Ancestral Night

By: Elizabeth Bear

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

A space salvager and her partner make the discovery of a lifetime that just might change the universe in this wild, big-ideas space opera from award-winning author Elizabeth Bear.

Halmey Dz and her partner, Connla Kurucz, are salvage operators, living just on the inside of the law...usually. Theirs is the perilous and marginal existence - with barely enough chance of striking it fantastically big - just once - to keep them coming back for more. They pilot their tiny ship into the scars left by unsuccessful White Transitions, searching for the relics of lost human and alien vessels. But when they make a shocking discovery about an alien species that has been long thought dead, it may be the thing that could tip the perilous peace mankind has found into full-out war.

Energetic and electrifying, Ancestral Night is a dazzling new space opera, sure to delight fans of Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, and Peter F. Hamilton.

©2019 Elizabeth Bear (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Self aware SciFi

It was really refreshing to get into a story that was as much about the self awareness of the main character as it was the rest of the SF spectacle. It delivered on both fronts, but it was the former that really made this stand out. It certainly didn’t hurt to have a narrator that was so good at nailing the tone of the internal monologue. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed it.

This is my first book by the author. I really enjoyed it. It’s fresh and smart. I’m late to discover Elizabeth Bear but I’ll be reading more of her work.

A Sci Fi dialogue on individualism v community

Almost stopped listening and was glad. A different concept collectivism verse individualism. Then wrapped around space opera. Made me think. As always, some of the science was hard for me to follow. Did not dig the narrator.

stupendous

wonderful story, wonderful narration. highly recommend to anyone who lives sci-fi and characters with depth.

Exceptionally intelligent Science Fiction

I really enjoyed so much about Ancestral Night but I was particularly impressed with the character development, neologisms, and unique takes on future technological and societal developments.

When the past comes back to haunt you

Elizabeth Bear’s Ancestral Night is a tale full of strange aliens, strange physics, strange biology, and bor-ing political diatribes. The main character works with a pilot and their ship’s AI to salvage space wrecks. They get word of a derelict and end up with a parasitic infection that allows for control of gravity as well as a mystery of what appears to be a former abattoir and there are pirates. The ship is chased by them, resulting in long, dry sessions discussing political theory; all of which appears to involve the re-crudescence of a long-suppressed memory.

Bear crafts a quite respectable structured plot with intriguing sci-fi elements, but with unremarkable and somewhat boring characters who drone on endlessly about political theory. The governmental structure is referenced, but never fleshed out, other than highlight hypocrisy.

The narration is decent, but unremarkable with a less than ideal alien renditions. Pacing is align with the pace of the plot.

A Little Slow Moving

Interesting characters and world building. There is a lot of back story as a part of the plot. A big problem is solved but there is more to come. A interesting story line that moved a little slow but kept my interest.

Didn't work for me

Narrator was great. I didn't enjoy the story though. It felt like the author wanted to go full on x rated but had to keep holding herself back. I appreciate that she didn't subject us to it but that kindness and the fabulous narration are the only things positive I've found here.

this was so good!

i pretty much listened to it straight thru while knitting. i loved the characterization and the storyline. the psychology and ethics and politics were chewy enough to keep me thinking about it all day.

another review mentioned that they didn't like the tight focus of one point of view and thought processes, but i think that's where the story shined the most. like, she even says at the beginning that she's telling her story after the fact, so that shouldn't be a surprise. i very much enjoyed the emotional journey of the main character.

i appreciated that the story holds a much more serious view towards loss of life than most space opera types do. for those who are sensitive, there are a few violent parts with mentioned gore with appropriate reactions to them. as well as 2 mentions of v* without anything actually happening. there are quite a few mentions of blood, but nothing is really described in any graphic detail.

i loved the performance! the narrator was clear and expressive and i really enjoyed their character voices. i'll definitely check out more of their work.

Pulled me in

This one pulled me in so I kept listening late into the night.
The main character is not just 3 dimensional but also deep, flawed, and lovable.
A universe that's explored with engrossing awe that slowly pulled me through the story.
I'll be getting the sequels. But not tonight. I need some sleep.