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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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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Leave the politics out

If you are the slightest bit conservative, you’ll find these stories steeped in leftist propaganda. I’d appreciate it if the writers would leave their political views out of the stories. I read and listen to be entertained, when I want to be educated I’ll get a nonfiction book. This was very disappointing.

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

sounded good but sucked.

There are (I think) five stories on this one, all is a shared world. It sounded good, but the stories share very little, and the first one was hard to get through. The rest didn't get much better.
Don't do it, no matter the hype. Good idea poorly done. Even the narrators fine performances couldn't pull it out.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

amusing but one dimensional

so the whole premise of this world is that the environment gets so bad common people equate burning petroleum or mass producing anything with actual murder. if you can get behind that, and the idea that "distributive progressive communes" could actually work you might really enjoy this. I cannot, but that doesnt make these writers bad. for all that I found the world about as plausible as "the purge", the stories are so well written and stylized that I couldnt help enjoying it. three stars. if I thought it was even vaguely plausible on a sociological level, OR If it ever explored an opposing point of view, I might have given it 5.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I thought it would be better

I got this only after I realized that I had the second book in my library already and wanted to start from the beginning. I pretty much wasted a credit on this one, and I probably won't even bother with the second one.

The stories are rather blah. I have found this book to be a rather effective sleeping pill though. The narration reminds me of a bad 60's sci-fi movie. This one is just not for me.

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

maybe I am just biased

these stories of the cities of tomorrow are just full up on global warming theology. car bans and such. how is it that otherwise awesome authors can lose their marbles and follow this bad religion over and over through its perpetually pushed back end of days date issued by politicians over and over? faith. and this is just another religious tome by the followers of the Warmons.

The planet changes. it changed before cars and all came along. a story shoving some notion that the reader is at fault for some predicted downfall of this planet is idiotic to say the least. this was supposed to be a sci-fi not a self-loathing suicide motivator.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Eh, Interesting Concept But...

In the fifth story, The Human Division, the author desperately needs a thesaurus to help him use words other than “said.” The monotonous repetition of “How are you?” Bob said. “Fine.” Mary said. “Do you want to get a drink?” Bob said. “Fuck off.” Mary said... was unbelievably distracting and I don’t know how it made it past an editor.

Otherwise, interesting concept and well read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

5 short stories

Five short stories that relate to our current society. Even though these are in a futuristic setting, their subjects of isolationists, genetic engineering, carbon footprint, radiation containment and the internet, they could all be the destination from where we stand today. Good readers and an easy listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great near future science fiction

loved it, I really hope they continue the series or use the same multi author process

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Wanted to like it just didn't

What disappointed you about METAtropolis?

Flow and story lines didn't completely work for me Judy didn't mesh up to many cooks in the kitchen.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

No I like multiple narrators

Any additional comments?

Just wasnt for me

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great set of short stories

Every story except the first was fantastic. Perhaps the first story just needed a different narrator because it was very hard to keep track of what was going on. Otherwise really cool! The last story reminded me of The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson. On to the next in this series!

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