Beacon 23: The Complete Novel

By: Hugh Howey

Narrated by: Ryan McCarthy

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

This work contains the five Beacon 23 stories, originally released in serialized form.

For centuries, men and women have manned lighthouses to ensure the safe passage of ships. It's a lonely job, and a thankless one for the most part - until something goes wrong, until a ship is in distress.

In the 23rd century, this job has moved into outer space. A network of beacons allows ships to travel across the Milky Way at many times the speed of light. These beacons are built to be robust. They never break down. They never fail.

At least, they aren't supposed to.

©2015 Hugh Howey (P)2015 Hugh Howey

Howey Rocks!!

It was just last summer I got turned onto "Wool" by Hugh Howey & it was stellar. Loved it and it's subsequent tomes enough to search out every last word I could find by the guy & so far it's all been fantastic. These stories have such interesting and unique plots, very fresh in a genre with a lot of stale ideas. Also while this is being presented as a novel it, like his "Silo Saga" stories, was originally released in serial form in digital & paper publications and I feel as though that lends something to the final product as a whole. Have to test that theory out. Anyways a great book thats well read and will surely entertain you!

Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination

Much like light houses in our current world, in the vase sea of space there are beacons to guide ships along safe passages. Digger is the man who monitors beacon 23; it is a lonely job with minimal contact with others. The problem is, spending that much time with only your dark thoughts as company can break a man, or make him crazy.

First, this is 5 stand alone stories compiled, therefore after listening to the first story all subsequent stories will re-introduce you to information you've already learned, making them a little redundant.

At the beginning I had to rewind a few times because the narrator was so intense that I almost felt overwhelmed and confused, and I was worried I was missing things. I grew to appreciate the intensity and commitment of Ryan McCarthy's interpretation of Digger; the narration was the thing that I enjoyed most about this book.

Since each story should stand alone I would expect it to be more eventful, but I found this omnibus to be anti-climactic. I'd never read a book by Hugh Howey before but I've heard a lot of great things and I was very excited for this book, but at the end I felt unimpressed and underwhelmed.

Conclusion: Very strong narration. Good character development through the first two stories, and some of the third but takes a turn after that. I don't think all of the stories are worth listening to, but I don't think it's a lost cause.

Confusing but interesting, ending too pat

Would you consider the audio edition of Beacon 23: The Complete Novel to be better than the print version?

Yes; I think the life the narrator brings gives depth that the written word would not. Especially since this is all told in the first person by the narrator.

Any additional comments?

3.5 stars. An odd, slightly surreal, trippy little book. The unnamed narrator mans a Beacon (think future space lighthouse) alone, guidepost to farflung spaceships travelling at faster than the speed of light, as a reward for being a war hero. It seems like scant reward, except that our narrator has definite mental issues stemming from his service, and he wanted to be alone. The story is told in first person and you realize fairly quickly that he isn't entirely stable and that despite the wish for solitude, he is lonely. The book is told in five parts (originally five separately released novellas), and they offer peaks into this far future world, a war with another intelligent alien species, the trauma of war, the craving for contact with others, and the self-awareness that you might be losing your mind. Some sections work better than others, and you are always wondering how much is real and what is the narrator's hallucination. Except that by the end, you are simultaneously given a good deal of reason to question the narrator's lucidity, but have a conclusion that feels both final and definitive, if a bit too pat. Mixed feelings on this one, but still felt worth the time.

It’s dark and it is tragic

This was originally released in eBook as episodes, this is a collection of these episodes to form the full book about Digger and his inner journey on the outskirts of space.

Lighthouses have kept boats safe from crashing into rocks or shore for centuries. Now that we are exploring the outer reaches of space we needed something to keep us safe. The Beacons have become our new lighthouses. Just like the lighthouses of before, each Beacon needs a keeper. Out on the edge of Sector 8 (so close it should be Sector 9) sits Beacon 23. This story is about Beacon 23’s keeper and his struggle with both his inner and some outer demons. This is where we first meet Digger. The keeper of Beacon 23. He is alone at the edge of space with just his thoughts and memories.

Ryan McCarthy did the narration for this collection. Ryan was one of the narrators that an author dreams of. He became Digger. Now if I hear another book read by McCarthy I’m going to have to take a few moments to realize the story isn’t about Digger again. He gave this character a voice and made this book a breeze to listen to. The benefit that McCarthy had was that there really weren’t any other characters to narrate. Only a few people interact with Digger through the whole story – so he really got to dive in head first. Quality was perfect and will be enjoyed by a lot of listeners.

I’ll be the first to admit, I bought this book because it was written by Hugh Howey. I’ll also be the first to admit that I read the summary and thought it sounded a bit like The Martian and I’m still in a Martian induced hangover waiting for another book that I’ll enjoy as much as I did that. Now, while you’re thinking that this does sound like The Martian – there are some differences. Digger has chosen to be where he is. He was not left here, there will be no rescuing.

This single difference allows for some incredible science fiction to be written. Howey explains the premise of the Beacon and he is able to get really into the head of this loner in space. There were a lot of moments where I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Digger, not as much from space, but from himself.

The story weaves in and out of present and some “history” about Digger. The more and more you find out about his past, the more his present (and his future) makes sense.

The humor in this book was really great. There were parts that had me laughing late into the night while listening to this. To me, the humor was really needed, because there were a lot of dark mental material throughout (PTSD and anxiety to name a few). The book mixed these two so well that I would go from laughing one minute to almost in tears the next.

Don’t get me wrong, the story isn’t upbeat. It’s dark and it is tragic. But I am glad that I read this. Getting to know Digger wasn’t something I knew I wanted to do, but by the end I’m glad that I got to.

Audiobook purchased for review by ABR.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Conflicted Unknown Soldier

Better than average story w/ so many layers and intriguing literary vehicles... Joys, sadness,depression, humor, love,and selflessness ar all on display, many simultaniously... The idea of self isolation/exile and introspective internal dialogues are fascinating and thoughtful... The main character is tragic and relatable... The nameless soldier vehicle is masterfully administered, and sneakily proposed... Empathy and going along w/ the needs of the many as to a few is weaved throughout... Even though unnamed the operator is known to us as he touches on common feelings and frailties... Although a little irritating when Navy ppl keep referring to themselves and others as soldiers, the Army guy in me kept saying "you mean sailor". The secondary characters are entertaining and complimentary, especially Rocky and Cricket... The climax left me conflicted. I understood the idea, but the reality of it's execution left me uncomfortable, still not sure how I feel about it... I suspect that's precisely the point... Not a book for the casual reader wanting to not think about what they read... You'll find yourself contemplating this story quite a while after you've finished... The depth of thought and humanity's humanity vs. inhumanity are tropes I've come to expect from Howey, and enjoy the way it works the gray matter... Narrator fit the novel's voice, andd changed along w/ the mood of the operator... Not the best Howey, but in the top 3-4...

Fantastic story

Really drives home the horrors of war and what it takes from the people who survive.

Meandering

If you struggle with your own emotions, find yourself crying for no reason and are ok with that, then maybe this book will resonate with you.

To be fair, I just couldn’t take it anymore and quit with one hour left in book. Maybe they tie a few themes up in the end but I’m doubting.

The book explores several ideas that could’ve gotten traction but it never goes anywhere. It mostly just circles around a damaged “hero” soldier who feels sorry for himself and constantly flashbacks to how “tough” war is and how “weak” he is.

Nanobots, interstellar mercenaries, aliens, love and romance, it’s all there but nothing gets fleshed out in believable form.

All you really get is a whining, self loathing former soldiers internal struggle as written by a cookie baking housewife. It’s not testosterone, but it’s not estrogen either. Started out promising but got blah pretty quick.

I like Hugh Howey but this book…

I was disappointed by the book and the narrator. The story was boring and kind of all over the place. One minute it’s a “this was all a dream” vibe and then quickly switched to a “we have to stop this war” story. Very frustrated with it and stopped halfway through.

Bad

This is a six hour book. After a little over an hour I found nothing but boredom. I moved on.

Good story but not my favorite by Howey

Hugh Howey is a master of words and dystopian worlds. His characters are always in limit situations, in unfriendly environments, and among all the people that could be part of a story, Howey's characters are usually misfits in disguise, always thinking beyond their situation but trying to keep appearances. In this case, Digger is in charge of a beacon on sector 8, quite far from trusted space, and in a dangerous zone. It seems like nothing happens, and every day is like the previous one, but this will not be true for Digger.

From the beginning it is quite clear that there is something wrong with Digger. This whole story is about PTSD and the mental consequences of it. The monotony of Digger's situation will be broken in ways that will challenge his capabilities, making him chose between his life and his sanity or oblivion.

The pace of the story is very slow, and despite some heartfelt moments that I found deeply moving, I struggled a bit to keep going. All in all, it is a good story, but for me, it is not at the level of Wool or Sand, books that completely mesmerized me. Beacon 23 was okay but it did not make me feel as much as I would have liked. One of the things that bothered me a bit was that many situations are product of Deus ex Machina. Okay, I agree there are not many ways of introducing new stories in the life of someone living alone and in charge of a beacon in space, but some of the aspects seemed too forced. Similarly to Wool, this is a compendium of five stories, which makes it a bit disjointed, probably due to the short length of each one.

I am not too sure what to say about the ending. It was not what I expected, and I felt a bit disappointed.

Ryan McCarty's narration was very well done. I was able to hear Digger's loneliness and despair in McCarthy's interpretation. He had a study pace that went well with the book, and subtle changes in voice and style were enough to identify the characters.

Brilliant again...and again.

Listening to this again for the umpteenth time. Never grow tired of the story, the characters, the humour as well as the pathos or the message. Whenever I can't decide on my next book, I return to Beacon 23 and relax back into the familiarity and the contentment of reading this unbeatable novel. Never known a book have such an effect on me. Would definitely be my Desert Island book choice

Superb!

isolated by choice, beset by madness and memory, these short tales weave together for a brilliant close. I haven't read everything he's written yet but this is book 7 and he never disappoints.

Different - hard work at first, but worth it

This feels like a series of short stories brought together to make a novel. That doesn't detract from the story of madness, solitude, love and redemption though. It's told by Ryan McCarthy in the first person and he does a superb job of carrying the broken main character to his denouement, along with the detritus of secondary characters littering the story. Highly recommended for those who like their Space Opera a bit different.

So so gloomy.

Depressing, melancholy, dull. Things don't even pick up at the end. My least favourite purchase.