5 Clones

By: Edward Bonilla

Narrated by: Edward Bonilla

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

When the United States permanently closes all of its borders to immigration and expels all “nonnatives” from the country in a furor of nationalism and isolationism, California secedes from the Union to form its own independent nation. In the midst of this chaos, Dan and his five clones - his physical replicas, created in a federal lab to be low-intelligence farm laborers - attempt to secretly enter the new California Independent Republic, becoming enmeshed in a struggle to find and secure a new technology that could save or destroy the world.

But are Dan’s five clones really just workers? Slaves? Pets? Family? Or will they turn out to be something entirely different?

©2020 Montag Press (P)2020 Edward Bonilla

A Wild Ride From Start to Finish

5 Clones by Edward Bonilla is a fast-paced and exciting tale about a man who is trying to sell a group of cloned copies of himself as farm workers in a post Cal-Exit land of catastrophe. The book has many interesting elements that blend nicely together: there are shades of Mad Max, epistolary segments, mysterious folktales, sci-fi wonders, and action-packed thrills. The political setting Bonilla constructs is particularly well thought out and feels very plausible…very eerily plausible! It’s easy to get drawn into the main plot, but the campfire story type interludes stood out as particularly enjoyable. All the different moving parts of the story come together for a very satisfying ending, which also hints at much more to come. The narration, done by the author himself, was clear and easy to listen to. There were certainly distinctive voices for each of the characters. I will definitely be reading the sequel to see if Dan can find who he is looking for!

Like the Golden Age of Radio

I loved 5 Clones!! This is a story that can grab you right away, mostly because there are multiple stories happening simultaneously. It keeps you guessing and engaged with the short chapters that alternate between main characters.

My favorite is the voice acting offered by Bonilla for each character. It really made keeping track of the storyline without a page much easier. I often find myself having to reread to understand how the conversation in a book is going. Bonilla's audio makes it easy to follow dialogue while being entertained!

This audio is like an old radio show and gives me major Twilight Zone vibes. I tried to guess the connections throughout the story and imagine how it would come together, like a good show keeps you on your toes and hoping for me. The only time I had to listen was on my way to work, and I often found myself trying to find time to listen at home. I couldn't wait to hear more of the story.

I am eager to listen to 3 Clones!!

Excellent Adventure in a Dystopian California of the Future

I really enjoy science fiction where I feel enthralled by the story AND feel like I’m learning something. You can tell that Bonilla really did his research about cloning and government surveillance - enough at least to keep me glued to his descriptions. I enjoyed how the stories where interwoven and the jumps in narrator perspectives. I especially liked the embedded allegory of the magical ax. I feel like this book is perfect for anyone trying to makes sense of the last year and the tremendous upheaval experienced in the world, the US and especially California - because of the fires. Anyone curious about human cloning, as well as how and why this might happen won’t be disappointed by the authors tackling of the subject. Even apart from the futuristic sci-fi context, which I really enjoyed, the novel is an exciting adventure filled with delightful twists and turns.

Fantastic!

Excellent book and recording! Don’t want to spoil much but great futuristic/alternative timeline book. Scary how close the book is to being plausible. Was genuinely sad the book ended because I wanted more. Good thing this is a trilogy!

Amazing Sci-Fi Story

The United States has closed all borders to immigrants and non-natives and is under the control of the Union. California has broken free from the Union and is now its own independent nation. Dan, along with his 5-clones, lab made physical replicas, attempt to secretly enter California. Joining a few others along the way, Dan and his 5 clones become entangled in a battle to save the world.
From the start of the book, you are immersed into a deep and dark world with many different characters. The setting and events of the dystopian world are built and described in a relatable way. Details are throughout the book which paint a very clear picture of the times. The personal relationships and hardships of each character are explored which are all vastly different. You are kept on your toes with more action and twists to the story. The ending doesn’t let you down either. Plenty of action, but it is written in a way that makes you think deeper about clones and society. Once you reach the conclusion, you see a different side to the characters, clones and a build-up of the next in line for the series, which I for one am most looking forward to.
Edward Bonilla narrates his story. He really brings the characters and story to life with his additional voices and fluctuations of the characters. He mixes in a few different effects (message redacted) and different voices/noises that were a great addition to the story and characters.
Overall, this was a good listening experience.
The audio production of this story was clear and well done, there were no issues.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.