Eric Berger

The author had fantastic access to Craig Venter for the writing of this book, and once you get a few chapters in it's hard to put down. A must read for anyone interested in the biggest science story in recent years, and a semi-biography of one of the most inventive, important scientists of our day, Venter.

Highly recommended. Best or the second-best book I have ever gotten from Audible (Washington's Crossing is the other.)

This is a really entertaining book and the narration is among the best of the 100s of books I've listened to.

Only if they wanted to complete the triology.

No.

This was the weakest of the three novels in the series, I just didn't find the new characters compelling.

I've probably listened to 150 audiobooks and this one is one of the very best. Like others have said, this is fantasy in the same league as George RR Martin, both in quality and in terms of real-world building and gray characters. The writing is great and the last couple of hours of the book are just spellbinding. The Bloody Nine is just one of the best fantasy characters ever devised.

I have to also spare a comment for the narrator, whom I had never listened to before this book. He. Is. Outstanding. He does a range of characters and does them all very well. Pacey adds so much to the novel.

Highest recommendation.

Because Hamilton has already built much of his commonwealth galaxy, the second book is focused more on actually telling the narrative and less on world building.

Overall a satisfying conclusion.

1. The book starts slowly. As in, don't expect much of a coherent narrative for the first five or six hours. If you can get past this, the story picks up and becomes excellent. But you've got to invest the time.

2. Hamilton builds an excellent, encompassing galaxy and spins a good story. There are so many "main" characters it is difficult to become close to all of them, but there are some fun characters.

3. John Lee is a good narrator, but he seems out of place in science fiction. I'd prefer him in historical fiction or classic novels. Maybe it's a personal taste, but he doesn't sound like science fiction to me.

This is a great book, with wonderful characters, and it's an easy way to understand, appreciate and enjoy Japanese culture from some 400 years ago.

Case, as usual, is outstanding as an audiobook narrator. I can't fathom why some people criticize him. He's wonderful and makes the book come alive.

Yes, it's a bit dated, but it's also the first book of the comet/asteroid as the end of the world genre. In that sense it's groundbreaking and definitely worth reading.

Some people may have difficulty with the first several hours up until right before the comet makes landfall. Yes, the book jumps around, but there are lots of characters to weave into the narrative. And believe me, the payoff is worth it.

This was really an enjoyable read, and some of the pilgrims' tales were utterly captivating. Narration is good, not great.

Highly recommended for those who can appreciate good storytelling and aren't looking for a run-of-the-mill thriller for those with short attention spans.

My thanks to audible for bringing this book to the audio format.

There are some pretty intriguing ideas in this book, but the writing is relatively poor and the characterization quite weak. We spend a lot of time with some of the characters but even at the novel's end they feel pretty two dimensional.

The writing is also pedantic at times.

Finally, I agree with an earlier review. The narrator sometimes makes the Jamaican character sound French, and the French character sound Jamaican.

The book is pure Dickens, but it requires some patience to get into, especially for first time readers of this genre. The first fourth or fifth of the book will be slow going for some, but perseverance will be rewarded.

I can't say enough about the terrific, spot on narration. I wish this reader would do more Dickens. He was fantastic.