The Death of the Universe

Big Rip Series, Book 1 (Hard Science Fiction)

De: Brandon Q. Morris

Narrado por: David Stifel

For many billions of years, humans - having conquered the curse of aging - spread throughout the entire Milky Way. They are able to live all their dreams, but to their great disappointment, no other intelligent species has ever been encountered. Now, humanity itself is on the brink of extinction because the universe is dying a protracted yet inevitable death.

They have only one hope: The 'Rescue Project' was designed to feed the black hole in the center of the galaxy until it becomes a quasar, delivering much-needed energy to humankind during its last breaths. But then something happens that no one ever expected - and humanity is forced to look at itself and its existence in an entirely new way.

©2020 Brandon Q. Morris (P)2020 Tantor

Excellent 1st book in the series.

Enjoyable story. Great narration. Can’t wait to listen to the other two books in the series.

deserves to be more well known

decent characters, needed more maybe, good story.... hard sci fi? hmmm more like medium.
narrator was good but pronounced "giga" like doc brown from back to the future.

An absolute must read!

This is a fantastic book that grips the imagination. I have always been fascinated by how humanity would progress over the hundreds of thousands of years in the future. This book provides for my inquisitive mind on the possibilities and I think you would enjoy this read as much as I did!

Finished through a morbid sense of curiosity

Having previously enjoyed Brandon Q. Morris' Proxima trilogy, which was well-structured and engaging, I had high hopes for The Death of the Universe. Unfortunately, this book fell short in several key areas, making it a frustrating rather than thought-provoking listen.

One of the biggest issues is how The Death of the Universe loses all sense of scale and coherence. The book attempts to tackle the ultimate fate of the cosmos but does so in a way that feels strangely reductive. Grand cosmic stakes are presented, but every challenge predictably finds a resolution, removing any real tension. There is a jarring mix of old and new technology that doesn’t fit together logically, making the worldbuilding feel forced rather than immersive.

The dialogue, instead of sounding natural or engaging, comes across as stiff and unnatural, almost as if the characters were lifted from a 1940s radio drama. The overly serious tone—likely intended to emphasize the gravity of the story—ends up feeling melodramatic, if not outright satirical. In a way, the book unintentionally borders on self-parody, taking the tropes of hard science fiction and amplifying them to an almost absurd level.

The audiobook narration only exacerbates this issue. The delivery feels forced, as if trying too hard to inject emotion into dialogue that was never particularly well-written to begin with. Rather than drawing me into the story, it highlighted the weaknesses in the writing, making the experience feel even more artificial.

Overall, The Death of the Universe is a disappointing misstep from an author who has previously demonstrated skill in crafting compelling science fiction. While the science itself remains intriguing, the execution is lacking. Instead of an awe-inspiring meditation on the fate of the cosmos, the book ends up feeling predictable, awkward, and unintentionally comedic.

If you’re a fan of Morris’ other works, you may find this worth checking out for the ideas alone—but don’t expect the same level of quality as Proxima.