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METAtropolis  By  cover art

METAtropolis

By: Jay Lake,Tobias Buckell,Elizabeth Bear,John Scalzi,Karl Schroeder
Narrated by: Michael Hogan,Scott Brick,Kandyse McClure,Alessandro Juliani,Stefan Rudnicki,John Scalzi
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Publisher's summary

Welcome to a world where big cities are dying, dead - or transformed into technological megastructures. Where once-thriving suburbs are now treacherous Wilds. Where those who live for technology battle those who would die rather than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations, and armed camps of eco-survivalists.

Welcome to the dawn of uncivilization.

METAtropolis is an intelligent and stunning creation of five of today's cutting-edge science-fiction writers: 2008 Hugo Award winners John Scalzi and Elizabeth Bear; Campbell Award winner Jay Lake; plus fan favorites Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder. Together they set the ground rules and developed the parameters of this "shared universe", then wrote five original novellas - all linked, but each a separate tale.

Bringing this audiobook to life is a dream team of performers: Battlestar Galactica's Michael Hogan ("Saul Tigh"); Alessandro Juliani ("Felix Gaeta"); and Kandyse McClure ("Anastasia 'Dee' Dualla"); plus legendary audiobook narrators Scott Brick (Dune) and Stefan Rudnicki (Ender's Game).

John Scalzi, who served as Project Editor, introduces each story, offering insight into how the METAtropolis team created this unique project exclusively for digital audio.

©2008 Joseph E. Lake, Jr., Tobias S. Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, Karl Schroeder (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • 2009 Hugo Award nominee, Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
  • 2009 Audie Award nominee, Original Work

“Each story shines on its own; as a group they reinforce one another, building a multifaceted view of a realistic and hopeful urban future.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Scalzi and his contributors/collaborators have created a fascinating shared urban future that each of them evokes with his or her particular strengths.... This stellar collection is a fascinating example of shared world-building.” (Booklist)
"This impressive group of writers imagines what happens when the world moves beyond cities as a locus of human civilization. The range of narrators...brings a unique narrative style to the production. Of the five narrators, all well chosen for the stories, Allessandro Juliani proves to be the best with his rendering of Scalzi's piece." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about METAtropolis

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    1 out of 5 stars

Don't even bother

What disappointed you about METAtropolis?

The story line was passible but the execution of the story was poor. The introduction of the supposed extension of today's left wing vs right wing politics killed it for me. The ignorance of the writer regarding the long-term effects of bad economic "philosophy" and related policies precluded writing a story that would appeal to very intelligent beings.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great collaboration

A longtime fan of science fiction, I was wary about a collaborative piece that brought together very different authors. I bought it because I liked the readers -- and they didn't disappoint.

I came to admire the authors for their incredible continuity throughout the stories, for the depth of these short stories, and for writing stories that have stayed with me long after I first listened (and I will listen again). I will definitely listen to more from each of these authors.

It is understandable why it was nominated for the Hugo.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Enjoyable

Every story was interesting and they wove together rather well. The first story was probably the weakest in my opinion, because it never really explains itself to the listener very well. Still, even that story was fun to listen to.

I'd really like to see more stories written in this alternate future world.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good on ~almost~ all counts

at the end of the book, I was really satisfied with it. I thought the world-building exercise engaged in by the authors of this anthology was really successful. They created an experience that had aspects of recognizable civilization and made it clear where they had used their imaginations to create followable paths toward the future of trends already starting in cities of today. Crowdsourcing, community action, all were represented. The only problem I really had with the book was that sometimes, the characters were forced into the plot rather quickly. They didn't always get the chance to ferment properly and develop. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. Even when it doesn't, it's not a story killer. The plotting of the stories, and the fantastic science fiction really make up for any character weaknesses. Excellant read. I'll be getting the next book this month!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

I was one of the first to download this title. I expected much bigger things from this group of authors. I felt the subject matter was extremely agenda driven, (political).

The premise is great. The naration is top shelf. Because of the political stilt the subject matter is difficult for me to embrace. I listended all the way through but it really never got better.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

It was so excellent I was sad it ended

I started it not really understanding what I was getting myself into. But after I focused on the actual storyline and how all the stories are connected I became lost in the worlds that were designed by the writers.
I download a lot of audio books because I work from home and I can say that this was the best one this year. I've listened to it twice because it was so detailed that I wanted come back to what I might has missed.
Wonderful read.



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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Won't make this mistake again.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This may be for people that like a gloom & doom book. The first story was way too far out there and just didn't grab your attention. The second was funny and I like the narrator but I just couldn't finish the book.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Kill Shot by Vince Flynn

What didn’t you like about the narrators’s performance?

They were OK

What character would you cut from METAtropolis?

Tyger Tyger

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Very Disappointing

The book is very disorganized with regards to how the plot develops and to make it worse provides little to no background information on the main plot characters. Its as if the author assumed that we would know the prequel and continued from there.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Imaginative

I'm not a big short story reader, but this collection -- with its common themes -- was an exception. I liked the fact that there were different voices and styles (including one I would classify as a comedy). My favorite was definitely the last one. I wished that story was a full-blown novel. I hated to leave its concepts explored only at a surface level. The anthology's editor conceded that the final story's author was the most prolific in the idea dept and you can definitely see that in his story.
This is for you if you like sci fi -- not the stories set in space, but the ones that really get you thinking about the sociology and the human condition. Plus it's got some good geek stuff in it too.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Eco in the future

Very good group of short stories. I do not think that civilization will go that way but I love the argument. I liked the use of the stereo types of the people in each region, NW, S. Cal and the Mid West.
A lost of good ideas that give you things to think about. I recommend it.

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7 people found this helpful