House of Suns

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Six million years ago, at the very dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones: the shatterlings. Sent out into the galaxy, these shatterlings have stood aloof as they document the rise and fall of countless human empires. They meet every 200,000 years to exchange news and memories of their travels with their siblings.

Not only are Campion and Purslane late for their 30-second reunion but they have also brought along an amnesiac golden robot for a guest. But the wayward shatterlings get more than the scolding they expect: they face the discovery that someone has a very serious grudge against the Gentian line, and there is a very real possibility of traitors in their midst. The surviving shatterlings have to dodge exotic weapons while they regroup to try to solve the mystery of who is persecuting them and why---before their ancient line is wiped out of existence forever.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2009 Tantor

Great sci fi

Would you consider the audio edition of House of Suns to be better than the print version?

I haven't read it in physical format.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Campion. He's a strong character and totally unflappable, but when you get his perspective that isn't always the case. Although almost a little too perfect of a protagonist.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Characters were unique and identifiable and he helped me get lost in the story. Slightly more interesting than Pushing Ice but that may simply be due to content.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The aside story about palacial was quite memorable.

Any additional comments?

New ideas in sci fi and very refreshing. Still has my mind wandering back to it weeks later.

Just an amazing book

An excellent story read by an excellent narrator. Amazing, just amazing. If you are a fan of space opera then this is a must read.

Reynolds Best

This space opera has got it all: inscrutable robots, vast space ships, galaxy spanning journeys, immortality, clones, love and loss. Superb narration by one of my favorites, John Lee. Top notch!

good book.

liked the book. it was just a bit hard to follow at times. maybe it was just me :-(

Absolutely loved it!

Reminds me of the first time reading Foundation, it's THAT good. The scope and scale are jaw-dropping, with excellent pacing and character development too. The parallel storytelling adds some extra weight to the arcs, and switching perspectives feels so seamless. Bravo Alastair, Bravo!

With an element of "Are we alone?"

Great narrator, great story. Solid all throughout with good world building leading to characters you're invested in. The ending chapter puts a slightly different light on the entire story without being too jarring. Really satisfying.

A mystery in deep time.

Maybe it's the performance, but there is a malice beneath the most banal utterance that keeps you on your toes throughout.

Shattering my face off

Awesome book powered thru this/paperback combo in a weekend 10/10 would turnover again

Great book, confusing narration

I really enjoyed this book. The main problem was the narration --- the narrator (John Lee) did not do a good of making it clear when he switched between characters, especially the 2 main characters. Moreover, I wish he had a better voice for female characters --- it's really no different. Every now and then he pulled out an accent of some sort for a character, but it was just odd and ill fitting. Anyways, once you get past the narration, it's a great read.

Classic sci-fi air. Interesting storyline.

Thickly written and completely textured with a (somewhat) romantic point of view/perspective (aka rose colored glasses). Very unusual storyline from a very competent writer. Interesting. Somehow, a tad disappointing at the end... but just a tad (I think I expected JUST a bit more from this author 'cause he's very good). BIGtime. Don't get me wrong: this IS a VERY intriguing author with unusual ideas.