly how some elderly folk experience 21st century life; unable to grasp the concept of what is being said, but still finding comfort in hearing a friendly voice. This is HARD sci-fi. It's not so much a story, rather a logarithm unravelling exponentially.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring and poorly structured

Made 2 attempts at this but was not rewarded for the effort. Scientific self-flagellation. Author seems to have forgotten that someone might try to read it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful book

This is a Hard science fiction book. So be prepared for alot of dense physics and complicated concepts.
That said, it is one of the best sci-fi novels I've ever read. it's scope is mind bogglingly epic and the world building is superb.
The civilization and technology are extremely well thought out and beautifully written. I would it give it 10 stars if I could.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

interesting trip

there were a lot of complaints about the narration in the reviews, which made me hesitant to buy this one, but I think you get used to it and also narration gets better for sure. it doesn't help that the first chapter is pretty abstract or technical :) don't regret the listen, story is pretty epic. Greg egan has a new fan

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Difficult but worthwhile

Very technical, hard Sci-Fi. Some understanding of quantum physics is essential to make sense of the key underlying concepts. Great inspiring plot though with many twists and turns.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Why didn't I read the reviews! Awful narration.

Downloaded this via iPad and the strength of Greg Egans previous work. But the reader....soulless, monotone, and dull. I tried, I really did, but with a voice this uninteresting I actually forgot I was listening to it after a while...like an airport announcement in the background, you hear, but you're not listening.

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