Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash

Train Hoppers, Book 1

De: Lena Gibson

Narrado por: Rusty Mewha, Angelina Rocca

Life in SoCal in 2195 is controlled by a corporatocracy.

Elsa scavenges twenty-first-century trash, living on the edge of starvation in this ruthless world through her grit and instincts.

When she unearths a metal tube containing maps to six Doomsday seed bunkers and a silver key, she dreams of renewable sources of food and a life based on more than subsistence, but GreenCorps will stop at nothing to acquire her find. Accused of theft and beaten half to death, she escapes with a handsome train hopper. They seek the long-lost bunkers, hoping to break GreenCorps' monopoly on food.

Along the way, they receive help from a teenage pickpocket, a solitary widow, and a rebel leader. If this rag-tag group of lonely misfits cannot reclaim the tube and find a way to distribute the seeds, GreenCorps will continue to choke out any chance of a better life.

©2024 Lena Gibson (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Great story, iffy acting.

Review title says it all, the story line was good, if a little predictable at times. The female part was good enough, but the man’s part was monotone and dull which made things feel a bit slow at times.

storyline was exciting and kept my attention

cool story without being a super depressing end of society as we know it kind of story

Hop on!

I sought this book out as a lover of train-hopping adventures, and got so much more than a good adventure out of it. The dystopian world-building was extremely believeable while being completely original at the same time. Greencorps, the ironically named corporation has a monopoly in the former United States, which is almost unrecognizeable due to extreme pollution and scarcity of resources. The corporation is a deadly foil to the innocent people being oppressed - think hard laborers getting paid in vouchers that only work at the company store. You will root for Elsa and Walker right out of the gate, and admire their toughness and tenacity in surviving a society designed to keep them down. The dystopian tale is balanced by moments of beauty, love and affection, and hope. I loved the ride and am ready for the sequel! The narrators did a wonderful job, and it was a very smooth listen while also being extremely dynamic.

At least I got it for free

The acting was monotonous, the story was predictable and bland, the world needed way more detail, the prose was repetitive at best, the characters had no chemistry and no wonder considering they didn’t have much personality to react with each other in the first place… I bought this as part of the 2 for 1 credit deal in October 2024 and I’m counting this as the free title for my own sanity.

Can't get past the female narrator

I love the story, or idea of the storyline, but I just can't get past the female narrator. She's not engaging and so monotone that you tune out of the book. I kept having to force my mind to focus on the book and that's not enjoyable for me. Sadly I had to return it.