WE ARE LEGION (WE ARE BOB) by Dennis E. Taylor

The Bobiverse Book 1

Narrated by Ray Porter

Von Neumann Would Cheer

What happens when you have your brain frozen after death when you die? You wake up as a machine intelligence exploring the galaxy. At least that’s the way it works in this novel. Many science fiction writers have explored the idea of freezing the brain on the hopes of resurrection in some distant and more medically advanced future. Notably Norman Spinrad in Bug Jack Barron and Larry Niven in A World Out of Time. I mention these classic novels because this book reminds me of the way these writers treated the subject: They extrapolated out from the basic concept—the idea—to the impact on the people involved. This is the most basic element of science fiction, the thing that differentiates SF from mainstream fiction.

Niven has one of his characters wake up as a corpse-sickle thousands of years in the future. (Larry Niven appears as SF writer Lawrence Vienn in this novel.) Spinrad explores the more realistic slant that such ideas are money making scams. But here Dennis Taylor goes in a different direction with his character Bob becoming a sort of Being John Malcovitch figure where various copies of himself become the predominant personality of the universe. I really latched onto this idea and am eager to learn where Mr. Taylor takes the Bobs in the next book.

I cannot think of a more fitting narrator for the Bobiverse than Ray Porter. He can be machine-like when required but more typically he can offer all the nuances of character and variations on a theme of the different Bobs that this book demands. 

SPLIT SECOND by Douglas E. Richards

Narrated by Kevin Pariseau

Fictional Time-Travel Primmer

Richards is famous for writing thrillers in the vein of Michael Crichton. I don’t know if this is a departure for him but Split Second is in reality an old-timey Golden Age Science Fiction story. It takes a scientific principle—in this case, quantum time travel—and extrapolates the implications of that principle into an informative science lesson, and if possible throw in a little story and a few interesting characters to make it interesting. But make no mistake; the appeal of this story, like the old gadget story, is the idea. Richards employs the tried and true, but oft-criticized, technique of the info-dump. You know the scientifically ignorant, but true blue, protagonist asks a question and the bespectacled scientist in the white lab coat launches into an impromptu lecture bringing the ignorant hero (and the reader) up to speed on all the physics that must be understood in order for the plot to make a lick of sense.

All this may sound critical but being a long-time science fiction fan, I found this technique to be like an old friend from my youth. I enjoy speculation on science as part-and-parcel of the appeal of Sci-Fi fiction. The science in this novel is based on the latest speculation from Einsteinian thinkers who cannot rule out time-travel based on the principles of General Relativity, like Kip Thorne and Stephen Hawking. Clearly Douglas Richards has read the great book Time Machines by Paul J. Nahin that tracks time-travel in physics and science fiction. He employs elements from Nahin’s treatise such as time-travel paradoxes, predestination, and the block universe theory. If these concepts interest you may find this novel a fine fictional primmer of the basic elements of the standard science fictional trope of time-travel.

Kevin Pariseau is a top flight narrator. His voicings are always spot on. His skill is at such a level that the narration becomes completely invisible. Mr. Pariseau is also excellent giving voice to Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny. 

WORLD OF PTAVVS by Larry Niven

Narrated by Andy Caploe

Hard Sci-Fi for Hard-Minded Sci-Fi Fans

World of Ptavvs is a book that I have read four times. The first three times I really enjoyed everything about it. The characters are well imagined and fit in their roles precisely. The plot is as tight as a snare drum. And the ideas: space travel, telepathic powers, time-retardation fields, talking Dolphins–cool right? I liked it so much that I recommended the book to a friend who was not a Science Fiction reader thinking that it would be a good short illustration of the elements of SF that I liked the best. It turns out that this novel may not have been the best choice for an outsider to the wonders of SF that we all know and love. My friend disliked the book so much that I felt compelled to re-read it, and to my horror, I began to notice its many shortcomings. I had overlooked the things that most people look for in a novel-reading experience; you know character development, flowing prose and the like. Things that are nice to have but that are not exactly essential. For me Larry Niven has always been about the idea; what would have been called a “gadget story” in the old days. One of his collections is titled Playgrounds of the Mind. And once you latch onto that idea you will have found the key to enjoying Niven.

So, this time, listening to World of Ptavvs this time around was a return to my old favorable impression. I very much enjoyed it. I was able to transport myself back to my old self, to my old way of thinking and was able to really have a good time. My mind was again fully engaged. I like the way Niven throws around ideas. Just to play in his world for a while is great fun. This book is a prime example of hard science fiction executed by one of the foremost practitioners. It is interesting to realize that this novel was written very early in Niven’s writing career for his vision of his own Known Space series seems fully formed even though not much of it had been published at the time of its writing (1966).

World of Ptavvs has elements that can only happen in a Science Fiction story: Time-retarder field (Stasis field) that allows one of the characters to be from two billion years ago, Telepathic aliens that don’t need intelligence because of their mind-control powers. Things like these have absolutely no connection to anything in the real world and, therefore, are difficult for some people to relate to. But for those who can find the hook, the connection, such ideas are really fun.

Andy Caploe was a big factor in making this an enjoyable experience. He manages to give each character an individual voice, and some of his voices are really great. I particularly enjoyed his voice for the Dolphin characters. I always appreciate it when the narrator makes the extra effort to perform difficult readings. 

THE WISE MAN’S FEAR by Patrick Rothfus

Vol. II of the Kingkiller Chronicles.

Narrated by Nick Podehl­

     The Saga Now Becomes Epic

This is a long book; in fact the first two volumes of The Kingkiller Chronicles are longer than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy! In the internal structure of the book this volume consists of the recollections of Kvothe to the Chronicler on the second day of his account of his life. And the story of Kvothe progresses very far indeed. It is so long and so engaging that even though the listener knows that this is not yet the end of the series you will not feel unsatisfied. I am more than willing to wait for Patrick Rothfus to take his own sweet time to get the next one right. It needs to be pretty good to fit in with the first two volumes. It is true that I don’t want this story to end, but I do want it to continue. I am hoping that after the next volume that Kvothe and Chronicler will decide that the telling is not complete and that a Day Four of Kvothe’s memoirs will be needed.

Nick Podehl is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators. His voicing of the many different characters is spot on. Always. One example of his skill is in telling the account of Kvothe’s time in Ademre with the mercenary Tempi. In this foreign land he expands upon the accent he created for the one character Tempi to a large population of speakers in Ademre. Each of the Adem has their own voice yet each is immediately distinguishable as similar to Tempi’s accent. Masterful.

THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfus

Vol. I of the Kingkiller Chronicles.

Narrated by Nick Podehl

     Closer to Tolkien than Hogwarts

At first blush this novel may be classified as a Young Adult novel because the protagonist is a young boy in the course of the dictated portions of the story. It has some of the elements of YA books; including a gifted young boy studying to become an arcanist – essentially a wizard. But do not let this deter you from entering Patrick Rothfus’ world. This is fine story-telling. You will quickly become immersed in Kvothe’s life story as he recounts his saga from living in a troupe of traveling entertainers to entering the University and amazing people with his skills. This book is full of both tragedy and joy and a whole lot of fun.

The voice of Nick Podehl grows with the telling and is one of the big attractions of this book.