Recorder

Children of the Consortium, Book 1

By: Cathy McCrumb

Narrated by: Taylor Meskimen

Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The Consortium is All. But Recorder Can No Longer Obey.

Recorder has no family, no friends, and no name. Donated to the Consortium before birth, her sole purpose is to maintain and verify the records. A neural implant and drone ensure compliance, punishing for displays of bias.

Suddenly cut off from controlling technology, Recorder tastes what it means to be human. But if the Consortium discovers her feelings, everyone she knows will be in danger.

With no name, no resources, and only an infinitesimal possibility of escape, Recorder's time is running out.

©2021 Cathy McCrumb (P)2021 Oasis Audio

Good concept but the author chose to make Y.A.

There were many ways this could have gone. The underlying concept was interesting. Unfortunately (to me, you may like it) the author decided to write it as a Y.A. coming of age / discovery of self book. There's nothing really wrong with that, but it wasn't what I wanted to read.

The narrator, Taylor Meskimen, was well chosen to read this as a Y.A. novel. I was annoyed a few times by her incorrect pronunciation of words I'd consider fairly common, it really wasn't egregious and as I keep saying, its a Y.A. book. The tone and style matched that well enough.

A good story. And a great romance. But a bit slow.

I really like this book. It was really fun. Thoughtful. Romantic. But it was a bit slow. For a premise like this, I think it leaned a little too heavily on relationships/romance. And that’s why I’m only giving it a three star rating. But, it’s worth a read, especially if you enjoy romance, and Sci-fi!

I loved it!!

Wonderful story, wonderful narrator! The author really did her research with all the science fiction elements that were in this book. sci-fi, murder mystery, sabotage, and a romance, could it get any better?!

A thought provoking story of what could be…

I really loved Cathy McCrumb’s “Recorder” story and the vibrant characters that were developed to enhance the storytelling. Cathy did an excellent job of balancing a complex story with believable emotions and feeling. I think we could all imagine feeling the way the Recorder did as she navigated a “trial by fire” experience.

I recommend it to all science fiction fans who love to see a lot of heart in the story. I thorough enjoyed it!

Fun story!

This was such a fun story! It had a great sci fi premise with a mystery and even a little romance. I am looking forward to the next book!

A fairly enjoyable YA Sci-Fi read

It has a good, dystopian premise and some interesting characters.

It was more YA-oriented than I had expected, but not in a bad sense. It had a feel a bit like Sanderson's Skyward mixed with a conspiracy thrown in. However, I did find some elements of the conspiracy a bit obvious.

It's worth reading, especially if you like YA Sci-Fi. I'll get around to reading the next in the series eventually.

The narration was good. However, the book uses a very long name/designation and a complex dating scheme. In print, this would be glossed over, but it was long and a bit annoying in audio. That probably should have been cut out or scaled back for audio.

Couldn’t put down

Since I’m a sci-fi fan, this book grabbed my attention immediately. The story kept me listening as I hoped for the Recorder to find her humanity and escape the life forced on her. She proved the heart of who we truly are cant’t be erased no matter what physical alterations are done through science and medicine.

I loved the friendships that developed (found family trope) and the mysteries behind a deadly virus. There was even a murder to solve.

My review skills are weak, so don’t rely on my words to choose this story. I suggest if you’re a fan of The Illuminae Files or Skyward, this book has the same elements as those stories but with more heart.

Excellent sci-fi experience.

Do you like fleshed-out worlds different from our own but still completely relatable? The way McCrumb offers up character observations and thoughts about the world gives you a very clear idea of how the world works without spending pages and pages on describing all the little details. The author seems to know exactly how to highlight all the necessary and interesting details while letting the reader fill in the more boring details.

Are you searching for a plot driven by character development? The whole point of this book is the growth of the main (and side!) characters from close-minded, robotic thinking into a much more complex world view.

Just because a book is about character growth doesn't mean it's low on the action either! murder mystery, gunfights, spying, this book has it all! And it will keep you on your toes from start to finish. I definitely had trouble putting this book down just to eat! can't praise this book enough! love it!

Highly character driven.Believable world building.

I fell in love with the main character before the end of chapter one. I won't bother telling you what the book is about. You can read the blurb. I will tell you that Recorder made me cry tears of joy and sorrow. I don't cry in books often. Especially not in a Scifi.

The world building was terrifying and believable. At first, I was concerned the plot would melt into character soup. But I pushed through all the new names and faces. One by one, they each stole my heart.

Stellar Debut - Character-Driven Science Fiction

This is a solid book and fantastic for a debut author.
Recorder is a compelling heroine, almost a flesh and blood cyborg, long punished for showing emotion or analytical bias. Now untethered from her drone, the still nameless Recorder (Zeta in my head) is learning to embrace her humanity.
The story begins almost like a dystopian for the first couple of chapters in almost a prologue then flows seamlessly into a character-driven science fiction story. The supporting cast enhance Recorder's story with their own feelings and bias towards her and her kind, the Recorders. These flashbacks enhance the story by placing these feelings and biases into context and adding to the main plot which is a tight murder mystery surrounded by political intrigue, my favorite kind of story.
Cons: The dystopian-like beginning, although it and the ending bookend the story and are necessary. Also, I have to wait for book 2! It's like watching Recorder's hair grow.
Pros: Character-driven science fiction. So often sci-fi relies on action while this story relies on strong characters and an intriguing mystery and political intrigue.