Oblivion Awaits

Infinita, Book 1

By: Christopher Hopper

Narrated by: Rebecca Woods, Daniel Wisniewski

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Awarded Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal for Best Fiction 2022

They banned him from space. But someone has offered him a way back. Can he afford the price? Famed engineer and test pilot Jericho Fox has been grounded for reasons he'd rather put behind him. But a political leader from a rival party offers to send him back to space.

Fox finds himself stuck between working for the enemy and doing what he loves again. Meanwhile, high above Earth on Astraea Station, decorated astrophysicist Dr. Evelyn Park is on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could make history.

All she needs is for people and equipment to stop bungling things up. Getting both to cooperate will prove harder than she expects. From best-selling novelist Christopher Hopper, who brought you Imperium Descent, Ruins of the Earth, and Ruins of the Galaxy, and with the voice talents of Rebecca Woods and Daniel Wisniewski, comes a new hard scifi space thriller that fans say is "next in line to The Expanse."

Listen today!

©2021 Somnium Publishing (P)2022 Somnium Publishing

This was written for audio

Wow! Listening to this book was immersive instantly. From a story perspective it’s like taking the best of classics from Asimov/Clarke/Weir/Niven and then Hopper layers on his unique and amazing talents to take it beyond. From a storyteller perspective I was dubious about the multi-talent approach vs single reader. But they truly are acting the story out and it’s an unforgettable performance. No spoilers here but it’s absolutely amazing story and performance. Literally dying for next installment.

Intriguing Sci-fi with compelling characters

The audio:
very well narrated. Both the male and female voice actors do a great job distinguishing the different character’s voices. The male narrator reads the chapters whenever it is a male point of view while the female does the same for all female point of views. But it is not exclusive. If the chapter is the female point of view but a male character speaks up, then the male narrator reads that line. And vice versa. This leads to the audiobook feeling practically “full cast.“

The content:
Oblivion Awaits is the start of a new book series (Infinita) that is very realistic sci-fi which takes place on earth as well as nearby space. The book makes you wonder if this really could be a potential future that we might see. The characters are very well written and very “human.” They are heroic and funny as well as have depth and flaws. The story alternates between multiple different character’s points of view but primarily takes place between the main male and female protagonists.

The premise: Some sort of tragedy has struck earth and humanity must figure out how to continue to survive. Of course, people being people means that not everyone agrees on how best to do this. Some want to invest in “fixing“ the earth while others see hope for the future in space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Naturally, this causes conflict between the different factions.

Slow yet still hard to follow

This book starts assuming you know a lot of things. I understand that there’s a codex online where I can research a bit on my own to better follow along but I primarily listen to books during my commutes so I can’t check any references while driving. Because of that, the book can be a little confusing. The story follows 2 main characters, Jericho and Evelyn; possibly 3 if you count Jack, and it alternates between them in chapters. This structure at times makes the book seem very slow and the confusing world building makes it hard to follow at times. I have about 7 hours left in the book but I’m not sure if I will go back to finish it. The narrators are fantastic and possibly the only reason I made it this far.

Literally the best voice acting I've ever heard

I've been on Audible for many years now- my library as of this moment holds 150 titles, across many genres, and I have NEVER heard voice acting on par with this book.

I was actually a little ambivalent about the two voice actor set-up. I've listened to "ensemble" audiobooks before and as often as not, the experience of having multiple voice actors is more jarring than just having a single actor do it all.

But that's not how it is at all in this book, the set up is that the male actor reads the chapters that are from a male character's perspective and vice versa and it works REALLY well.

The actors both put real emotion into their lines. Several times I almost thought the characters were having a conversation by my side because they sounded just like how real people having real conversations with real emotions sound.

Oh and the best part, the part that literally made my jaw drop: There's a character that has two different accents (an "undercover" accent and a "real" accent). Late in the book, as things are going down and stress is running high, the voice actor actually starts *mixing* the two accents in a single sentence. I had to reverse to make sure I wasn't just imagining things.

So I highly recommend this audiobook just on the performances alone. You won't regret it.

Oh there's a story too? Yeah it was good too.

When does the next book release?

Great sci-fi mixed with mystery, political intrigue, mind control and more. Does it sound like too much? It all works together in harmony. Christopher Hopper has built a strong foundation for what appears to be the beginning of a great epic adventure.
The politicasts and organizations are really interesting but it's impossible to choose a favorite because is the charisma of each character.
This isn't a full dramatization, but the two narrators work well together and really enhance the flow of the story.
I'll be reserving a an Audible credit for the next installment.

Outstanding!!!

If you want to read the next best sci-fi opera here it is!
Christopher Hopper takes you on a ride unlike any other you have listened to before. The actors Rebecca Woods and Daniel Wisniewski do a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. This is by far the best book I have listened to this year. This audiobook had me laughing out load one minute and weeping the next, I can’t say enough about this. If you are debating the next book you want to listen to the debate is over buy this one and listen to it. You will thank yourself afterwards. Absolutely Outstanding!!!

Incredible audio performances with a good story

I normally would not begin a review by commenting on the narration but the production is just fantastic. The two main characters male and female rotate point of view each chapter but what makes this great is when any male character speaks its from the male narrator and same for any female characters it is similar to having a full cast but the two narrator's read ALL the characters. It is fantastic and how every dual narrated audiobooks should be. To be honest I normally very much dislike dual narration rotating chapters but the way it's done with this one is done right and can easily spoil me.

The character building is so very good and the story interesting and mysterious. I read just about everything and lately nothing has impressed me as much as this audiobook. If you like fantastic narration with great characters and a good story don't pass on this one download it right now.

A great first book in a new universe!

This book is the great beginning to a new universe created by Christopher Hopper. The various groups were fun to learn about, and the mystery and intrigue were a welcome aspect. I really enjoyed this work and will eagerly, and attempt to patiently, await book 2. The narrator’s did an amazing job bringing all of the different characters to life. I had been reading the kindle version before the audible form came out and when I listened to the audible version, the narrator’s voice of Kit sounded just like it had in my head. I will be listening to this book again, as there are so many layers to digest. Great job Mr. Hopper and thank you for the beginning of a new adventure.

to Infinita & beyond? its da spliz-nick!!

ok so that isn't a saying in the new Christopher Hopper saga Infinta...I'm borrowing from his previous ROTG series. and mixing in a little snoopism...lol. cuz this is da shizzzznit! or spliz-nick 😉

where to start?! I guess first let's say I hate spoilers and as such will try not to do that in this review. also...there weren't any spoilers for me for Infinita. Sir Hopper even gave a sneak peak for his book on FB videos of himself narrating the prologue. I love listening to Mr. Hopper! but after about 1 min I decided to stop and just be surprised when the actual audio book was released. And as much as I love listening to Lord Hopper (yeah he is a sir and a lord now! hahaha), I absolutely LOVED zie deutsch accent by zie narrator herr Daniel Wisniewski ja!!

ok. so. narrators. no, Lord Bray isn't booked for this book series...it was a major bummer I felt at first. but then I've come to trust Lord Hopper and he is usually spot in with his assessments from what I've seen. while Lord Bray is still my 1A I now have a few 1Bs! both Rebecca Woods and Daniel Wisniewski are flat out AMAZING. In fact for THIS book it would be hard for me to imagine Bray doing it better. They are rock stars!

now. meat and potatoes time. so, overall impression? I have to admit I was a little disappointed at first! I had NO IDEA what this book was going to be about other than promised to be "hard sci-fi" and in discussions before Hopper has alluded to star trek and other amazing works as various inspirations. he said this wouldn't really be military sci-fi which he has mostly written to date (ROTE/G). So I wasn't expecting THIS story! but the minor disappointment faded as the chapters melted away and a good chunk of the first third of the book was a major character development with little action. but there was building tension and once I flushed the idea that this Infinita book was going to be hard sci-fi in the trek sense of galactic wide civilizations and arms races and espionage etc...and allowed any preconceived ideas to also melt away, by the halfway mark I was sold and the story became more and more gripping! thus while mildly disappointed in what my mind had built up to be something else, especially since I hate spoilers and want to let the story be as fresh and new experience as possible, it ended up being a huge positive that I had mildly high expectations of something else and once I let go of that, the slight let down and then the grand slam the rest of the book was...with the awesome narration and varying writing styles that Lord Hopper alluded to he would use...JUST WOW. I mean WOW!!!!!

Again no spoilers or very limited. let's just say i can't wait to re-listen to this just before book 2 comes out and try to figure out if I can spot the various plot twists ahead of time that there might be allusions to that I might have missed in the first listen! some were a little obvious but there was 1 in particular I didn't see coming. And it will likely be of the 1 main storylines moving ahead in book 2 and possibly beyond.

WELL DONE SIR HOPPER!! SPLICKTACULAR!

I mean...forging a path through the darkness!
to Infinita & beyond! SPLICK-YEAH!

Masterclass in gritty, intelligent, Sci-FI

Oblivion Awakes is one of those stories that weeks later, you are still thinking about it as it is such a fascinating story, with some of the best SCI-FI Characters I have read this year. Hopper’s character writing is gritty, powerful and utterly captivating as he brings to life these people with such raw and charismatic intensity. The two main characters, Jericho and Evelyn are brilliant, whilst at times almost overshadowed by their sidekicks Sam and Kit.
This is a story set in a future in which the world has undergone a serious climate event, one that has impacted the Earth, and humanity, wiping out a large part of life on Earth. Those left have divided into a multitude of what are known as Politicasts – Factions that dictate a person’s belief on how humanity should spend its resources, there are the Solum Terram, who think that everything should be put back into saving Earth and humanity should remain on Earth, or the flip side, there are two factions, NUESSA and Viatoribus who reach for the stars, one who seeks Alien life to help humanity and one who just looks to the stars as a means to further humanity. There is of course the Tantum Terrae, the faction who not on believe in the sanctity of Earth, but do not want anyone reaching out, and will do anything to stop it, including violence.
The world building is so in-depth, so rich, you can lose yourself in this place that Hopper has created, with an alternate Earth, full of a complex and multi-faceted political system. On top of that, there is so much intricate detail of the civilisation and Earth that we now live on, and even more exciting, the space stations that orbit above. Hopper has created this world that is so full of comprehensive detail that you can walk on the world as the Characters talk about it, or stand on the station and see what they see, as they visualise it. It is both extraordinary and breathtaking.
The Politicasts in this story are fascinating, you belong to your cast, and have it tattooed on your hand. People have so much passion about their casts, it is almost like a Religion for them. But this is about ‘belief’, believing in something, whether that be in the Earth, in exploration, or in Alien life, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you have your beliefs, and you stick to them.
The quality and the depth of the world building relating to aspects such as the Politicasts is what makes this story so astonishing.
The story is split into two main arcs, one that follows Jericho Fox, and the other that follows Evelyn Parks.
Jericho Fox is a pilot with a past, and the weight of the entire galaxy on his shoulders. We learn pretty quickly (No spoilers), that he has been involved in some sort of incident, an accident, that has seen him cast out of not only his job, but his former Politicast as well, and that for a lot of the human race, he seems despised. So it is a shock to him when he starts a new job, and finds a young Engineer, Kit, who doesn’t really know him and is grateful to work with him. Kit to has been cast out due to a misadventure in life, and the pair work on shipping Uranium on a hauler.
There story arc is one that sees them sent to investigate a crash, and what they find will not only change their lives, but the lives of many others.
Dr Evelyn Parks is probably the best character in the book, and one of the best characters I have read all year. She is just so much fun. Not only is she highly intelligent, being the lead Astrophysicist onboard the Astrea space hab, a station in space that houses more than 375,000 humans all researching the future of humanity in space or looking to connect humanity with an alien civilisation. Evelyn ‘Evie’ Parks, and her friend, and co-worker, Dr Samantha ‘Sam’ Collins, work at trying to locate extrasolar intelligence that could help humanity further themselves, repair the Earth, or reach into the stars. At the start of Evelyn’s story, she finds herself confronted with not only her research in trouble, but for the first time ever on Astrea, something horrific has happened, and she has been tied to it, and now must work out what has happened. The story on Astrea is utterly intriguing, fast paced, gritty and intelligent. It has so many twists and turns, that you won’t see the last twist smack you in the face, let alone the two new ones that have just appeared. Evie and Sam’s tale is intense, at times almost brutal, but it is always gripping and it is exceptionally well written.
The other really extraordinary part of this story is the dark character we get to read about every now and then, Jack, this elusive predator that is stalking our main characters. He is an assassin lurking in the shadows and seeking to cause mayhem, but is so well done. These little elements in the story are not only captivating, but utterly fascinating.
There are several other characters I won’t mention to avoid spoilers, but Hopper continues to prove why he is so good at character driven storytelling. Oblivion Awakes is a masterclass in gritty, intelligent and thrilling Sci-fi and regardless of the genre you love, Mil Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Alien Invasion, Exploration, even Hard Sci-Fi, there is something for everyone in this book.
This will be one of those series that is long remembered into the future, so get onboard now.
I hadn’t listened to either of these Narrators before, and therefore it came as a surprise to learn that Rebecca Woods is not actually of New Zealand descent, because she does one of the best Kiwi accents, I think I have ever heard someone pull off who is not from those beautiful islands. No offence to others, but most people slaughter both NZ and Australian accents, doing a dreadful job, but Rebecca Woods did an extraordinary job, she was brilliant. I am from Australia, so can’t stand it when people do a terrible job with these accents. On top of this, Rebecca Woods has such a beautiful voice, you can listen to it without limit, she is so easy to listen to, and very relaxing. She speaks with a very clear and concise voice, so she is easy to understand (even if you want to run the Narration at a higher speed). She does an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life, emulating their emotional states, letting us know exactly how they feel. Her portrayal of Evelyn was outstanding, she really gave the character so much life and passion. Rebecca Woods was just incredible as the Narrator in this role.
Equally as brilliant was Daniel Wisniewski, his portrayal of Jericho was stunning, he really captured the tortured soul of the character and brought him to life. When Jericho talks about his past, Daniel really portrays the pain he feels about various things that have happened to him. However, he also does this exceptional job of both showing Jericho as the experienced guy who has lived through things, and is now stronger for it, that air of confidence. Daniel Wisniewski really brings him to life. His portrayal of Kit is possibly the best male character I have listened to all year though, he did him so well – capturing his demeanor, tone, and energy perfectly.
Daniel Wisniewski’s Narration is remarkable. As with Rebecca, he speaks with a very clear and concise voice, easy to understand, even if you want to listen at a higher speed.
This is one book that you just HAVE to listen to, as the Narration is beyond brilliant, and it is a crime to miss it!!!