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Vicarious

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Vicarious

By: Rhett C. Bruno
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Katherine McNamara
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About this listen

Award-winning performers Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory, and Ready Player One audiobook) and Katherine McNamara (Shadowhunters, The Stand, CW’s Arrow) bring this mind-bending, deeply imagined sci-fi tale to life.

The real world is only where you breathe....

In High Earth, digital entertainment is everything. Shows. Virtual worlds. Simulations - there’s something for everybody in a city where working for a living has been rendered obsolete by technological advancements. Even a short walk outside to visit with others is no longer necessary. Just load into the network and you can be with anyone, anywhere.

For Asher Reinhart, nothing compares to Ignis; a live reality show that pushes human beings to their very extremes. As a volunteer director, Asher closely monitors the lives of those living on an interstellar ark, believing they're the last of humanity.

But when it's determined that the life of the show’s brightest star, Mission, must be put in danger to boost declining ratings, Asher is forced to choose: the show he loves or the woman whose existence has been the focus of his attention since the day he was born.

From number-one Audible best-selling author and Nebula Award nominee Rhett C. Bruno comes a story about the power of human connection. The Truman Show meets Ready Player One in a novel perfect for fans of Hugh Howey, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Michael Crichton.

©2021 Rhett C. Bruno (P)2021 Podium Audio Adventure Cyberpunk Dystopian Fantasy Fiction Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense Thriller

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Critic reviews

"This perceptive take on the reality-TV-in-the-future premise deserves boffo ratings" (Kirkus Reviews)

"A truly unique sci-fi experience...Mission's story is both heartbreaking and triumphant, and the growth Asher shows from start to finish blew me away." (Nicholas Sansbury Smith, NYT best-selling author of Hell Divers)

“Vicarious is 2001: A Space Odyssey meets The Truman Show. A riveting take on man’s inhumanity to man". (Scott Sigler, number one New York Times best-selling Author of Earthcore)
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Not being a fan of VR I was a little dubious of this one, so glad I gave it a go, story is great. It would be good to see a prequel written as I feel pre-history of High Earth is a story worth telling.

Performance:
• Wil Wheaton was... well he's Wil Wheaton, unless this is your first audio book I'd be surprised if you haven't heard him narrate before. Personally I'm a fan of his work.
•  Katherine McNamara... Wow! First book, nailed it! Katherine, I look forward to listening to more in the future, if the acting doesn't work out (ask Wil about that!) you have a career for life with audio books and if it does please keep narrating too.

Loved it

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This a fantastic book with plenty of new ideas and an engaging plot line that would make a great movie. Well crafted plot and excellent audio, I would recommend it to any scifi fans.

Fantastic Audiobook!

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An enjoyable Sci-fi with great narration. The story, told by Will Wheaton and Katherine McNamara are from two different peoples perspectives. Without giving anything away I can say that the characters are well written with good background. Although the ending was not to my liking it does fit well with the storyline and would have been hard to end any other way. A very enjoyable book, and as always the excellent Will Wheaton's narration was as full of enthusiasm. I won't be returning this book.

Not bad at all

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A mix between the 100 and The Trueman show is pretty close to what this is as a large ark on a journey trying to survive is nothing but a popular reality tv show for a VR obsessed populace. Only a young girl birthed illegally will put everything into jepoardy as we follow her birth and her revelation so closely with the debut narration by McNamara doing extremely well bringing the listener into our hearts. Wheaton doing the VR director of the programme also showcases his usual skills as we see his eyes being opened to the manipulation being done to rhe unknowing populace. The two seperate but connected viewpoints coming into collision bring great interest for the listener and we feel the emotions that Bruno writes into events which are all too believable for an apocalyptic future eden for the mighty chosen elite. Great story telling and narration is 5 stars all across the board.

An Audio that just comes to life

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Start review, "this book is written by Rhett C Bruno" end review. Just kidding, this is a fantastic, futuristic dystopian tale told from the different pov's of Asher and Mission. Full of mystery and intrigue and set in a wonderfully realized world, the heart of the story however is in the relationship between Asher and Mission and how they secretly and inadvertently effect each other's lives. A fantastic book. As for the narration, I enjoyed both Will and Katherine's performance very much, Katherine had a kind of melancholy to her voice the really worked well for Mission.

A wonderful story and narration

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An interesting concept for a story, you can imagine this happening in the future with the world hooked on screens. Well performed by both narrators and an ending you don't expect. Slow burn to start but stick with it, full of thought and exploring emotions.

Engrossing if you like Sci-fi

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After spending 6 years listening to Audible I had been somewhat struggling with recent purchases. I generally go with epic Fantasy catergory and read your Lotr or Way of Kings type stories that can be 40-50 hrs in length and wanted a pallet cleanser.

I stumbled across this almost by accident and noticed that it was narrated by Wil Wheaton whos narration I love on Ready Player One and decided to purchase on that point alone. The story has aspects of Ready Player One, The Truman Show, The Hunger Games whilst also feeling completely original. The 2 main charactors Asher and Mission read by Wil and Katherine McNamara depending on their POV is excellent. The story never dulls and for the first time in a while I found myself avoiding the real world to jump into the world that Rhett C Bruno has created here. With the the book being reletively short for the Sci Fi genre I can definately say its worth the purchase and I will certainly be listening over again in a few months time whilst also looking out for more of Bruno's work.

Great Sci Fi stand alone

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When i started this story I was instantly curious how this story will end. I’m a picky reader and I’m very quickly bored, but not with this one. I’m surprised by the ending and I hope this is not the end of this story.

I had to get used to Wil's way of reading, but he did a great job. I’m amazed by Kat. The way she puts every emotion in place is just stunning. Her voice is so soft but so intense sometimes.

Thank you Rhett for creating this story and choosing Wil and Kat to tell it.

Amazing story

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Any audiobook voiced by Wil Wheaton is usually good, and this was no exception. He makes the story come alive for me.

Book was slightly derivative of usual sci fi tropes, however it kept me guessing up to the end, and I didn’t see it coming, which is always a nice touch.

Will watch out for any other books by this author

A very good read

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always been a fantasy fan but not one for sci-fi. This tipped the scales with both Will Wheaton and Kat McNamara as voiceovers with such a compelling storyline that is gripping and exciting throughout you will not be disappointed with this novel! Rhett C. Bruno has another bestseller on his hands with this iconic novel. A must buy for the fans of Ready player one, otherworld: last reality and Awaken online: catharsis.

one of the best audiobooks to date

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