A Voice in the Wilderness

The Human Division, Episode 4

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

Albert Birnbaum was once one of the biggest political talk show hosts around, but these days he’s watching his career enter a death spiral. A stranger offers a solution to his woes, promising to put him back on top. It’s everything Birnbaum wants, but is there a catch? And does Birnbaum actually care if there is?

"A Voice in the Wilderness" is a tale from John Scalzi's The Human Division, a series of self-contained but interrelated short stories set in the Old Man's War universe.

Listen to the complete edition of The Human Division, the fifth full-length book by John Scalzi in the Old Man's War universe.

©2012 John Scalzi (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Good but not his best

The Human Division is another chapter in the saga of Old Man's War, which is a hit and miss series. This one is somewhere in the middle. Good humor, middling characters, overall engaging writing, and convoluted plot.

I'm giving it a rock-bottom overall score due to the fact that this is not the version you should get. Pick up the final full book, not these expensive piece meal episodes.

I'm loving these short reads

Both John Scalzi's witty writing & the well paced performance, especially the. oh so surprising if course but wait who really? ending. Haven't been so delighted since I was 4 year old & so loved alfred hitchkick's humor so much I risked. the terrifying stories & macabre endings, (I was 4 years old!) terrifying because the answers were so obvious, so terrifyingly Human & so ordinary, banal

See Review for "The B-Team"

See Review for "The B-Team" this is Episode 4 (minimum 15 words in a Review)

good enough

even though some of these episodes could stand alone as a short story, they are much better as part of the whole, in order.

Read them in order

I enjoyed the series more as I went through each episode. At first I struggled because it seemed like random stories set in this universe. But as it continued and I realized it was interwoven story lines I enjoyed them more. The main characters were enjoyable. It's pretty traditional sci fi fare but still worth the read.

Love this title

I love this title. Very well produced and great story. Will definitely recommend this title to others.

Not just Radio Ga Ga....

Would you listen to A Voice in the Wilderness again? Why?

I already have done, three times. The story bears repeated telling, since it's part of a greater story being told in multiple chapters, and the nuances show with each replay.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Voice in the Wilderness?

The denouement when the conspiracy is revealed to the main character.

What about William Dufris’s performance did you like?

He has a soothing voice and produces recognisable character voices without apparent effort.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. Twice.

Any additional comments?

I'm enjoying all these chapter releases by John Scalzi and William DuFris

Never Again!

Any additional comments?

The book is good and interesting. However I'll never buy a multi episode downloadable book again. I'm now reading part 5 after waiting for enough parts to start reading without forgetting the last episode. Rather pay for all up front and be done with it. Wonder how the bank likes all those 69 cent pmts.

One or two hours free, should be enough to make up your mind and then buy or drop it.

Good Side Story, Great Performance

I know Scalzi can bring the funny, but wasn't really expecting it in an Old Man's War book. He certainly delivered it with this episode of the Human Division, though, and William Dufris channeled it perfectly. It was nice to see Dufris get to read something darkly comical this time out. I was cracking up on my commute, and it was a very nice way to start my day.

Not sure it's my favorite of the Human Division episodes thus far (that might be We Only Need the Heads), but it was a great performance, and a refreshing change of pace for this very good series.

YOU GET WHAT YOU GOT COMING

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

NOT REALLY IT WAS VERY PREDICTABLE. MAN WANTS SUCCESS AND WILL DO ANYTHING FOR IT AND THEN IT GETS HIM

Any additional comments?

SOMETIMES THE USER BECOMES THE USED AND GETS A JUST END

He said, she said.

Really enjoying the plot and the universe of this series so far, my one big reservation, as a listener, is the authors writing style.
His insistence upon continually using the phrase "he/she said" in close proximity is extremely annoying. There are literally hundreds of other words that could replace the word "said" in a sentence, there are also hundreds of phrases that could replace "he/she said" many of which could denote feeling, tone and intent, to rely upon this one phrase is both lazy and incredibly, annoyingly, repetitive.

Great short story

This is a great short story, in a collection of intertwined short stories.

I will look for more title by this author.

Short, but good!

The story keeps getting better and I really like how the author keeps changing the way the story is told in each chapter.