After the Galaxy: The Unsung

By: Scott Bartlett

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The galaxy’s not big enough....

Commander Joe Pikeman has his share of demons. But after a long deployment, he just wants to enjoy some home leave with his daughter.

The galaxy has other plans.

His last assignment takes him to Earth, humanity’s deserted homeworld. There, he finds Earth’s last settlement littered with the bodies of the people who lived there.

As he hunts down those responsible, he runs head-first into some galaxy-shaking questions.

Why did humanity really abandon the galaxy for a computer simulation?

Who would want to start killing off the last real humans left?

There’s one thing Joe knows for sure. If they’re going after his neighbors...his family...his daughter....

They’ll need to go through him first.

If you like action-packed, run-and-gun military science fiction, you’ll love After the Galaxy. Fans of Firefly will also love After the Galaxy. Download this military space opera now and jump into the action.

©2018 Scott Bartlett (P)2019 Mirth Publishing

Great Book even for those not THAT into Sci-fi

I absolutely loved the book. Im not massively into Sci-fi but the premise of the story caught my eye and I am glad I gave it a listen to. The story. The characters. The premise of the book itself was amazing. I already recommended it to a few friends of mine and I finished the book in only a couple days. I ate it right up. Its worth giving a listen to. I plan on getting the next two books on my next subscription renewal.

Fun read!

But this is available in a box set and you’ll get the whole series - books 1 to 3 - for one credit

Solid sci-fi book

Pretty solid sci-fi here. The premise is intriguing, and the use of the "sub-verse" as a sort of VR world a majority of humanity has retreated to is a rather depressing prophecy of where mankind could go. The first-person narrative took a little to get used to, but Bartlett made it work. I found myself drawn into the story and eager to see what was going to happen next to the main character. The ending was a little vague (though it did tie up most of the the story arcs it opened up), but with it being the first book of a series, that is to be expected.

Mark Boyett did an excellent job with the narration. I don't think I've listened to anything narrated by him before, and I thought he did a great job. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to more performed by him.

All in all, pretty good. I'm curious to see where Bartlett takes the series.

Guy is Ruthless, More of a Criminal Than Most

The story was a twist of most space dramas, different perspective, different names, more dead bodies ...they deserved it, right? But I almost didn't finish it. I can understand snakes on planes, but in space?

Good story!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Bartlett has created a great universe and Boyett is an excellent narrator.

Not a bad story, but I just couldn't get into it

I don't know if it was the writing style, the narrator's presentation, or something else. It was a good story, had lots of room to be exciting and more into more storylines, but after reading it, I just don't have the urge to go read book 2. Maybe you will like it better. It was a decent $5 book.

I wanted to really like it

But I just didn't get drawn into it. Sorry. But I don't need to say more but the review software won't let me submit unless I have more words.. So is this the kind of feedback you want from audible?

Knew the end was not the end.

Curious to see where the story goes from here. Action scenes were exciting ! I'll miss the dog. Took long enough to tame her. Interesting to see what Joe's daughter is up to.

Couldn't put it down!

Disclaimer: Review copy.

Narrator:

I am very particular when I sign up to listen to someone speaking for longer than an hour. That being said, I was very pleased with this narrator!


Character development:

The main Character, Joe Pikeman, is rough around the edges and set in his ways. Joe, nicknamed "The Butcher," is essentially an assassin that is sent around the galaxy to eliminate threats to server rooms containing the uploaded consciousness of most of mankind. The book starts us off with this character already set in his ways and at the top of his game, which is refreshing in that I don't have to sit through an origin story and get straight to the action. Over the course of the book I was treated to a character with consistently realistic opinions and decisions, which enticed me more than a character that could have been completely different over the course of one book.


Plot:

A huge portion of humanity's consciousness has been uploaded to the Subverse; a kind of digital world in which life is much like a video game. The Subverse is run on large servers occupying hidden bunkers throughout the galaxy.

The people that cannot afford to be uploaded or do not want to be are enhanced by the Fount, a system of Nanobots that keeps them healthy, elongate life, and enables them to temporarily access the Subverse for entertainment purposes.

This vast network of servers (and the accompanying outposts surrounding them) must be maintained, hidden, and protected by members of the Galactic Guard, such as the main character.

The story is bleak, as humanity is effectively neutered. "Uploaded" humans are on a constant dopamine high due to never having to deal with any real hardship, while those that remain in their physical bodies yearn to one day be uploaded to escape their hard existence in harsh environments.

The harshness of the universe makes the setting a fantastic kind of "Wild West" and keeps you sucked in until the end.


My issue:

The Author does not give a large amount of detail, causing it to be difficult to picture some scenes.

For example, I don't recall the main character's ship ever having been described in detail. We know that there is a bridge, mess, captain's quarters, etc., but we are never given much more than this.

Armful of Interesting Ideas

The strength of this book is the ideas. It has a matrix-like quality with nested universes in a post-apocalyptic setting. It is cool, full of action, and soapy with a lot of family drama. There isn't a whole lot of dead air and the elements of the story are individually awesome.

The problem with this armful of ideas is that it is a little like trying to take all the groceries in from the car in one go. It takes a lot to hold it all together and things get dropped along the way. It was hard for me to follow. Also frankly I found it hard to understand or relate to the main character's attitude and choices but that could be partially a product of the whiplash from the complex setting.

Overall the breakneck pace and complexity of the ideas in the story are still cool and fun. Therefore I would recommend reading this story if you are interested in some Sci-Fi action.