Primary Inversion

A Novel of the Skolian Empire

By: Catherine Asaro

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The Skolian Empire rules a third of the civilized galaxy through its mastery of faster-than-light communication. But war with the rival empire of the Traders seems imminent, a war that can only lead to slavery for the Skolians or the destruction of both sides. Destructive skirmishes have already occurred. A desperate attempt must be made to avert total disaster.

The best way to listen to this series: Primary Inversion (Unabridged) The Radiant Seas (Unabridged) The Last Hawk (Unabridged) Ascendant Sun (Unabridged) The Quantum Rose (Unabridged) Catch the Lightning (Unabridged)

©1995 Catherine Asaro (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"In an unusually masterful first novel, physicist Asaro combines hard speculative science and first-rate storytelling to look at the galaxy's distant future....This is one of the best sf first novels in years." (Booklist)
"Though Asaro, a physicist, provides more than enough esoteric detail on faster-than-light inversion drives, cybernetic enhancements, and computer networks, she manages to anchor her story with thoughtful, engaging characters and an intriguing vision of the future." (Publishers Weekly)
"This novel deserves a wide readership." (Library Journal)

Couldn't get through the narration...

Hated the narration. I have no idea if the book was good or not. but i can't put myself through her voice for 10 hours.

Bridges of Madison Space Port

I bought this thinking it was a cool book about space battles and soldiers. This was a 10 hour and 59 minute femine hormonal diatribe couched in poorly thought out and over described technology. Half the book was an introspection into the main female character's emotional baggage that was so pounded into you by the end of the story that you began to wonder if the writer wasn't in fact trying to parallel something in real-life. Like we're reading an inside message or joke that we don't really get because we're not whoever this book is aimed at.

The Narator was great except for her naration of men. She tried to speak their lines too deeply. She should stop trying to overmodify her voice. The men in the story (some of them heroic or handsome) sound like goofy and cartoonish children in a liquor store trying to buy beer by disguising their voice.

It was a painful listen

I'm afraid this book was my first true disappointment in an audio book purchase. It droned on, never picking up in pace. And, never really went anywhere. Also, as stated by other reviewers, the author just doesn't understand the transition from the story line into the scientific background and back. The flow of this entire book is jerky and unpleasant at best.
I managed to finish it thru shear determination alone.

Unimaginative soap opera in space

I love science fiction and I love good science fiction. But this is the opposite of what good science fiction is supposed to be. It's basically a "telenovela" set in a futuristic environment. There is nothing creative about it and I don't think that Anna Fields is very good at doing different voices, either. I listened to the complete first part of this two part audio book and then gave up.

Read well-poor story line

The story maintains interest mostly because the reader is so good. The story line is mostly SciFi with some magical thinking.

I could not identify nor empathasize with any of the characters the story line was not suspenseful nor satisfyingly complex.

Endless techno-babble with an unlikely romance

There are not many books I have though to stop in the middle, but this is one of them. The start is fairly promising, but even in the first hour we get a taste of what is to come - endless descriptions of how the technology in the world functions. Now, I do like technology - but not to this excess. In a book form I might have been more forgiving (as I could just skip over the sections), but in an audiobook form is gets old really fast.

If you can trudge through the endless exposition, you'll find a weirdly dual main character. On one moment she is a 40-something battle elite-soldier-veteran - the next a love-sick teenager falling in love with a 'vampire', Twilight style. There seems to be no clear indication on exactly why she suddenly goes off the deep end (nor why he does the same), other than what I must imagine to be Elfquest like 'recognition'. And no, it does not work.

Which is a shame, since the world is a fairly interesting one, even if a bit cliche'd - the humans are the neutral (and apparently liberal americans), the evil are nazi-vampires and refreshingly the protagonist represents the not-so-good-either side.

I got this book along with Asaro's other books in this series at Audible's 3-for-2 deal. I dare say I will be very very desperate for something to listen to before I would listen to the other two.

I enjoyed parts of it.

First, I will echo some of what was posted in the review titled "Bridges of Madison Space Port." Much of the story is schlocky melodrama that was hard to listen to, and the narrator's performance of male voices was grating.

But scattered throughout the story are morsels of sci-fi action that was quite enjoyable.

The narrator did a great job, except for the male voices. I just don't know what possessed her to try to speak in a lower register. It was completely distracting, and I kept hoping there wouldn't be any male speaking parts because I didn't want to hear her ridiculous impression again.

I'm still on the fence about whether I will continue the series - only because of the narrator. If the rest of the books are narrated without the goofy lowered voice, then I'll probably continue.

Couldn't wait for it to end...

This, so far, had to be the worst audiobook I've listened to, yet. Don't get me wrong the narrator does, indeed, do a good job and I would definitely hear another one recited by her. The story, however, is quite tedious and annoying. The author seems like she is trying to be another Michael Crichton with frequent discussions of scientific theory sometimes interrupting climactic points in the story. There will be tide-turning action and then, suddenly, a half-hour discussion on how a certain weapon or space fighter works. Crichton pulls it off nicely in his books; Catherine Asaro, sadly, does not. About a third of the book is a non-sensical psychological study of the main character which, also, gets old very fast. The writing style makes it obvious that it's a 'first novel'. The descriptive text is akin to a teenager desperately and clumsily trying win over the heart of his or her crush. The only thing this story was missing was the "It was a dark and stormy night" beginning. Perhaps Asaro's other books are better, but I will never know since I will be keeping a safe distance from them after listening to this one.

okay, but not a star

This book was okay. A little too many seemingly pointless scientific explanations that go on forever and a rather trite story, but the real problem is the narrator. Oh My GOD!! She's bad. Really stupid voices for different characters... Reading it straight would have been better. I will avoid this narrator in the future. Don't recommend paying for this one -- check it out from your local library instead.

Another culture war book

Why is it that authors feel they have to fight political battles using media as their weapons? I was very disappointed to see yet another attempt to normalize homosexuality. The book was already at a slow start, but throw in a lesbian love interest in the first chapter and there is not a point to continue. If homosexuality is not the point of the book, then why is it even in there? If you have traditional moral values, then this book is not for you.