In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns

Sub-Inspector Ferron Mysteries, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Bear

Narrated by: Zehra Jane Naqvi

Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A science fiction mystery set in the India of the future by two-time Hugo Award winner Elizabeth Bear.

A man has been turned inside-out. Literally.

Fifty years hence, in the sleek modern city of Bangalore, a scientist working on revolutionary bioengineering techniques has been discovered inside his own locked home, his body converted into a neat toroidal package of meat. It's up to Police Sub-Inspector Ferron to unearth the victim's complicated past and solve the crime, despite the best efforts of the mastermind behind the murder, aliens beaming signals from the Andromeda Galaxy, her overbearing mother, and the intricacies of dealing with the only witness - an adorable parrot-cat.

©2012 Sarah Wishnevsky-Lynch (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

okay

Sorry. I had a difficult time understanding parts. I tried slowing down but didn't seem to help. I thought the story was good but maybe it was just the narration.

Delightful, imaginative, & charmingly told

Lots of neg comments about the narrator, so let's start there.

Firstly, India has many languages, and it's normal to grow up speaking more than one - one of which is often English, thanks to the long & insistent period of English rule. The accent is different, as English-speaking Australian, Welsh, American, and West Indian accents are, with all their regional variations on top of that. English is still a first language for many people in these nations; it just doesn't sound like it's from-England English.

So, if you're not comfortable with hearing English as it's spoken in India, that won't suddenly change. This narrator speaks English as it's spoken in a particular part of India, which is appropriate for the setting of this story.

I slowed it down a little, as I often do. This probably aided my comprehension, because I'm not used to her accent, although I'm happy to pay closer attention in order to understand better.

The narrator's voice is medium-high in pitch, resonant in timbre, musical in tone, and smooth in quality. I find her narration absolutely charming. She distinguishes gently between speakers, clearly enjoys what she's reading, and does a voice for the chatty cat that's charming without being too cutesy.

"Charming" comes to mind often as I look back on the story, the characters, and especially the narration. It's altogether charming.

Entertaining Police Procedural In 21st Cent India

I found myself engrossed in a future India which is a combination of current society and a future society that came ino being after an apocalyptic event. i admit I want a parrotcat like Chairman Meow.

I'm here for the parrot-cats

This one was included in my Audible subscription, and I appear to have given it a spin out of order – I listened to book 2 not so long ago. This is book 1. In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns by Elizabeth Bear is part of the Sub-Inspector Ferron Mysteries and offers listeners a somewhat quirky dive into an India of the future, where virtual and augmented reality blend seamlessly with real life, and humanity deals with the challenges of climate change in a technologically driven society.

Genetic manipulation is par for the course in this setting, and designer pets are de rigueur – so if you want to meet a talkative parrot-cat called Chairman Meow, who is the only witness to what at face value appears to be an utterly bizarre murder, then step right this way. Actually, I was sold by the fact that this story has a talking cat.

Narrated by Zehra Jane Naqvi, this is a short escapade of two hours (unlike the 20+ hour beasts I tend to download) which I admit took me ten or so minutes to get used to Zehra's voice. I don't know why, but I seem to inadvertently mostly listen to audiobooks narrated by British men, so hitting a woman-narrated work was a bit of an adjustment – especially with her accent being on point in terms of the setting. But once I was used to her voice, I was fine, and Zehra oozes quirk in abundance.

There's much to be unpacked in this setting, and my only real complaint is that it's too short! I'm definitely going to keep a lookout for further titles, should these be rolled out. It's great to have a story that's not the usual western-centric fare. If fun, light mysteries, with unexpected twists are your jam, then this one is the cat's whiskers. Oh dog, I shouldn't mix so many metaphors.

Short but fun. SF police procedural in Bangalore

If the setting & premise appeals to you, give it a try. Nothing earth shattering, not as good as Range of Ghosts, but a solid setting and engaging characters. Especially appealing if you can relate to the main character's family drama, caught between loyalty to traditional family and wanting to live her own life, twenty seven Aunties who all want to know why you aren't married yet, etc.

loved it. loved the narrator.

this is a fun romp through a really engaging world. if you're put off by the narrator, you're doing yourself a disservice. I mean, blue kitties that talk! it's a good mystery with likeable characters.

Good

Interesting world, I suspect it's in the same universe as Ancestral Night but so far removed in space/time to not make any difference to the reader.

I like the reader, it's good to have a range of accents and voices. And no I did not find her difficult to understand at all, I hear thicker accents every day just going about my business. Maybe people should get out more, go have a curry, it's good for the soul.

Good short story

Good listen that is fast paced but descriptive. I look forward to more from series.

Entertaining with a good narrator

The futuristic plot line had you really guessing what was going on. The narrator’s knowledge of Hindi made it an enjoyable listen. The end was rather abrupt, however.

In the house of aryaman

I really do not know what to say in this review. I believe that this audio book was entertaining and that it is different from what I usually pick.