2nd Gen

By: Andrea Vaughan, William Vaughan

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Humanity's last hope...

With Earth rapidly becoming inhospitable to human life, GS Archean carries a one-way crew of courageous passengers to Uelara, an Earth-like planet in the Cieri star system. Uelara is ideal, except for one minor detail - its distance from Earth. Traveling at sub-light speed, the generation ship won’t reach Uelara within the original crew’s lifetime.

Thirty years into the journey, a new generation born on the Archean trains to fulfill the first generation’s mission. Eager to reach Uelara, the second-gen crew prepares, as planned, to assume their parents’ responsibilities - that is, until...someone goes missing and a devastating secret is discovered, putting the future of the human race in jeopardy. Will the crew rally and carry out the mission - or is humanity doomed?

It’s all up to the 2nd Gen.

"The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard." (Gaylord Nelson)

©2018 Andrea and William Vaughan (P)2019 Andrea and William Vaughan

Doesn't end

A pet peeve of mine are books that end in the middle of a sentence, which is exactly what this book does. Right when it's getting good, it stops, and I guess I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens to the characters. On the one hand, I do want to find out, so that's good, but I dislike abrupt endings and books that don't standalone. I took off one star because of that.

On the positive side, this takes a familiar sci-fi theme -- a long multi-generational star voyage -- and comes at it with a fresh perspective and some intriguing action. It's realistic, but not too technical or tedious, and focus on the characters. There's a bit of a murder mystery (maybe) and I liked the way the young people develop into adult leaders. It's a story with real potential.

It's just a shame that so little is resolved in this first book of what obviously is planned to be a series. I would not have bought it had I known. I'd have waited until I could read the whole thing at once. (I do the same with TV shows, binge-watching them as I can't stand having to wait for the next episode.)

A Sci-Fi Space Odyssey

2nd Gen's narrative throws the reader as many curve balls as the Archean's journey throws at its crew members. Cataloging the countless hardships of growing up on-board an interstellar space ship, the novel zeroes in on the individuals lives of its characters amidst the humanitarian crisis they must endure. Evoking classics like Lord of the Flies, the plot introduces thought-provoking concepts that would make readers question both humankind and our life on Earth alike. The narration/voice acting is engaging as Luke Daniels brings individuality to each character, especially with his more animated voices. Between the riveting and ever-twisting plot, relatable characters, and stellar voiceover, 2nd Gen is a must-listen!

I got through it

Ummm. It was ... captivating? But simultaneously frustrating. I don’t think I have ever had such strong emotions towards characters in a book.

The story took a while to gain traction, but then things quickly happened. And the authors really like to play off cliff hangers, a lot!

Overall, it was an decent listen. I probably won’t get the second book (if there is one). The single book ended just fine.

So Good!

This story is so in-depth, very compelling, and poignant for our current climate that I couldn't stop listening. I loved the character development and really felt for each of the distinct positions in dealing with unimaginable stress and heartache. Your emotions are tugged the entire length of the book in so many directions. I was emersed in their fight to save the human race. You even feel for the antagonists, how could anyone, especially young adults, deal with such heavy burdens. There is also an underlying tone of the importance of teamwork, doing the right thing, and female empowerment, which made me keep rooting for a good outcome. In the end, I was left wanting more and didn't want it to be over. Luke Daniels is AMAZING with his performance. I have listened to several of his narrations, and this by far is my favorite. He brings each character to life and gives them such strong and distinctive personalities. I hung on his every word because his interpretation of the traumatic events made it even more gutwrenching for me. There are several chapters that I re-listened to just because of his acting abilities. This is definitely something you want to add to your listening library.

A great sci-fi drama that makes you think

Once you start this book you can't stop. The gut punches keep on coming and you get to know the characters on a deep level because of the life changing events that occur throughout the book. It pairs that well with some interesting sci-fi ideas and explores what it could be like to live your whole life on a ship in space. I put this book on my must read list!

A Fun Story that leaves you wanting more!

2nd Gen is a fun little gem, which at first I did not know what to expect of. Without giving too much away, the story is about a group of people in their late teens - early twenties, who are the second generation of crew born onto a colony ship paving the way for later colony ships to humanities new home far away from the Earth. I found the majority of the characters engaging, and sympathetic, and often intentionally humorous, without being too silly, while at the same time painting a picture of a group of people who have spent their entire lives sharing spaces, and often knowing way too much about each other that one tends to do when one spends their time forced into the company of others. There is a sense of community amongst the characters that felt very real. While the story does not delve too deeply into how the science behind the technology is supposed to work, I did find the science convincing enough to be at least plausible, which is important for me, both as an avid Sci-Fi reader, but also as a fan of real Science in general. Where I had questions about the reasons why some of the technical descriptions about how the ship works by the end of the book I began to suspect that there could be future story elements that explains them in possible future novels. (I am leaving that somewhat vague on purpose because I do not want to spoil anything). Luke Daniels gives a solid performance, as he always does, nothing to complain about there. If I had any complaints it's that the book, while a respectable 9+ hours, ended too quickly. I still have questions I want answered! ;) So I hope there is additional books in the works, that flesh out and expand on the mysteries of this Universe.

Not just for young adults!

It's been a while since I read a YA novel but I'm glad I chose to listen to 2nd Gen on audible! The book takes its time setting the stage and developing the characters and setting, and just when I started to wonder if anything interesting was going to happen, BOOM! The second half of the book is a non-stop thrill ride with twists and turns every step of the way. I only wish my kids were still at an age when I read to them at night before bed. This book would go down with some of our favorites like the Percy Jackson series or Harry Potter. Do yourself a favor if you read to your kids...put this next on your list!

Dramatic reading made the book even better.

Having already enjoyed reading the book, I had no imagination for how an audiobook could be different, or even better. However, this dramatic reading was exciting, entertaining, and added such dimension to the characters. I loved it! I listened to it all in one sitting and was thoroughly enthralled. This clever story is so appealing, especially to adolescents and young adults. This coming of age story encompasses many of life’s most difficult experiences, including grief and loss, death, depression, and finding life purpose, self-efficacy, relationship building, teamwork, exploring the morals of right and wrong, accountability, and so much more. I would highly recommend this book in any format.

2nd Gen : Space Opera At Its Finest

2nd Gen is a gripping title that crescendos in a fountain of what-ifs. Set aboard the Archean, an Earth-made ship bound for the distant planet of Uelara, the story builds a tremendous world of sorrow and hope. This Sci-Fi backdrop is merely the accent piece upon which this play of irony unfolds. The character development through triumph and tragedy is the true highlight of this tale. This book makes one question what they would do if put to the same trials as the people within. It is a great read, only enhanced by the thrilling performance of Luke Daniels. He brings life to each character, engrossing the listener in the mysteries of the Archean.

Two days later, and I am glad that I went on this journey with the Archean and its crew, and I look forward to the future adventures in the 2nd Gen saga.

Better than expected :-)

While a little slow at the start, the story and characters grew on me to an enjoyable conclusion :-)

Starts slowly then moves into top gear

I have to be honest I didn't know what this book was about I hadn't even read the back jacket, so it took me a while to figure out the focus of the story. The first half is character building and scene setting, it is a little long but worth it in the end as it leads to the meat of the mater about half way in. After that it is pretty much non stop action and intrigue, still not sure what is happening the reader is left in a lot of suspense right up till the last 20% of the book.
There is a lot of social psychology in this book the interactions and reactions of the characters for the main focus of the book. People dealing with events that are both devastating and character building. It is a very human adventure that happens to be set in space, it could have been set on an isolated island with little change in story.
For a first book this is really remarkable and sets the scene for more of the same as the ending is ...
The narrator was very good too only occasionally falling over some questionable accents and stereo type, his diction was clear and the voices varied. An easy listen without doubt.
I recommend this to anyone wanting to loose themselves in 9 hours of fantasy and escape the world for a trip to the stars.

2nd Gen Review

2nd Gen is one of the best Sci-fi novels i've read in a long time.

The story itself is told form the point of view of multiple characters and I felt this was done incredibly well without breaking the flow of the story and as a means to drive the plot forward. It also found myself becoming invested in characters and how they where impacting the story wandering what consequences their actions would have and how this would reflect from other characters points of views.

The characters themselves are what defined the book for me, the author does a excellent job of making each of them feel like they matter in the story while they all have their own flaws and traits that are portrayed in a believable way.

The plot itself surprised me in a good way, on more than one occasion it subverted my expectations of where the story was going and what was going to happen. It moves along at a decent pace, giving time for necessary development but not feeling like it was trying to drag out plot points.

Luke Daniels is one of my favourite sci-fi narrators and he delivers again in 2nd gen giving each character a real weight to how I see them.

All in all i'm very glad I picked up this book and will definitely be on the look out to see if there is any sequel.

A fresh, modern, sci if mystery.

Having read and used lots of William Vaughans none fiction books and reference tools I was really interested to listen to 2nd Gen.

Firstly let me mention narration. Luke Daniels is a veteran in the voice community with many many titles under his belt. I knew him from his narration of ’the organised mind’ and titles like ‘off to be a wizard’ by Scott Meyer. His pace, tone and accent are perfect for a title like 2nd Gen and his ability to voice the individual characters makes following the story line even more enjoyable.

There are no spoilers in my review and I gave it 5 stars right after finishing listening. The story has elements of some very popular sci fi works but that is comforting and familiar as the characters and relationships are unfolded in the first 30+ chapters. There are echoes of Enders Game (the book), starship troopers (the book), passengers (the film), silent running (the film), big hero six (the film and a smidge of comic) There is also an unhealthy dose of ’lord of the flies’ which blindsided me. The Science reminded me of ’artemis’ and, although hard science isn’t that important to me the authors ground the problems that the crew encounter in real world science, technology, engineering and math. No transporters here but a healthy dose of where today's technology could go. What would you want your 3D printer to do on a decades long voyage?

The book felt like it was lagging a little in the middle but that seems deliberate as the shocks and surprises just kept coming in the second half. I had some real empathy with some of the characters by then and seeing them deal with the shocks was riveting. Of all the books I’ve read and listened to in recent years this is the one that stands out as being ideal for an episodic show on Netflix or Amazon. The story is a journey in every sense of the word. I want to know how the 2nd Gen grow and develop into adults and where, ultimately they might end up. Excellent story telling! Bravo team Vaughan.

Excellent but Didn't realise it was young adult...

I thoroughly enjoyed it despite me definitely not being a young adult.
Looking back, hints towards young adult were there but it was a very enjoyable story with really great narration.
(Luke Daniels narrated Off to be the wizard too-only people who have heard that will understand that I had to laugh out loud when he did Philips voice)

Ships don't close doors. People do.

Like the lovely cover, the novel, 2nd.Gen, is simple but engrossing. Although aimed at a young adult readership, this is a book to be enjoyed by all ages.
2nd Gen follows events occurring in the ship Arcean as it heads away from earth towards a new home for humanity, and is told from the point of view of the now adult children of the original intrepid explorers. Their parents will never live to see their prospective planet and it will be another thirty years before the 2nd generation themselves arrive at the destination. These young people have lived their entire lives in space, having been born aboard the Arcean, and have formed close family groups of both friendship and antagonism. This closeness will soon be put to the test.

Although slow aced, this story quickly captivates the reader and holds them close throughout. This is very able assisted by the excellent narration of Like Daniels who give a flawless performance, with great pacing, and all protagonists individually and appropriately voiced. A good melding of text and reader, the latter breathing even more life into the characters.

I was fortunate in being freely gifted with a complimentary copy of 2nd Gen, by the rights holder at my request. Thank you. The book was easy to read, intriguing and left me wanting more. Is this the beginning of a series? I have no idea, but certainly hope so. I definitely want to know more about the journey and crew of the Arcean. Recommended to all fans of the S.F. genre.

2nd Gen

This had a slow beginning but once a person goes missing things start to pick up and there are a few twists I did not see coming.
There were things that I found hard to believe, like the person who goes missing. Why did they do what they did? I found that part confusing especially after we get to know this person in the beginning. I thought it was a selfish act and this in my opinion was not something I expected from them. I know people act in different ways to certain situation and maybe if we didn't know them as much at the beginning I would not have thought about it but because we get to know them (that is why it is slow to begin with) it is hard for me to believe they would do such a thing.
Another character does something else which I did not find hard to believe because he was consistent from page one.
However, I did find it an interesting story and hope there is a book two.