Twins

An Ell Donsaii Story, Book 17

By: Laurence Dahners

Narrated by: Rebecca Valderrama

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the 17th book in a series of near-future hard sci-fi thrillers. Their heroine Ell Donsaii has a nerve mutation that’s rendered her a genius, as well as providing astonishing athletic abilities. Her genius has let her revolutionize our world with a number of inventions, including instantaneous communications and trans-dimensional portals that deliver fuel, water, and food all around the world

Twins is about events four years after the birth of Ell’s twins, Caii and Raii. Only six months after their birth, an abortive kidnapping attempt successfully steals the girls but then loses them at a dirt airstrip in Mexico. Drug runners pick the twins up by mistake and take them to their cartel’s boss. This infuriates the chief because he was expecting a delivery of cash. To the boss’s astonishment, his infertile wife insists on adopting them!

The twins are four and a half (though their adoptive mom thinks they’re a year older than that) when a cartel up-and-comer kills their adoptive dad.
Without him, they and their adoptive mom must now find their own way in the world.

This is the story of how some of the talents they inherited from their mother ease those difficulties.

Unavoidably, this book also deals with some of the startling changes the world is going through as it adapts to the transporters Ell and Roger invented in Book 16.

©2023 Laurence E Dahners (P)2023 Laurence E Dahners

Great!

I thought the narration was excellent very clear and true to the characters of the book.

I enjoyed glistening to the story after I read the original novel.

great narration..

Amazing storyline

Excellent story as always and refreshingly original loved how the story this time was from the twins point of view.

Fun like they all are, some production quibbles

I mean, if you've gotten to 17, you probably don't need me to tell you these are fun books. Unless you like to listen to series backwards? Hey, I don't judge. You do you. I was a bit worried, since this one started with tragedy, and I listen to them for their upbeat and interesting world view not for sad things, but the tone improved quite rapidly.
There was a different narrator this time, which is always hard for a long running series. Valderrama is good, but I don't agree with the way she voiced Ell. The character as voiced by her is much harder. Which makes sense, a lot of this book is her doing what she needs to do to get her kids back. It doesn't acknowledge the character's overall kindness and fun, which show up in previous books.
If your job is to narrate books, no way you're going to have the time to invest in reading 16 prior books to get a concept of the character, but that feels like it should be the job of someone in the production team to provide that continuity. Director, novelist, producer? Additionally, little things, like Shan's name being pronounced differently than in previous novels kind of stand out.
They're quibbles, but I'm a quibbler.
Aside from that, definitely a valid member of the Ell Donsaii series, and worth your time and credit.

i love these books

It is a great series of books and I want to see more like them

Another great Ell Donsai story

Great story, the narrator did a great job telling it. I have enjoyed all the Donsai stories and this was another one. Really hope to read and hear more, keep up the great work.

So glad to get this one.

I've been listening to this series for a long time now. I was sad that the two most recent books weren't available in audio. But now I got this one. I'm grateful to have it to listen to. The only only thing I have against it is the change in narrator. 16 books with the same narrator. So the change is a bit jarring. it's well done, just different.

Change in narrator

I was disappointed with the change in narrators after enjoying all of the previous books. I could not finish this book and this will conclude the story for me.