getting better

expansion of the long earth into the long universe and expansion of the human race. not so much humour but a lot of clever science fiction

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good story spoilt by tedious detail

I enjoyed the long earth and bore with the story through the long war. However, the long mars just degenerates into tedium as the narrative gives far too much detail and appears to be a vehicle to show how clever the authors think they are. Long scientific expositions that read like a back catalogue from New Scientist or Scientific America do little to further the story. References to literature, popular fiction, and academic studies alike are shoe horned into dialogue in the most clumsy way.
Lazy characterisations borrow heavily from tired stereotypes that border on xenophobia ... those pesky chinese just can't be trusted, the Russians are just jolly, drunk buffoons that want to stake their claim first, and the US army just want to nuke everything.
This could have been bearable if it had been delivered with the usual wry humour of Pratchett. However, the humor got lost, just like the story and the characters you got to know in the first two novels.
Not sure if I want to spend my time wading through the next installment. ..

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Another thrilling dive into the long earth

I find the long earth series fascinating, exploring many facets of the human condition and what we might be like if we had access to such a eutopia is quite hard to fathom. Overall another enjoyable book by pratchett and baxter, skillfully telling the interwoven stories of people trying to adjust to a new normal, and explore a whole new world

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Great book typical Pratchett.

Very humorous tale, everything one would normally expect from Pratchett. Looking forward to the next book in this arc.

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onward and upward ...I guess

after a long cruise across the mars landscape they come across the thing they've been looking for ... for a price ...

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long (time to get to) Mars

like interlaced storylines? this is a good book: keeps you guessing as to the next.

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More Baxter than Pratchett?

Would you listen to The Long Mars again? Why?

No, it jumped around all over the place and had no narrative drive.

Has The Long Mars put you off other books in this genre?

This series yes: the characters have lost their sense of identity and drive and now see to wander aimlessly from scene to scene.

What about Michael Fenton Stevens’s performance did you like?

He's great - accents, complex dialogue, emotion, all there and brilliantly executed.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, too long.

Any additional comments?

For me this is the last episode of the Long Earth series. A stunning start, but the momentum has gone and I'm not sure we care about any of the characters enough to pick up the next volume

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6 people found this helpful

Getting a bit bored with the series now

At first I loved this series, I loved the depth of the storyline, the different characters, the well thought through plot and world that the authors have created. However I find myself becoming quite bored with the story now. The storyline is so complex, so many characters, you barely spend a few minutes with a character before you're moved onto a new one in another setting, constantly moving back and forward. I find myself not connecting with any characters because of the constant back and forth and the storyline isn't moving in a way that makes me want to listen to the next book. It's very unclear where it's heading, no romances, no hints of what might come and without this anticipation my interest is wavering. I doubt I'll listen to the next book now as I have so many others I want to listen to. The narrator on this serious is absolutely fantastic but event that will not make up for my loss of interest.

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Great SiFi *****

This is not Discworld, this is great SiFi of the kind from the golden age. Sir Terry is amazing as he can write in so many styles and working with Stephen Baxter has produced a great book. This is the third book in the series and I would advise you start with Long Earth followed by Long War. This is an audible book I will read time and time again.

The narrator is brilliant and I will look for other books he has recorded.

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The Long Mars : Longing for more

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would most certainly recommend this book, the series have been so entertaining. I pre-ordered this book having enjoyed the first two.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Long Mars?

Difficult to choose one thing. Each story thread has its own fascination. I loved the uncovering of the divergent evolutions on Earth and Mars.

What about Michael Fenton Stevens’s performance did you like?

Everything, he is one of the best narrators. All the characterisations are so distinct.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

In parts, but mostly I felt like I was a fly on the wall observing. Willis` arrogance was irritating. Missed not hearing Lobsang so much.

Any additional comments?

Want more.

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