SpaceMan

By: Tom Abrahams

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Clayton Shepard is 249 miles above Earth when the lights go out.

He has no communication, limited power, and an unbreakable will to survive.

His one goal: find his way back to his family.

Shepard is an astronaut on his first mission to the International Space Station.

When a violent blast of solar magnetic radiation leaves him stranded in orbit, he's forced to use his wit and guile to find a way home.

He has no idea what he'll find when he gets there.

SpaceMan is a post-apocalyptic/dystopian tale that tells the survival story of a man and the family he left behind. It's written with the help of former astronauts, NASA team members, and well-respected astrophysicists that give SpaceMan a unique sense of detail and desperation.

©2016 Piton Press LLC (P)2016 Piton Press LLC

Great twist on the EMP/survival genre.

A unique twist on the EMP/survival genre. Clayton Shepard an astronaut on his first mission to the International Space Station is on the 72nd day of the mission when the huge solar storm hits earth and the ISS. The other two astronauts are outside the ISS working when it hit. The two outside were dead within minutes when their suits failed. Clayton struggles to get his two friends back into the capsule and then begins to prepare for the return trip home. At least he hopes things are working well enough for him to get home. The situation at home on earth is not going well either. The solar storm has crippled the grid and unfortunately people immediately revert to their base instinct. Good story. Kevin Pierce is great as usual.

Apocalypse while on the space station

A solar CME (coronal mass ejection) leaves Earth and the ISS (International Space Station) without electricity. Clayton Shepard is an astronaut on his first mission on the ISS, and he will have to find a way to rescue his two colleagues who were on an EVA at the moment of the CME, and try to get back to Earth before life support fails completely. On Earth his wife Jackie will suffer the consequences on a different level but not less stressful, taking care of their daughter and part of the neighborhood, while their son is on a camping trip with a friend.

The premises of this book is so good, and the blurb mentions that some NASA team members collaborated on this, that I was ready for a hard sci-fi book. The parts at the ISS were a bit, but I found them a bit confusing like they were somehow not very well described. I had problems to visualize what Clayton was doing and the space he was in. Even though the book is titled 'Spaceman' most of the action happens on Earth, where we see the rest of members of his family facing a post-apocalyptic world in which almost everybody has become selfish and cruel. The ISS part was a bit original, but not the part on Earth; we found the same stereotypes than in many other books. Nevertheless, I found that the riots started too early, while at the same time some people were still working at gas station stores. It just did not make a lot of sense.

The action in the book is quite slow, and the several flashbacks, instead of helping us to know the characters better, make the story drag. I was not able to connect to any of the characters, and Abrahams failed at transmitting their emotions and Clayton's sense of urgency at the ISS. I found myself not really caring for any of them, which bothered me since the setup was really great.

I have read comparisons between this book and the Martian, and even Clayton mentions Matt Damon during his ramblings while fighting for his life, but I would not put both books at the same level. As I have just said, I did not get the sense of urgency, nor could I connect to any of the characters. I just wanted to laugh at Clayton's sense of humor but couldn't.

In the end, I felt cheated. Clayton's story, the one giving the title to the book, is just a small part of it, and it is not even finished. I understand that this will be a series, but the end was quite underwhelming.

Kevin Pierce's narration was spot on, though, and he tried to transmit the characters emotions, even though they were not clear in the text. I am looking forward to other books narrated by Pierce.

I have found this book basically anecdotal. The fact that part of it happens on the ISS makes it more interesting, but the rest of the material did not live up to my expectations. Just another post-apocalyptic story.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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

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awesome book

Kevin pierce is great as usual,as narrator the story was awesome the way they went from the space to the ground tragedy. I had to listen to it all at once. I hope there is another book that continues where this one left off
I received this book from the publisher, author and or narrator for a honest review and unbiased opinion via audio book boom dot com

Space and the Apocalypse

I've read many apocalypse-style books, and many start to sound the same after awhile. Spaceman by Tom Abrahams is not one of those. With a unique take on the genre, Spaceman tells the story of an Astronaut - Clayton Shepard - trying to get back to Earth after a large Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) knocks out all power on the International Space Station.

To add to the tension, the CME has also knocked the Earth back to the Stone Age - at least to some extent. The link between NASA and the ISS is broken, and Clayton Shepard is completely on his own.

Throughout the book, we also get to follow the troubles back on Earth as we see Shepard's family and friends struggle to come to terms with their newfound reality.

The first in a series, Spaceman does not disappoint. Good writing and excellent narration by Kevin Pierce bring this story to life. It was a real "page-turner" - I stayed up late just to finish it. I was voluntarily provided a review copy of the audiobook, but would not have hesitated to spend a credit on it. Really well done!

Too little emotion 4 a disaster book

From the beginning of the story I just couldn't understand where the characters were coming from. For instance, as disaster struck the characters glossed over a lot of what they saw without seeming to be too upset and focused more on how other characters were handling things.

The Spacemans wife came across as very bland. As I listened I kept thinking there needed to be more emotion so that I could identify with the situations more.

I received this audiobook from narrator, publisher and/or author in exchange for an honest review.

Great Stuff!

My wife, young adult daughter, and I listened to this series on our commute to their grandparent's house. They were entertaining and very good stories to listen to with the family. We all enjoyed Kevin Pierce's narration and hope to hear more of him in the future.

Lost in space corrupt governments

Being an astronaut who are in space what would you and your fellow astronauts do if you were caught in a solar event that alters the earth and it future. This series is told from an astronaut view and his wife and family thru the first and then the second solar flares the hit both the earth and the space station and kills two of the astronauts and majority of the people on earth.
The first audible is mostly about Clay who is the only surviving astronaut and what he does to to survive and the battles he go through to get back to both the earth and his family. As you listen to the three audibles it the journey of Clay, his family and friends and you will see what a corrupt government will do to save a few or what they call the choosen and then what they decide to do the people who was not chosen.
As the story starts Clay is in the Space Station with his friends before the first events the two other astronauts do a walk are caught outside when the event hits and they are killed Clay decides to rescue them and bring their bodies back to earth to their families for burials. Not knowing the fate of the earth he has to try to get back to his family and for his family when the first event they are almost killed when an airplane crashes into their neighborhood killing and burning many homes with the people still inside sleeping. As Clay fights to get home to his family you meet the neighbor and their friends who try to work together to get food while others are willing to kill and steal for food. Then the journey starts that and goes on thru the second and the final audible.
The author and narrator both did an awesome job writing and telling the story and bring the characters alive to the point you feel their pain, fear, love of friends and love ones and one of the major ones is what they will do to save their family and friends.
I am sure you will enjoy the journey of Clay and his family.

A New Twist on Apocalyptic Fiction

Would you consider the audio edition of SpaceMan to be better than the print version?

I listen mostly to audio books because of limited time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of SpaceMan?

The entire concept of an astronaut coming back to earth following an apocalyptic event is a refreshing take on 'prepper' fiction.

Which scene was your favorite?

When he rescued his friends in order to take their bodies home.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to get into the second book.

Good narrator, story was 8/10

I got this book as a free gift from the narrator, Kevin Pierce. Related to that, I've reviewed other Kevin Pierce narrated novels and enjoy them a lot. Overall I like the narrator even when the actual book has some issues.

Kevin did a great job on narrating this novel. I want to declare that first so that I can discuss the novel itself.

At a high level, the level of detail of the ISS was pretty good. But the behavior of astronauts and cosmonauts wasn't. The main protagonist that gets sent to the ISS is under trained and LITERALLY would not ever qualify for being sent upstairs. The behavior of the people onboard is not representable by experience of the dozens of people that have been up on the ISS over the last 20+ years.

Beyond that, the story is interesting and following along with an astronaut trying to get home is reasonable.

Book is a 6/10, Kevin's narration is a solid 10.

Post Apocalyptic Tale with a Twist!

What made the experience of listening to SpaceMan the most enjoyable?

This was not the standard Post Apocalyptic Tale where a CME(coronal mass ejection) happens and the lights go out. The lights do go out but it starts in space at the International Space Station. That is what made this the most enjoyable. It added a whole new element to the normal story of the end of the world.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Clayton. He was an American engineer astronaut when the event happens and he wants to save the 2 others with him and get home to his family on earth. That is some deep blue hero stuff right there.

What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?

Kevin Pierce knocked it out of the park again. He should be a national treasure for this genre. He brings a story to life like no other person can. I have picked up audio books based entirely on the fact that he is the narrator. He is just that good.

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

When Clayton was going outside the station to try and see if the others were alive and he missed his hook up to the next connection and was floating free from the station. I was utterly terrified for him.

Any additional comments?

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge via Audiobook Boom."