The Houses of the Curious

By: J.W. Bowie

Narrated by: Alexandra Hunter

Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Gripping from the first page and the intensity never lets up. The intriguing world painted is imaginative and original." (Indies Today)

Finalist for the 2019 Book Excellence Awards Science Fiction Category. 

Decades ago, a band of neurally augmented rebels, the Seventy-Seven, and their leader, Arthur Lannius, helped liberate a remote mountain town from the Perpetual Corporation in a great machine war. Eventually defeated, the Seventy-Seven scattered, and Lannius went into exile without a trace...except for a child.

When memories of a stranger burst into her mind, Aurora learns she is not an ordinary orphan of the war, but that she is augmented and that her past is more than it seems. In discovering her hidden augmentations, she accidentally awakens an old surveillance drone and reignites the dormant war.

Following the signal, Perpetual's mercenaries attack, forcing Aurora and her friends flee into the futuristic world beyond. There they discover a world where augmentations are the norm and imagination flows between people like magic. The future is full of wonder.

But, the safety of their world is short lived. Pursued by Perpetual for the memories that she holds, Aurora must choose a side in a secret war fought by machine armies and a pantheon of fantastic digital beings. Questioning both friend and foe, she wrestles with the memories buried in her mind as the key to a war fought across time.

From award-winning author John Bowie comes a new sci-fi adventure that will forever change the way you look at time and imagination. Book one in the Parallel series.

©2018 J.W. Bowie (P)2022 J.W. Bowie

Critic reviews

2019 Finalist for Book Excellence Awards Science Fiction Category

"Gripping from the first page and the intensity never lets up. The intriguing world painted is imaginative and original." (Indies Today)

Join the curious

This book is outstanding! The story is just what you want from a sci-fi adventure story with a bunch of twists and turns that leave you wanting more. The narrator is perfect! Emersive writing brought out perfectly by the narrator.

Couldn’t stop listening

The world and the characters hooked me from the first chapter. Found myself volunteering to go to the store and circling the block, the plot wouldn’t let me go. Mind-bending take on technology, AI, humanity, time…everything one could want from a good Sci Fi book! Like Ursula Le Guin meets Anne Leckie. Still can’t stop thinking about the Houses of the Curious. Narration is on point, and enhanced the story.

Amazing world and concepts!

Loved this! Can’t wait for the rest of the series! Haven’t discovered a unique world like this in a long time.

Exciting SciFi world building!

This audiobook has a lot to love. Exploring this world through the eyes of each character slowly reveals a world I'm eager to keep learning more about throughout the whole book. The plot is full of mystery and excitement and the ending pays off with a reveal I wasn't expecting, but I was not disappointed by.
The narration is exceptional! I was immediately drawn in by Alexandra Hunter's characterizations and she did a great job of differentiating the long list of unique characters we are introduced to throughout. Each POV established a different tone and perspective and the narration reflected it expertly. If you enjoy good world building that explores the human condition this one is absolutely worth a credit!