Endeavour

Sleeping Gods, Book 1

By: Ralph Kern

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Since we first looked at the stars, there have been no signs of alien life - no one who has tried to speak to us, a mystery that a long-dead scientist called the Fermi paradox. "Where are they?"

In 2118 the first daring mission to another star, Tau Ceti - 12 light-years away - is launched. Tom Hites and Harry Cosgrove command the starship Endeavour on an epic journey to solve the Fermi paradox. From the first nearly disastrous steps on a distant world, their quest takes them further than they ever imagined. Out amid the mysterious, long-abandoned worlds and ancient relics, they discover some strange, some wonderful, and some deadly. The question they seek to answer becomes: "Where are they now?"

©2015 Ralph Kern (P)2015 Tantor

Great story

The ending has a very fascinating viewpoint. Love the story. Good narration too. Can not wait for the next book.

Just because we listen to it does not mean it should be poorly written

I read to escape so there is not much worse than being rio back into the present by poor writing. I put this not on the author, rather on his editor. If he does not have an editor then shame on the author.
There were numerous instances of extra words and crapy turns phrase, even repeated words within the same paragraph that any editor worth their salt would have corrected.
As for the story overall, it kept me me listening, despite the fact that I like a lot more details in my science fiction.

One of the Best Books I’ve Ever Read (Listened To)

I can’t count how many books I’ve listened to in my life. I have been thoroughly entertained by so many great authors over the years that it’s hard to truly say which is my favorite. That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that listening to Endeavor by Ralph Kern was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. My level of fascination with the Fermi Paradox and my love of all things space collided in this book. The ending left me in complete awe of what could be out there. Ralph Kern has a gift.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please write a third book for this series!

Gripping and very entertaining

Where does Endeavour rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Endeavour is an enjoyable and creative story offering a possible answer to the question, "Are we alone?" It doesn't break any new ground, but it puts a variety of popular views on future technology and theories on alien life together in a gripping and entertaining way.

What other book might you compare Endeavour to and why?

Endeavour reminds me of Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga, but not in a, "You stole material" sort of way. Both are refreshing and excellently well written.

What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Michael Kramer is a master of his craft. He adds a level of depth to the stories he narrates that helps pull you further into the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Great book, if you are Vulcan...

Struggling to finish this, narration is very flat while the characters are ok. Can't really recommend.

Great first novel

All in all this book was pretty good. I was a little hesitant given the synopsis but I was quickly impressed by the actual content.

The narration was spot on. No problems there.

My only real issue was that the ending was easily the weakest part of the novel. I felt that it was a bit forced for sake of suspense and characters acted...well...uncharacteristically.

it's just ok.

well, it had potential, but it jumped around too much and too quickly. abrupt ending as well.

Narrator sounds a bit creepy..

..when impersonating females. :)
Otherwise a good book! A bit slow in the beginning, but gets more and more interesting. After half the book it is almost impossible to stop listening.

Interesting sound sci-fi

The world's design is interesting and sound. However, the story is slow, and no remarkable charactor are portraited.

Rare take on exploration

Found this book because I was searching for books Michael Kramer narrated. Glad I gave it a chance. Very unique look at our universe, possible theories on other civilizations, and good usage of technology and theoretical technology. The end was so unexpected I jolted in the my seat when the last "act" started taking shape. Really am not surprised that much but...I was with this one! Looking forward to the next installment.