Crux

Nexus, Book 2

By: Ramez Naam

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Length: 18 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Six months have passed since the release of Nexus 5. The world is a different, more dangerous place. In the USA, the freedom fighters of the Post-Human Liberation Front use Nexus to turn men and women into human time bombs aimed at the President and his allies. The first blows in the war between human and post-human have been struck.

©2013 Ramez Naam (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Not as good as first book of the series

The story became a series of action sequences and with rather implausable abrupt and unsatisfying end. I really wish I'd just stuck to having read the first book. The narrator here was also lacking giveing stilted odd sccents to characters we already kniw and doing a really poor job with the screams and groans of female characters.

Action filled with little substance

The story setting after Nexus felt familiar and the excitement of the discovery was replaced by gruelling scenes of torture and action. If the first book was interesting with its mix of Buddhist philosophy and neuroscience, the second was repetitive without adding much to the world it had built.

Maybe what turned me off was that this was aimed at a younger audience than myself, probably at teenagers or science fiction enthusiasts in their early twenties.

In any case, even if the performance was generally of good quality, what I enjoyed the most was the unintentionally hilarious accent of the various protagonists.

Not a bad book, just not quite for me.

Just a lot overwritten

I enjoyed the first book. Nexus was Naam's first novel, so there was an energy there and I liked it. This book just turned me off. Overwritten, seemed a bit rushed (on the editing) and just kind of beat you over the head. I couldn't finish it and will return this if I can.

The performance of Mikael Naramore is a bit over the top too. The screams...ohh, the screams.

Awsome listen about the birth of post humanity

If you could sum up Crux in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, mindstretching, humanitarian

Who was your favorite character and why?

Feng - likeable in a normal way... self depreciating with no ideological agenda

What about Mikael Naramore’s performance did you like?

Nice mellow voice

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

This book made me think about issues that I hadn't thought about much before.

Any additional comments?

the book was a good antidote against self righteousness, hubris and intolerance

I couldn't love the premise anymore, but…

I found myself a little bored at times with this and nexus. there is definitely the set up for a third book, but I'm not sure I will listen to it. there were great parts to this book, but there was a lot of flat and boring parts too. I thought this was going to be a book that I enjoyed re-listening to, but I won't be.
nonetheless, it is a very interesting concept.

What i expected, and then some!

Any additional comments?

Im not really good at reviews but I can say a few things. The story blended well with the first book, and took turns that I didn't expect. I was excited to read this and I was happy that I did. Its nice to read a story with such complicated ideas in it. I patiently wait for more from this author.

Great Potential Buried in Brutality

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The theme of this book is very relevant. We are rapidly approaching a time when technology will penetrate our physical defenses. You actually see stories in the news now about sending thoughts across country via the internet. Well this book rightly points out the downside potential. Namely, the id (as in the movie Forbidden Planet). But the author get's so wrapped up in describing act of cruelty, that I couldn't recommend this book. For as I'm concerned, he wasted a good opportunity.

Wow. What a ride.

What made the experience of listening to Crux the most enjoyable?

Great pacing! In this story, the MacGuffin keeps everybody running from the start. At no point was there a long drawn out explanation of the technology being used. He tells you what you need to know, then keeps the story moving. It does kinda leave you with a Empire Strike Back ending. Now I have to wait for the next one!

Not good as the last one

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I felt like this story was essentially the same as the last one, but dragged out in a more tedious way. I don't think this was time well spent.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Since I listened to this series back-to-back, I hated that they switched narrators. I didn't think the last one was that great, but I liked this one even less than last time.

Could you see Crux being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

They could make the plot line into a TV series, but they'd probably end up re-writting most of it, kind of how they did with Wayward Pines.

Amazing. Great Part 2. Blows You Away

Loved it. Intense. Almost non-stop action and fight scenes. Great characters. An imagination that most be genius. A future conflict betweens humans and transhumance that will happen if the human race survives long enough. Loved it. Can't wait till next part.

The second season of a TV Show that lost its way

Any additional comments?

I'd enjoyed Nexus enough to give in to the hanging ending and pick up Crux. Some of the pace and imagination had gone. I'm going out on a limb in terms of cultural references here but it felt like the second season of Heroes. The first book had genuinely interesting characters but this tends to fall back on shifting the action to some worn and predictable stereotypes.

amazing

t was a bit sad through out the story but it's a possibility. I got a bit confused when moving between characters!

Now that's how you write a techno thriller

Love every minute of this book. Just downloaded the third and final installment to my Kindle. Unfortunately there is no audio book version of the third book.