The Downloaded

By: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrated by: Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby, Vanessa Sears, Colm Feore, Andrew Phung, full cast

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In 2059, two vastly different groups of people portrayed by the compelling trio of Brendan Fraser (Academy Award winner), Luke Kirby (Emmy Award winner), and Vanessa Sears (Dora Award winner) undergo cryonic suspension. While their bodies are frozen, their minds, still active and awake, are uploaded into a massive quantum computer. The first group are all astronauts, about to leave Earth on a one-way interstellar colonization mission. The second group consists of convicted murderers and volunteers who elect to serve their sentences in a virtual-reality prison. But while both groups are suspended, a global cataclysm devastates most of the Earth, and their cryosleep is extended by more than 500 years.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2023 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

Sawyer just keeps getting better

I've been reading Robert J. Sawyer's works since 1995's THE TERMINAL EXPERIMENT, a finalist for the Best Novel Hugo in 1996. That novel didn't win the award that year, but to be fair, it was up against some pretty heavy competition (which is not to say that it wasn't heavy competition to the other finalists). Folks who have read my reviews over the years know that I've enjoyed his work. He's won more awards than I can count, including the Hugo (HOMINIDS), Nebula (THE TERMINAL EXPERIMENT), and John W. Campbell Memorial Award (MINDSCAN), just to name a few (I mean, we could be here all day listing out the awards he's won, including the Aurora, Seiun, and others). While he's never stopped writing, he's been off the radar when it comes to fiction awards (although he's received all sorts of lifetime achievement awards) since 2012. This is a mystery to me, as I feel his writing has gotten better in the last decade. Maybe it's the time he's spending between novels that is giving that result. Whatever the reason, it's a welcome trend.

Which brings me to THE DOWNLOADED, an Audible Original. It's a departure from 2020's THE OPPENHEIMER ALTERNATIVE, but a return to the type of story that Sawyer is known to write. It's a mix of science and technology with religion, with more than a few moral and ethical questions thrown in along the way. It's also compelling, fast paced, and compact. There's no wasted filler here. And the novel is performed (rather than read) by a stellar cast, led by Oscar winner Brendan Fraser.

The year is 2059, and technology exists such that people can be put into cryonic suspension while their minds are still awake within a massive quantum computer. There obviously can be many uses for this technology, and Sawyer explores a couple of different ones, and that exploration makes for some fascinating storytelling. There are two groups of people that undergo this cryonic suspension. One is a group of astronauts that is getting ready to make a one-way interstellar voyage to colonize a far distant planet. The other is a group of convicts who agreed to serve their sentences in this unique prison. In both cases, with the aid of the aforementioned quantum computer, the time they experience within virtual reality is different from what passes in reality. The convict we do follow, Roscoe Koudoulian, is a convicted murderer who will serve his 20 year sentence in the virtual reality while only a few months pass by in the real world. The astronauts, including Dr. Jurgen Haas, will spend 500 "real" years in cryosleep traveling to the new planet. And yes, quantum entanglement allows the downloading of the
astronauts' minds across the vast interstellar distances. After all, the quantum computer resides on the earth - they won't just take it with them.

Of course, as one would expect, something goes terribly, terribly wrong. I mean, that's the way of these things, right?

The story unfolds via a series of interviews conducted by a mysterious entity, whose identity is revealed later in the novel. This is certainly not the first time this technique has been used in literature, and Sawyer uses it effectively and masterfully to extract the backgrounds, motivations, and histories of the characters. Through the series of interviews, we learn how the two very different groups react to the situation they're in. Oh, did I mention that both groups woke up and were downloaded back into their bodies under circumstances they weren't expecting? As in, the astronauts woke up on time but still on earth, and the convicts overserved their sentences by hundreds of years? The two groups have to learn to live and work together in the world in which they find themselves. And oh yeah, there's another catastrophe on the way. Because of course there is. And don't forget that mysterious entity. So yes, there's a lot on their plates.

And yes, as previously stated, Sawyer does deal with many moral, ethical and political questions and situations. One of them is quite new, facilitated by the onset of the cryonic suspension technology, and one is as old as the hills. But asking and addressing these questions is absolutely nothing new in science fiction. Science fiction is nothing if not political, and has always addressed moral and ethical issues. These are the backbone of this story, and what makes it a great story.

I cannot possibly say enough about the production of the novel. This isn't just a narration by a bunch of high powered actors; this is a full scale production with all sorts of audio effects used to immerse the listener into the story. In fact, the novel is recorded using Dolby Atmos, so if your listening device is capable of producing that sound the novel should be listened to that way. Audible has assembled an award-winning cast, and their professionalism shows through in the performance. I've listened to full cast productions in the past, but this is the first time I've listened to one with full audio effects. And while it is short, clocking in at under 6 hours (I see that the print edition, when it is released in May is going to be 180 pages long), It's as long as it needs to be.

Sawyer's work continues to get better as time passes. Both the OPPENHEIMER ALTERNATIVE and THE DOWNLOADED are his best works in years, and I'm not trying to downplay his other novels. These two are just that good. I highly recommend both, but they each appeal to different audiences. THE DOWNLOADED is a terrific science fiction novel, one of the best I've read in 2023. It's the kind of novel I've been wanting to read in a long time, and I sure hope to see more like this one in the future.

Another Great RJS book

Robert J Sawyer is one of my favorite authors and this book is a delight. It has my highest recommendation. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer because I wasn't ready for it to end. I thought the live production was very well done and a lot of fun and added a great deal to my enjoyment of the book. It made it so easy to visualize the characters and the action. The actors were well-chosen and the music and special effects added nicely to the production without being distracting. The story line was engaging and thought-provoking and full of the pointed social commentary and intelligently presented philosophical and ethical dilemmas I've so enjoyed in Rob's other titles. As always, his writing is excellent and his use of puns and word play was elegant and clever and gave me more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, which is relatively rare for me when I'm reading or listening to a book. The main characters were likable, interesting, three dimensional people struggling with some very believable challenges. The plot had twists and turns that kept me guessing with a few delightful surprises as the book wrapped up. I think there's room for a sequel and I fervently hope we'll see one soon.

Apocalyptic Sci-fi

The author weaves historical events such as the pandemic, human violence and global warming into a cautionary tale about what could happen if humans continue on a self destructing course.
The story was compelling and the cast was excellent. I don’t read this genre often but I found it entertaining and food for thought.

Bravo!

Absolutely loved it, it has a very interesting story line... I kept running back to it every chance I got (thank you so much for keeping me entertained) I rarely am 🥂.

A good story and well performed

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the performance and will recommend this to my friends.

Outstanding story!

This is a must listen. Cast of fantastic as is the acting. The story is sublime.

Out of the park, again!

I have enjoyed RJ Sawyer’s latest novel immensely. Though the concept of uploading a mind into a computer is not new, even for Sawyer, this new take on it, was a fun read. I also liked that it was a who-done-it, with an interesting twist. I definitely recommend this novel to all.

As well, I enjoying the audiobook casting and the use of different voices. Usually I find multiple narrators distracting, but the novel seemed to be written with the audiobook media in mind, and so I found the multiple narrators added to the experience.

I just wish it were longer. I was able to listen to the whole thing in one day. Now what do I listen to?

Mixing classic tropes for a fascinating story

The Right Stuff meets Rip Van Winkle with a bit of The Rock. This post-apocalyptic story is the framework for some really interesting characters and their stories make The Downloaded shine. We have astronauts, ex-cons, and 26th century Mennonites interacting to rebuild human society. The cast is outstanding in making these people come to life, especially Brandon Frasier.

Honestly, it was really incredible. Just what I needed at the time and escape to an alternate reality.

Their acting and soundscapes were quite phenomenal. I would highly suggest this, if you like this type of podcast. I am sure that it took a army of people to get that production done as well, and Brendan Fraser did a fantastic job, it was like a blast from the past.

Production Values Incredible!

Acting Fabulous. I miss Brendon Fraser. Great summary of my favorite sci-fi themes. I want more like this.