I've read that some print versions of this book have been released as a trilogy. Were that the case on audio, I probably wouldn't have finished the second and third. And frankly, from the book's description, I almost expected a bodice-ripper with space ships and ray guns. Fortunately, we didn't get one.

The truth is that this book gets off to a pretty rocky start. The backstory for the universe is delivered in a rush, almost like the opening theme song to a 70s era sitcom, except that it didn't have a melody to engage you. Mostly, it's hard to care because there's little in the beginning to really snare you.

Likewise, the ending is rather obvious and you'll pretty much know where everything's going to end up very early in the story.

The book's strong point is its storytelling. It is a comfortable universe that moves at a comfortable pace. While with most audio books, I can get so caught up in the story that I want to hear it all in one sitting - with the requisite let-down that it's over and there's nothing to listen to, this provides a nice place that you can keep going back to over and over.

The narrative (excepting the beginning and end) moves at a realistic and even pace. You get to see the main characters develop, understand their motivations, and actually care about them. Better still, they aren't one-dimensional cut-outs that you so often get in space opera.

This may sound like a very lukewarm review, but the overall effect made it one of the better audio books I've "read" all year, and I "read" about a hundred each year.

If you like over 22 hours of endless and repetitive Queen Bee mind games, you'll love this novel.

Otherwise, ... not so much.

Have the woman reading speed up by a factor of fifty and stop trying to make every damn word have an impact.

Honestly, I won't know until I grab it in paperback and get a chance to read it.

Have I would think literally ANYONE else do the reading. She was way too slow, every word was drawn out like she was reading from some stage drama, and her "s" whistled so badly it pierced by brain! Maybe it's me, but I've never had an issue with all the other readers I've heard from these audiobooks.

Nope.

I am enjoying this so much I will probably listen again while sharing it with my husband. I will be sorry when the book is done.

The story itself is well done in the exploration of a complex psyche against the backdrop of a hard science fiction future that succeeds in suspending my disbelief (well, most of the time anyway). It does show its age a tad with some of the computing details, but that's OK.

I have listened to a lot of fantastic audio books, but this is the best performance I have heard. Gabra Zackman handles voices from small girl to old men and makes you believe in the story. This is the first time I have heard her and I will be sure to seek her out again. Jonathan Davis is quite different form other things I have heard him narrate, but his presentation is perfect for the part his is playing in this book.

Yes, I would recommend it; it's just so absorbing. You really get sucked into the claustrophobic, byzantine world of these hyper-intelligent, machiavellian manipulators.

Strangely, it's a little bit like a sci-fi version of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

I have not listened to the others, but they did a great job with this one.

It made me tense and nervous. But in an enjoyable way.

In a Far distant Future where the Worst of humanity has gone to space human breeding has become commonplace. genetically cloning the brightest people to save thier mental skillbase humanity has degraded to a mostly cloned people. Born People are becoming uncommon and the Ozzie Human Clones are manufactured like cloned cattle and treated about the same. the top level humans or clones are given total freedom and can not be punished even if they commit mass murder in public because their skills are needed bye the Government. Soldiers are cloned in Mass birthing factories and programmed bye Taped mental training imprinted directly into their memories. all behavior can be controlled bye thies mental programming tapes and minds can be wiped and reprogrammed.

this is the story of the Clone factories leaders and top workers and the debauchery and destruction they impose.

i stopped reading after the first few chapters maybe 1/4th of the book. i set it aside 3 times before i finally decided to deciding to not read the rest and write this review.

this is not a mental image i want my subconscious.

C,J, Cherryh has always been a favorite author of mine but this story's mindset if straight out of Nazi Germany's Arien Nation breeding camps. Its a dangerous mindset to promote looking at humans, even cloned ones, as disposable trash. I dont believe in censorship but his story definitely deserve a severe caution and should be limited to mature readers only.

naration and stopry production was fine. just the mental images are depresing and dangerous.

if i was her publisher i would have refused this book. the writing was fine but the subject matter is not one that should be openly promoted. too many people with unstable minds could use this to justify human cruelty and it gives them ideas that should not be expressed in anything less than a college psychological diseases class. scenes where clones ozzie human are casually killed and disposed of because their owner died and there deaths were in the owners will.

This book covers subject matter that is dangerous to young impressionable minds. its should not be censored but a String warning caution given that its not for casual reading.

No idea

The overdramatized dialogues and tedious page after page with descriptions of scheming and manipulation. After 4 chapters of that, I gave up.

Boredom

On the surface this is no more than a satisfying coming of age story, full of strong characters struggling to make a life in a hostile universe. But underneath this is a very sophisticated piece of science fiction, emphasis on the science. A lot of genetics-based science fiction garbles the science pretty badly, but Cherryh nailed the complexity of the relationship between genes and the environments in which they are expressed at a time when this was still confusing to many professionals. Most amazing is that she made these ideas the heart of the story, so the unfolding lives of her characters actually embody the idea that genes and environment evolve together, neither of them possible without the other. Who we are may be explainable at some abstract level, but that doesn't make us predictable, even to ourselves. This is a very gratifying read both as fiction and as science. The unresolved nature of some key issues at the end was a bit disappointing, but only because I wanted more. That's the only reason I didn't give the story five stars.

This is not my first audiobook with Gabra Zackman. Nor is it the first time I have said that one of the main male characters sounds like a whiney adolescent.

I have read several C. J. Cherryh books and enjoyed them. Her mix of hard science and identifiable characters are perfect. In this series however, great buildup, great characters but a disappointing ending. Can't win 'em all.

VERY FAR FETCHED, SCI/FI I THINK,GOOD LISTEN ,KEEPS YOU INTRESTED, MANY TWISTS TO THE STORY ,GOOD LISTEN, YES.