Transient Echoes

The Variant Saga, Book 2

By: J. N. Chaney

Narrated by: Steve Barnes

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

It has been three years since the day of the Second Jolt. Thanks to the efforts of a select few, the world is finally moving on. As the Variant air begins to thin, humanity finds itself on the cusp of a new age of exploration, but at what cost?

After closing the rift - the source of all Variant - the hybrid child known as Terry has been transported to a distant world, far away from the only home he's ever known. Completely isolated, and haunted by voices from his past, he wanders through the ruins of an ancient civilization long forgotten.

Back on Earth, a young woman named Mei works tirelessly to uncover the secrets of the rift. Against orders, she searches for the truth, making an unprecedented gamble. Will her obsession bring the answers she so desperately seeks or will it cause even more destruction?

©2016 Jeffrey Chaney (P)2016 Jeffrey Chaney

great continuation of a beautifully written series

Any additional comments?

Although I really didn't have many complaints about book 1, the character development in book 2 made this installment significantly more enjoyable for me. In some ways, Transient Echoes is more focused than its predecessor. Where book 1 spread over Terry's entire childhood, book 2 spans only several months... perhaps in this way it was easier to live the story with the characters.

There was a short time where I was disappointed that this book provided no glimpse into what life was like underground or what was happening politically... but I pretty quickly got over that, as the novel feels so well-balanced as it is.

I listened to this book via audio (whereas I read book 1) and, overall, I did enjoy the narration. The narrator did a great job with the alien language, and it was an overall easy listen. The one thing that irked me about the narration-author collaboration was that the "audio files" were read as if a transcript was being read... I found it quite distracting. Maybe it would have been too hard to follow, but I would have preferred a more descriptive title to the audio file with a more audio play type performance for these tidbits.

I received this audiobook from the author.

GREAT!

I really enjoy the journey that was taken on this book. Excellently written, beautifully orated, this book takes you to a new time.

Wow!

The narrator in this is way better than the first one. Can't get enough of this!

Transient Echoes

Any additional comments?

It is a great story and follow up for the first book. Absolutely loved it, the only complaint I have is that now I have to wait for book 3 to satisfy the need I have to find out what happens!

Slow but Worth it

Was slow reading throughout the book. BUT a good transition to book #3. The book itself truly is good enough that I put up with the narrator. I really hated how he used a 'whispery' voice. Almost didn't read the book because of it.I did enjoy the character developments. The story was somewhat predictable. Looking forward to the next book!

the story was cleverly constructed

In the Amber Project we left Terry in a new world after he closed the rift, which will be called the Second Jolt. This story starts three years later, in the year 2350. There are two parallel stories in this book. On one hand, Terry is scouting around the new place were he got trapped and where the variant came from, and on the other hand, his friends John and Mei are investigating what could have happened to Terry, and whether he may still be alive. Mei leads an investigation team on the place where the Jolts took place, to check why there is an increasing radiation in this area and to investigate a new power source. The increasing radiation will be the main issue that will prevent them to get to the exact place where the Jolts originated, and where Terry got lost.

The style of this book is completely different to the first one, keeping the story fresh. It is more slowly paced and we are presented with two parallel stories. Chaney knows how to keep us interested though, since in both stories there are mysteries to be revealed, and we accompany the characters in their way to finding the truth. I think this is one of the aspects that I enjoyed most of this book: investigating and discovering things along with the characters, making hypothesis now and then. When an author gets this from their readers, I think it is a complete success. Chaney really knows how slowly unfold the truth and keep us interested until the very end.

Another strong point is how the characters are built. We are not given a zillion details about them but they are alive, they feel human, and one can easily connect with them.

I was surprised about this book being narrated by someone else than the first book, and it took me a while to get used to Steve Barnes' husky voice (in a way I felt that somebody was whispering in my ear), but his speech is clear and he successfully transmitted the characters' emotions.

This is a transition book, and there is still a lot to know about the world where Terry now lives. Transition books are hard to build, since you need to keep your readers interested while going from A to B. The two parallel stories helped to create this bridge, and the story was cleverly constructed.

Something that made me doubt a bit is that days seem to have the same duration on Earth and on the planet where Terry lives. As I have said, there is still a lot to be revealed about this new world, and I do hope we will get the answers to our questions. Building a transition book is difficult, but a good ending is even more difficult. Let's see what Chaney comes up with. I am impatient.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Great Story, indifferent narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the story is great. It picks up where Amber Project leaves off, in a stunning cliffhanger.

Did Steve Barnes do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I thought the narration was okay, but not great. It was just a little too unchanging to be a good dramatic reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Terry lost his alien family--heartbreak!

Any additional comments?

I received this audio book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Awesome

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book.The author has a talent for creating characters I care about.I found myself engrossed in the story wanting to find out Terry's fate.The world Terry inhabits is really well developed and the descriptions are wonderful.The narrator has a pleasant voice to listen too.I can't wait to read book three.I received an audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Transient Echoes

The saga continues! Mr. Chaney does an excellent job of describing new worlds. The fight scenes are great! The eeriness of Terry's wanderings through his past are reminiscent of many horror books I have read. Another great book in the series...I hate to have to wait to see what happens next!

2nd in series is great. Can't wait for the next!

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

About the middle. The narrator tended to whisper a lot and you really have to concentrate to hear and understand. Maybe it's just my kindle.? Maybe it's my ears.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Transient Echoes?

I loved the farmer and his family when Terry stayed with them.

What three words best describe Steve Barnes’s performance?

Great character voices.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

One lone boy steps through a hole in the universe and becomes a man.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the next book.