Hayden's World: Volume 1

Hayden's World Collection

By: S.D. Falchetti

Narrated by: Shamaan Casey

Survival tales in the skies of Uranus, desperate struggles at the solar system's edge, and near-lightspeed interstellar expeditions await in this hard science fiction collection of seven Hayden’s World short stories.

Forty-Three Seconds: James Hayden has a dream, and the Riggs test vehicle is going to take him there. But when failure after failure leads to his last chance exploding spectacularly, he must partner with an AI and gamble everything for one last shot at the stars.

Silver-Side Up: Two old friends, a silver space ship, and a perfect day for a test flight.

Erebus: In one month, Sarah will take the helm of the newest Riggs ship. But growing opposition may shut down the program before she gets her chance. When James’s last-ditch publicity stunt traps him light-days from rescue, Sarah must decide just how far she’s willing to go to save a friend.

Signal Loss: Life aboard the Aristarchus isn’t much of an adventure, and Kyan just wants to do his job and get back to his family. When he discovers a mysterious object at the edge of the solar system and an unexpected contact during comms loss, data running turns life-or-death 13 billion kilometers from home.

Last Stand: Kyan testifies about the events in Signal Loss, but other agendas are in play.

Aero One: Jia can’t breathe, her ship is minutes from breaking apart in Uranus’s atmosphere, and the lifepod just burned up. Things aren’t going well. When her injured engineer’s solution sends them plummeting into the icy stratosphere, they find themselves trapped in a life-or-death battle against time, the elements, and unexpected visitors.

Titan’s Shadow: A year later after the events of Aero One, Jia is trying to restart her life as a freelancer aboard Saturn’s newly-built Cassini Station. But Cassini has its own secrets. When a chance encounter with a past adversary sets old battles in motion, she must unravel the mystery of Titan’s Shadow before more lives are lost.

©2018 Shawn Falchetti (P)2023 Shawn Falchetti

Interesting and Entertaining Collection

This is a highly entertaining and richly described set of seven survival stories. Each one occurs in outer space leaving the crew at the mercy of luck, smart thinking, and taking chances.

The author, S. D. Falchetti captures the desperation, camaraderie, and fast thinking that occurs when being in survival mode. His vivid descriptions and action-packed stories are exhilarating and imaginative. Each story was well written with plot twists that were unexpected and engaging. He developed each character with depth and a level of humanity that encourages connection. His descriptions are rich and vivid.

The narrator, Shamaan Casey delivered a solid performance with unique voices throughout the stories. He interjected the correct amount of emotion and enthusiasm capturing the action of the audiobook accordingly. His delivery and cadence were perfect and varied as appropriate.

This is a great collection of action-filled survival stories.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Left Me Craving A Full Novel.

Excellent hard sci-fi that left me wanting more. The writing is compelling and keep your attention. Every short story makes you want more and more. I am hoping for a full novel and series. The narrator did an outstanding job as well making this 5 stars across the board.

A thrilling collection of science fiction tales!

S.D. Falchetti's "Hayden's World: Volume 1," narrated by the dynamic Shamaan Casey, is a thrilling collection of hard science fiction tales that will leave you on the edge of your seat. With impeccable storytelling and engaging narration, this audiobook is a must-listen for fans of survival tales and interstellar adventures.

interesting stories

great science fiction stories and narration had me excited to keep listening from the beginning

Compelling Science Fiction

Like Andy Weir, S.D. Falchetti has the ability to create fiction that keeps me interested in science, and that’s no easy feat because I have always leaned toward the “fiction” in science fiction. But this collection of stories, set in and around “Hayden’s World,” is packed with science and technology, and then fiction takes over and transports us to the future. The characters are easy to root for, and the stories are compelling. My favorites were 43 seconds and Erebus, but all of the stories are excellent. There is a chapter at the end of the book explaining the science, and I appreciated that as I am not an expert in that area.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator Shamaan Casey has a captivating voice. He did an amazing job of portraying all of the characters, regardless of gender or culture. This includes AI voices too! I was captivated by his performance and will seek out his work again.

My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.

I received a gift copy of the audiobook. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.