Download Best Full Audiobooks in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary Most Popular

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Title: Boneshaker

Author: Cherie Priest

Narrator: Wil Wheaton, Kate Reading

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-10

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1557 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaskas ice.

Thus was Dr. Blues Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born. But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is 16 years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blues widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history. His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.

Critic Reviews:

"Intelligent, exceptionally well written and showcasing a phenomenal strong female protagonist who embodies the complexities inherent in motherhood, this yarn is a must-read for the discerning steampunk fan." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Doesn't live up to potential

I thought I would LOVE this book -- I mean, zombies, steampunk (with Zeppelins), what's not to like? Well, I guess a strong narrative and plot would have helped. Also, I never really felt engaged to any of the characters and kept hoping they would stumble across some zombies to add a bit of zest.

The performance, for the most part, is well done, although when the 2 primary characters come together, it becomes a bit confusing (as we have become used to Wil reading Zeke's lines and Kate reading Briars's spots, so it takes some getting used to as they read chapters without regard to who is speaking.)

Overall, I recommend a pass on this book unless you just rally love Steampunk.

YA all the way

After reading great books like the Hunger Games and The Knife of Never Letting Go, I wondered what makes a book, Ya. I thought It meant no sex, but after reading this book, I now know it means, it reads like it was written by a youth.

The concept of the story was pretty good, reminding me of Sanderson's "Elantris" and the movie," Escape From New York". Unfortunately, CP failed to capitalize on a great story Idea.

Briar Wilkes the main character has no character. She is a boring droll individual. I could easily understand why her husband was bored with her.

I have never heard so many cliches in one book in my life.

Even the Zombies are boring in this book. The mad scientist is pretty tame and lame.

I will admit that I did listen to all of it, because I did want to find out what was going to happen and there was a small twist at the end.

Cherie is not going to break out of the YA category with this type of effort.

I enjoyed Wil Wheaton's performance and Kate Reading was good in all, but her interpretation of Briar Wilkes. She did not help make her real, using the same voice she used for Aes Sedai. While it worked for Aes Sedai it does not work for a Mom with a son in danger.

Unappealing characters. Stiff reading.

As a big fan of the Steampunk genre, I was excited to start listening to this story.

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Title: Dune: House Corrino

Subtitle: House Trilogy, Book 3

Author: Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson

Narrator: Scott Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-26-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 989 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Continuing the events leading up to Frank Herbert's immortal Dune saga, the exciting conclusion to this trilogy finds the cruel Tleilaxu overlords on Ix manufacturing a synthetic form of amal to supplant the spice from Dune. If amal is accepted, Emperor Shaddam IV will gain absolute power. But if the plot of the Imperial House Corrino succeeds, the result may be the end of civilization itself.

Critic Reviews:

"[A] fully satisfying conclusion (after Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen) to the authors' "House" trilogy....The inevitable derivative features aside, this is a good, steady, enjoyable tale, and readers who haven't read the first two books can easily follow the plot." (Publishers Weekly)

"[T]his complex and compelling tale of dynastic intrigue and high drama adds a significant chapter to the classic Dune saga. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

One of the more illuminating later Dune books

Young Herbert and Anderson did a nice job tying up alot of information absent from the original Dune works. The additional background knowledge makes me want to listen to the original trilogy again. This was the culminating book of the Houses trilogy and did wrap up quite nicely. IMHO along with the Machine War trilogy, this trilogy could stand on its own even without father Herbert's series of novels.

At least as good as the original Audible prodn.

This review is the same for all three books of the House Trilogy.

The author of the Dune [Chronicles] Saga, Frank Herbert, died in 1986 before completing the final installment, Dune 7. According to his son, Brian Herbert, a couple of years after the passing of his father, a safety deposit box was found with copious notes about the sagas past and outlines for its future completion. His son collaborated with Kevin J. Anderson on the final book but also several prequels including a Prelude to Dune trilogy about the three prominently featured houses or families of the saga: Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of the original Dune years ago. And, after just finishing the entire House trilogy, I reread the original to more freshly compare them. I must say, I think that I enjoyed the prequels more. However, I dont know that I would have had I not read the original first. Before going on about the House series, because one cannot edit a review on Audible once its posted, a comment here about Book 1 might be helpful. The original Dune is narrated by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance and a cast of others. At first it seemed like a good idea to have each character in the book have a unique voice. Unfortunately, from the way the book sounds, each narrator performs in a different studio setting. How do I know? Because it sounds that way. The dialogue sounds stilted, jerky and downright amateurish. Everyone of the characters in the prequels is played by Scott Brick. And they are far superior recordings. Scott Bricks character dialogues are fluid, of the same ambience and just dont sound dated like the original.

To continue about the prequels, they have an added depth to them. The characters are more fully fleshed out. The separate and familial relationships among all the characters are more fully explored.

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Title: House Harkonnen: House Trilogy, Book 2

Author: Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert

Narrator: Scott Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1106 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

As Shaddam sits at last on the Golden Lion Throne, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen plots against the new Emperor and House Atreides - and against the mysterious Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. For Leto Atreides, grown complacent and comfortable as ruler of his House, it is a time of momentous choice: between friendship and duty, safety and destiny. But for the survival of House Atreides, there is just one choice: strive for greatness or be crushed.

Critic Reviews:

"[T]he authors succeed in spinning a gripping adventure while going off in some unexpected directions. Anderson, who has written many successful

Star Wars novels, has noted his particular admiration for

The Empire Strikes Back, and his desire to emulate that film's dark take on the genre." (Amazon.com review)

Members Reviews:

Maybe better than original Audible production.

This review is the same for all three books of the House Trilogy.

The author of the Dune [Chronicles] Saga, Frank Herbert, died in 1986 before completing the final installment, Dune 7. According to his son, Brian Herbert, a couple of years after the passing of his father, a safety deposit box was found with copious notes about the sagas past and outlines for its future completion. His son collaborated with Kevin J. Anderson on the final book but also several prequels including a Prelude to Dune trilogy about the three prominently featured houses or families of the saga: Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of the original Dune years ago. And, after just finishing the entire House trilogy, I reread the original to more freshly compare them. I must say, I think that I enjoyed the prequels more. However, I dont know that I would have had I not read the original first. Before going on about the House series, because one cannot edit a review on Audible once its posted, a comment here about Book 1 might be helpful. The original Dune is narrated by Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance and a cast of others. At first it seemed like a good idea to have each character in the book have a unique voice. Unfortunately, from the way the book sounds, each narrator performs in a different studio setting. How do I know? Because it sounds that way. The dialogue sounds stilted, jerky and downright amateurish. Everyone of the characters in the prequels is played by Scott Brick. And they are far superior recordings. Scott Bricks character dialogues are fluid, of the same ambience and just dont sound dated like the original.

To continue about the prequels, they have an added depth to them. The characters are more fully fleshed out. The separate and familial relationships among all the characters are more fully explored. I realize this in not in accord with some other reviewers who sometimes seemed to find conflict with the original material. On the contrary, I found mostly only continuity that added to and enriched the original.

In the prequels we learn how Paul Atreides becomes the product of the generations of genetic engineering (selective breeding) of the Bene Gesserit to obtain the Kwisatz Haderach. And we learn of the backgrounds of all the other major players: Baron Harkonnen and his maniacal family, Emperor Shaddam and his, Jessica, Rev Mother Mohiam and a whole lot of background on the other Bene Gesserit witches.

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Title: Falling Free

Author: Lois McMaster Bujold

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-23-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1600 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Could he just stand there and allow the exploitation of hundreds of helpless children merely to enhance the bottom line of a heartless mega-corporation?

He hadn't anticipated a situation where the right thing to do was neither safe, nor in the rules. Leo adopted a thousand quaddies. Now all he had to do was teach them to be free.

Critic Reviews:

"Superb....Read, or you will be missing something extraordinary." (Chicago Sun-Times)

"Bujold's best work in my opinion." (Science Fiction Chronicle)

Members Reviews:

Don't read this one first

The Vorkosigan series is one of the best! But this "prequel"--set 200 years before the "real" series--is an outlier, very different from the others and (in my opinion) not nearly as good. Its story is almost totally exclusive of the series; the "Quaddies" do figure in later Vorkosigan books, but in a fairly minor way. "Falling Free" is best approached after you've already become hooked by the Vorkosiverse.

Start with either Shards of Honor or The Warrior's Apprentice. An interview with Lois McMaster Bujold appears with her book listings on Amazon and will advise the best order in which to read the series.

if you want the books in order...

I stumbled across the 1st "Miles" book (--Falling Free; it's sort of a prequel, actually, 200 years in the future) by accident, & enjoyed listening to the audiobook. When I went to go on to the next books, I found it annoying that they're not numbered. I did find a site that lists the books in order, for those who want a shortcut: http://www.dendarii.co.uk/FanFic/timeline.html.

As to how good they are, I've enjoyed the next 2 books enough that I bought them in order, & am about to buy the next. I like her characters, good plots that keep moving right along, & her 'sociological' sci fi of the planets Barrayar vs Beta is interesting.

Quaddie Backstory

I love the Vorkosigan universe and this is a great story. It stands completely on it's own and fills in a piece of history of the greater universe. The characters are interesting as is the story itself. The story does bring up some moral questions about slavery and personhood. Grover Gardner does a great job narrating as always. I always lean towards listening to a book if he's the narrator.

Another Satisfying Prequel to Miles Vorkosigan

What did you like best about this story?

This compelling story draws you into the fate of the Quaddies, genetically engineered slaves with a second set of arms in place of legs. Their desire to procreate and live as normally as they can, to experience the kind of lives we, as humans, take for granted, became far more absorbing to me than I had anticipated.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Lois McMaster Bujold is a truly fine writer, with a superb ability to capture your imagination when you least expect it...Grover Gardner does complete justice to her storytelling, narrating convincingly and without any distractions for the reader.

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Title: The Temporal Void

Subtitle: Void Trilogy, Book 2

Author: Peter F. Hamilton

Narrator: John Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 25 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-09-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3474 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

There, under the beneficent gaze of mysterious godlike entities, humans possessed uncanny psychic abilities, and Edeard's were the strongest of all. Equally strong was his determination to bring justice and freedom to a world terrorized by criminal violence and corruption.

Inigo's inspirational dreams, shared by hundreds of millions throughout the galaxy-spanning gaiafield, gave birth to a religion - Living Dream. But when the appearance of a Second Dreamer seemed to trigger the expansion of the Void - an expansion that is devouring everything in its path -the Intersolar Commonwealth was thrown into turmoil. With the adherents of Living Dream determined to set forth on a dangerous pilgrimage into the Void, interstellar war threatens to erupt.

With time running out, the fate of humanity hinges on a handful of people. There is Araminta, only now awakening to the unwelcome fact that she is the mysterious Second Dreamer - and to the dire responsibilities that go with it; Inigo, whose private dreams hint at a darker truth behind Edeard's legendary life; Paula Myo, the ruthless field operative of the Commonwealth, whose search for Araminta and Inigo is about to yield a most unpleasant surprise; and Justine, whose desperate gamble places her within the Void, where the godlike Skylords hold the power to save the universe...or destroy it.

Critic Reviews:

"Fusing elements of hard SF with adventure fantasy tropes, Hamilton has singlehandedly raised the bar for grand-scale speculative storytelling." (Publishers Weekly)

"This second book of a trilogy promises a spectacular finish." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Escapism? Not Hardly!

I've had to spend some time in various hospitals lately, and just by luck I found that several different book series I've enjoyed in the 'not so distant' past had more books added to them that I had somehow missed... NOTHING makes you actually ENJOY time spent in the Hospital like knowing you have several Awesome, LONG, books to get through.. the kind of books you can't put down! In the hospital, aside from the occasional test you get wheeled out to, you get to listen to good books as long as you want to without feeling guilty about your horses starving, your dogs needing flea treatments, etc... Nope! Nothing to do but lay there and wish that your well-meaning visitors would go home and let you get back to your book!

You know how it goes when you get near the end of a good series of books... you keep looking at how much time is left, and dreading the time winding down to the finish, because the next book you listen to by another author can't possibly be nearly as good as the book you're about to finish... How can new characters compete with the characters you've come to know and like in your current book? ("I don't want a NEW puppy, I want my old dog back!" ;)

Such was the case as I wound up the last book in "The Subterrene War" series, 'Chimera' by T. C. McCarthy... With heavy heart, I got on here with my laptop, and with IV hoses hanging out of the backs of both hands I typed up my review, and finished it up with, "off to try to find another of those rare books that will leave me sleep deprived"...

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Title: Honor Among Enemies

Subtitle: Honor Harrington, Book 6

Author: David Weber

Narrator: Allyson Johnson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-15-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1612 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Despite political foes, professional jealousies, and the scandal which drove her into exile, Capt. Honor Harrington has been offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy. But there's a catch. She must assume command of a "squadron" of jury-rigged armed merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service and somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce.

A Note from Author David Weber

There's been some confusionnot to say, um, energetic debate, readers and fans being readers and fansabout the correct pronunciation of "Manticoran." The truth, alas, is that a stitch was dropped. An error occurred. A mistake was made and it wasn't Audible's fault. It was mine. Before Audible recorded the very first Honor Harrington book, narrator Allyson Johnson and I not only corresponded by e-mail but actually spoke to one another by phone. She wanted to make absolutely certain she had the correct pronunciations for names, places, star nations, etc., and I tried to make certain all of her questions were answered. And so they were. Unfortunately, at some point in the process, I replied to one of her e-mails by telling her that "Man-ti-core-ahn" was pronounced "Man-tik-er-ahn." Exactly how this happened is more than I can say at this point, except to blushingly disclose that the original e-mail remains intact, confirming to all the world that it was, indeed, my fault. I can ascribe it only to a temporary mental hiccup on my part and crave your forgiveness. If, however, you must blame someone for the mix-up, that someone should be me and not Audible, who have done everything they could to get it right.

Members Reviews:

I like honorable heroes!

This series has been very enjoyable to listen too. These books are somewhat uplifting - I guess that's the fantasy part of a galactic war - but - The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad, however, they may or may not be enemies.

There is a couple improvements that Audible could make on most of these series of books - like the honor harrington series. First, I'd like to know what book in a series I'm buying without having to research the series, book 1,2,3, etc. You can't go by audible's release date, they tend to release some of the latest books first, look at "War of Honor" in this series. The easiest way I have found to identify the series order is to Google them. Googling the series brings up the author's comments in Amazon which usually will tell you the series order.

The following is the order of the Harrington series:

1) On Basilisk Station

2) The Honor of the Queen

3) The Short Victorious War

4) Field of Dishonour

5) Flag in Exile

6) Honor among Enemies

7) In Enemy Hands

8) Echoes of Honor

9) Ashes of Victory

10) War of Honor

11) At All Costs

12) Mission of Honor (forthcoming)

My second recommendation for improvements was to do with getting comments/reviews on the books in Audible. I believe that Amazon is the parent company to Audible, so why not have Audible reviews "hot link" to the Amazon reviews of the same book, especially where there are no reviews in Audible. This would eliminate someone from having to copy the title, going to Amazon and searching their books for reviews and comments.

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Title: When the Devil Dances

Subtitle: Legacy of the Aldenata

Author: John Ringo

Narrator: Marc Vietor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-02-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1066 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The human-eating Posleen have invaded Earth, decimating all but two North American territories. Heavily outnumbered, humans cluster close together, the possibilities of habitable space shrinking by the day. An epic battle from September 11-27, 2009, will decide the fate of humankind, and the apocalyptic decision to use nuclear weapons - heretofore banned - will alter the fate of alien and human forever.

©2003 John Ringo; (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

On the edge guessing

Would you consider the audio edition of When the Devil Dances to be better than the print version?

Yes the voice on this was great

What was one of the most memorable moments of When the Devil Dances?

Fighting in the suits

Have you listened to any of Marc Vietors other performances before? How does this one compare?

TheAldenata series are all great

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Rednecks with nuclear weapons

Any additional comments?

None

Can it be better?

In this whole series also......John Ringo is without a doubt, in my mind, one of the best science fiction writers currently plying the trade. I don't know if he grew up reading the masters (heinlien, clarke, asimov....) but I am hearing their echos in his writing. An absolute joy to listen to........... Science Fiction like it needs to be.......(again).

Hold the Pass

The battle for Earth continues from the prior books in the series. There was less of Mike and the suits in this story and more about his father Mike Sr. and daughter Cally. The life in the Urb-underground complex where the women and children lived was interesting and the flight to escape was nail-biting suspense. The suspense during the entire book continued to build with lots of battle action to help relieve the tension, along with some humor. The nuclear weapons were used in this story to great effect. Marc Vietor did a great job narrating the book and was impressive with the alien voices. Look forward to the next volume.

John Ringo spins a great story

Where does When the Devil Dances rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

John Ringo's conversational style of writing lends itself well to audio format. Marc Vietor does a terrific job reading this book so that it is engaging and entertaining. Both the Posleen and Troy series have been great listens and among some of the best audio books I have in my collection.

What other book might you compare When the Devil Dances to and why?

There is more of a straight military/action style to the Posleen series ("Hymn before Battle" and "Gust Front") as compared to the Troy series ("Live Free or Die", "Citadel", "The Hot Gate"), but the humor and pop references in all the books makes for an entertaining story, though the story does involve a lot of military action so if you are not a fan of the genre you will likely not enjoy these that much.

The series here compare well early Honor Harrington novels. Battles are tense, the actions of the characters heroic, but there are moments of humor as well. These are people who are thrust into dangerous events and rise to the challenge.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many, it is hard to pick just one.

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Title: Halo

Subtitle: The Cole Protocol

Author: Tobias S. Buckell

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-09-08

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1024 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Out beyond the Outer Colonies lies the planet Hesiod, a gas giant surrounded by a vast asteroid belt. As the Covenant continues to glass the human occupied planets near Hesiod, many of the survivors, helped by a stronghold of human Insurrectionists, are fleeing to the asteroid belt for refuge. They have transformed the tumbling satellites into a tenuous, yet ingenious, settlement known as the Rubble - and have come face-to-face with a Covenant settlement of Kig-Yar . . . yet somehow survived.

News of this unlikely treaty has spread to the warring sides. Luckily for the UNSC, this uneasy alliance is in the path of the Spartan Gray Team, a three-man renegade squad whose simple task is to wreak havoc from behind enemy lines in any way they see fit. But the Prophets have also sent their best---an ambitious and ruthless Elite, whose quest for nobility and rank is matched only by his brutality . . . and who will do anything to secure his Ascendancy and walk the Path.

Members Reviews:

Keeps you on your toes

It is impressive that the character development between the Covenant races is significantly extensive. Johnathan Davis also did a great job in narration. However, between the Covenant races of the Prophets, Sangheili,Kig-Yar, Unggoy and the two opposing factions of the UNSC and the Insurrectionists. There is alot to keep track of. Overall it was a good listen.

Read order update.

The correct read order is as follows:

Halo: Contact Harvest

Halo: The Cole Protocol

Halo: The Fall Of Reach

Halo: The Flood

Halo: First Strike

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

KILO-5 Novels

Glasslands

The Thursday War

UNTITLED

Miscellaneous

Halo: Evolutions

These books can be read first as they are "Chronologically" before all the others. But I recommend reading them last as the first batch opens the door to the Haloverse.

Forerunner Novels

Halo: Cryptum

Halo: Primordium

Halo: Sillentium

I want more!!!

Any additional comments?

I am bummed out there are no more books in this series. Every time I listen I want to play the game. Every time I play the game I want to listen. I hope they will release a new one soon!!! Hint hint!!

Loved the Audible version more than print.

I can honestly say that usually books are peaceful and bring peace of mind to somebody who just wants to be alone and think. but in this case it was an excellent throwback to one of the best characters that ever came out of the Halo Universe. good old James Keyes. thank you for putting great effort into good books just know that this Halo fan appreciates it!! not to mention the excellent backstory on a younger Thel 'Vadamee. will listen to again and again :-)

The speaker was fantastic with this story!

All the different dialects when story telling, the pace in tense moments, and the mood of the characters were spoken masterfully. Of course I never go wrong listening to or reading a story from the Halo Universe. I am a huge fan and hope the new stories never ever stop! Tobias casts deep shadows when he reaches back into notable characters' pasts with descriptions of the world that trades your real world for the fictional realm of the story. Jonathan Davis has been one of my favorite narrators and will be looking out for more of both of their work.

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Title: Mass Effect

Subtitle: Revelation

Author: Drew Karpyshyn

Narrator: David Colacci

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1297 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

On the edge of colonized space, ship commander and Alliance war hero David Anderson investigates the remains of a top secret military research station---smoking ruins littered with bodies and unanswered questions. Who attacked this post, and for what purpose? And where is Kahlee Sanders, the young scientist who mysteriously vanished from the base hours before her colleagues were slaughtered?

Sanders is now the prime suspect, but finding her creates more problems for Anderson than it solves. Partnered with a rogue alien agent he can't trust, and pursued by an assassin he can't escape, Anderson battles impossible odds on uncharted worlds to uncover a sinister conspiracy...one he won't live to tell about. Or so the enemy thinks.

Members Reviews:

Enhances the enjoyment of the games substantially

This book exposes a lot of back story for Saren and Anderson. It make great strides in making the video games feel weighty. Saren's fall into madness in Mass Effect 1 means much more now that you know what he was like before he discovered Sovereign. The book also humanized Anderson, and that makes him even more likable.

As far as the narrator goes, he is pretty damn great. His female voices are surprisingly good.

Fun for a Mass Effect fan

I've played all three Mass Effect games multiple times and I'm a big fan of its lore and universe. I'm also a fan of science fiction action, which this mostly consists of. It's not a perfect book, but if you're like me you'll probably enjoy it.

This book was released in early 2007 and is often described as a "prequel" to the first Mass Effect game, but the book actually came out several months beforehand. I can't imagine many people read it then because while it does a good job of explaining the universe and technology to the point that it's still understandable, the visuals leave some to be desired if you haven't already seen the races and sites described. And while the story and action are fun, it really helps if you already know what's going on and can get that extra stuff out of it.

I could go more into the story, but honestly if you're still reading this, you'll probably get enough enjoyment to make it worth your time and money/credit. It's a book about Mass Effect by the primary writer of Mass Effect. It features a few Mass Effect characters and many Mass Effect races, but no morality choices or graphics. It some longer infodumps (many of which are unnecessary to the players of the game), but I still enjoyed them. David Colacci does a decent job in terms of voices - nothing to write home about, but not distracting either.

Barely qualifies as an appetizer

Overall, the writing, plot, and reading is well done. The basis for the average rating lies in the paucity of the entire story. The length appears to be about half of what should have beena more compelling storyline line. The macguffin, a rumored novel alien artifact is only tangenetially mentioned, especially at the end where it appears to set up (hopefully) a second installment. The characters are interesting and the action is engaging, but the ending just seems like it comes way too early and with many unanswered questions and without adequate resolution of part 1.

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Title: Paul of Dune

Author: Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert

Narrator: Scott Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-08

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 798 votes

Genres: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi: Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Frank Herbert's Dune ended with Paul Muad'Dib in control of the planet Dune. Herbert's next Dune book, Dune Messiah, picked up the story several years later, after Paul's armies had conquered the galaxy. But what happened between Dune and Dune Messiah? How did Paul create his empire and become the Messiah? Following in the footsteps of Frank Herbert, New York Times best-selling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are answering these questions in Paul of Dune.

The Muad'Dib's jihad is in full swing. His warrior legions march from victory to victory. But beneath the joy of victory there are dangerous undercurrents. Paul, like nearly every great conqueror, has enemies - those who would betray him to steal the awesome power he commands.

And Paul himself begins to have doubts: Is the jihad getting out of his control? Has he created anarchy? Has he been betrayed by those he loves and trusts the most? And most of all, he wonders, "Am I going mad?"

Paul of Dune is a novel everyone will want to read and no one will be able to forget.

Members Reviews:

JUST OK, reluctant 4 stars....

Decently written but unremarkable Dune rehash, meant to pick up where Dune left off, that never manages to engage. No further insights into the vividly drawn characters from Dune, in fact they all seem rather sterile. Paul & company are disenchanted with the direction things have taken, and you will be too. If you're a Dune junkie, you may want to read this. Otherwise, probably wise to skip.

Great Listen but...

This will get slammed by some because it's not Frank Herbert, well guess what? Frank is long gone and there was only one of him.

Brian and Kevin are their own writers and they carry on the Dune experience in their own very exciting fashion, I really like it because while reflecting Franks original concept they really add some great ideas into the original story line. So from some of the purest I think there will be alot of gripes but for the rest of us we shall just enjoy a great book that carries on the amazing world of DUNE!

Good back stories but not much more

A significant portion of this book where back stories of young Paul usually consisting of events that occurred prior to Dune. As others have said there is very little that adds to the story that skipping this book will make you miss. This book was written as an insert between Dune and Dune Messiah and it is clear in that respect. I think of this book as Dune 1.5 if Dune Messiah is Dune 2.

I see this book as a summer extension of a TV series. Missing this book will not cause those who follow the real seasons (Dune) and (Dune Messiah) will miss.

It took me two tries ...

It took me two tries to start listening to this book - I just couldn't stand the religious zealots...then it got good - I really liked the intricate story around the Fenrings and bitterness of Shaddam. I have been a fan of the Dune universe for a very long time and I really enjoy the expanded universe that has been woven with the prequels and now this interstitial tale - and it looks like more to come.