We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Bobiverse, Book 1

De: Dennis E. Taylor

Narrado por: Ray Porter

There's a reason We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was named Audible's Best Science Fiction Book of 2016: Its irresistibly irreverent wit! Bob Johansson has just sold his software company for a small fortune and is looking forward to a life of leisure. The first item on his to-do list: Spending his newfound windfall. On an urge to splurge, he signs up to have his head cryogenically preserved in case of death. Then he gets himself killed crossing the street. Waking up 117 years later, Bob discovers his mind has been uploaded into a sentient space probe with the ability to replicate itself. Bob and his clones are on a mission to find new homes for humanity and boldly go where no Bob has gone before.

Dennis E. Taylor’s hilarious novel sets the stage for the magnificent performance of Ray Porter, who revels in the brave new world of corpsicles, artificial intelligence, interstellar space probes, and space colonization in tantalizing detail.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is the first installment in the blockbuster Audible Original Bobiverse series - which has sold more than one million copies.

©2016 Dennis E. Taylor (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Lives up to the reviews, a great story

I had been skeptical whenever I saw this book recommended for me, as my general preference has been non-fiction. However, it was time for a change, and as reluctant as I was, the overwhelmingly glowing reviews here won me over. The plot itself is very attractive to me, being/controlling Von Neumann probes and all of the exploration and wonder that would come with that mission. The author has done an excellent job of keeping things interesting, realistic, and covering his bases in terms of the actual science involved and other issues that many would not think of initially. I never had a "this wouldn't happen in real life" moment, and I am a fairly skeptical person. Ray Porter does an excellent job bringing life and personality to the various characters, including having to do multiple versions/personalities of Bob.

As far as the main plot goes, it is outstanding. If your version of heaven is living forever, being able to duplicate yourself, and playing real time strategy games all day for high stakes in between diving into Wikipedia and Youtube for education and edification, I think this story will appeal to you. I was never bored, and plan to purchase the next 2 books. This was an outstanding purchase and one I would recommend to other Sci-Fi fans and Audible customers.

Bob is a geeks best friend

I admit it. When I read the description for this book I had *serious* misgivings! Now I can't wait for the next book in the series.

The premise is a tad cliché, but otherwise the book is a marvelous mix of good science, geek trivia, engineer humor, and good storytelling. It won't appeal to everyone, but for those folks who have a background or experience with software development, project management, engineering in general, not to mention the whole Star Trek geek aspect, it is a very enjoyable ride!

Bob 2.0 is an AI that has been imprinted with the personality of Bob 1.0, a nice, if slightly introverted, software geek who built a company to the point where his major competitor bought him out. Sadly, Bob barely had time to enjoy being rich as Crassus before he was killed by being hit by a car. Ok, not exactly original so far, but once Bob's frozen head is scanned and his personality loaded into an AI, things get MUCH more interesting.

I won't do a full synopsis. I'd rather have you get the book or listen to the audio.

Which brings me to Ray Porter's performance.

Ray. Is. Bob.

Ray Porter's voice has aspects that remind me of Tom Hanks. It's something about the timbre and accent - I don't have the technical sound jargon to describe it. He also has an excellent sense of timing and a great grasp of what gets geeks revved up. His performance really brings Bob and his legion to life.

LLAP!

Great Story, Had me hooked from the start.

Would you consider the audio edition of We Are Legion (We Are Bob) to be better than the print version?

I only listened to this book and did not read it so I can only comment on the audio version. Ray Porter does a FANTASTIC job with the narration of this book. Every character is spot on and that is hard to do when a lot of them are "Bob". Voice changes and accents were perfect.

What did you like best about this story?

It really made me think about the possibilities. If we could actually create von Neumann probes the places we could go and the things we could learn would be endless.

Which character – as performed by Ray Porter – was your favorite?

My favorite Ray Porter character was Homer. It is not a copy of the famous character but he does get the voice to where you can believe Bob and Homer have converged into one. Sort of a Homer and Bill Murray from caddie shack mashup. Loved it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I do not have enough time to listed to a book for more than an hour at a time but If I could this book would be the one. I normally only listen in the car to and from work. This book I listened to during lunch at work and sometimes at home before bed.

Any additional comments?

If you love shows like Star Trek or Star Wars or are interested in space travel or space exploration, do not hesitate to buy this book. Even if you don't this is still a fun and interesting read. I want the 2nd book now. Seriously, please release it as soon as possible. I want more stories of Bob..er Bob's...whatever, you know what I mean.

Just as good as the first.

I often fantasize about being in Bob's position. This book succeeds in taking me away to another place. And dropping me in the cockpit of an interstellar explorer.

Great concept, beginning a little ranty

The concept is great, and the performance was perfect; however, the premise at the beginning was too "Look at me! I'm an ATHEIST! Christians are so dumb! Am I right!?" It was annoying for me at the beginning, and kept pulling me out of being engrossed. It eventually gave way to a great story.

Light, Fun, and Readable!

This is nice little funny sci-fi with fine writing and good narration. This is not deep and not technical and not exciting but it is whimsical and funny with a sci-fi motif. I am not sure this universe needs another volume, and not sure I would read it if it came out (oh I likely would eventually). Usually I am turned off of light funny sci-fi by annoyingly poor writing that tends to come with that sub-genre, but this was quite good enough writing to allow the humor to be enjoyable. Well worth the credit and the time.

Great read! Good story.

Ray Porter's reading/acting perfectly fit the 1st person sarcastic voice of the story and makes this a must-listen to! I constantly found myself grinning at the narration and one-liners. The story starts to drag on a bit at the end as it branches into several "Bob" storylines, but definitely held my attention and I look forward to more books in the Bobiverse.

AI inner monologue at a new level

Probably one of the two most entertaining sci-fi on AI I've ever read. The narrator does an excellent job at differentiating between the different Bob's.

Bob is best

Really I have not enjoyed a book more for a long time. it's a brilliant idea and a universe populated by Bob's is everything I hoped it would be. best sci-fi space drama I have read in an age. Bob is best :)

A Really Fun, Interesting, Thought-Provoking Novel

What made the experience of listening to We Are Legion (We Are Bob) the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed the various scenarios that the author introduces related to deep space exploration; he touches on a lot of different possibilities in a clean, interesting way through the self-replicating probes and their experiences. It was a feast for the imagination.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bob. Not sure what else anyone would put here. Other listeners/readers familiar with the story will understand, hah.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I'm not sure, but on the other hand, I really liked his voices and performance. It was near flawless.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were plenty of moments of laughter. No crying, but sentimental moments tend to be glossed over by the author.

Any additional comments?

The very beginning of the book was a turn-off for me, as the political happenings just weren't believable, and ended up (so far) being largely irrelevant compared to the detail spent on laying them out. Maybe that will change in future books. But I encourage any reader/listener to continue experiencing the story, as most of it was very interesting. The section with the "deltans" also dragged on a bit, but the scenario was still an interesting one to imagine nonetheless. And it is totally made up for with the abrupt log entry of Mario (Bob 6 I think). Definitely looking forward to the next book.