Extremes

A Retrieval Artist Novel

By: Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

His name: Miles Flint. His occupation: Retrieval Artist. His job: find the Disappeared - outlaws on the run, wanted for crimes against alien cultures. The catch: Flint isn't working on the side of the law anymore.

One simple mistake and a Disappeared could end up dead. But this time, the death of an ailing Retrieval Artist has caught Flint's attention. He suspects it was foul play, not a viral infection. Equally suspicious is a young woman's sudden demise during the Moon's prestigious Extreme Marathon. As Flint investigates, he finds an ominous connection. Both deaths lead back to a scientist - a scientist who is now one of the Disappeared.

Listen to more in the Retrieval Artist series.

©2003 White Mist Mountain, Inc. (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A very readable and thought-provoking novel that satisfied the reader in just about every possible way." (Analog)

"Top 10 Greatest Science Fiction Detective Novels of all Time." (io9.com)

"If you love puzzle mysteries, crime novels, well-invented sci-fi worlds or stories about characters you can believe in and care about, you owe it to yourself to give Rusch's Retrieval Artist novels a try." (Orson Scott Card)

good mystery on the moon

I read the first book and really enjoyed Flint.

this was a good mystery - I recommend it not many aliens but the story is in the future

worth the credit

Mystery with a twist

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The setting of the mystery in a moon colony is just not for show. It adds to the trouble and the suspense. Very clever.

Great 2nd book for the series

This is a fantastic series and the perfect 2nd book. This series opens the doors to how Earth and other worlds may co-exist. This particular book is not just an extension of the first but opens the reader to various aspects to life on the moon and how society works. While the first book helped the main character disappear, this book looks for a disappeared and helps the reader understand the dilemma society faces when interacting with alien worlds.

If you like science fiction and space fantasy this is a fantastic series.

Fine for a light read about a space detective.

It's a good story and the basic premise is engaging. I like the main characters and I found the idea of a moon Marathon and the troubles around it interesting. I was frustrated by the contrived ways the author added obstacles for the main characters. Specifically their communication s being down or having uncooperative officials refusing to help stop problems.

Following Jay Snyder found a great series

Fantastic story will read them all and hope there is more to come after the last

Not a series book!!!

Has nothing to do with the first book in the series! It's a detective novel that happens to take place on the moon.....YAWN.

Pulp

What disappointed you about Extremes?

I'm sorry, a lot of readers obviously enjoy this author's work, but I find both the story and writing quite bland, bordering on tedious. The thing seems to have been slapped out in a rush, and is littered with the sort of jarring repetition and mis-coined phrases that kill my suspension of disbelief. That might be okay if the story was particularly creative, but it's quite pedestrian. I don't know much about the author, but I read she has a "business blog", and has published "The Pursuit of Perfection: And How It Harms Writers". I can't help thinking that provides an insight into her approach to writing - get it out there, don't be too precious about the quality, hope to hit more than miss. Well, that approach may be good for writers, but it's not doing much for this reader X-/

What do you think your next listen will be?

Try out the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jay Snyder?

Maybe

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not particlarly

Usually, I can make it through a book...

I have tried to listen to this book a couple of times, but I failed. The story progression is slow, but that’s not all of it. The narration is really the issue. The voices of the characters are too painful to endure, especially the female ones. The narrator’s falsetto is reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch. His overly forced PRO-NUN-CI-A-TION-S would be helpful if I was just learning English, or maybe at a Spelling Bee, but the end effect is to progress the story with the lethargic stagger of a death march.

When you combine a slow story with a ponderous narration, the end experience is hard to take. I found myself two thirds through the book wishing all the characters would die just to make it end. I guess it’s time to stop listening.

Not as good as the first one

The first book made me really happy to have found the series, it had great character development, nasty aliens and an interesting universe to be introduced to with lots of potential. I could hardly wait to down load the second. This second book really doesn't make use of that potential. It relies on the first book for character development which is not expanded here. Rusch's alien species are not part of this plot which was disappointing. I would probably be willing to try one more book into the series except that this narrator's various character voices are just too irritating. His regular reading voice is smooth and rich, but all the other characters are grating and seem wrong, especially the female detective whose voice is too nasal and sharp and her new side kick who sounds like a surfing teenager- others are exaggeratedly too low, slow or gruff, they are all "off" and distracting. Sorry Audible, I'll be going with paper books if I continue with this series.

Wish I stopped after the first book

This is a terrible novel. It goes on and on and on and there is just a tiny bit of mystery/plot to it (and to get to it you have to listen to 3 hours of description of a marathon).

Even pretending the book was meant to be a character exploration didn't help because even the main characters are not distinct. One is male, the other female but they talk, act, and respond identically. It seems the author was too busy trying to create 2 intertwined story lines that she forgot to distinguish characters' behaviors or attitudes. The intertwining was well done, but since the characters and plots were lame, you don't care.

The narration is the only redeeming feature but since I fast-forwarded through 10 minute segments at a time in which absolutely nothing happened, I missed much of that too.

Anyway, I won't be reading any more in this series.