Randomize

Forward collection

By: Andy Weir

Narrated by: Janina Gavankar

Length: 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Audible narration by Janina Gavankar (True Blood)

In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.

An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house - unless human ingenuity isn’t entirely a thing of the past.

Andy Weir’s Randomize is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

©2019 Andy Weir (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“…a sensational project…” (Spine Magazine)

“The Martian author Andy Weir brings his scientific flair to his novella about a Las Vegas casino heist...[Narrator Janina] Gavankar uses a well-balanced blend of accents, changes in tone, and varied pacing to infuse personality into her well-done character distinctions.” (AudioFile)

“This sci-fi collection boasts six stories from beloved authors, which can each be read in one riveting sitting.” (Paste Magazine) 

“This is exactly how I like my techno-anxiety…Happy bingeing!” (Audible, an October Editors Pick)

Don't get your hopes up

The bright side is that this was a very short read; however I can't say that it was enjoyable or entertaining. The concept was interesting and it felt like it could have become a version of Oceans 11, but it never got there. I'm guessing part of the push for this story was to include it as part of an Amazon Audible Original for a collection of short stories. Because of it's brevity, it was also not too heavy handed with Weir's typically ultra-specific and detailed plot devices.

Pros: it was a short read and somewhat interesting concept.
Cons: the story never felt like it picked up or went anywhere.
Bottom line: not worth the effort, but not a total waste of time.

Brilliant Heist Caper based on Quantum Computing!

If you've never read Andy Weir, this is a low-cost way to start.

If you have read Andy Weir, this has all the stuff you love: hard science presented in a "popular" way, well-constructed schemes, and perfectly plausible reasons why the scheme blows up in the protagonist's face.

And more!

interesting

This was a fairly interesting, low-commitment story with heist-y vibes. I disliked the narration: while done well, I feel it was done wrong. The narrator would be great for a romance novel, but the tone was just too flirty for what was actually happening in the story. From the text, there was zero flirting happening at any time. But the audio experience felt like some of the characters were constantly about to make out. Bizarre.

A good nerdy short story

What do you expect in Andy Weir's book? A nerdy character, some cool technologies, some clever plot twist based on a problem to solve, where science can be used at their best. You have all this here. This is a short story, so you don't have all the time to develop the plot and the characters, but he is able to put everything here. Highly recommended.

So~So

This had not been my favorite book series. The stories, to me, were mostly forgettable. This was no exception. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything special. 10 minutes after listening to any short stories in the series they were a faded memory. Not bad but not good either. Will never listen tot hem again. Once was enough for me.

Great, except where it counts

This story started out good, and i loved the whole quantum-computer world, and the descriptions of it. However, for a quantum genius and her smart high-IQ man, they sure do fumble and stumble in their clumsy heist-attempt, to the point where i almost cringed at the ending. I could have done without her Sherlock Holmes-ish analyzing in the end as well.

Missed Opportunities

I really wanted to like this story more, but from the first line, I knew what was going to happen. I love the Weir still sciences the shit out of stories, but there were a lot of missed opportunities in the plot department here.

So-so

I thought this was disappointing ... average story, average narration. My first Weir - hoped for more.

Andy weir needs to stick with potatoes

more plot holes in this Google research piece than an acre of grassland full of prairie dogs. I'm not even going to start listing the problems with the story anyone with half a wit Will roll their eyes at it on their own without my help.

Andy Weir does not disappoint.

Never have i seen an author have such a solid grasp on obscure scientific concepts and the complex idiosyncrasies if human nature.

Short but brilliant

It was less than 50 minutes long but I loved every minute of the story.

Get entangled!

I have recently been reading about encryption, random number generation and what the wonder of quantum computing may bring to the table in the 'near' future. so this was a very topical story for me. Well worth an hour of anyone's time!

"Do you have a solution?"

One of the six short stories in the Forward selection, and the shortest at well under an hour. This is a casino heist story, which is fun, but the quantum physics involved went way over my head. But as the author, through one of his characters, says, "Quantum physics doesn't make any sense".

Andy Weir's writing is always a pleasure to read, cleanly formatted, based round hard science yet very human. Narration was by Janina Gavankar, who read with precision, nicely timed and well modulated: she was a pleasure to hear.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and feel that many of the reviews here have been rather harsh in their judgement: hard to explain the complexities of the science and tell a neat little story in around forty minutes. And, if the book is purchased for under a pound, or borrowed through Kindle Unlimited, the audio comes free. Bargain ! So give it a try and decide for yourself.

not my favourite forward story

this one was fine, not as good as the others I've listened to. was intrigued by Andy Weir but it didn't pack quite the punch I was expecting but interesting concepts all the same. some of these shorts I feel need just a few more pages to be fleshed out a bit more

Fun

This was a fun, short read about quantum technology and it's potential role in the gambling industry. If you take it with a pinch of salt it's a pretty cool concept that deserves more justice than this short story gave it credit for.

I really enjoyed reading this, but then I have a soft spot for any kind of heist related tropes.

Fun

Yeah, this story was fun and I learned a thing or two about random number generation and quantum physics. Entertaining, not much more. But often, that’s all you need, eh?

Forward collection

Loving the Forward Collection. This is shorter than Roth and Crouch novellas in series. Probably four star in comparison but given five because I needed this!

not enough space

there is not enough space given to each character in the book. of the 4 you meet, there motivation are single words and they play to that single dimension. the premises is technically accurate and a good reminder of our near future