A Roll Of The Dice, A Shot In The Dark!

Once again, I take a shot in the dark, and this time, it's a win.

And for a fact, it's NOT because of Audible's description of the work. That description covers the first five minutes of the audiobook.

Think other dimensions, time dilation, neural AI mind entropy, rogue robots, nuclear fallout, new world order, suspended animation, and MUCH more.

Simpson delivers a well-written, smartly-paced and rich story, replete with rich character development, excitement, and tech-savvy future-tense believability. It beautifully sets the pace for the other novels in the series.

And, by the way, it just happens to be a great listen.

Lately, there's been a definite lack of truly noteworthy scifi/fantasy audiobooks offered here at Audible. I don't blame Audible for the lack of excellent work. There are great novels out there that are just beginning to be recorded to audiobook format, and it takes time.

So, this was a pleasant surprise, and I'm extremely glad I stumbled into it - So much so, that I'm securing the remaining novels in the series.

So, crack open that wallet, pull out that dusty credit, dear Audible listener, and put this enjoyable listen in your library.

38 people found this helpful

Craig was annoying.

Warned number of times about the effects of his actions and just won't listen. smh

2 people found this helpful

Fantastic Story with an excellent ideas

Fantastic story with great idea development by the author. The person reading the story is not to my taste, though, and he has some very odd inflections that make many of the powerful characters actually sound weak and girly. I think that this book would have been MUCH better with a more powerful reader that properly captures inflections.

2 people found this helpful

Highly Entertaining

Would you consider the audio edition of Sub-Human to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version but Ray Chase does a great job bringing the characters to life.

What did you like best about this story?

David Simpson is a young author who seems incredibly well schooled in the classic Sci Fi of Asimov and Clarke. There are big big ideas in this series, bu the science is thoughtfully explained though not a centerpiece. There are some very clever plot lines and its rapid rife and highly entertaining. As a young author he has a lot of promise, and I enjoyed this initial book in the series very much as will read the remaining 3. Without being critical, because this appears to be Simpson's overall style elements of the story are not overall explained, drawn out or described like the the great space operas of Simmons or Varley. This style sometimes leans toward more of a graphic novel approach, which I found appealing at some level and lacking at other times.

As a young author Simpson's style will evolve and I look forward to continuing to read his work. This is old school Sci Fi done with a modern approach. I enjoyed it very much.

What about Ray Chase’s performance did you like?

I am always stunned by how well the best narrator's perform their craft. Ray Chase is fantastic, giving distinctive voices to each character. I love the way he portrayed Craif (the old timer), it was terrific.

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

Certainly the entire sub plot with Samantha was something that I think a lot of people can identify with on some level. It was moving to the point that it humanized what at times was a fantastic storyline.

Any additional comments?

There are some very interesting concepts in this book have become front and center in science today. Kurzweil's "Singularity" concept is clearly a driver in the novel(s) and a topic that I suspect will be discussed more as we employ wearable computers and neural networks in our daily lives. If that interests you this is a provocative story and worth your time.

8 people found this helpful

Acceptable

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The plot was good. The story engaging. It wasn't the most amazing book of all time but it was entertaining.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The time hops were oddly developed. Either more detail and weight needed to be given to it, or just skip it entirely. It felt like the author was just trying to fill pages.

Which character – as performed by Ray Chase – was your favorite?

The character of the AI was actually very well performed. The performance of this character was my favorite.

Do you think Sub-Human needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The second book in the series - Post Human - was utterly awful. It was not related to this book in any way, and was completely unneeded.

Any additional comments?

This is a nice piece of brain candy. There is no deep thinking required, but its entertaining all the same.

4 people found this helpful

purchased by accident.

Already own omnibus version. Accidentally purchased this thinking it was a different product. Seems there are no returns for audio upgrades so I'm stuck with it.

1 person found this helpful

Moronic Pulp Sci-Fi

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. It has a wonderful premise, which borrows from Philip Jose Farmer, and other sic-fi writers, but has an exceptionally idiotic plot and absolutely moronic set of cut-out characters.

What was most disappointing about David Simpson’s story?

The characters were unbelievably insipid caricatures.

Have you listened to any of Ray Chase’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Ray Chase was excellent. Too bad he had to narrate such a ridiculous novel.

Did Sub-Human inspire you to do anything?

Avoid any more David Simpson novels.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointing.

3 people found this helpful

Too much gore

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not.

Would you ever listen to anything by David Simpson again?

Maybe

What does Ray Chase bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I wouldn't have read this book. The narration helped.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Doubtful

Any additional comments?

The premise has endless potential. The author chose to continually focus on how a super soldier could torture and kill. I expected some of that, but that's about all there was. I kept waiting for this book to take off, but realized that's just what the book is - light on ideas or insights and heavy on gore.

5 people found this helpful

LUDDITE

CRAP YOUR PANTS IN 31 SECONDS
I was a little slow to get into this. Then I got into it big time and thought it was great. Then it turned into some type of super hero comic book. The intelligence and thought that went into creating the story got dropped by the way side. I got over half way through the book and called it quits.

What made things worse is I have a bad case of FOSB. Another reviewer came up with this term to describe the fear of Scott Brick. Ray Chase is not quite as bad as SB, but he is close. Everything he says should be written in capital letters. He screams most of the sentences. It is a good voice for announcing movies, but not reading a whole book. I think some narrators such as the two mentioned do not read the book ahead of time and feel that if they read every sentence dramatically it works, this way they can also read more books, since no prep time is necessary. They make more money or they are cheaper, I don't know which. Writers should take a bigger interest in production. Rarely will Stephen King let his books be butchered like this.

19 people found this helpful

Surreal Story, Masterful Narration

What made the experience of listening to Sub-Human the most enjoyable?

Ray Chase is rapidly climbing up my greatest narrators in the known universe list. He kept this roller coaster on mushrooms of a story racing forward through multiple time warps, disasters at sea, rampaging pubescent-voiced evil simulants and some other stuff I am still trying to come to grips with and cannot mention at this point.

What did you like best about this story?

After being 2x4'ed by the fickle finger of fate, Craig finally catches a break and gets some peace of mind. I just hope that in the next episode he also will get a well deserved piece of ass - be she cyber or human. I do not say this lightly. Craig was made to experience the ultimate rip my heart out and stuff it down my gaping pie hole situation through absolutely no fault of his own. The chin-deep lake of crap this guy had to wade through from basically the first or second minute until the blood spattered, radiation contaminated curtain came crashing down really had me hoping that Craig would at least end up conscious or hopefully be able to stand without assistance. I was not disappointed.

What does Ray Chase bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ray Chase has a way of narrating that just clicks with me. This story was a trip, and there is no better audio guide for this kind of book than Mr. Chase. I am fired up for the next installment.

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

An early in the story bombshell exploded in my ears and had me blurting out loud "No way!" and "f.....ing ruthless". Needless to say, I was moved. I knew from that moment on that this story was going to be a keeper.

Any additional comments?

Hey Audible... why are you making me wait for what.... 3 weeks to hear the next installment? This is a bush league move. I can honestly say without reservation or fear of contradiction that YOU SUCK! Here I am, with cash in hand wanting to keep the vibe I got from this book going and I have to wait until someone somewhere in your organization gets around to making it available? Let me guess, the reason why the next book is not available for several weeks is due to: (a) your company is staffed with out of touch half wits, or (b) you can't squeeze the next book in the series in because you have yet another batch of poorly written trash about some highland slut trying to get into the pants of some pouting, shirtless, mullet - sporting loser, or (c) you all just don't give a damn about your customers. My money is on all of the above. I hope the puss bag mono-browed mouth breathers involved in delaying the second installment of this series get a big fat pink slip in their stockings, or if that isn't in the cards, a really nasty and festering bout of poison ivy / oak in all the right places.

7 people found this helpful