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METAtropolis: Cascadia  By  cover art

METAtropolis: Cascadia

By: Jay Lake, Mary Robinette Kowal, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder, Tobias Buckell
Narrated by: Rene Auberjonois, Kate Mulgrew, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Jay Lake
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Editorial reviews

It’s the 2070s. The United States is no longer united, and the breakaway territory of Cascadia in the Pacific Northwest has created its own myths and realities. In this sequel to the first METATROPOLIS anthology (2008), six award-winning science fiction writers share a brash, finely detailed world. Each narrator is a recognizable Star Trek series alumnus. This is a bonus, especially in the cases of Wil Wheaton’s reading of "Byways" by Tobias Buckell and Gates McFadden’s reading of "Confessor" by Elizabeth Bear. Their voices are so familiar that they envelop the listener in the fascinating unfamiliar territory. It’s like listening to old friends tell new tales. These are well-crafted novellas about a brave, new near-future.

Publisher's summary

This provocative sequel to the Hugo and Audie Award nominated METAtropolis features interconnected stories by today’s top writers of speculative fiction – performed by a galaxy of Star Trek stars.

As the mid-20th century approaches, the Pacific Northwest has been transformed - politically, economically, and ecologically - into the new reality of Cascadia. Conspiracies and secrets threaten the tenuous threads of society. The End of Days seems nearer than ever. And the legend of the mysterious Tygre Tygre looms large.

METAtropolis: Cascadia is the creation of Hugo and World Fantasy Award nominee Jay Lake; Mary Robinette Kowal, winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer; New York Times best-selling author Tobias S. Buckell; Hugo Award winner Elizabeth Bear; Aurora Award winner Karl Schroeder; and critically acclaimed author Ken Scholes. The team of narrators is any Star Trek fan’s dream: Rene Auberjonois (“Odo”); Kate Mulgrew (“Capt. Kathryn Janeway”); Wil Wheaton (“Wesley Crusher”); Gates McFadden (“Dr. Beverly Crusher”); Jonathan Frakes (“Cmdr. William Riker”); and LeVar Burton (“Geordi La Forge”). Jay Lake, who also served as Project Editor, introduces this stunning sequel, written and produced exclusively for digital audio.

Check out the original METAtropolis here.;Learn more about the narrators and authors at the METAtropolis: Cascadia microsite now.
©2010 Joseph E. Lake, Jr., Mary Robinette Kowal, Tobias S. Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, Karl Schroeder, Ken Scholes (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Audie Award Winner, Original Work, 2012

What listeners say about METAtropolis: Cascadia

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An interesting world

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was good. The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation characters did a good job an was a fun touch.

Any additional comments?

I hadn't read the original METAtropolis. I do want to go back and read those now, but I think that I would have gotten more out of these if I was read that first. Still, a solid read, interesting take on a possible future. Some stories really held back the overall impression of the collection.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Not quite the original

This does not quite live up to the original Metatropolis. The individual stories are not linked together as well. There are a couple of novellas that are harder to get into, and a few are not read as well. That being said, it is still very enjoyable. If you are a fan of Metatropplis, then this will be a welcome continuation. Just do not expect quite the same level of writing or performance.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Interesting

Some of these stories are good, some not so much. But overall an interesting read. If you are a dyed in the wool sci-fi fan, you may want to pass on this series. Most of these stories don't rate as sci-fi, and are primarily intended as thought-provokers with underlying social commentary.
If you are seeking good science based sci-fy I would suggest not spending the time (or credits).

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1 person found this helpful

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

I was expecting better after METAtropolis

I bought this on the strength of the first book, METAtropolis, which I found very good in conception and narration, although there was some unevenness in the actual stories.

I wasn't wowed by M:Cascadia as much as by its predecessor. Although the concentration on Cascadia in this sequel might be considered a weakness, the stories had enough variety to keep my interest in spite of the quality of the narration, which was not up to the standard of the first METAtropolis. Jonathan Frakes attempt at a Slavic accent was at best uneven, and his pronunciation of several key names in the story made me wonder at the quality of the production and the change of narrator from Stefan Rudnicki for this part of the sequel.

LeVar Burton was OK, but I kept thinking that Scott Brick could have brought more depth to the presentation. Wil Wheaton's work just didn't make an impression on me. Not every actor makes a good narrator, no matter what TV series they performed in.

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

It's a book of short stories

The A-list performances are simply outstanding. The environmental messages are glaring but not in your face.

A book of stories of one possible future was worth the time.

It didn't make me feel like I grew when I listened. It didn't make me feel bad, it simply left me...how do you say...

Maybe leave it like that.

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

Still powerful, surprisingly apt performers

Stories not quite as powerful as the original collection, but there’s still tons here that’s striking and thought-provoking and exciting.

Only potential weak link in the readers is Frakes, I’m a bit surprised and disappointed to say. I say potential either because he was doing an incredibly accurate accent that I’m ignorant of, or he kinda bull-in-China-shopped his way through his story. All other readers were actually downright excellent.

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

Each story was Great!

This set of short stories gave a full and rounded picture of the universe they created. I’m a huge fan and will be hoping for more. Each narrator did their characters justice beautifully.

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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
  • CT
  • 12-01-23

Great!

I liked the original but this one felt more closely knit together. Also it was really cool that all the narrators were star trek cast members (something I was surprised was not mentioned in the forward).

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

Fascinating futures

Well told tales of a future more hopeful than much future imaginings have been before.

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

unpopular opinion?

This did not work as well as the first installment. I liked the stories until the last 2. The narration was good, until the last 2.
Like others have said, the Frakes narration was weak. He did not pronounce names the way they were pronounced in the previous story about these characters and places AND the sound mixing was horrid. whisper quiet for no good reason one second, then very, very loud tbe next.
The final story was very hard for me to follow. Not sure how much of it was Burton's narration (doesn't do female characters with much distinction and some characters are over-the-top in affectation, but not consistently) or how much was just the quality of the story/writing.
The others were on par with the original, in my opinion, but these two left me meh. not a strong finish.

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