Outland

Quantum Earth, Book 1

De: Dennis E. Taylor

Narrado por: Ray Porter

When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, it's up to six college students and their experimental physics project to prevent the end of civilization.

When an experiment to study quantum uncertainty goes spectacularly wrong, physics student Bill Rustad and his friends find that they have accidentally created an inter-dimensional portal. They connect to Outland - an alternate Earth with identical geology, but where humans never evolved. The group races to establish control of the portal before the government, the military, or evildoers can take it away.

Then everything changes when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts in an explosion large enough to destroy civilization and kill half the planet. The team has just hours to get as many people as possible across to Outland before a lethal cloud of ash overwhelms them.

Nothing has prepared the refugees for what they find - a world of few resources and unprecedented dangers. Somehow, they must learn to survive, because Outland may not just be a safe haven - it could be their new home.

©2019 Dennis E. Taylor (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

So good I've already started re-listening to it!

I received a pre-release copy of this book from Audible for review consideration and am voluntarily posting my review. Receipt of this free copy does not influence my review.
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I like the combination of Dennis E. Taylor and Ray Porter almost as much as I like Jonathan Maberry and Ray Porter. Y’all that is saying something! I mean, it’s true that Ray Porter possesses a nearly magical ability to bring stories to life instantly inside my head, but even he can’t make a silk purse out of a sow ear. (See Dead Moon for an example.) However, when he is given a story like Outland that is already all sorts of perfect all on it’s own? That is when the listening experience goes from enjoyable to Yes-I-know-it’s-2-am-and-no-i-can’t-turn-it-off-thank-you.

When I was asked if I wanted to review a copy of Outland, I didn’t even read the synopsis. I went straight to “Yes, please.” as soon as I saw the author and narrator names. It is a decision I do not regret. Taylor’s story is one that kicks off nicely and keeps going at a perfect pace.

From pop culture to multiverse theory, there’s a little bit of something for the nerd that exists inside us science fiction readers. I am fascinated by the idea of Yellowstone erupting and how that would play out for the United States in general. Taylor took me beyond that though as he explored how it would effect the world at large as the balance of power shifted and the long-lasting effect it would have on the human race.

One of the things he said outright depressed me for a moment. Now, this quote isn’t going to be exact because I was listening to an audiobook, but it was in the midst of a discussion about how far humanity would be set back and they were talking about resources. It was something like:

“We’ve used all the easily available resources (metals, oil, etc.). We’ve mined all the medium-difficulty resources. We’ve gotten the hard stuff too. Now we’re highly advanced technology to get to the hardest to reach stuff. Humanity will be in an early-Industrial age with none of the resources they need to rebuild.”

I paused the book, leaned back, and went “Well…shit. I never thought of that.” It took me a moment to press the button and ‘read’ on.

I loved the main characters of Outland. It is a mix of mostly nerds with some kick-ass women involved. There was scenes that had me giggling in pure enjoyment, and mentally cheering when some retribution was delivered in no-holds-barred fashion. None of them are perfect. There’s a hint of romance but it is never central to the story at all. They all deliver absolutely groan-worthy lines at one moment or another. They all know they’re not doing good enough and at some point their luck is going to run out.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Taylor’s writing is how he manages to keep it so well-balanced. Even when serious happenings are going down, there’s always a wisecrack or wry observation to lighten the mood. Taylor writes sci-fi for those who have happily owned their geekdom, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This one needs to go on your must read/listen pile, folks!

An AR-15 is NOT an "assault" rifle.

I loved the book. Really good story and narration. The only thing that annoyed me was the author kept calling an AR-15 an "assault" rifle.Anyone who knows the basics of firearms knows an "assault" rifle is one capable of burst fire or full auto. Other than that, really great book and awesome narration by Ray Porter.

4.16 stars.........don't read the blurb

If you like the Bobiverse series, you will like Outland. There are many similarities. Dennis E. Taylor even uses some of the same character names from the Bobiverse. The issue I have is with Audible's blurb. The first sentence gives away a major plot point in the book, and this event doesn't occur until about 5 or 6 hours into the story (over half way through the book). I would have liked this story more if I had not known this spoiler ahead of time. Maybe they did this because Outland is the first installment in a series, so by the time the series is complete, the 5 hours won't seem like much, in comparison. All in all, this is a good first installment in D.E. Taylor's new series. It has action, suspense, disaster, and science - something for everyone. Ray Porter, the narrator from the Bobiverse series, once again does a great job.

Overall rating: 4.16 stars

Fun story

Im a big dan of Taylors stories, and this one was as fun as all the others. Eagerly awaiting his next work.

What's not to love!

What's not to love about Outland? Dennis E Taylor and Ray Porter have teamed up again to deliver an outstanding audio novel!
This book shows us a very plausible near-future apocalypse with the cataclysmic eruption of Yellowstone... here's an interesting podcast to make Dennis E Taylor's point... https://www.futilitycloset.com/2018/10/29/podcast-episode-222-the-year-without-a-summer/
Add in some smart university students, a portal into an alternate reality, plenty of (LOL) pop culture references, Smilodons (Saber-toothed tigers), and some gangsters and you end up with one hell-of-a-story!
Seriously it's one of the best books I've gotten into this year, and while the year is still young, it's really hard to imagine another story capable of knocking Outland, out of my top 10 reads for 2019!