WE ARE LEGION (WE ARE BOB), Bobiverse Book 1, by Dennis E. Taylor

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. 

ALL THESE WORLDS, Bobiverse Book 3, by Dennis E. Taylor

Narrated by Ray Porter

Alfred E. von Neumann

Dennis Taylor brings his grand scale Space Opera series to a fitting conclusion tying up loose ends along the way like an orb-weaving spider dancing on the silk. This is an imaginative series and once begun I had to continue to see where he would take it. This trilogy does end rather nicely, but I think there is still much more story to tell. My review of Book 1 mentioned the movie Being John Malcovitch and that is the direction I think Mr. Taylor will go if he extends the story of the Bobs. Bob, by practical necessity, must become the representation of humanity in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. I latched onto the idea of the Bobs in Book 1. It is an idea worthy of the great “gadget stories” of Classic SF.  I think Mr. Taylor would do well to recognize the strong suit of the Bobiverse is its namesake and extend it to its natural conclusion. If the rest of Taylor’s humanity ever gets to the rim of the Milky Way they will find a thriving Bob civilization there waiting for them.

Ray Porter is again excellent. He is Bob, and Bill, and Homer, and Herman, and Will etc. One of this book’s strengths is the sardonic sense of humor throughout. This book needed a Ray Porter to pull of all that sarcastic dialog between the Bobs. Original Bob was a nerd and had a nerd’s sensibilities. Sometimes it reminded me of Mad Magazine, with all the SF movie and book references. Suffice to say: that without Ray Porter this book would not be nearly as enjoyable. 

FOR WE ARE MANY, Bobiverse Book 2, by Dennis E. Taylor

Narrated by Ray Porter

Space Opera—As the Galaxy Turns

The Middle book of the trilogy fills its necessary role of moving the plot forward while allowing the characters to develop through a series of minor crisis. This volume carries on where the first began, but of course, not having the innovative idea of the origin of the Bobs, lacks a bit of the excitement.

I some ways For We are Many reminds me of Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead; a book that Card thought to be the main thrust of his character Ender Wiggin. Card expanded Ender’s Game to novel length so that the novella could serve as an appropriate prequel for his tale of Ender among the Piggies. I did not much care for Ender’s second book because it collapsed the grand scale of Ender’s Game down to the tribal concerns of this new race of beings on an irrelevant planet, Fr from my area of interest. I wanted to know more about Ender and wanted to see him cavorting around the galaxy—hello Space Opera?! For We are Many suffers from the same malady. Book 1 hooked me with Space Opera and Book 2 delivers up Soap Opera; and with Pigoids no less!

Ray Porter has just the right snarky–sarcastic tone of voice to lend to the Bobs. It is fun just to listen to him. He is one of the chief reasons why I think you will enjoy this book.

I do, however have one bone to pick—and it is just a pet-peeve of mine: Ray Porter consistently pronounces “sentient” as SEN-tee-int. And in so doing he is in line with a great many sci-fi narrators. Whenever I hear the word pronounced that way in a Science fiction book a little Miss Manners voice in my head says, “that should be sen-Shunt,” two syllables, not three. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if the word were not so prevalent in the genre; so much so that it can be found in the vast majority of SF books. Other than that I have no complaints. 

PALE BLUE by Mike Jenne

Narrated by Kevin Stillwell

Check Written—Check Cashed—Thriller Check!

Thriller Validation Inside—This would be a valid product label for Pale Blue.

In the second volume this series began to live up to its billing as a thriller in a big, big way. Now that the Cold War is heating up and the clandestine operations take center stage, this story reaches its full potential. Taken as a whole, the entire series is very similar to a Stephen King novel. First the writer gets us involved in the characters as real people, going about their extraordinary lives, then conflict is introduced to increase the excitement. Now, in the third volume, when the characters are in danger we, the listeners, feel the impact more viscerally because the characters have become our companions. But Jenne accomplishes something special here: He lives up to the hype. Have you ever heard the saying, “My mouth don’t write no checks my body can’t cash?” Well, the “Thriller” check written on the cover of book One is cashed here in book Three. Mike Jenne has accomplished that rare goal of creating likeable, and believable characters and puts them in an interesting, entirely believable story that I couldn’t wait to find out what happened—but also never wanted to end.

This book has a strong element of espionage, and it is told from both sides of the street. And the bad guys, comrades from the Soviet Union, are given adequate character development so that their drama is as real as our compatriots. As far as the spy game goes, all I will reveal is that Pale Blue contains The single most ingenious idea for a Dead Drop that I have ever encountered in any spy novel. It makes you think that it must be a recently declassified technique, because if it were not public knowledge it could still be a closely guarded national secret and would still be used in the field.

This third volume brings it all home; living up to its full potential. I am happy to report that, unlike some other trilogies I can think of; this Blue Gemini series has a conclusion worthy of the other two books. If you are considering this series let me assure you that it keeps getting better and better. Books like this are the reason I keep listening. I am thrilled to have discovered it! It was a great experience.

As of this writing (August 2017) this book has only received 33 ratings on the Audible (USA) site, and it has been released for over a full year! I for one am going to spread the word on this series–it deserves a much wider audience. I think it will be a great book to recommend to readers who find themselves too busy these days to sit down and read a book like they used to do when they were younger. Give them this series and watch them rediscover the joy of a great book all over again!

I hadn't experienced Kevin Stillwell as a narrator before this series. For me this tech thriller is the perfect vehicle to launch Stillwell into the public ear. Stillwell is at once completely unobtrusive and seamlessly inventive in his voice characterizations. Stillwell is a prime reason why this is a successful series. I am a sticker for proper pronunciation and I can say that Stillwell was, to my ear, perfect in that regard. His voice characterizations are all spot on. His pacing adds to the dramatic tension. Kevin Stillwell is wonderful. I will look for Mr. Stillwell in the future. The production of this Audible Studios audiobook is pristine. 

BLUE DARKER THAN BLACK by Mike Jenne

Narrated by Kevin Stillwell

Alternate Space History Retro-Tech Thriller

Now that the Blue Gemini Project is operational the stakes are much higher, both for the Cold War and for the characters that we learned to love so well in book one. As the Blue Gemini program lists off this second book also launches the intensity level into orbit. There are scenes in this book that are as exciting as the Apollo 13 crisis. I am beginning to realize that this book by Mike Jenne is a undiscovered treasure that needs to be widely heard. Also Kevin Stillwell is top notch. I am quite impressed with this Audible Studios production. This deserves a much wider audience.

I was describing the plot of this series to one of my friends. After outlining the main plotting my friend asked if the book got into the public NASA space program. I told him that the only references to NASA was the periodic news reports of the Apollo Moon landings. My friend then said that it would be good to learn about the secret military space program. It was then that I realized that I had not adequately stressed the fact that this was fiction. My simple description of the story sounded so plausible that my friend thought it was real. And that is the feeling I got myself while listening to Blue Darker than Black. I wanted it to be real and my willing suspension of disbelief brought the realistically recounted events startling to life.

Kevin Stillwell is wonderful in this series. He retains his calm narration throughout and his character voices are spot on. I particularly enjoy Stillwell’s portrayal of the retired general and full-time cowboy Vergil Walcott. It is clear that this audiobook production was well planned and executed. The production values are high. I noticed no glitches. 

BLUE GEMINI by Mike Jenne

Narrated by Kevin Stillwell

The Right Stuff...No Your Other Right !

Blue Gemini is billed as a thriller but it is a thriller only in the cerebral sense. Anyone who grew up in the early days of the Space Program and who followed the progress of the Mercury and Gemini programs will find a lot of things to like. This novel is written in a style that is reminiscent of some of the older works of Science Fiction in that it has a large amount of explanatory passages. But unlike early science fiction novels this novel spent a great deal of time working on character development and realistic dialog. Somehow this fits quite nicely with the whole sixties motif and the early days of the Space Program. A book set in the 1960s and done in the style of the Science Fiction of the time. A time when the culture in the United States was a bit more stolid and formal.

I lived through the 1960s and the early days of the Cold War space race with the Soviet Union. Blue Gemini has more than the feel of the 1960s, it actually evokes many memories if that time for me. One of the things I really enjoy are all the references to the songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Beatles and the movies like Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Anyone having lived through this time will instantly recognize that all of these references are Period Correct. Just as the book Ready Player One was a great piece of nostalgia for those who lived through the 1980s, Blue Gemini is a real blast from the past for those who lived through the 1960s.

I really love the whole idea of a Black Ops Space Program running parallel with the Gemini program back in the 60s.

This is the simply told straightforward story. As the novel progressed about halfway through it suddenly dawned on me that the narrator Kevin Stillwell is really quite good. The narrator's character impressions excellent. Each character is given a distinct voice and very appropriate voice I might add. When I started the book I begin to wonder when it was going to become a thriller as it was billed but I stuck with it and am glad I did. Soon I began to like the characters. All the sudden I began to find every scene interesting because it was a scene involving somebody I liked. The pacing which I had first thought was a bit slow became normal; it became realistic and lifelike. And I think that's the intent of the author. One of the great charms of this novel is that it harkens back for me to an earlier time maybe in a sense start to relive the 1960s the 1960s Space Program of which I was fascinated with as a child.