What Life Can Bring

By: Donald Zing

Narrated by: Andrew Zachman

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

What Life Can Bring is three connected science-fiction stories that revolve around my fascination with time. The first story, “The Journey Home”, opens with a handsome, tattooed young man who goes by the nickname “Poly” being released from jail on a beautiful August day in 1994. Poly has high hopes for a fresh start, but he’s not able to find a job. Struggling to make ends meet and keep a roof over his head, Poly can find only one option: to join up with his old crew in a bank heist. Things don’t go entirely to plan, but he manages to meet some kind people along the way.

The second story, “Within Matter”, is set in the present day and starts with a group of graduate students celebrating a discovery of a lifetime: a new form of matter that could potentially solve the Earth’s energy crisis. But when a sinister group of wealthy and powerful elites find out about it, the graduate students are placed in mortal danger. One of the students, Stephan, experiences a psychotic break, which he assumes is due simply to life stress. But his whole understanding of himself and the world is upended after he receives a letter.

The third story, “96 Hours”, refers to an attack by thousands of spaceships that kills half the world’s population. A small settlement of scientists on Mars have their communications knocked out after the attack, and they imagine another world war must have happened. Survivors on Earth believe the attack is an alien invasion. Two teenagers, a brother and sister, must try to stand up against the attackers.

What Life Can Bring was written on an antique Olympia analog typewriter. I find the analog experience helps me put thought behind every word. I hope you enjoy listening to these stories as much as I did creating them.

©2021 Andrew Zachman (P)2022 Andrew Zachman

Simply amazing

Wow! The first time I’ve experienced an audio book with sound effects, really makes you feel like your there visualizing the moment but the original music takes it to the next level. It’s a must listen for anyone who loves Science Fiction.

Engaging Sci-Fi Short Stories

This audiobook consists of three stories – The Journey Home, Within Matter, and 96 Hours. The Journey Home captures the life of a young man nicknamed Poly and his struggles to have value and be seen as a person. Within Matter addresses the need to conserve Earth’s energy and the greed of others forcing a young man to view his life and the world differently. The final story, 96 Hours is a story about two teenagers and their efforts to confront the attackers that have just wiped out half the population.

Donald Zing creates three engaging and captivating stories that force the listener to look at life and people differently. Also, his subtle use of time is intriguing and a connecting theme throughout the book. His character development is effective and complete. Each story has action and adventure. Poly invoked the most emotion from me. Watching Poly struggle to overcome what life had thrown at him and his struggle to find what he needed most – belonging, respect, love, and time – was intense.

The narrator, Andrew Zachman did an excellent job of giving voice to each story. He projected the level of emotion and energy for each story and character. I thought he spoke flawlessly and clearly. He is a skilled voice actor!

Overall, this was a great collection of stories. My only disappointment with this audiobook was the sound effects. I am not a person who enjoys sound effects as I feel they tend to interfere with the words being spoken. There were a few times the music interfered with the narration, and I truly did not find the music appealing to me. If you enjoy sound effects, then this is a book you should hear!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.