The Clone Paradox

The Ark Project, Book 1

By: J.W. Elliot

Narrated by: Rico Gayle

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Who will inherit the dying earth? The Ark Project is the epic story of a desperate attempt to redefine what it means to be human in a world perched on the edge of destruction with the technology to engineer humans capable of living in space. When one scientist takes it upon herself to make the hard decision of who gets to live and who must die, Kaiden, a courageous security officer plagued with memories from a past he did not live and a family he never had, sets out to stop her.

Failure means the end of humanity as it has always been and the emergence of a new human experience where individuality and identity have no meaning at all. And Kaiden’s mind may be the secret to the survival of individual consciousness - of identity itself - but he won’t know unless he allows himself to die.

The Ark Project explores the profound challenges and contradictions posed by modern science about the nature of humanity, individuality, memory, identity, human emotion, and motivation. What does it mean to be human when the “normal” biological limitations of both body and mind have been superseded by technology?

In The Clone Paradox, Kaiden is a young security officer tasked with protecting human clones as part of a top-secret international research program called The Ark Project. After surviving a terrorist attack on his airship, Kaiden begins having memories of a life he never lived, of people he has never met, of a family that never existed. The unsettling memories drive him to recover his lost identity and to search for the family that now haunts his dreams. But The Ark Project is about more than developing clones, and it will protect its secrets at any cost.

The deeper Kaiden digs, the more he understands that he, and those like him, are expendable lab rats in a broader campaign to replace humanity. Kaiden has to choose between saving the family he longs for and preserving billions of innocent lives. He can’t have it both ways, and time is running out.

©2021 James E. Wadsworth (P)2022 James E. Wadsworth

A riveting listen

This book was so much fun to listen to and I really enjoyed all the characters. The performance really made each character stand out.

Attention Holding!

The earth is dying, technology has made it possible to survive in space but at what cost? This book is thought-provoking and challenges modern science and its inconsistencies regarding humanity in a variety of ways. Kaiden, a security officer must decipher what is real and what is not as he struggles to right the wrongs of a lone scientist.

I was instantly hooked. J.W. Elliot, the author, provides a fast-paced, action-filled sci-fi with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Descriptions of the scenes were just enough allowing the listener to picture it all. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get lost (you won’t want to stop listening) and hear a great story. I look forward to the next book in the series and what Kaiden and the team will be up against.

The narrator did a wonderful job with this story. Each character had a unique sound/tone. Rick Gayle, the narrator, spoke clearly and with a strong consistent cadence.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook, it was clear and well produced.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

Story idea is cool, if you like this kind.

It gets so that it feels long winded do to poor editing lots of repeats... repeats.... and narrator noises. Honestly I couldn't finish and I feel like most of it would do to poor editing. Ch. 16-19 have so many repeats that I thought something was wrong with my device. How does that pass production? I don't get why it's not been noted in the reviews.

Clone this book

If you’re looking for a great, fast-paced story from beginning to end, look no further. I usually only read/listen to fantasy books but am glad I gave this a shot. The quick tempo had me invested in the story much quicker than any fantasy book I’ve read. J.W. Elliot’s writing had me hooked from the first chapter and left me having to know what happened next. Rico’s narration was smooth and kept me captivated throughout the story. I’m excited to see what happens to Kaiden and his crew in the next book. I would recommend this story to both humans and clones.

loved it

A haunting tale of what could happen to humanity. what will it mean to be human when technology surpasses and replaces biological evolution?

Love love loved this story

This is my first time listening to an audiobook and I found it to be an amazing experience! This is also the first time, in a very long time, that I actually got through an entire book, because I’ll get busy and forget to pick it up again. I really enjoyed the fact that I could listen in the car, I could listen while I was cleaning up and I could listen at night when I was laying down right before bed. The overall story was so exciting and it kept me wondering what was coming next and Rico Gayle’s voice is just perfectly made for narration. All the different characters’ voices stayed in tact and I could easily pick up who was speaking, even if the name wasn’t mentioned. Awesome story, awesome narration. 10/10!