• Ajax Penumbra 1969

  • By: Robin Sloan
  • Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
  • Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,333 ratings)

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Ajax Penumbra 1969  By  cover art

Ajax Penumbra 1969

By: Robin Sloan
Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
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Publisher's summary

From Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, the story of Mr. Penumbra’s first trip to San Francisco - and of how he got entangled with the city’s most unusual always-open enterprise….

It is August 1969. The Summer of Love is a fading memory. The streets of San Francisco pulse to the sounds of Led Zeppelin and Marvin Gaye. And of jackhammers: A futuristic pyramid of a skyscraper is rising a few blocks from City Lights bookstore and an unprecedented subway tunnel is being built under the bay. Meanwhile, south of the city, orchards are quickly giving way to a brand-new industry built on silicon.

But young Ajax Penumbra has not arrived in San Francisco looking for free love or a glimpse of the technological future. He is seeking a book: the single surviving copy of the Techne Tycheon, a mysterious volume that has brought and lost great fortune for anyone who has owned it. The last record of the book locates it in the San Francisco of more than a century earlier, and on that scant bit of evidence, Penumbra's university has dispatched him west to acquire it for their library. After a few weeks of rigorous hunting, Penumbra feels no closer to his goal than when he started. But late one night, after another day of dispiriting dead ends, he stumbles across a 24-hour bookstore, and the possibilities before him expand exponentially....

©2013 Robin Sloan (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about Ajax Penumbra 1969

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Penumbra Prequel Is Too Slight

Not anywhere near as good as Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, the full length novel to which this short story/novella serves as a prequel. This story of how young Ajax Penumbra came to San Francisco 35 years earlier and ended up in his bookstore proved interesting enough to me as a fan of 24-Hour Bookstore, but it could not have stood on its own and doesn't rank with its predecessor, which is near the top my all-time list of audiobooks.

The big difference between the original novel and this prequel is the point of view. 24-Hour Bookstore is narrated in the first person by young Clay Jannon in the present day. His charisma and exuberance and ingenuity really carries the novel. 1969 is in the third person, relating the story of Penumbra's early years, filling in an important part of the story, but without that same sense of wonder and discovery.

The collision of the old world and new technology is the central theme of both stories. For Clay, the limitless capabilities of modern computing open up doors to relearning "old knowledge" contained in legacy technology like print and literature, marrying the widsom of the ages with the promise of the future. In 1969, microcomputing, still in its infancy, provides a backdrop to Penumbra's journey, but he makes different choices than Clay makes three decades later. As likable as Penumbra is, his big flaw is timidity. 1969 proves that timidity was indeed his starting point. How might Penumbra's world have turned out if he had been as bold and resourceful in 1969 as Clay was in 24-Hour Bookstore?

Having read 24-Hour Bookstore in print as well as listening to it as an audiobook, I knew already that Ari Fliakos augmented the experience by adding a lively voice to the narrative and good characterizations. He does no less in 1969.

Any fan of 24-Hour Bookstore MUST read/listen to this prequel. Chances are I'm being too picky in my critique and most fans will love it as much as the novel. For those who haven't read 24-Hour Bookstore, I would of course recommend reading/listening to that first and then doubling back to 1969. However, I have seen reviews where people read this first and liked it well enough to continue on to 24-Hour Bookstore, so either way, I guess.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect prequel

This is the perfect prequel to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, giving readers a better understanding of who Ajax Penumbra is and how he came to own the 24-hour bookstore. Just as interesting as Mr. Penumbra in this story is how Robin Sloan writes about San Francisco and its history. Sadly, this one was over far too soon; I'm hoping Mr. Sloan will write more about Ajax Penumbra, his life, and his bookstore.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Reminds me just how much I loved the novel

Narrator Fliakos reprises his turn as narrator for Sloan's narrative of dataviz, cryptography, secret societies, and bookstores -- though the tech and approaches and bookstore customers are decidedly 1969 rather than the 2010s of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Instead of Google Maps, we have actual maps. Instead of 3D visualization prototypes, Penumbra has to overlay his data the old fashioned way. But it's still the same grin-inducing voice of discovery and adventure in the story of Penumbra's arrival in San Francisco as I enjoyed in the novel. It's a story that could have slided right into the novel as a flashback narrative and not felt out of place. We see young aspiring psychohistorian Claude Novak, and several other characters from the novel either get name-dropped, slipped into conversation, or play roles nearly as large as young "junior acquisitions" man Penumbra's. "What do you seek in these shelves?" More stories. There still feels like there's plenty that could be told here, and I was delighted to be reminded just how much I enjoyed the audiobook of the novel.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great read

I read the 24 hour bookstore last year. Listening to this great little story brought me back to the original enjoyable mysterious world of the bookstore.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Pure, Light Fun

If you could sum up Ajax Penumbra 1969 in three words, what would they be?

Easy and Fun.

Would you recommend Ajax Penumbra 1969 to your friends? Why or why not?

If you enjoyed Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Book Store, then you'll enjoy this. It isn't nearly as intricate or subtle as the first book, but it is great fun, and a welcome addition to Penumbra's world.

What does Ari Fliakos bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's an excellent storyteller who absolutely nails the emotional tone of the story and universe Sloan created.

Who was the most memorable character of Ajax Penumbra 1969 and why?

Ajax Penumbra. This book amounts to a curtain call for the most beloved character to emerge from Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Book Store.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So glad there is more Mr. Penumbra!!

Any additional comments?

I loved being able to revisit the bookstore and enjoyed the backstory very much! The performance by Fliakos is perfect. His style is just right and listening to him made the story really come to life. I think listening to this audiobook AFTER listening to Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore was important for me, but not necessarily a MUST for all. Just be sure to enjoy to enjoy BOTH of these wonderful books. Makes you feel like you've found a hidden gem and wonder why everyone you know isn't talking about Mr. Penumbra's bookstore.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

fun add-on to the full book

Fun little prequel to 'Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore', telling us how young Ajax Penumbra came to be involved with the bookstore and The Membership. There are no major plot point reveals, but it's an enjoyable glimpse for fans of the longer book. The audiobook is read by the same narrator as the long book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Loved the first one, not this one

this is a cursory backstory. It is too short to have any depth or interesting intricacies like the first book. I was disappointed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Back Story

The 24 hour bookstore is a modern icon, and it's good to learn of its custodians' roots. There's still a lot to learn, though. Great fun.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ajax Penumbra

What did you love best about Ajax Penumbra 1969?

That he was searching for a BOOK.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ajax Penumbra 1969?

When they revealed that a ship was a store.

Which character – as performed by Ari Fliakos – was your favorite?

Ajax

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

no

Any additional comments?

This was a great read!I enjoyed the storyline.It was plausable and I'd like to visist the store where secrets are revealed!Ari Fliakos did a fine job narrating this book.The inflections and tone were perfect.

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