The Expert System's Brother

De: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrado por: Shaun Grindell

Best-selling British master of science fiction Adrian Tchaikovsky brings listeners a new, mind-expanding science fantasia in The Expert System's Brother.

After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn't understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine.

Can an unlikely savior provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?

©2018 Adrian Czajkowski (P)2019 Tantor

monotone narrator

barely able to listen to this boring narrator. I had to listen several times to understand what was going on.

Short and sweet - and very good!

I really enjoyed this one. It is short - only about 4 hours. Hopefully there are more to come.

Aha moment

Intricate storyline that keeps you changing your mind. The intonation of the voice performer for the lead character was a bit weird. Did not take away from the story though.

An expansion to the children of time universe?

After reading Tchaikovsky’s children of time trilogy, I am draw to his other books. I find it awesome that the author can fit this standalone story into the Children of Time universe and hint at it subtle ways that only readers of his other work will notice. Tchaikovsky also does this with Elder Race, which is a great read as well.

The performance of the narrator was a little off putting at first, as it sounded as though I was listening to a children’s book, but I grew accustomed to it quickly and did not detract from the overall experience.

Still AT

Mr TChaikovsky just keeps coming up with new stories. There were shades of Koli by MR Carey but only shades. Still original. I got used to the narrator.

This is excellent sci-fi.

This book was very unique in the sci-fi world. I listen to a lot of sci-fi and I thought this book was great. Narration was great, I was immersed in the story and fascinated the whole time. I highly recommend it.

The mark of a great author

A mediocre or subpar author can take a topic or theme that you're already interested in, and make it feel like you're wasting your time by consuming the content they created. But a great author can take a theme that didn't seem on its face to be anything that you'd bother with, and take you on a fascinating journey into a creative vision and leave you breathless with its unpredictable and satisfying conclusion. Adrian Tchaikovsky is definitely the latter. Granted, you won't reach the conclusion that I mentioned until the sequel, but each of the 2 books is only around 4 hours long; meaning that your reward for this experience will far exceed the time you invest. This story (and its conclusion in the sequel) is a fitting example of why Adrian is such a lauded, award winning author. Kudos once again to Mr. Tchaikovsky.

Unexpected brevity, told with gravitas

I approached this book cautiously. This is the third book I've read by Tchaikovsky— the others being Children of Time, and Children of Ruin— but the first outside the Children universe. At 4 hours long, it seemed rather short by comparison. Still, the author is masterful and I couldn't resist.

The Expert System's Brother asks you to shift your perspective from the very beginning and try to envision a world wholly different from our own, and primitive, yet peppered with enough signs of humanity's zenith that a vague sense of dread constantly tugs at the bag of your neck: what happened the the familiar human race?

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys epic adventures, Sci-Fi or otherwise. The grandeur of the world and the epic story behind its tenuous balance are enthralling. The author's perspective on belonging, purpose, knowledge and inheritance are unique, and add up to another great work from a master of science fiction.

Post collapse

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s novella, The Expert System’s Brother is a short tale of a post collapse world. People live in small villages connected to each other in an unclear manner with a designated sham-an/medicine man type who interfaces with what appears to be an AI system. One young boy is ‘severed’ from the group and must wander. He soon discovers much more in the world than he imagined as well as a group who are attempting to rediscover the lost science and engineering.

Tchaikovsky offers a few creative elements to an otherwise well-worn sci-fi theme. There just didn’t seem to be enough for a fully fleshed novel. Narration is good with decent character distinction. Pacing is smooth.

Thought provoking

At first I was confused. Were these creatures human or not. It took a while and some perseverance to get to a ripping good yarn.