Downbelow Station

I love all of C.J. Cherryh's Union/Alliance books (except maybe Cyteen) and was totally thrilled to finally see Downbelow Station as audiobook available here. Didn't even bother to listen to the sample - just clicked and downloaded it.

But what a disappointment !

This narrator manages to turn a great book into a dull, boring monologue that drags along. He is totally unable to convey the thrill of a situation, manages to make any description sound tedious.

The various voices he attempts are so wide off the mark that he makes those characters ridiculous. Just listen to how he butchers Mallory and Graff ! Mallory and Graff, two of the toughest characters in the series with whiny, high-pitched voices ? Hello ?

All I can say is that this narrator does not deserve even 1 star and that I will avoid him like poison from now on.

C.J.Cherryh's Union/Alliance universe is one of the most interesting, most probable and believable universes in SF. All of the Company War books are exciting, intelligent and most satisfying to read.

By using a decent narrator !

I LOVE this book and am very, very sorry to see it killed by that narrator.

This is an Audible Frontiers book, isn't it ? So if you produce any more of C.J.Cherryh's books, PLEASE PLEASE use good narrators ! Her books certainly deserve the best !

This is a great book, about refusing binary thinking. The answers in the end are the unexpected things around the corner. It's a sort of a god out of the box answer. Its about loyalties between people who really aren't in similar worlds. It's an old book but it's so worthy.
Some of the voices are a bit whiny. I found that troublesome, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment in the book.

I have found that the audio versions of books to be very convenient in allowing me to keep up with all the books I want to read. I am very busy with three young kids it allows me to do what i need to do and still enjoy a good book. Especially with a story this eminence.

Yes, I would also recommend it to my kids. I love imagining the effects our current lifestyles could have on the future.

No there is just to much going on in this book and its fun to take some time away and let your imagination run.

I love Cherryh's Known Space series and will buy any of them in Audible, except if Troxell is involved. His murdering of the female characters is akin to what Highlander 2 did to Highlander! Have I lost Mallory? At the moment I believe so. The sad part is I liked his overall style, but nearly choked when he turned on that strange teenage girl voice for Mallory.

Too many to mention, the book is a masterpiece.

Only if all the characters are male.

I have read Downbellow station many times, and am amazed at C.J's skill at creating a timeless masterpiece.

Humans care for and love (Platonicly!) another intelligent species of aliens, while the enemies are humans in this story. I liked the political situation, and how even the people who were supposed to be good guys, were put into situations where they had to make hard decisions! The quick exposition on the history of space flight was believable, and gave just enough details to set the perfect stage for this story.

Damon Konstantin, arguably the main character of the story, shows a deep compassion for humans, and alien life alike. His losses and triumphs made the story for me.

The part where Emilio on Down Below sends away the guards, due to mistreatment of the Q people, and suddenly realizes he has no security personal at his base. This realization that people from Q can be trusted seems a turning point in the story, and is a testament to man's ability to trust others, and form the bonds of society.

Several of the scenes with downers moved me, as they showed their reverence for certain humans, and their simple caring/loving attitudes. Also the flip side of humans showing compassion for the downers, seeing them as different but equals.

Many people complained about Brian Troxell's narration of female voice. I have to agree they were nasal and not particularly good, but I managed to look past that and enjoy the story. I had been looking for a story like this, and Down Below Station fit exactly what I was looking for.

Arrrggg!! I am so tired of male narrators reading women voices in a nasally whine! This audiobook is by far the worst in this regard, and it utterlly ruins a great story for me. The female military ship captain sounds like a nasally, whiny, high school vally girl. No kidding. It is terrible. I litterally gasped out loud in dismay and irritation when I first heard this presentation of a strong, powerful female lead! I have read and loved this book. The story is a good one, one of C.J. Cherryh's best in my opinion. If you like C.J. Cherryh, complex socialiology, complex characters, or good political sci-fi stories in general, you'll like this story. However, perhaps you should listen to a sample if available, to get a feel for the narration. I was excited to see some C.J. Cherryh books added to the audio offerings on AUdible, as she is my favorite author. But, I would have thought twice given the narration.

The narrator. There were parts that he did well (like Lukas' voice and Jessad's voice), but for the most part, I didn't enjoy listening to him read.

Mallorey or Talley because the were complex and interesting characters. I never knew what to expect from them.

If the narrator didn't change his voice for the women roles and the Hisa parts... It was annoying and took me out of the story.

Maybe, but I'm not sure if it would translate well into a movie format. There is just a lot going on for a 2 hour film. I would definitely watch if it was a television series, though.

none.