The Original

De: Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal

Narrado por: Julia Whelan

Hugo Award-winning authors Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal team up in this exclusive audio-first production of The Original, a sci-fi thriller set in a world where one woman fights to know her true identity and survive the forces that threaten her very existence.

In the near future, humans choose life - for a price. Injectable nanite technology is the lifeblood that flows through every individual wishing to experience the world through the lens of their own theme. While death from mortal wounds is still possible, life is made easier in a socially liberated society where automation and income equality allow passion pursuits to flourish over traditional work. Renewal stations are provided to every law-abiding citizen for weekly check-ins, which issue life-sustaining repairs in exchange for personal privacy. But what becomes of those who check out, of those who dare to resist immortality and risk being edited under the gaze of an identity-extracting government surveillance system?

When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end. Holly’s progress is monitored by an assigned contact that feeds her information as she confronts the blank, robotic world around her, discovering that others view life through the theme of their own choosing.

With her newly implanted combat and deduction skills, Holly fends off both attacks by terrorists and doubts about her own trustworthiness as clues lead her to her Original - and to the truth about Jonathan. In the end, one body remains and one walks away. Although questions persist, one thing is certain: Life will never be the same.

©2020 Dragonsteel Entertainment and Mary Robinette Kowal (P)2020 Mainframe, LLC

Didn't understand the Ending

I am extremely glad I got this audio book for the credit of 2 because I didn't understand the ending at all.

Very good book....

If you like questioning human morality, then this is an absolutely fantastic book. Love it.

Woooooooooke. Off putting

So much unnecessary “latinx” and trans gender ideology influence that it three me out of the story and sounded like the author was trying their hardest to future proof their story or something. Well, the latinx falls flat, and the gender theory will be a black eye on our generation, so yeah. Yuck. Story was ok otherwise, but hard to immerse with the current day politics infused into it.

Not the usual Sanderson

Great story, have to listen to it with the expectation of other Sanderson stories. Bit darker than usual and I enjoyed it.

Huxley Would be Proud

I enjoyed this audiobook, while not as heavy as a lot of my favorite books, it has surprising depth.

The story follows a clone who was created with the purpose of finding the woman who she is a clone of, who had murdered her husband. The world is Huxley-esk, as all of humanity has nanobot enhancements that keep them from dying and augment their perceptions of reality to be whatever each person wants.

I have not heard much discussion about this book in Sanderson circles, which is surprising since it has all his trademark world building and high level of attention to detail. Though the audio first format likely played a role in its popularity.

Overall I liked the exploration of how much our psychology is impacted by our experiences, and that even if people with the same genetics and facts can make different choices depending on how and when those facts are discovered. While all sci-fi requires some suspension of disbelief, I found the world building, specifically the governmental structures, to be a fairly reasonable assessment of what could be formed around the technology that was presented in the book.

4/5 Stars - If you like Brave New World or Sanderson books in general this one is worth listening to.

Intriguing from the first moment

A thought provoking, high action story from the opening scene. My only complaint is that I wanted more.

It's good, but a bit short. The theme is good

It's good, but a bit short. The theme is good. Cursing waa not necessary

Surprisingly good!

I did not know what to expect with this story. It smacks out of the headlines of today or tomorrow, or only a few years down the road. It raises some ethical questions, and gave a lot of food for thought. The performance was realistic enough to hold my attention all the way through. The ending left me wanting for more, so maybe there is a sequel in the works? I’d buy it.

Metaverse dystopic future?

Suspenseful, but for me it is mostly about picturing a possible future of modern virtual reality technologies. The book put some questions out, but don't try to answer them mostly (which is good in a way) and the plot hint some grand tangled reveal, but is a bit ordinary for me in the end.

Interesting look at the future

Idk about nanites, but the idea of everyone seeing the world through their own unique "theme" and not having to work, that's the stated goal of the big AR and tech companies right now. I've never seen it explored in a story in a realistic (if somewhat dystopian) manner like this before. Kudos.

The main conflict was a bit contrived. One of those that could have been avoided with half decent communication skills. But the performance, editing and music/ambience was really good.