The Second World

De: Jake Korell

Narrado por: Ted Evans

Founding fathers. Fathers. Daddy issues.

Welcome to Mars.

Mars has declared its independence from Earth—but now has to figure out how to function as a country. And that takes more than a new flag, an arena-worthy anthem, and naming Pluto the donkey the national animal. As the Red Planet spirals into political upheaval, Flip Buchanan—the irreverent, reluctant son of the most powerful man on Mars—finds himself pulled through two tumultuous decades of alien discoveries, killer clones, and the chaos of a new nation still working out the kinks.

Always second-best in a family obsessed with being first, Flip is forced to confront the absurdity of Martian society and the gravity of a legacy he never asked for as he tries to step out of his father's shadow and define self-worth on his own terms. A feat that can feel as impossible as climbing Olympus Mons.

Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, The Second World is a satirical coming-of-age space epic exploring found family, generational divides, and the outrageous struggle to make your finite life matter in an infinite universe—with sharp takes on power, sensationalized media, and fractured culture.

For fans of John Scalzi and Kurt Vonnegut, The Second World blends absurd, irreverent wit with surprising emotional depth and bold worldbuilding.

©2026 Jake Korell (P)2026 Jake Korell

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Brimming with humorous descriptions...flush with a variety of turning points, the story moves with speed through action scenes and lighthearted, entertaining ones." -Foreword Clarion Reviews

"Korell's tale is quintessential satire... There is much gleefully silly humor... and sound worldbuilding."— Kirkus Reviews

Hilarious and heartwarming

So heavy in the Futurama humor with a great message. Loved this very much! Audible your stupid fifteen word minimum makes me hate you.

Highly entertaining!

I’ll be honest — I had my doubts going in. Other readers compared it to Project Hail Mary and the Dungeon Crawler Carl series in terms of humor, and those are two books that set an almost unfairly high bar for comedy in sci-fi. I wasn’t sure anything could live up to that. But The Second World earns the comparison. The humor lands, the writing is sharp, and there are lines that genuinely made me laugh out loud.
A special mention has to go to the narrator, who brings it all to life. The voice work is excellent — distinct character voices, great comic timing, and a real feel for the emotional beats of the story. The audiobook format suits this one perfectly.
If you’re looking for a sci-fi read that’s equal parts funny and heartfelt, don’t sleep on this one. Highly recommended.
I look forward to more work from Jake Korell and Ted Evans.

Outstanding

What a good time! The consistent humor, relationships between characters, and political machinations were SO GOOD! This is unlike any story I have ever read and I can’t wait to recommend it! There’s nothing I love more than a book that feels so singular and unique that I don’t know what to comp it to 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 originality is a 10/10!

I Laughed, I Cried… and Now I Want to Go to Mars

The Second World is easily one of the best books I’ve ever read.

The creativity in this story is unreal. I genuinely want to sit down with the author and ask, how did your brain even come up with this? It’s imaginative, hilarious, touching, and completely original.

I listened to the audiobook while I was at work—which was probably a mistake—because I caught myself laughing out loud and even tearing up a few times. Definitely not the most professional moment in front of coworkers… but honestly, totally worth it.

The narration really escalates this experience. It feels like you’re actually there on Mars, living through the story with the characters.

And the ending? Perfect. Truly perfect. The kind of ending that feels complete but still leaves you wanting more.

I need this to become a TV series or a movie because I know my imagination isn’t even doing half justice to the world the author created.

If a trip to Mars looked anything like this… I’d sign up tomorrow.

I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone. It’s funny, heartfelt, wildly creative, and one of those rare stories that sticks with you long after you finish it.

falls flat.

I was only able to listen to half the book. This was recommended because it was supposed to have funny moments like project Hail Mary and the Bobiverse. I waited and got nothing like that. I found the comedy in the book to fall flat.