The Original

By: Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Fantastic world with a Fantastic story!

The story and narration were superb! Great Sci-fi concept with a solid mystery in a gripping package!

Not bad

A fun little mystery with clones and danger at every turn. The world felt a bit forced to me, but it had a well developed and diverse cast of characters, and enough interesting elements to never be boring.

Immersive Sanderson Experience

Combine the page turning nature of your favorite Sanderson story with Hollywood level sound production and you get this amazing listen that you won’t want to stop. Can’t wait for more of these.

Promising start, but feel it ended too quickly

Had a great premise, but the end of the book feels cut off. Most of the book had a “Phillip K Dick” feel, that is what is reality and what is not? In that sense, was a great premise. But I felt unsatisfied that Holly’s relationship to her handler was never resolved. And in the end, not the aftermath with the government.

Disappointing

Love Brandon Sanderson but this was a bit lacking. Hated the background music, found it distracting & unnecessary. The narrator was very good.

good

very good
P.S. the review needs 15 words in it so thing is filler text

Good book, great narraration, but. . .

Not a fan of the sound effects. They took me out of the moment more than they brought me in unfortunately.

Amazing as always!

This is a really cool take on a perfectly government driven society and what it could do to self identity.