Robotic performance, potentially interesting story

This had the potential to be a great story, but it wasn’t executed well. Written presuming hard reasonably accurate science, the underlying plot had a few gaping holes and logical stretches , and a completely unnecessary plot addition - not to provide spoilers, and maybe this will become important in some future book, but the author stretches credulity in a way unrelated to hard sci-fi. The lead character comes across as potentially having Aspergers. It would still work if not for the painfully robotic reading performance of the narrator. I am interested in the next of the series but not if narrated by the same person.

6 people found this helpful

not my favorite

I didn't find this to be particularly rigourous sci-fi nor did the fiction elevate it above YA status. The astronauts made very unprofessional decisions which endangered their lives over and over again, all for the sake of drama instead of natural motive.

5 people found this helpful

A poor reading of a bad story

Clearly my review is among the minority, but the reader seemed to have only a sing-song delivery of all the characters in every situation, making most every statement wholly inapropriate; happy, happy, happy, "I'm going to kill you now with this sledge hammer," happy, happy, happy, and the writing was little better; happy, happy, happy, "OK, but I wish you wouldn't."
The whole sci-fi storyline of finding intelligent life in outer space is really getting old and mundane, and this author has given the tired subject not a shred of new life. The psychotic introduction of the chapters is remeniscent of lunacy imagining itself wise by random confusion staged as enlightenment. This book is a classic attempt at making a chimera of science-fiction and fantacy. and not a very good attempt at that. The reading just made the bad problem worse.

4 people found this helpful

OK story, just a so-so narrator

While I did enjoy the story, it was not as fleshed out as it could have been. My issue with this audiobook is the narration. Doug Tisdale Jr. has a difficult time in expressing the proper emotions for the characters given the circumstances of the storyline. Sometimes his interpretation felt wholly inappropriate. An example being a situation where something is sad, and he reads it as if he’s talking about cheese. He also tends to string the words. Of a sentence very statically.

Wish I hadn’t

This is the type of book that I normally love: hard science, space exploration, alien beings.. Unfortunately the narrator totally ruined it for me. His tone is more fitting for reading comedies or feel-good stories, not what is supposed to be nail-biting, suspenseful science fiction. I could barely get a sense of when something dire or life-threatening was happening because the narrator just kept on in his “this is all good, everything is great” voice. Ugh!!!!!! The author also devoted way too many chapters to the development of the equipment that wasn’t used until the last 1/4 of the book. I felt disappointed that the description of the final destination, Enceladus, was severely lacking in comparison. I would not recommend this book.

I really wanted to like this book

I love hard science and the story line was interesting. However, the protagonist is so disconnected he felt more like an AI. Sadly, the book was narrated with a similar tone which I found extremely off putting.

Poor recording

Awkward writing and poor recording quality. The reader has a weird inconsistent cadence but more importantly his microphone is clipping the entire time. His preamp’s gain was too high or something.

But I like the story, and especially like the deep technical stuff.

good idea, odd translation and performer

I like the story a lot. The story is apparently translated from german. It is good, but needs a lot more work on translation. Somehow the translator doesn't know english contractions. It sounds like the dialog from a 1970s Gofzilla movie. The performer makes it worse by adding a cheerful lilt to his voice at the serious and critical moments. The dissonance is deafening. I do want to know what happens in later novels, but I am not sure I can stick with it.

Enjoyable

Some humor mixed with solid science & internal consistency. Worth buying & the next in the series also.

A real snooze-fest!

Sad to say. Didn't grab me or hold my attention. I will give this book one thing, the book cover is terrific.