Midnight at the Well of Souls

By: Jack L. Chalker

Narrated by: Peter Macon

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

At the heart of a bizarre planet lay the goal of every being that had ever lived.…

Below average in height and unprepossessing in appearance, Nathan Brazil is an unassuming if cynical starship owner, carrying passengers and cargo for a living - hardly the sort of person to hold the fate of the entire universe in his hands.

But when Nathan detours from his route to answer a distress call, a hidden stargate hurls him and his passengers to the Well World, the master control planet for the cosmos. Billions of years ago, a godlike race unlocked all the secrets of space and time and remade the universe according to their grand design. Then they vanished and left behind the Well World to maintain the pattern of the universe.

Now someone is searching for the planet’s hidden control room - the Well of Souls - to seize control of the cosmos. Nathan must stop them, but this planet causes bizarre metamorphoses in visitors, changing them into centaurs, mermaids, and giant insects seemingly at random. As a result, Nathan no longer recognizes his friends, let alone his unknown enemies. His task seems hopeless - until his long-suppressed memories begin to return and he realizes who he really is.

©1982 Jack L. Chalker (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A big, bold book that takes traditional science fiction and turns it upside down!" (Leigh Brackett, science fiction author and screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back)

Wonderful Si-Fi Fantasy!

I am glad I decided to give this “older” book my time!

I stayed engaged the entire journey!

I definitely will recommend it to my fellow fantasy/science fiction readers!

absolutely awe inspiring

I am fully invested in these books the characters are amazingly written and the adventures are fun and awe inspiring it has you constantly on the edge of your seat while retaining a sense of wonder. The creatures are unique and differing from each other not only physically but socially and politically, going to a new hex truly brings the feeling of going to a new world. I'm truly excited to see the rest of what this series has to offer.

completely not what I was expecting

The cover makes it look like it's some kind of colonial space Marines from Britain, but this was actually a shockingly poignant book about purpose in life, gender identity, and a dozen other interesting human topics that are perfect for sci-fi exploration.

while it had a boatload of lower and sci-fi jargon talk and exposition, it's kind of forgivable considering the depth it was attempting and the broad world building it achieved. well not a perfect book and sometimes not the most exciting writing, I still give it a five stars simply because it was quite an unusual and shockingly delightful experience. The ending was so satisfactory and eloquently conclusive that I was kind of amazed. definitely worth checking out.

A pleasant surprise.

I wasn't sure I would like this book, but it turned out to be one that I am glad I found . The story was original and there was a lot going on , it had the potential to be confusing and hard to follow the characters , but it wasn't , it had great karmic justice for some of them and wonderful rewards for others . All in all it was an excellent story and I can't wait to start the next one.

Highly recommend

Very much enjoyed this. I wasn’t sure where it was going at first but I like we’re out went

One of my favorite book series.

The Well World Series (five books) has been one of my favorite reads for years.
There is so much humanity in the characters, regardless of their physical makeup.
The story in this first book has just the right amount of mystery to keep me fascinated, even though I know the story practically by heart.
The narrator’s voice is a little too deep for my taste, which makes the characters sound a little too much like each other. He does a good job, but after years of hearing the characters in my head it can be a bit jarring.
I hope the other four books will be included in Audible.

So GD good!!!

Everything I needed . Far worlds with amazing creatures and a great plot that’s relatable. Love it !!!

The Good, the Okay, and the Weird

I REALLY liked this book in the beginning. I liked it pretty good in the middle. I liked it well enough to try to finish it by three quarters. I didn't really like it at the end.

Why? It's hard to say exactly, but it started out as a cool story with a interesting concept, a wide array of characters and a goodly amount of mystery. Near the end, most of the mystery was gone, the characters got stale, the story broke down, and things just went off the sci-fi rails.

Maybe it was just my mood, the phase of the moon, or maybe this review is right. In any case, it would be a worthwhile read just for the first half, very inventive! The narration is very good as well.

Get it if you're into fantasy dystopias

The narration is decent, but occasional background music snippets annoyed me...
As for the story, it is very well told, but some concepts and parallels to the real world seem forced and somewhat ruined it for me (others might very well enjoy them).

LOVED IT

The Narrator is Awesome
Story is Awesome
Sucked in from the beginning
Buy this book