Majority: A Dark Sci-Fi Epic Fantasy

Torth, Book 1

By: Abby Goldsmith

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 23 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

***A Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Book of 2023***

In this action-packed space-opera adventure, one disadvantaged hero must ask himself: How do you defeat a galactic empire that can read your every thought?

The Majority always gets what it wants. Thomas Hill just wishes it didn't want him. There's no way to escape a galactic mob of mind readers, no way for him to blend in with his foster family and other average Americans.

Because Thomas invented a way to save his own life. His custom medicine halts the progress of his degenerative neuromuscular disease. Newscasters proclaim him the next Einstein, but mere humans have no idea his bioengineered processing capacity rivals that of a supercomputer. They just think he's smart.

However, there are other bioengineered supergeniuses in the Majority. In fact, it's shepherded by them. Some—such as the teenager known as the Upward Governess—are secretly trying to devise opportunities to break free from social constraints so they can invent weapons of planetary annihilation and become unchallenged masters of all living things.

If Thomas is going to end the utopian tyranny of supergeniuses and their sycophants and slaves, he'll need more than cunning. He'll need social skills. Oh, and power. Lots and lots of power.

It's a good thing his friendly foster sister has befriended a colossal superhuman. Ariock is oblivious to his own dangerous powers and wrongly assumes he's just an overgrown loser. Superhumans like him are doomed to die as entertainment fodder for the Majority—unless Thomas can figure out a way to trick thirty trillion telepaths . . .

The first volume of the hit sci-fi fantasy series—with more than 750,000 views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

©2023 Abby Goldsmith (P)2023 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

“Thoughtful explorations of morality, altruism, justice and mercy, and the idea that godlike powers come with godlike responsibilities add depth and breadth to this auspicious entry in SF literature’s mutant-superman genre. . . . An Earth-shaking opening to the chronicle of a rapacious galactic empire.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Engaging from the start, this complex space opera features relatable, believable characters; highly original, meticulous world building; and difficult ethical and moral dilemmas. Both young adult and adult readers are sure to be absorbed by Thomas’ intergalactic journey. Luckily this is just the first installment of an epic series.”—Booklist

Fans of Dune or Wheel of Time will love this book!

Without a doubt one of the best books I've read in 2023.
If you're wanting to get lost in a rich and complex world, then this is worth the credit.

it kept me interested.

I liked the way it reminded me a bit of enders game, which is what I was looking for in a new book . I didn't really like the way it ended.

"A Fusion of YA and Dune-esque Elements"

I’d say 2.5 stars rounded down.

The book "Majority" presents an intriguing concept but unfortunately falls short in several areas, including character development and narrative coherence. The character development seems to regress, leading characters to become more one-dimensional as the story progresses. Additionally, the structure of the narrative feels disjointed, as if two separate books were forced together, diminishing the overall coherence and impact of the story.

Some protagonists, whom the reader is supposed to empathize with, engage in actions that are frustratingly illogical, performing nonsensical and reckless deeds seemingly just to advance the plot. This issue is compounded towards the end of the book, where the presence of almost every character becomes so irrelevant that their removal would likely go unnoticed by the reader. A notable exception is Thomas, who, despite being perceived as emotionless by other characters, exhibits frequent and inexplicable outbursts of anger, further detracting from the believability of the narrative.

Despite these criticisms, I don't regret reading the book. However, the execution of certain characters is so poor that one can't help but wish they were omitted from the story altogether.

In the future, there is no AI--just slaves

What if the universe were governed by a trillions-strong, supreme socialist pantheon of nearly all-knowing, all-powerful deities? And what if they decided that sentient slaves from the lesser population were, on the whole, a much wiser and more reliable servant class than AI machines? I loved how this story explores philosophy while being at times silly and playful, and at other times dark and sobering. There are two main characters in Majority, and I found each to be likeable and insufferable in their own ways... one is a giant, self-deprecating sweetheart; the other a driven but physically disabled super genius. Both characters vie for "galaxy's most self-absorbed hero" award until they discover something beyond themselves worth fighting for. I enjoyed the progression from everyday Earth (where I connected with the characters and places) to the larger universe that Goldsmith has created. I'm very excited to listen to book 2 when it comes out!

An interesting story.

I have mixed emotions on this audiobook. I did find it engaging and unique enough to keep my attention throughout. There was maybe a bit more inner turmoil and self-flagellation than I would have liked, but at the same time the major theme of the book is directly tied into the character’s inner lives and conflicts.

The narration was good and I will keep an eye out for other audiobooks narrated by George Newbern. The writing and editing were also well done. I will note that there are some YA vibes here, but not overwhelmingly so. I have a pretty low tolerance for that kind of writing and I was easily able to ignore it and enjoy the story.

If I have one real complaint it’s with the title… Calling this a “Progression Fantasy” is pretty arguable. While a couple of the characters do progress in power over the course of the book, there is almost no structure to that progression and no attempt to quantify, explain, or investigate it. Also progression isn’t really a part of the book until partway through the second half… i.e. 13-14 hours into the story.

I’m genuinely not trying to split hairs here, and this may be a somewhat subjective designation at this point the genre. So I could be wrong, but I don’t think anyone who regularly listens to Progression Fantasy audiobooks will find this book to sit very well in this category.

So if you’re like me and picked this book up due to the progression fantasy label, then just be warned that this audiobook is not likely to scratch that particular itch. On the other hand it was engaging and entertaining and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy/sci-fi/isekai/dystopian story.

And most importantly there’s at least 6,000 Michael Anderle books on audible that would be unquestionably less worth your time than this book.

Hooked from the start!

Such a unique story from the start, combined with excellent performance on the narration has me already excited for the next book in the series, and hopefully the narration can start the same. The character and world building is top notch and has me looking forward to seeing more from this author!

The concept and execution are fantastic. But the characters are all so pathetic you don’t want to see them succeed.

The title of the review says it all. The characters are all whining babies and spend about 80 percent of the text of this book being crying children inside their own minds. The author backed themselves into a corner by making an antagonist that’s too powerful to reasonably overcome. This results in the villains being forced to act utterly stupid and then extending that stupidity to trillions of other individuals across the entire galaxy. Somehow no one in the literal entire universe is capable of rational thought when the MCs are involved.This is accompanied by the MCs constantly failing upwards. There’s suspension of disbelief and then there’s telling yourself that anything in this book is possible. If you like these characters just wow.

When you think it gets better, it doesn’t.

Good performance, Story has potential, but doesn’t deliver. I regrettably lasted to the bitter end.