Downbelow Station

De: C. J. Cherryh

Narrado por: Brian Troxell

Duración: 19 h y 13 m

Resumen del Editor

Pell's Station, orbiting the alien world simply called Downbelow, had always managed to remain neutral in the ever escalating conflict between The Company, whose fleets from Earth had colonized space, and its increasingly independent and rebellious colony worlds. But Pell's location - - on the outer edge of Earth's defensive perimeter - makes her the focal point in the titanic battle of colony worlds fighting for independence.

©1981 C.J. Cherryh (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1982

Long on Fi, short on sci.

More of a political story then as Arthur Clark might have said, exploring the awe and wonder of the universe. To my ear it was hours of neighbors endlessly arguing.

Even better now

I read this book many years ago when it first came out in print. It was good then, but even better now. The realities of space station life, exoplanet life, the inevitable politics of us versus them at the height of the Cold War here, makes this story one for the ages. I think this might have been the first offering by Ms Cherryh. She never fails to amaze or draw us into the fray.

Mallory, forever lost?

Would you try another book from C. J. Cherryh and/or Brian Troxell?

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.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Downbelow Station?

Too many to mention, the book is a masterpiece.

Would you be willing to try another one of Brian Troxell’s performances?

Only if all the characters are male.

Any additional comments?

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

amazing story, but unlistenable narrator

should've had Dina Pearlman or Gabra Zackman. There was once a recording, book on tape, narrated by another woman half on YouTube who did a wonderful job narrating.
but this guy only sounds like he's done voices in mocking attempt in his life.
a dreadful shame for such an amazing book.

Enjoyable and engaging. Recommended!

What made the experience of listening to Downbelow Station the most enjoyable?

I had already read the book, but it was a long time ago. Listening to the story, I found the characters interesting and the story plausible. The suspense builds to a tense and satisfying climax.

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

I have not yet heard other books narrated by Brian Troxell, but I felt that he did a very good job and I look forward to hearing him again. I know some reviewers said they thought his pacing was boring, but I did not find it to be boring at all. I didn't "hear" him most of the time, but I heard the characters instead. Well done!

Slug through the start and you'll be rewarded

Very slow, boring beginning. I started it twice before finally giving it a third try. But then I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a good story, with well drawn characters, interesting aliens, good tension and reasonable plot. I don't like many C.J. Cherryh books, either the aliens are so way-out they aren't likeable, or the plot moves with glacial speed, but this one I recommend.

Wonderful world building but ...

it has that slower pacing you find in older Sci-fi books. only buy if patient.

Narration is fine

I hesitated a long time due to other reviews, but I found the narration to be very good. The pacing was good, the reading clear and accurate, the characterizations consistent and believable. Some were a bit nasal, but not whiny in my opinion. Most of the characters (including Mallory and the hisa) apeak within the first hour of listening, so if you don't like it, you can return it before becoming too invested. Go ahead, give it a try. I'm sorry I waited so long. I think Brian Troxell's narration suited this masterwork very well; despite the intricate plot and multiple viewpoints, I almost never had to skip back, nor correct some mistake. A 4 star narration, and a 6 star book; a 5 star experience, well worth a full credit.

Early C J Cherryh

This one of her early novels and it shows. Here we see the glimmers of the world building , intricate story teller and well rounded character writer that is to come. We see the best of the more mature Cherryh in Cyteen which is truly a masterwork. Not that Downbelow Station is bad; I suspect that it fully deserved the Hugo in the year that it won. It's just that I became spoiled because I read her later novels first; it was like comparing the skills of a 20 year old LeBron James to the skills of the LeBron James who led the Cavs to a championship.

Complex and Cool

Downbelow Station was an interesting ride. I never quite knew where it was going to go, and the surprises were consistent enough throughout. C.J. Cherryh created a believable setting in Pell Station and Downbelow, and crafted a surrounding conflict that spans a lot of space, Sol System, and the Beyond, yet funnels into Pell and the space station orbiting it so well. I listened to the audiobook for this one, with narration by Brian Troxell, who brings it to life with brutal, short sentences. The writing style is surgical, straight to the point, with zero fluff. This book did require a lot of concentration due to the sheer amount of characters, their relationships, their roles in society, and whose side they are on, but I was able to follow along.

The natives of Downbelow, the Hisa (sometimes referred to as Downers), are interesting and well-included. I liked the innocence they brought to the book, because it gets incredibly dark in some areas. This was written in 1981, and as a guy who has had to witness horrific massacres on the news and terrorist events, some people might find some of the events in this book a little traumatic. It was haunting and horrifying, the casual issue of commands to end lives. I feel like readers of the Expanse series will enjoy this book, it was written well before those books, but it has a lot of the same great stuff that makes the Expanse good in it too.

The only downside I have that all of the Constantine characters, the main family the book follows, feel pretty much the same except for the scenario they are given to solve. I would have liked to see more variation among them, but they were all pretty much the dutiful member of the power-family looking to regain power after abruptly losing it.

Overall, really cool book.