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Title: Flood

Author: Stephen Baxter

Narrator: Chris Patton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-12-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 236 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Here is the "deeply scary" (BBC Focus) new novel from a national best-selling and critically acclaimed author. Four hostages are rescued from a group of religious extremists in Barcelona. After five years of being held captive together, they make a vow to always watch out for one another. But they never expected this....

The world they have returned to has been transformed by water - and the water is rising. As it continues to flow from the earth's mantle, entire countries disappear. High ground becomes a precious commodity. And finally, the dreadful truth is revealed: before 50 years have passed, there will be nowhere left to run.

Critic Reviews:

"[A] fascinating apocalyptic vision." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Too long and Too English

You might like this better if you know London well. This was a great idea and if written in the style that he wrote Evolution it would have been much better. There is so much that could have been done with this subject that did not get done, because Baxter choose to write a soap opera about characters we really don't care about. Evolution was a great book, this was not. He needed to write about different parts of the country and how it affected these people instead of following some characters we just don't give a damn about.

A great "what-if" apolcalyptic exploration

This was a great book. It is great "hard sci-fi" and those expecting a Hollywood type ride will be disapointed. The main characters are just there to spice the story a bit, serve as an anchor and give the human perspective of the events. The book is a exploration of how events might unfold if the seas start rising. In the end it shows us how fragile our culture and knowledge really is, how quick it can be lost and how thin the layer of culture really is over the instinct of survival.

I loved this book from start to end and highly recommed the follow-up (Ark) as well. It is a bleak out look on our current world and leaves you looking at everything around you in a different way

A decent story

The book was on the long side, but I enjoyed how it followed all the original characters through their entire lives. t did get kind of depressing, but I appreciated the fact that the characters rose to challenges, some overcame, some not. This is a book full of imperfect characters, and to me that made them seem more human and realistic. I'm not a hard science person, so the plot seemed mostly believable, although I did start having a hard time wondering just where all that water was coming from . . .

Apocalypse Story that made me want to kill myself

If you enjoy watching paint dry, or staring at the bathtub while it is filling, then you will love this book. Hey Jim, look, the water is a little higher now, almost to the soap scum ring in the tub... wow! Very boring book. I'm not saying that the book needs to be action packed, but it should at least have a plot or something that at least captures the reader's interest. I'll summarize this book for you so that you don't have to read it... here is the theme.... earth filling (bathtub analogy), people moving way from water, earth filling some more, people move a little more (over and over again). Hey Jim, look, the parking lot is flooded, oh no! Maybe we should consider moving back a few inches before our shoes get wet. Seriously, I don't understand the good reviews this book has received.

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Title: Betrayer of Worlds

Author: Edward M. Lerner, Larry Niven

Narrator: Tom Weiner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-12-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 346 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Since fleeing the supernova chain reaction at the galactic core, the cowardly Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds have - just barely - survived one crisis after another: the rebellion of their human slaves, the relentless questing of the species of Known Space, the spectacular rise of the starfishlike Gw'oth, the onslaught of the genocidal Pak.

Now fresh disaster looms, as though past crises have returned and converged. Who can possibly save the Fleet this time?

Larry Niven is the multiple Hugo and Nebula awardwinning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces. Edward M. Lerner has degrees in physics and computer science, a background that kept him mostly out of trouble until he began writing science fiction full-time.

Critic Reviews:

Exceptional freshness and suspensefull of startling revelations about human and puppeteer politics. (

Booklist)

Niven and Lerner have produced a novel that can stand on its own as well as part of the Known Space franchise. (

Locus)

A far-future SF mystery/adventure set two centuries before the discovery of the Ringworld by humansIntriguing human and alien characters and lucid scientific detail. (

Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Different voices. Better voices...

Would you try another book from Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner and/or Tom Weiner?

Yes, I would but for an odd reason: I'm not really listening to it. Back in the day, Niven working alone combined mind-blowing physics with fascinating events and glimpses of alien psychology. By comparison, this stuff is just a nice try. The Worlds books contain a pale imitation of better writing: Niven's ideas (sometimes with interesting details) glued to the kind of hack-stuff you find in all paperback thrillers: The same old, situation, conflict, complication, resolution stuff that is intended to work on readers who have never read anything closely and that Sol Stein will teach anyone to write for a fee. All that makes these books background noise. Without original, well-integrated ideas, it's pretty easy to guess when something's going to happen and wait for it. So yes, I listen, but I could read news articles while listening to it and not feel that I had lost anything.

Has Betrayer of Worlds turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, BoW hasn't turned me off to the series. I don't think I'd be able to make myself sit through three-hundred pages of it in prose. As an audiobook, it works better than I imagine it would in print providing something good to space out on.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tom Weiner?

Tom Weiner is a fine narrator, just not for this book. He'd be great reading first-person-narrator detective fiction. His voice is rich and deep, but this limits his character range: everyone sounds like a guy in his fifties who smoked his first cigar when he was in diapers. There would be no problem with this except that his women sound like men and so do his puppeteers: aliens who all speak with sultry women's voices. Also, his accents are sometimes not the best. . If I were directing an audiobook project with cost no object, I would have used a cast with at least one man and one woman.

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Title: A Band of Brothers

Subtitle: The Lost Regiment, Book 7

Author: William R. Forstchen

Narrator: Patrick Lawlor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-27-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 150 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

In the 10 years since his regiment was transported to an alien world, Commander Andrew Keane has bravely fought time and time again for humanity's freedom. But after he is injured in battle, his confidence is shaken, and his ability to lead is damaged. Seeing their leader struck down also takes its toll on Keane's men, who have followed him to hell and back. Now, with the Human Republic weakened, their sinister enemies - the Bantags - offer a truce to the two halves of the Republic - one that would guarantee safety for one nation, and seal the doom of the other! Now, Keane must face his demons, or the dream of freedom will be lost forever.

Members Reviews:

Wow gets better and better

This one of the few series that I can't put down once I start reading. Feeling sad only a couple more books till it ends.....

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Title: Raptor Red

Author: Robert T. Bakker

Narrator: Megan Gallagher

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-10

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 102 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

A stunning debut in the blockbuster tradition of Jurassic Park - enhanced with dramatic sound effects.

A pair of fierce but beautiful eyes look out from the undergrowth of conifers. The eyes follow every movement in the great herd of plant-eating dinosaurs that mills around the open meadows, moving back and forth with the rapid scanning of a hunter who is thinking about everything she sees. She is an intelligent killer.

The time - 120 million years ago. The place - the plains of prehistoric Utah. The eyes belong to one of the most unforgettable heroines you will ever meet. Her name - Raptor Red.

Raptor Red is a female raptor dinosaur, struggling to survive on her own after losing her mate. Painting a rich and colorful picture of a lush prehistoric world, leading paleontologist Robert T. Bakker tells the story from within Raptor Red's extraordinary mind, dramatizing his groundbreaking theories in an exciting, one-of-a-kind tale. With keen insight and stunning authenticity, he tracks the raptor on her yearlong odyssey of survival as she braves a devastating storm, migrates toward the ocean to escape powerful predators, and heads north in a desperate attempt to escape the threat of deadly acrocanthosaurs, all while carrying out her natural duty to search for a new mate.

From its tragic opening to its thrilling climax on a snowy mountaintop, Raptor Red is a unique and utterly compelling look at a year in the life of a dinosaur - a revolutionary work of fiction.

Members Reviews:

why in the world is this abridged

this was one of my childhood favourites and indeed jump started my deep love of dinosaurs. I was ecstatic to find it on here and purchased it immediately, only to realize it was the abridged version. I'm so disappointed! this was a fantastic book in every aspect, there's really no reason the full version shouldn't be available.

Really needs to be unabridged this story is worth

I could give you a laundry list of things that were memorable but they were in the book and I kept waiting for them, this pretty much jumps into the

Book half way in. Wait for the unabridged version!!!!!!

Karen

I have always loved this book, and it sounds almost as good as reading it. I vastly preferred the unabridged book, as this version cuts out a lot and does the story a disservice. I really wish the author had done more like it.

Robert T Bakker Rocks

Listen to it ALL the time. The narrator is nice, but the background music is annoying.

Big fan of Bakker's! Megan did a wonderful job!

This has ALWAYS been one of my favorite go to books! Bakker let's you see In to the life of a Utah raptor and I couldn't be happier about how he does it.

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Title: WWW: Watch

Author: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrator: Jessica Almasy, Marc Vietor, Oliver Wyman, Jennifer Van Dyck, Robert J. Sawyer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-06-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1488 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Webmind is an emerging consciousness that has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH - the secret government agency that monitors the Internet for any threat to the United States - and they're fully aware of Caitlin's involvement in its awakening. WATCH is convinced that Webmind represents a risk to national security and wants it purged from cyberspace. But Caitlin believes in Webmind's capacity for compassion - and she will do anything and everything necessary to protect her friend.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Robert J. Sawyer.

Critic Reviews:

"Original and intriguing. Sawyer makes complex sci-fi understandable and thoroughly entertaining." (Romantic Times BOOKReviews)

Members Reviews:

Nice idea driven sf

Robert J Sawyer has his flaws as a writer. His books are not exactly breathtakingly thrillers and his characters are often simple. I can understand why some people is annoyed by his liberal world view and morals. Even for a progressiv Scandinavian as me, it can get a bit to politically correct. People just aren't that nice, I find myself thinking while reading his books. And in this one especially the autistic father is a bit to much a construction for me to believe in him, Sawyers research about autism shines through the description of him.

But i really like his books. The Neanderthal trilogy and now this one are very entertaining and impossible to put down when you've started reading them. They are classic science fiction stories, driven by ideas, rather than plot and characters and as a reader you shouldn't expect more. Or less.

I am really looking forward to the last book in the series.

Unmissable!

I started reading the first book in this trilogy, WWW.wake yesterday lunchtime.

I have just finished this book, WWW.Watch today, 1932 hours EST.

That tells you all you need to know what I think of this work.

It is brilliant, clever, affecting, funny, hopeful and glorious with optimism.

I can't wait, I just can't wait for the third book, WWW.Wonder.

Jessica Almasy is wonderful in this, as young Caitlin Decter, we are going to hear a whole lot more of her. The others played their parts excellent well, but Almasy is peerless.

Audible, thank you. I shall listen to this over and over again.

brendan (Atlanta)

Amazing

The first book in this series was pretty good, this book however, is simply put, amazing. I have not been so moved by fiction in a very long time. As for the audio production, it is top notch, a great cast of readers somewhat dramatize the story and give it additional life. This story is one to share with everyone, I urge anyone reading this to give it a try. I have downloaded a good deal of audiobooks, and this is the only one I ever bothered to write a review of.

Sawyer's Best Book

Watch is Sawyer's best book to date. It was engaging and exhilarating throughout. The author's opening comments talk about how middle books are usually the worst, but I agree with him that this will end up the highlight in the trilogy. The entire narrator cast reunites for the sequel with perfect voices. One of the actors was a little low in volume for some reason, so I had to keep adjusting the volume for his sequences.

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Title: Days of Infamy: A Novel of Alternate History

Author: Harry Turtledove

Narrator: John Allen Nelson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-04-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 82 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched an attack against U.S. naval forces stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. But what if the Japanese followed up their air assault with an invasion and occupation of Hawaii? This is the question explored by Harry Turtledove in Days of Infamy, with frightening implications.

With American military forces subjugated and civilians living in fear of their conquerors, there is no one to stop the Japanese from using the islands' resources to launch an offensive against America's western coast.

Critic Reviews:

A starkly realistic view of what might have been had the Japanese followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor with a land invasion and occupied Hawaii.... Exciting. (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Revisionist History not that compelling.

Long on detail and characters, this outing by HD did not do it for me. There was a great deal of repetition in ideas and concepts, and it really didn't have a strong resolve, at least IMHO. I suppose I was expecting more. Likely a hit with HD fans, but I won't be revisiting this style anytime soon.

Could not finish it

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Tried to read this and finish it as the story line was not bad, but after getting almost halfway through it, I just couldn't spend anymore of my quality time on it. There are so many great books out there waiting to be read and this simply could not gain any momentum.

What could Harry Turtledove have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He needed to create a story line and deliver earlier - much earlier on in the novel. This could have cut this novel in half easily.

What didnt you like about John Allen Nelsons performance?

The performance was fine

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

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Title: Catalyst

Subtitle: A Tale of the Barque Cats, Book 1

Author: Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-05-10

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 304 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

From the team of Anne McCaffrey (author of the Dragonriders of Pern series) and Nebula Award-winning author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough comes a thrilling new science-fiction tale featuring telepathic cats that are invaluable to the spacefarers who own them.

Thomas's Duchess - or Chessie, to those who love and depend on her services - is no ordinary cat. She's a purebred Barque Cat, trained to patrol the ship on which she serves, sniffing out oxygen leaks and spotting other problems. But when a corrupt government announces it has found an epidemic that requires the impounding and possible destruction of animals across the galaxy - Barque Cats included - two young people, a kitten, and a mysterious, powerful cat with a hidden agenda, are all that stand between the galaxy's animals and total destruction.

Members Reviews:

Wait till the rest are available.

This is a wonderful book BUT it ends mid story. I wish I had waited till the whole series was available.

disappointing

I am a longtime Anne McCaffrey fan, but this is not her best effort. The narrator uses almost a 'baby talk' tone for the thoughts of the cats--and the book is long on cat thoughts; short on plot. If you're tempted, read it yourself and skip the irritating narrator!

catalyst

This book was very enjoyable. These authors never let a reader/ listener down. A must read for those who love cats.

Wonderful! Fanciful!

Great story about a boy and his cat/or a cat and his boy! Fell in love with the cat characters and their struggles. The humans were their helpers just as we are here. Loved to hear what they were thinking and how they manipulated us. Amusing lightweight read. Sent me scurrying for the next book in the series.

Who's impersonating McCaffrey?

Very bad. The narrator sounds like an 8 year old reading a story to her baby sibling and the content/dialogue is about that level as well. This book might be great for kids who exchange pictures and anecdotes of their cats' cutesy antics AND dress them up in baby clothes with a little bonnet. Nauseating. It can't be McCaffrey unless she's been body-snatched by a prepubescent alien with a troubling cat fetish. Wholly agree that the thing was long on cat-thoughts (and not particularly intelligent ones, mind) and short on everything else.

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Title: Undaunted

Subtitle: Kris Longknife, Book 7

Author: Mike Shepherd

Narrator: Dina Pearlman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 675 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Kris Longknife encounters some peaceful aliens who have come to warn humanity of an unidentifiable force that is roaming the galaxy, obliterating everything in its path - a path now leading directly toward the human worlds.

Listen to another

adventure.

©2009 Mike Shepherd; (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

fascinating

This is book seven in the Longknife series. Kris and crew aboard the exploratory ship USS Wasp have blundered into an encounter with an Iteechee vessel. The Iteechee is the race with which humanity had a war 80 years previously. They are so mysterious the cause of the war is still unknown. Kris great- grandparents King Raymond and General Trouble both fought in the war. The Iteechee death ball vessel wants to speak to Kris, as an envoy from great-grandfather King Ray to plea for galactic safety. Kris takes the delegation of Iteechee to meet with King Ray. Kris is sent off to a planet on a diplomatic mission (with the Iteechee delegation on board her vessel). As usual she is walking into trouble.

The book is well written with a good strong plot. There is lots of banter as usual between the characters. Shepherd has created an enjoyable cast of characters to play foil to Kris. The strength of the story is the strong supporting cast of Kris crew and friends, including her computer Nelly, who is developing her own personality in interesting ways. Nelly created her babies and each of the key people of Kriss crew were given their own super smart computer. Nelly created a way to hook them to their owners mind without the surgery that Kris had. Of course this external attachment does not work as completely as Kris and Nellys. Nelly made it clear that none of her babies are as smart as she is.

My only complaint is I am getting tired of hearing one-of-those-damn-longknives repeated over and over. It is starting to get annoying. This book has less action than prior books but still has lots of suspense. It is great the story is breaking away from the Peterwald feud and is opening up to the galaxy for Shepherd to play with. Dina Pearlman is doing a good job narrating this series.

Lonely kris

Enjoying these books greatly however after finishing this latest I have come to the conclusion that Kris really needs a man in her life and in her bed ! She just considered sparning with a 4leg, 4arm, 4eyed creature! It's time for Jack to step up to the plate!

Not sure how to feel about this one.

It took FOREVER for anything to happen in this book. There was just SOOO much talking. When something finally did happen, our intrepid adventurers handled it without breaking a sweat. With one very notable exception. Spoiler alert......................Kris almost dies in the attack. Not like in other books where she puts herself in harms way. There was a real chance that she wouldn't make it this time. As of the end of the book, she's still on crutches. Everyone is forced to deal with her mortality, even Nelly. Also, Dina's performance slips just a little when doing the alien's voice.

evolving longknife story.

This story Just keeps growing and unfolding. A very fun and exciting science fiction story. A nice addition for those that like Honor Harrinton, Vetta Wars, and Empire from the Ashes!

Another winner

Great narrator, not particularly intellectual listen, but a good solid story that is interesting, captures your attention and well told.

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Title: Valor's Trial

Subtitle: A Confederation Novel

Author: Tanya Huff

Narrator: Marguerite Gavin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 335 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Unexpectedly pulled from battle, Torin finds herself in an underground POW camp that shouldn't exist, where her fellow marine prisoners seem to have lost all will to escape. Now Torin must fight her way not only out of the prison but also past the growing compulsion to sit down and give up---not realizing that her escape could mean the end of the war.

Critic Reviews:

"As a heroine, Kerr shines. She is cut from the same mold as Ellen Ripley of the Alien films.... Like her heroine, Huff delivers the goods." (Science Fiction Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Every Book As Good As The Last

I have really enjoyed all of the Valor books. This fourth book is just as good as the previous - proving that everyone is expendable, Torin is always going to get the short end of the stick, and never count the Gunnery Sergeant as dead until you see her body. The conclusion of this novel closes the story arc that began with the second novel dealing with the plastic alien life form. Fortunately, it is not the last book in the series.

Story: Torin is fighting a battle with her squad when her company is bombed. When she wakes up, she is in an underground prison alone. As she explores the caverns, she will find a complex group of tunnels in which prisoners from both sides of the war are kept. Some of those prisoners will rise above the situation, some will fall horribly, but all soon realize that there is simply no way out. That is, until Kerr decides to fight back and Craig Ryder (with Presit's help) refuses to believe she's dead and goes after her.

There were a lot of interesting and complex dynamics going on in this book. All of the book pretty much takes place underground without weapons or regular supplies. Torrin first has to figure out her situation then she will have to overthrow mini dictatorships and save ally and enemy alike before they all destroy each other. There were quite a few twists and turns and I never knew where the story would go at any time. Of course, at the same time Kerr is trying to figure out her prison, Ryder is trying to figure out if she's dead - not accepting that the flattened area she had been fighting in had no biological residue. Having Craig try to reach her added a great dimension to the story since he brought along Presit - and any book with Presit is going to have that wonderful humor and banter.

This is going to be one of my favorite series. I have listened to all book on Audible and although I thought the narrator was a bit stiff in the beginning, I really warmed up to her narration by this book.

Awesome book, awesome series

It seems like "a strong female lead" is something that most writers are trying to give their audience these days, and yet, so many of them just manage to provide irritating, not-thinking, "even if it makes more sense to have the male lead to do this task, I'm going to do it, because I'm female and RAWR," Marysues. Huff delivers an ACTUAL strong female lead.

Kerr is a Marine. No two ways about it, in this character we enter the mind and spirit of what it means to be a Marine.

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Title: Singularity Sky

Author: Charles Stross

Narrator: George Guidall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-29-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 373 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

In the 21st century, the perfection of faster-than-light travel and the rise of a prodigious artificial intelligence known as the Eschaton altered the course of humankind. New civilizations were founded across the vastness of space. Now, the technology-eschewing world known as the New Republic is besieged by an alien information plague. Earth quickly sends a battle fleet - but is it coming to the rescue, or is a sinister plot in motion?

Members Reviews:

Gonzo giggleworthy geekitude

Warning: if you like your books to have dramatic tension or deep characters, this book is not for you. If you like your sci-fi to consist of carefully-thought-out plausible futures, this book is not for you. For those who enjoy crazy gonzo roller coaster rides through fantastic forests of sketchily described hot-off-the-internet tech jargon, this book IS for you. I imagine Charles Stross sitting at home in his boxers writing this book, giggling madly to himself as he types, spilling Dorito crumbs into his chest hair and listening to punk rock on full blast. It is a nonstop face-blast of Far Out.

A unique blend

Stross blends sci-fi, political history, a little philosophy and lots of tongue in cheek wit to make a total hoot of a book. I was alternately lost in the details of the story or the science of the science fiction only to be surprised by the tongue in cheek laugh out loud side references. This was fun.

Great book - very original

Stross is always full of original ideas. I've read the book in paper before- this is a good reading. The Festival is weird, and I'm not sure I get it completely, but the Eschaton concept is very interesting. Rachel and Martin are likeable characters. They also appear in Stross's Iron Sunrise (although they aren't really the main characters there).

Humorous look at the futility of fighting progress

There seems to be an uncomfortable amount of bashing the Russian Revolution in the themes found here. A brittle authoritarian monarchy with a deep distrust of post-industrial technology is confronted by an external visitor that turns everything in their society on its head with a deluge of free information. When undercover agents from a freer, more liberal and technologically advanced society insert themselves into the military response, its hard not to think of cold war cat-and-mouse thrillers. To make the parallels completely undeniable, Stross has loaded the Soviet-style civilization (ironically named the New Republic) with Eastern European surnames. Theres not a lot of surprises in the plot, however, as the adversaries are so overwhelmingly mismatched. The rigid commanders of the New Republic refuse to realize this, so the reader is treated to a very rapid illustration of a society entering into a technological singularity. Here, I was reminded a bit of Iain M. Banks Culture novels where the practically omnipotent Culture society often comes into well-meaning conflict with its mortal neighbors. There were also some intriguing possibilities brought up regarding FTL travel and its implications on Causality, as well as some practical economic effects resulting from cheap nano fabricators. Separately, a lot of these ideas are explored in other Space Opera books, but they came together nicely here and serve as a reminder of what foundations must be in place before certain technologies safely come into a societys grasp.

Good Stuff

This was my first Stross book.