Commitment Hour

League of Peoples, Book 2

By: James Alan Gardner

Narrated by: Darren Stephens

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

In the 25th century, Tober Cove is a wonderful place to be. With most of Earth's population long since departed for other planets, and with them the technology that makes such a journey possible, life here is simple and serene - especially for Fullin, a gifted musician whose talent commands many times the wages of a farmer or fisherman. But Fullin is twenty years old. And at that age, each person in Tober Cove must make the most important decision in life. Ominous winds of change swirl toward Fullin's idyllic existence, carrying dark secrets that will upend his beliefs, alter his view of reality and threaten his very life. But for the boy himself, there is no more room for indecision. The time has come to take an irrevocable stand and seal his fate forever. The hour of commitment is here.

From the author of Expendable, a major new voice in imaginative fiction, here is a spellbinding adventure which dares to pose critical questions about the human condition and answer them.

©1998 James Alan Gardner (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Really fun gender swap

The social commentary on gender in this book is very fun! The narrator does a fantastic job. There is a small audio error where the retake of the line was captain. He repeats a line 3 times about six hours in, Not a big deal but kind of funny.

captivating story

the story kept me guessing what was going to happen. quite the satasfying ending. love everything.

Crazy Twists

Any additional comments?

I'm so happy to have one of my favorite authors make it into audible. His stories really transform the world and scenery to what he has portrayed and with few hiccups on how it makes sense. This book is no exception where it almost depicts and transforms how Earth would change if we became prey to alien scientists or humans, and how they would figure out what makes us tick. Different layers of rules for society, the country, universal and common sense made me feel like it's a high priced chess match with incredible weapons.

I would recommend this book but preferably after you read some of the other books in the series. You can hop around the book list but you get a better introduction of the societies and rules involved if you read the first ones before this one. He explains everything well, but you will have a smaller chance of getting lost in the dialogue if this book is not your first read from this author.

Interesting premise, difficult execution

I really liked the idea that in this village that the people could swap gender once a year until they hit 20 and are forced to choose. The exact mechanism and mechanics for this are revealed in the last 1 hour of the audio title.

The story attempts to explore the differences in the way gender affects our reality. The main character's point of view shifts between genders affecting his perspective and the way he views the world around him. This is not always a perspective I found enjoyable. At times I found the main character to be unlikeable, sexist and somewhat bloodthirsty. At times the way he feels about his girlfriend/boyfriend comes off as somewhat despicable and contemptible.

The ending was very interesting, but sort of an info-dump. I can't discuss more without spoilers... I guess I can say I liked the title but didn't love it. I felt the story could've been more interesting with a character I really could root for, and with a less violent/despicable actions of the culture involved.