Virtually Gone

By: Simon Carr

Narrated by: Jennifer Pratt

Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Since mankind first climbed down from the trees, we have looked out to the stars. We looked outward, wondering what secrets to our existence are out there.

Professor John Spanks is about to discover the biggest secret the universe has. John has his world turned upside down when he discovers that all this time, we were looking the wrong way!

©2021 Simon Carr (P)2022 Simon Carr

All the way gone.

Not bad at all. After reading one of Simon Carr's prior works, which I found extremely entertaining, I was expecting something a lot more gritty than what is presented here. I believe Virtually Gone is more for the pre-teen, maybe young adult crowd. Simon's penchant for comedy doesn't wane or lessen throughout the story. I enjoyed listening to it.

Simon Carr's best book yet!

An inoperable tumor, Schroedinger's cat, Russian spies, String Theory, half of a possible cure, and a unicorn that looks like a dragon. What do these things have in common? Simon Carr, of course. And though it may seem implausible, he has woven all of these things, and more, into a comedic science fiction story that challenges one to think differently; that instead of looking to the stars for scientific advancement, we should look a little closer to home.

Though different from what I have typically come to expect from science fiction novels, this book is just what I have come to expect from Simon Carr. It's like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy met Willy Wonka's boat ride, and the results just worked. Not only does the book entertain, but Jennifer Pratt does an absolutely fantastic job as the narrator. She does a masterful job with the snark and sarcasm - several times I thought she was providing her own commentary on the story, but no, she was just reading it and the story was offering commentary on itself - as well as the more touching moments.

I have come to truly enjoy reading/listening to Simon Carr's novels, and I think this one is my favorite so far. If you want to read or listen to a different kind of sci-fi book and be fully entertained, then you definitely need to give this book a go.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING PARADOX

THIS STORY IS WELL WRITTEN AND EASY TO FOLLOW GIVING SOME THOUGHR PROVOKING THEORY.
ACCEPTABLE FOR TEENS AND OLDER LISTENERS.

NARRATOR IS GREAT AND EASY TO FOLLOW.

Another wicked slice of insanity

Simon Carr’s twisted worlds are an acquired taste, combining the most inane conversations with the most interesting situations. Imagine Monty Python doing existential science fiction and you get the gist of this tale. Where do we go when we die? Can science take us there before we die?

A typical Simon Carr novel...crazy and fantastic!

Simon Carr has never dissappointed and Virtually Gone is no different. Another world that has a well developed main character and supporting characters. The plot and story move on an expected pace. I look forward to Carr's next story! Audio Version: This is the first time I have listened to Jennifer Pratt and she does a great job with the characters and overall story.

An easy listen

I received a free review copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.

This is somewhere between a short story and a full novel. At 5-6 hours it doesn't have a lot of world building or character development. It is, however, fun, quick, and enjoyable.

First I want to point to that this is not a hard sci fi. If you want realistic and believable science and theory, this is not your story. The science here is very much to stick the story elements together and not to be taken seriously.

The setting for this book is present day earth. There is nothing new. There is a point where the main character goes somewhere fantastic, but it still just boils down to they're on an earth like place, and there's really nothing too extraordinary about it, visually.

The main character is a bit dull and to be honest, a bit dim. He is supposed to be teaching physics at a university, however, he's slow to pick up new information and has little imagination. He's a lite frustrating as a main character, as he is playing a plain straight-man to the universes absurdity. He doesn't really develop as a character throughout the story and while he is likeable enough he could have been so much more.

The secondary characters range from loveable, to background scenery. Some really steal the show while others are there for explosion and plot reasons only. Still no development or growth.

The plot is fairly straightforward and simple. The twists and turns serve mostly to extend the length of the story, rather than for any real complexity.

So, why 4 stars? Well, it's simple. This was a fun and funny book. It was basically like an episode of a sitcom. No one is going to change, no real progress is going to be permanent, but wasn't it fun getting from point a to b? This is a quickly paced book that doesn't waste time expanding on itself. It was a fun pickup and I have no regrets about listening to it, it was great fun.

The voice Narration, by Jennifer Pratt, was fairly well done. She does passable male voices and the use of the digital effects for the unicorn was a nice touch. She has a range and accidents and while it was weird to have a female narrator as there was no females in the book, it worked out fine.

All in all, this was a fun story that was easy to listen to. It lacks character development and world building, but that's not unexpected in a story under 6 hours. Voice narration and the humor really made this story a pleasure.

I may check out more from this author.

Fascinating Abstract Story

Simon Carr has created a story based on the thought experiment in quantum mechanics titled, "Schrodinger's cat". I found the story intriguing, unique, and amusing. The language was crude at times, but overlooking that portion, I thought the story was brilliant. Jennifer Pratt's narration was a joy as she added entertainment to the story's content by her performance. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

The hell was that? Crazy, that's what!

The first chapter alone is worth the price of this book! It is entitled "The Hell is This?" It is about figuring out why we were even put on this planet. What's the meaning of life? So philosophical. So funny. My husband and I listened to it repeatedly. Laughed every time.
Anyone who loves Monte Phython will love this book.
Jennifer Pratt was perfect for narrating this book. She put her English accent to good use here.

Interesting story, but that POV...

Narrator was good and the story was interesting. However, what killed it for me was the sheer amount of "Telling" rather than "Showing". There were also a number of spots where the story felt very rushed or the dialogue felt bland. The POV almost made me stop listening. There's only so much one can handle of " X (said, did, thought, etc...)" This could have been so much better than it was.