Blue Remembered Earth

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 21 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Critically acclaimed author Alastair Reynolds holds a well-deserved place “among the leaders of the hard-science space opera renaissance." (Publishers Weekly). In Blue Remembered Earth, Geoffrey Akinya wants nothing more than to study the elephants of the Amboseli basin. But when his space-explorer grandmother dies, secrets come to light and Geoffrey is dispatched to the Moon to protect the family name - and prevent an impending catastrophe.

©2012 Alastair Reynolds (P)2012 Recorded Books

great listen, captivating story

Interesting story and characters + fantastic narrator = perfect for occupying time during a long road trip

This was my first experience with the author and the narrator and I am glad to have discovered both.

Snorefest!

I was disappointed to find that Alastair Reynolds would write a science fiction novel of almost 22 hours in narrated length that focused mainly on elephants (large and dwarf) and uninteresting characters acting out their petty sibling rivalry. I write this as one who has listened and enjoyed several of his other novels.

Shame on the recording engineer

This book can be a difficult listen, at first. The reader, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, has an African accent, which is appropriate to the characters. The accent may be a problem for people who aren't used to hearing a variety of accents beyond American and British. Nonetheless, he is an excellent reader who handles the variety of characters well. No, the *real* problem is the muddiness of the recording. The producer or recording engineer did a poor job, because this books lacks the crisp audio that would have served the reader better. Shame on them.
The book itself, however, is quite good. I recommend it, *if* you think you can get over the poor recording quality.

Amazing Performance

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith delivers a masterful performance, creating distinct voices for the many characters in this engrossing story of a family secret that isn't easily unearthed. The characters were likable, the plot twisty and the future an interesting vision of a post climate change earth. I could have enjoyed a bit shorter denouement, but well worth the listen.

My favorite Reynolds book, with a great narrator

This is probably the best book I've listened to from audible, when you combine quality of the narrator and quality of the text. The narrator is absolutely the best I've heard -- he does voices well, and his voice fits this text perfectly. The book is also very strong, especially in the way it presents a very distinct view of the future without spending a lot of time expostulating on how we got there; I've enjoyed other Reynolds books, but this one is smart, engaging, and subtle in many interesting ways. And there's a mystery! Or eight!

Couldn’t finish

The protagonist is so stupid and weak that it is painful for me to listen. I’m disappointed because Kobna Holdbrook-Smith does a very good reading and Adjoa Andoh, my favorite, reads books 2 and 3. Oh well

Slow start, but we'll worth the lead up!

Excellent story and world building. It starts slow but you won't regret it if you keep listening. The performance was really good too, although a slightly more feminine voice for female characters would've improved it. I'm definitely continuing the series!

Ugh I love Reynolds!

Halfway through I was a little worried Reynolds chilled-out and didn't have the high octane plot of his previous novels.

This did not disappoint.

While it didn't have that octave necessarily, it's definitely was an AMAZING story. With the best of his writing. It still had many plot twist, no stone unturned, and suspense and awe that make you love his work.

Great for anyone who has read all of Reynolds, and someone interested in his style. Though this is very different than his other books, maybe more high-brow but not as ridiculous. Your choice.

Muffled Audio

Muffled audio. Poor production quality. Could hardly heat any of the 'computer generated vouces/announcements' .

Engaging

Fascinating vision of the future as context for an action-packed story with plenty of twists. Absolutely the best voice performance of any book so far.