Bud by the Grace of God

De: S.E. Sasaki

Narrado por: Marc Leclerc

Medicine. Murder. Mayhem.

Not what one expects to find on the Conglomerate's Premier Medical Space Station, the Nelson Mandela.

When a homicidal ghost, a genocidal general, and a terrifying plant alien all land on the medical station at the same time, the bodies begin to pile up. Hardworking, diligent Dr. Grace Lord is devastated when she witnesses her constant companion, the android Bud, destroyed by a pulse rifle blast before her eyes. When the conniving Dr. Jeffrey Nestor programs the Nelson Mandela to self-destruct and then kidnaps Grace, locking her inside a cryopod, Grace struggles with despair. Can she still save everyone she loves before the entire station is destroyed?

©2016 Sharon Sasaki (P)2022 Sharon Sasaki

Reseñas de la Crítica

Gold Medal recipient, Global Book Award for Science Fiction: Space Exploration, 2022

"Sasaki displays a propulsive inventiveness as she weaves grand ideas with humour and soul. Both a paean to the sci-fi genre and a captivating return to a space station in a complex universe." (Kirkus Reviews Magazine)

The Surprise of the Summer

4.5 out of 5 stars

I know that I’m starting this at book two in the series – but the thing that jumped out at me, in a good way, was that Sasaki just jumps right into it. There wasn’t a ton of lead-up and not a lot of descriptions – they just dove right in, and I really appreciate that. I don’t like when someone drones on and on about things that don’t make the story any better, and they did not do that with Bud by the Grace of God.

Sasaki’s writing style really played well into the audio format of this one. I think that they were able to write a good story that translated into an even better audiobook. This was one of those books I sat down expecting to take some time to get into and especially take longer to start to love the main characters, but quite the opposite happened. I sat down, and within 5 minutes, I was absolutely riveted to my seat to figure out what would happen next. Now, I can’t speak to those who read the first book in this series but starting at book two and being able to still fall for the main characters is a feat, in my opinion.

Overall, I think that Bud by the Grace of God was a story that surprised me almost every way. And each of those was a good surprise. Sasaki had a world created that was fascinating and one that I want to read more about. Each character within had their own arc, and I could tell that Sasaki was trying to have each one stand out for their own reasons.

Add this to the excellent narration by Marc Leclerc, and Bud by the Grace of God was probably the surprise book of my summer so far. It ticked every box for the science fiction story I was looking for, along with the surprises around every corner aspect.

Great second in the series

If you haven’t read book one in the series do it. Not that you have to to enjoy this great book but it is all the better with these great characters. The humor. The novelty. The stakes. All great things tied up in an optimistic future focused thriller ! Enjoy!!

Fans of Star Trek and Babylon 5 will love this

Bud by the Grace of God is the second book in the award-winning medical science fiction thriller series The Grace Lord about a deadly virus on a medical space station, which is written by family physician, author, visual artist, and self-proclaimed, accident-prone, walking calamity S.E. Sasaki.

I am a huge fan of Babylon 5, and Star Trek, especially Deep Space Nine, so you can imagine that I was intrigued by the idea of a medical thriller set on a futuristic space station.

The action of Bud by the Grace of God is set on Conglomerate’s Premier Medical Space Station, the Nelson Mandela, and follows the hardworking, dedicated, and diligent Dr. Grace Lord as she tries to stop the station from being completely destroyed.

Things aren’t good for our good doctor because one of her closest friends was shot and she has been kidnapped by a conniving colleague. Sharon draws from her lifelong experience as a physician and taps her vivid imagination in order to create one of the most enjoyable sci-fi books that I experienced this year. The writing is excellent, funny, sharp, and entertaining.

The story is thrilling and the action moves fast, never getting boring. A homicidal ghost, a genocidal general, and a terrifying plant alien are just of few of the unforgettable characters that we will get to meet during this excellent space adventure.

The audiobook version of this extremely captivating science-fiction novel is performed by theater actor, voiceover artist, and audiobook narrator Marc Leclerc. Marc reads in a pleasant voice, he expertly handles voices and accents, regardless of whether he brings to life male, female, alien, or robot characters, his performance is top-notch and very enjoyable.

Usually, it is customary for an audiobook that has a female lead to be narrated by a woman, but have no worries, Marc Leclerc handles everything expertly and with talent enough so that you don’t feel the need for anything to be different. Although Bud by the Grace of God is the second book in a series, it feels like a standalone and can be experienced as such without any problem.

Of course, now that I discovered such a talented storyteller, I will go back and check out her first audiobook, and hopefully, we will get more of them in the future. If you like science-fiction series like Star Trek, Babylon 5, and The Orville, you’ll love Bud by the Grace of God!