The Santaroga Barrier

De: Frank Herbert

Narrado por: Scott Brick

Santaroga seemed to be nothing more than a prosperous farm community. But there was something...different...about Santaroga.

Santaroga had no juvenile delinquency, or any crime at all. Outsiders found no house for sale or rent in this valley, and no one ever moved out. No one bought cigarettes in Santaroga. No cheese, wine, beer, or produce from outside the valley could be sold there. The list went on and on and grew stranger and stranger.

Maybe Santaroga was the last outpost of American individualism. Maybe they were just a bunch of religious kooks....

Or maybe there was something extraordinary at work in Santaroga. Something far more disturbing than anyone could imagine.

©2002 Frank Herbert (P)2010 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Herbert does more than carry events forward: he deals with the consequences of events, the implications of decisions." ( St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Intriguing story, but too long

This is good science fiction, but unremarkable and forgettable. Presumably it was more culturally shocking around the time of its release. Today, it has the feel of a dusty, slightly mildewed heirloom: quite lovely in its essence, but without any luster.

Jaspers is menage (spice)

the Jasper's substance or effect in this book is the beginning of the spice in the Dune series

Just a pinch of Jaspers

Fun read. Thoroughly enjoyed the slow, methodical climb into existential horror. Horror? Or was it something beautiful? Perhaps another bite of cheese will tell…

New Favorite

It's too good. A mystery, action and suspense with a morbid touch of comedy. Very different from other books by Herbert.

Herbert's strongest resonance with Camp 38

if you haven't read Camp 38 you must do so in conjunction with this book.

A happy life....

First read was many many years ago when in college, and I didn't remember it very fondly. Why did the main character resist? But this time around I found the nuance of the story had grown over the years.

Does anyone else dislike this narrator?

I’ve read a fair amount of books on audible and I have to say I’ve been very satisfied, but this narrator is not enjoyable to listen to. I have read 3 books now that he has narrated and each time I find it unfortunate. I love the story it was fantastic, but I wish there was other options for different narrators.

The Republic of Holy Prayer

The Santaroga Barrier is a novel of a republic and its quite real god at war with the outside. "Santaroga" isn't quite Spanish, but "santo" is "holy," and "rogar" is "to pray," so I tentatively interpret "Santaroga" as the republic of "holy prayer." Readers of Plato will recognize features of the republic imagined by Socrates, Glaucon, and Adeimantus. Readers of Spinoza will recognize man as the thinking part of Substance. Readers of Heidegger will recognize "Dasein" and "Sorge." Readers who study childhood education will recognize "Piaget." For students of political philosophy who like fictional treatments of the political problems, the novel probably warrants multiple readings.

Scott Brick read well, as he always does. He could have made the characters' voices easier to distinguish in dialogue, but his narration still deserves four or five stars.

Frank. What more?

This is good Jaspers. Yes. Yup. Nice. Good stuff. A bit creepy. Herbert rocks. Copacetic.

A good story

The story is enjoyable. Parts of the plot require some serious suspension of disbelief to get past, but overall it is entertaining and fun to listen to.