Supernova Era

By: Cixin Liu, Joel Martinsen - translator

Narrated by: Feodor Chin

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

An NPR Best Book of the Year - 2019

"Feodor Chin is the perfect narrator to deliver this story.... His voice is clear and precise, even when providing stellar accented inflections for the Chinese dialogue. Overall, a perfect balance of appropriately didactic storytelling and an engaging narration is geared to fascinate listeners." (AudioFile Magazine)

From science fiction legend Cixin Liu, the New York Times best-selling and award-winning author of The Three-Body Problem, comes a vision of the future that unfolds like Lord of the Flies on a global scale in Supernova Era.

In those days, Earth was a planet in space.

In those days, Beijing was a city on Earth.

On this night, history as known to humanity came to an end.

Eight light years away, a star has died, creating a supernova event that showers Earth in deadly levels of radiation. Within a year, everyone over the age of 13 will die.

And so the countdown begins. Parents apprentice their children and try to pass on the knowledge needed to keep the world running.

But when the world is theirs, the last generation may not want to continue the legacy left to them. And in shaping the future however they want, will the children usher in an era of bright beginnings or final mistakes?

©2004, 2019 Liu Cixin; Translation copyright by China Educational Publications Import & Export Corp., Ltd. (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Cixin Liu never disappoints

Very nice book. Just like all the Cixin Liu's books and series of books.

Wow imagination

First 2/3 of the book are incredible. I liked absolute everything there - wow, this was full learning-entertaining experience...

Brilliant idea

Interesting story, unique point of view, I think it is over optimistic, but let's hope

Interesting idea disjointed delivery

The premise to this book is really intriguing and got me engaged for the first third of the story.
However, if you told me that this book had 4 to 5 different authors who wrote their versions and then they just combined it into one story. I would believe you.
I am not sure why the author decided to out of nowhere include the US children and then take on this very puzzling choice of discussing war games that were horrific , but also inconsequential to the story.

The conclusion felt unsettled and left me going okay while that just happened.
Hard to recommended this book, but it's not a bad book. Just a poorly delivered concept.

WTF did I just read?

If you read this book to get some clarification about what Liu said in his recent interview in the New Yorker, good luck to you.

A unique premise - with novel situations

The performance was superbly rendered from a superior English translation. Perhaps one of the books interesting qualities is where the author took the story once the supernova era began. It is certainly worth the read.

Not for me

I was a real big fan of the three body problem and the rest of that series. So I was intrigued when I saw a new book.
This hardly even feels like the same author. The depth and breath of those stories are not matched in “supernova era.”
It almost feels like YA fiction but not quite.
I don’t know. Just disappointed I guess.

Long and slow…

The premise is cool and the story was overall pretty good, but it was very long and slow. I would have given up if I had been reading but as an audiobook it was ok. It’s no “Years of Rice and Salt” but it was enjoyable.

too long for the subject

good book, but not his best work. it was an interesting premise, but it could have been a short story

extremely disappointing

I loved three body trilogy as well as ball lightning, so I picked this book up hoping for more of this authors goodness.

Sadly the unconvincing personas and implausible direction of the book had me wishing it to be over with. Do not suggest.