Wildside

By: Steven Gould

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Forget the lottery. Teenager Charlie Newell has just discovered something that will make him and his friends billionaires. What if a world existed in which no humans ever evolved? No cities. No pollution. No laws. A fantastic world filled with unimaginable riches in which everything - everything - was yours just for the taking?

Charlie has found that world. And he plans to use it to make him and his friends rich.There is a problem: How do you keep something this big a secret?

©1996 Steven Gould (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What if you could....

Step into another world rich with resources like for instance, gold? Stuff that you can sell in this world for lots of money? And then suppose you told your very best friends about it so they could help you haul it back to this world and share in the wealth? This is a great story with action and suspense but not what you’re thinking given the cover art. Now I did have a little trouble swallowing teens randomly knowing that much about legal issues and it’s a bit heavy with the avionics and mechanics but those issues are minor and hey if your into those things, bonus for you. The take away is the story is really good and will hold your attention. Good job with the narration as well.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Not bad-Not terrrific

The idea for this story was really good. The execution was good. The characters fell short on believability. It goes like this; 18 year old kid finds a gate to a alternate earth, one without humans, recruits his friends to harvest animals and minerals from the other earth, the one with sabre toothed tigers, to this earth for profit. Military/CIA spoils the party, things get messy, bad guys lose. fairly hypocritical good guy; protect other earth while using it's resources and polluting it for his personal gain. Worth a listen nothing to rave about.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Breath taking read

What did you love best about Wildside?

I had read this book when it first hit the library and enjoyed it. I had forgot about it over the years and this was read well enough it like reading a new book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wildside?

When the secret is revealed to Charlie's friends.

What about Paul Boehmer’s performance did you like?

The man made each character come alive. That is hard to do for more than four characters.

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

Yes, I did listen to it in one sitting!

Any additional comments?

Well worth the time and money!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

And welcome to it...

What made the experience of listening to Wildside the most enjoyable?

The characters really came to life over the the arc of the story.

What other book might you compare Wildside to and why?

Somewhat thematically similar to Stephen King's 1963. Both are compelling in their own ways.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scenes of the new world are powerful

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The growing maturity of the relationships between everyone was moving.

Any additional comments?

This book jumps around alot, and occassionally doesnt make logical sense. It seems like certain details were edited out, or something was missin at times. That said, I got pulled in and eventually really took to this outing. I recommend it, notwithstanding the issues noted.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Waiting on sequel!

This book is an interesting take on interdimentioal travel, greenhouse effects, & government oversight. GREAT BOOK!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great story; Narrator is so-so

The story was fun and fast-paced, and often left me on the edge of my seat. I liked the complex interpersonal relationships of the main characters, with conflict and redemption. The narration was tolerable, but not great. The narrator puts strong emphasis on many words, but not always the right words. This happens most when he is speaking as the narrator. When he voices the characters, he seems to get it right. He does a good job of giving each character a unique voice.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Okay but no Jumper series.

I really enjoy Gould's style of realism in his fantasy usually- detailing all the necessities of doing fantastical things, like the preparation of the Aerie and keeping an ailing elderly woman alive in space, but this one seemed like a lot of prep for not a lot of payoff. I also found it a bit too Eco-preachy, especially at the end.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

suspend disbelief

What did you love best about Wildside?

I liked the basic premise of the story

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was a bit hard to belief.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the scenes describing the "wild side."

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

There just seemed to be so many parts of this story that were flat. I won't spoil things for readers, but given the scenario, I would have SOOOOOOO many questions to ask. Perhaps because we are dealing with teenagers they are more concerned with little things than asking big questions.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great plot potential, Terrible character relations

Superb story that the author thought up, I love the premise to death. I absolutely hate how the author carried out the character relationships.
I had to drop the book two hours in since I didn't want to listen any more about how sad the main character is with how much he likes the other character's girlfriend. It was actually to the point of overshadowing the interesting main story. I honestly don't understand why people like to listen to sadness porn like this, it's infuriating as heck to listen to.

Not even to mention that the author forced the hell out of the situation and didn't leave any foreseeable way out of it in the future. Why would he invite them to live in his house? Or even invite them into the wildside in the first place when he said he didn't trust the girl anymore and the guy clearly isn't very bright? The logical errors in the plot between these characters are so glaring its just sad.

I don't understand why authors literally try to push readers away with crap like this. I think some sadness and heartbreak is fine in a story to build character, but making it a chronic part of the background makes it feel toxic to read. When something is that toxic, it's not even fun to immerse yourself into the story anymore.

Right up there with Jumper

Wow! Great story, great characters, good twists and turns. This is not a book that you will have all figured out before it is over. The premise of the story is original and entertaining.

It kept me interested all the way through. Great way to make the miles go by.