Post-Human

Post-Human Series, Book 2

De: David Simpson

Narrado por: Ray Chase

The future should have been perfect. Microscopic robots known as nans could repair any damage to your body, keep you young by resetting your cellular clocks, and allow you to download upgrades like intelligence, muscle strength, and eyesight. You were supposed to be able to have anything you wanted with a simple thought, to be able to fly without the aid of a machine, to be able to live forever. But when a small group of five terraformers working on Venus return to Earth, they discover that every other human in the solar system has been gruesomely murdered. Now, James Keats and his four companions must discover what happened to the rest of humanity and fight back if they wish to avoid the same, horrifying fate. Welcome to the post-human era…

©2009 David Simpson (P)2013 Podium Publishing

Love the series

I have read this series before and loved it which is why I decided to get it on audible. The story is great but I’m less than impressed with the narrator. Still going to listen to the entire series though.

No the worst, but far from the best

Would you ever listen to anything by David Simpson again?

Yes, I am currently listening to the breakers series w/ David Simpson. My biggest issue with Mr. Simpson is that he chooses one character in every series to growl non-stop. In the "post-human" series that character is "Old Timer"

I'm not sure what's up with that, but it gets old real fast. Nobody talks like that 24-7.

Any additional comments?

This book just had a lot of ridiculousness in it. I was having trouble suspending my disbelief while reading this series. It wasn't an awful book by any means, but it also just wasn't compelling enough for me to continue.

In a nutshell, having lots of large global scale events doesn't make up for the fact that the characters are uninteresting. This is re-enforced by the voice acting, where the main character talks as if he were trying to imitate a lion the entire time.

As a computer programmer, I don't get the main frame thing.. it's just boring to me... distributed computing exists so why would the AI hole themselves up in one big, vulnerable computer?

At the end of the day I noticed there were 5 books in this series so I decided it was time to cut my losses and move onto something else.

Blame It On Christmas!

Sometimes I write long review for books I like. It's not intentional - They deserve additional real estate on the page. In this case, I'll keep it VERY small - Christmas shopping, parties and miscellaneous festivities ensue. I'm on my way to a company Christmas party in the heart of the French Quarter! So, blame it on Christmas! Here goes:

It's different from the first, yet a good listen. Interesting changes and continuity. Good character development, but not as much as in the first book. Believably cool technology. Good plot lines, changes, and at least one surprise. Wow! I'm getting the next audiobook in the series. Well worth the Audible credit.

Enjoy!

Very fun premise.

First, the narrator. Ray Chase has always been a favorite of mine and he didn't disappoint me in this book. Some don't like his style but hey, it's subjective. I wouldn't like to hear anyone else narrating this series.
Second, the premise blows my mind. Sure, the science didn't exist yet but much can be done with unlimited energy and fields and when you take create a work of fiction you can play with the impossible. Because the story was so much fun I was able to suspend disbelief even with some of the obviously ridiculous tech they were employing and creating.
Overall, not huge novels so character development is rather limited but in the end I was smiling a lot while listening to this story. It inspired my own imagination.

Worth the credit in my opinion.

This was the start

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

I will always prefer the printed book, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it being read.

What other book might you compare Post-Human to and why?

Before reading the Post-Human series, I had never read a book that compared to the concepts that David Simpson puts out there. The only other comparison I can make is to The Matrix. The idea of a all encompassing A.I. that guides humanity wasn't something I thought about before reading Post-Human.

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

This is the first time I've heard Ray Chase. He has a very pleasant voice reminiscent of the voice of Sam Neill... an actor with a distinct accent and way of speaking.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

OMG... This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning and didn't let go! This is the book and audiobook that started my love of the Post-Human series!

Any additional comments?

Even though I've read the Kindle edition of the books, I decided to purchase the audio version of the "Post-Human" series. I rarely listen to audiobooks. I'm ADD and it's very easy for me to get distracted from the narration. I didn't have that problem with Ray Chase's narration. His voice was soothing and didn't grate; he was very easy to follow.

Good, Not Great...

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

Not sure...on one hand the series is very provocative and interesting. On the other hand the characters are somewhat one dimensional and the non-stop action doesn't make a lot of sense. It is a very short book so if you are in the mood for a quick read I would recommend it, but if you are looking for something more complex and involved I would not.

Would you recommend Post-Human to your friends? Why or why not?

I think I would if they were not looking for a sweeping novel like Hyperion or Dune. If they like short, simple stories this fits the bill.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I thought Ray Chase did a very good job, I enjoyed him. His narration of Craig (Old Timer) was excellent. I will Craig was in this story a little more, his character drove the first novel and this is unfortunately not his story.

Could you see Post-Human being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see it being a TV Show and there is the problem for me. I like to get lost in a book or series. For this reason I am not a fan of TV or movies that much. They seem too simplistic to keep my attention for very long, with exceptions obviously. This book read like a TV show and I was disappointed at some level. I was expecting a little more complexity in plot and description given the fascinating subject of Singularity, which is at the heart of the series.

Any additional comments?

This book does not pretend to be something it is not. For that reason I applaud the author. This is a fast paced, simple story that at times reads like a young adult novel. It is very straightforward and follows a predictable path. As a reader of Sci Fi like Chalker, Varley, Clarke, Simmons, Corey and Herbert I thought the concept of Singularity would be handled with some more depth. It was not and just served as a backdrop to an action packed thriller. I give the author credit for writing this type of book but I found myself losing interest by the end of the novel.

Really bad

I couldn't even finish it. Reads like a child wrote it. The first book was amusing, but this one is a joke.

Unimaginative

What disappointed you about Post-Human?

The story line was unoriginal. The relationships were wooden at best - with little to no character development.

What could David Simpson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The performance of the book was well done. Kudos given the material.

What character would you cut from Post-Human?

The empath who Old Timer inexplicably fell in love with after knowing her for 10 minutes.

Any additional comments?

zzzzzzzzzz

Terribad

What disappointed you about Post-Human?

The lack of science in a science fiction series was unforgivable. After barely finishing the first book by forcing myself to see the story as fantasy instead of sci fi, I started up on the second. The science quickly went from ridiculous to complete foolishness.

Would you ever listen to anything by David Simpson again?

Never... he is on my banned list. Maybe after he goes back to school for a science degree or spends several years in the military I will consider reading his work again, but not this series.

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

Ray did a great job with a horrible story. I found all of the characters disgustingly predictable. Any time a person could flip out and lose all reason it was guaranteed that they would do so in the worst way possible. If they did it once you could count on it for the rest of the book. I just wanted to kill every one of them to shut them up and put them out of my misery. Instead I turned it off and this is the last thought that I will have on the topic.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disdain for the work itself.

Any additional comments?

David, if you are reading, please don't write science fiction any more. You will be much better suited to fantasy where you don't have to explain the details of how magic works.