• The Steady Running of the Hour

  • A Novel
  • By: Justin Go
  • Narrated by: Steve West
  • Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
  • 3.4 out of 5 stars (87 ratings)

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The Steady Running of the Hour  By  cover art

The Steady Running of the Hour

By: Justin Go
Narrated by: Steve West
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Publisher's summary

A quest novel and a historical tour de force, The Steady Running of the Hour unravels a tale of passion, legacy, and courage reaching across the 20th century.

In 1924, the English mountaineer Ashley Walsingham dies attempting to summit Mount Everest, leaving his fortune to his former lover, Imogen Soames-Andersson - whom he has not seen in seven years. Ashley's solicitors search in vain for Imogen, but the estate remains unclaimed.

Nearly 80 years later, new information leads the same law firm to Tristan Campbell, a young American who could be the estate's rightful heir. If Tristan can prove he is Imogen's descendant, the inheritance will be his. But with only weeks before Ashley's trust expires, Tristan must hurry to find the evidence he needs.

From London archives to Somme battlefields to the Eastfjords of Iceland, Tristan races to piece together the story behind the unclaimed riches: A reckless love affair pursued only days before Ashley's deployment to the Western Front; a desperate trench battle fought by soldiers whose hope is survival rather than victory; an expedition to the uncharted heights of the world's tallest mountain. Following a trail of evidence that stretches to the far edge of Europe, Tristan becomes consumed by Ashley and Imogen's story. But as he draws close to the truth, Tristan realizes he may be seeking something more than an unclaimed fortune.

The Steady Running of the Hour announces the arrival of a stunningly talented author. Justin Go's novel is heartrending, transporting, and utterly compelling.

©2014 Justin Go (P)2014 Simon & Schuster

What listeners say about The Steady Running of the Hour

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

Pretty Disappointing

After living with these people for so many hours and finding the whole thing pretty interesting when I got to the end I thought my iPhone had skipped something. To end with an "oh well, it didn't work out . . ." is, I believe, pretty inconsiderate of the author. I can imagine all sorts of possible reasons why this might be so, but that's not my job. With all of this laborious sleuthing and traveling and unbelievably serendipitous meetings that Tristan went through I don't think it's asking too much for a little more explication at the end. Or am I being too prosaic and unsophisticated? I wasn't that crazy about that French Chick to begin with and she just came off as a petulant whiner. Their story was not developed sufficiently for me to care very much whether or not they ended up together.

Steve West was terrific and made the hours go by luxuriously.

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5 people found this helpful

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

strong start - but I want all those hours back!!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The author wove a compelling story - or rather two compelling and extremely detailed story lines. Sometimes it seemed a bit long but it all seemed worthwhile as I was anxious to learn what happened to all the characters. Well, the author doesn't tell you. He does not resolve either plot line - and leaves huge holes in the stories at the very end. After listening for hours and hours and hours... I have no idea what happened. So if Audible still lets you return books that are profoundly unsatisfying I will return this one. That said, the author is clearly a talented writer. If his next effort actually includes a conclusion worthy of the story I will read it.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Disapointing

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

This was a book for people who enjoy the narrative of war and struggle. Vibrant descriptions of battle and survival.

What was most disappointing about Justin Go’s story?

This book marked itself as a riveting, enthralling, whirlwind tale. In actuality, it was a slow paced, but at times gruesome narrative that never went anywhere. The story lacked the proper investment of its characters to draw you in and never truly develop to keep you hooked.

Have you listened to any of Steve West’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narration was superb! Unfortunately, the content lacked depth or emtion and never concluded. Leaving the listener feeling unsatisfied.

What character would you cut from The Steady Running of the Hour?

Mere, she was supposed to be a driving force in the story. However, she felt like an annoying distraction.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Sigh

I really wanted to like this book. I should have liked this book. But I simply couldn't. The characters lacked any depth. The end was incredibly unsatisfying. Who ARE these people and why do I care about them?

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1 person found this helpful

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

A Bolt From The Blue

What did you love best about The Steady Running of the Hour?

For me, this book came out of nowhere; I'd never heard of it or the author.
It turned into a most excellent surprise.
Exquisitely written and read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Steady Running of the Hour?

The relational observations of a female character with about 40 minutes left in the audiobook.

Which character – as performed by Steve West – was your favorite?

ALL of them. Incredibly talented reader.

Any additional comments?

This book humbled me as a reader/listener.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Highly recommended!

They describe it as a quest novel. Nicely juxtaposed current day with 1916-1924 events. Superbly read by Steve West. I listen to books driving to and from work. This book, I found I would steal extra moments such as while doing wood work or vacuuming around the house, just to get the extra minutes in!

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1 person found this helpful

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

Tedious

Overly long and found characters immature.
Speeding it up helped.
Interesting weaving of time frames

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

Worth the listen

A great story with plenty of interesting parts in it. The reader did a fantastic job.

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

Terrible ending

Interesting story but no closure. I’m not one of those readers that want to make up my own ending!

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

Tge steady running if the hour

Story was dragged too long. I only listened, because of fantastic performance of Steve West. His talent and voice is amazing. Story was too long and stupid.

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