An excellent soup, with a fly or two in it

This is a hard sci-fi adventure novel which tells a big impressive story, and has a lot going for it. However there were a couple problems that really bothered me and dramatically lessened my enjoyment of it.

As far as highlights go, I have to start with the narrators and the production quality. The readers had a tough job here as they had to give the cast distinctive voices and tackle multiple accents from all over the world. It was a huge task and they nailed it. The second highlight is Landau's prose. While there are some problems I'll mention later, by volume most of the writing is great, specifically the hard sci-fi writing. Descriptions of weather systems on different planets, the scale and scope of the universe, and other big ideas are all described beautifully and in a way that is easy and entertaining to follow.

Somewhere between highlights and lowlights is that there is a section of the book that delves into my favorite type of hard SF story: Survival. Clarke mastered this type of story with "A Fall of Moondust". Weir's "The Martian" is probably the most famous example of this type of story. The key to telling this kind of story is managing believabiliy, and in my opinion this section was a fun adventure but the believability was just not there for me, the odds were just stacked too high.

I did have some bigger problems with the novel though. First, the story takes the stance that funding it's mission to space can only be done through privatization and not government. That's fine, I don't think it's realistic but, what we get in the novel is just silly: a mission funded by Elon Musk and Kickstarter. Worse, Elon Musk shows up as a character in this, mercifully he's only in 2 or 3 scenes, but when he does it feels a bit like fan fiction and really got under my skin. These might sound like small complaints but they came up often enough to spoil my experience.

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review

2 people found this helpful

Amazing and timely

(Spoiler Alert)This was an amazing and timely book; at least for myself. The hard science was on and the performamce and the actors were the best .The very ending was a disappointment. I was expecting a possible second book to maybe continue the story. Other than that I have passed along this book to many friends . To the actors and author...Thank You for the Vision!

1 person found this helpful

Wish I had not bought it

Annoying reading. Multiple readers that are mostly unappealing. Book lacks tension. Scripting seems as if the author is writing for a film. Characters are empty. Underlying story dull. Very unappealing book. Wish I could get my money back.

Not bad, not worth a re-listen though

Everything felt really one-dimensional. The characters were introduced with a little explanation and then left to "grow" with the story. Elements of the story were unbelievable, as were some of the character elements (why does such an important mission get crewed by people who don't get along seamlessly?). Major plot points felt barely addressed (gotta emergency refuel, .... ok.., done) ...

I felt the book was well researched but the story was really thin in much of the book.

Fan flippen tastic

It was a bit disjointed at first, and then I got sucked into the eddies and whirlpools of colors and descriptions. Loved it.

Inspirational and entertaining!

Impressive work both from the author and the narrators.
This fascinating story is inspiration for all that dream in a better world and for those who know that progress and well-being depend mostly on our own actions.
JP Landau did a wonderful job in putting this story in our hand (or ears). Highly entertaining plot about an expedition to the Saturn neighborhood, with characters that you fall in love in, and well researched from the scientific point of view. One of those books that is difficult to put down and that you wish you could hear (or read) more after the ‘The End’ part. In addition to the above, this book is about teaching that teamwork, long term vision, human values, and taking risks is part of what is needed to achieve breakthrough achievements.
Narrators did a great work with different tones and accents making it easier to follow the story.

Beyond 5 stars, epic and unforgettable

I received this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

There have been few Sci-Fi books that I have liked as much as the Martian, this is one of them. This book is destined to become a Sci-Fi classic that may even shape our near future of space travel. The stunning research, simulations, and calculations that the author, J.P. Landau, has done in order to create this book are mind bending.

A trip to the Saturn system for humans may seem a life time away but J.P. Landau considers a near future where a private organization funded by humanity as a whole seeks to do this very thing. Without several of the bureaucratic strings and regulations that tie down government agencies this organization is able utilize SpaceX's current or near future spacecrafts and plans a launch not many years from now.

With a round trip of 6 years this story is not only exquisite in it's science and adventure but also describes what the 5 individuals of the crew will go through to maintain their own emotional well being while being faced with a possibility that they may never return to their world and loved ones that it contains. J.P. Landau does an incredible job in describing how the best among us may react or possibly even fall apart in the face of unimaginable hardships and trials.

The adventure of Oceanworlds is unparalleled by even far future Sci-Fi books. With the search for extraterrestrial life (not the green aliens you may be picturing but even something as small or smaller than bacteria) being the main driving force for many of the crew and organization you will experience the moons of Saturn and Saturn itself in details that you have never considered before. Several times, you will find yourself picturing the beautiful clouds of Saturn swirling and churning like you were looking down on it with your own eyes. You will consider the rings of Saturn reflecting sunlight and saturnshine even while being in the shadow of Saturn. You will see the shear ice cliffs of Enceladus and walk in it's mere 1% of Earth gravity. You will experience so much more than I can articulate here.

Andrew Dennis and Caitlin Campbell blow the narration out of this world. I struggle to think of any other narrators who could have done a better job than they do. J.P. Landau really went all out in making this a performance for the reader. The static of communicating over radios, and the accents for each of the multi national crew and organization members bring this book to life.

Overall this will be a book that I will buy a hard copy of and undoubtedly will listen to again in the not too distant future.

P.S. For those of you Sci-Fi fans who crave actual science in their science fiction, J.P. Landau has added a free PDF with the appendix for this book on his website www.jplandau.com, where he goes over several of the facts in this book. I haven't had much chance to read the appendix myself yet, but hope to do so soon. Apparently, in the hard copy of this book there are also footnotes so I'm looking forward to that as well.

Get this book, you won't regret it.

We Can Get There!

A thrilling realistic journey to Saturn. This book spoke to both the Engineer and Adventurer in me. Both of them are ready to be a part of that next mission to the outer planets!

The characters were well developed and their humanity showed through. The narrators were spot on with their voice performances and helped to bring clarity to the authors views of our humble solar system.

Classic sci-fi blended with a purpose.

I loved this book, relatable characters, and plausible science make this one of the books I recommend to anyone. A purpose filled call to the stars for anyone who looks at the sky and wonders. This book just took over my top spot for near-sci-fi, previously occupied by Seveneves. I did request this book from the publisher, but don't let that detour you as this book is really good.

Expansive Hard Science Fiction

Trips to the ends of the universe can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in very little time, ad that's how this one is. A crew of two has landed on a frozen moon of Saturn to investigate if there's life there and if it's intelligent life meaning we're not alone in the universe. Well then stuff starts to hit the fan in epic fashion as the two crewmates go from the high of making discoveries to a fight for their lives billions of miles from home where there's no one else to help. It's tense and exciting with a lot of scientific facts interspersed throughout but still not interrupting the story. And it has the same feel you get from watching the videos we have of people going to space, all those moments where the world is watching for the triumph of the human spirit over our terrestrial home. It's those feelings of up and down with the crewmates that make this more than a thought experiment, and brings it into a story of humanity among the stars.

I received the review code for this audiobook at my request and have voluntarliy left this honest review.