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Terminal World

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Terminal World

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

Spearpoint, the last human city, is an atmosphere-piercing spire of vast size. Clinging to its skin are the zones, a series of semi-autonomous city-states, each of which enjoys a different - and rigidly enforced - level of technology. Following an infiltration mission that went tragically wrong, Quillon has been living incognito, working as a pathologist in the district morgue.

But when a near-dead angel drops onto his dissecting table, Quillon's world is wrenched apart one more time. If Quillon is to save his life, he must leave his home and journey into the cold and hostile lands beyond Spearpoint's base, starting an exile that will take him further than he could ever imagine. But there is far more at stake than just Quillon's own survival, for the limiting technologies of the zones are determined not by governments or police but by the very nature of reality---and reality itself is showing worrying signs of instability.

©2010 Alastair Reynolds (P)2010 Tantor Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Steampunk Technology

Critic reviews

"A rousing adventure in a widly original setting." ( Guardian, UK)
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It was a novelty to download in audio an author who's works I've been buying in print. A double treat to have it while only the hardback version is out.
It's typical Reynolds: dark and pessimistic in tone, plus an original and satisfying plot.
The narrator has a commanding voice and is good at differentiating between the characters, although his vocalisation of Meroka was slightly grating in the first two parts.

Loved it

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You know that Reynolds will come up with something out of the ordinary and he does not disappoint here. It is full of big ideas and strong contrasts with a complex and self consistent world. The science is of a level approaching magic at times. The gritty and treacherous world that humans have shaped in this strange and fractured place is dark and rich and full of sound and smell and danger. I would have liked to have had more answers at the end but Alistair Reynolds does not write that way. All in all, a fascinating read, well performed.

Twisted and dark and fast paced

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World building and characters are excleent, backed by a stellar narration. Only downside is the ending, everything builds up and you just don't get the answers you were hoping for. Still a great listen, possible meant to be part of a series that just hasn't happened? Who knows

Excellent, but anticlimactic

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as always, enjoyed the deep time aspects, but too often there was very pat "this character just happens to know the answer" dialogue

enjoyed, but not Reynolds best

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Fast paced story set in a very different future world. I liked the idea of a wholly airborne community (The Swarm). Characters a bit two dimensional. Fairly well narrated..

Dirigible Adventure

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