Hugh Howey Lives

By: Daniel Arthur Smith

Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso

Can artificial intelligence write a novel? In 2174, authors are obsolete. With the exception of a few human "author" titles printed in the small basement and back room libraries, all stories are created by the Artificial Intelligence of the Archive. Most believe the "authors" are only brands to lure people into spending their credits on print. One woman believes that one of them, author Hugh Howey, is real and still alive. Her librarian feeds her belief that Hugh Howey is still sailing around the world, uploading his work to the archive. Convinced she has found clues in his stories as to where he now resides, she and her girlfriend sail to an island where she believes Hugh Howey lives.

©2015 Daniel Arthur smith (P)2015 Daniel Arthur Smith

A Little Lois Lowry with a Dose of Hugh Howey

In a world where stories are written by Artificial Intelligence, paperback books are a high dollar commodity and the modern-day author is a thing of the past, Hugh Howey Lives introduces a very bleak future, void of inspiring literature and stories that allow the imagination to run wild. But there is hope as two women set sail to a mysterious island, thanks to what they believe are clues left behind by Hugh Howey himself. Once they happen upon the island, what they expect to find and what awaits them could very well change their futures.

Hugh Howey Lives is a very refreshing read and I found putting this book down to be difficult. It's not a very long read but it is certainly worth your time, especially if you love Hugh Howey like most people do. Patricia Santomasso does a wonderful job with the audio; a definite homerun in my book! My hat is off to Daniel Arthur Smith and I look forward to more of his work!

Definitely unique and edgy.

Would you listen to Hugh Howey Lives again? Why?

No, I only listen to audio books once, but wow, this one grabbed me right from the get go.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hugh Howey Lives?

No one moment, frankly. This offering unfolds over time and becomes something of a tangled blanket, with enough folds and nuances to be memorable on an ongoing basis.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are some touching moments at the end that are memorable. Can't say too much, as it would be a spoiler.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Too Real to be Real?

Any additional comments?

I received my copy of this audio book in exchange for this review. That said, this review is very positive for good reason...this is a VERY unique, short, fascinating and well-crafted story. Characters are well drawn, and everyone is in the story for a reason. I enjoyed this book for the craftsmanship as much as anything.

Well worth a credit and a listen.

I ignored the world while listening to this.

Great story full of twists keeps you guessing lush descriptive environments to get lost in

Spectacular!

My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer!
Thrill imaginative & very well written. I loved this story and I could see it being a film or even a twilight zone episode.
I will be on the look out for more by this author!
Narration was excellent!

I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.

Beautiful Storytelling

From the touching relationship of two young girls to the fate of literature in a world not too far removed from ours, this novella explores much in its brief duration. The narrator brings to life a vivid world on the precipice, and her characterizations are so evocative you can picture the individuals in your mind's eye. What a treat!

Lovely short story, great narrator

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

This was a real treat. I never listen to short novels so I'm happy that I was given this one to review. I'm not blowing smoke either. This was really a great story and narration.

The narrator was simply lovely. Audio quality was well mastered and there are no editing issues. Patricia did a great job with the characters.

The story itself keeps a very tight focus on the two main characters and does a great job at world building by just dropping little hints here and there. You really get a better picture of how it all fits together by the end.

Spend a credit and get this book.

Short but good

An interesting and thought provoking read. A bit short but still, a wonderful read.

Great narration. Very enjoyable.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

YA Sci-Fi romance with an agenda

Let me start by saying that “Hugh Howey Lives”, written by Daniel Arthur Smith, had great potential that ended up falling flat for me. If you enjoy deep, well-written, and complex science fiction stories that contain multiple twist and turns in the story, this is not the book for you. There were so many directions the author could have taken the story to made it a more enjoyable science fiction story instead of a more YA romance short story. The book’s narration was expertly done by Patricia Santomasso, and I look forward to hearing other materials from her in the future.

I feel the author had an agenda he wanted to get across to his readers and then he decided to wrapped a story around it. It was rather short at only 114 pages or shy of 3 hours of audio narration, and I felt the author could have turned the book into an epic adventure but instead decided to end it before it was fully developed. At times the agenda seemed pushed and forced more than the story itself; which was a disappointment for me.

I enjoyed the story’s overall concept and felt the idea of the Archive being the source of all written material in the year 2174 by means of an artificial intelligence had me expecting more an Orwelling 1984 message, but as stated earlier the book was more a young adult short romance story with some elements of science fiction added. Artificial intelligence is what caught my interest in the book, but it seemed to be more a background concept. I have enjoyed many of Hugh Howey’s published works, but this book did not do it for me and I did not want to read it because of his name in its title. I do not feel this book is on par with Howey’s works, so if this is what you are expecting I think you will be disappointed.

I did not feel the story placed me that far into the future based on the technology, location, and described objects. The world along with its characters seemed flat and the story often lacked action or excitement found in other books in the genre. It felt more like the episode of Gilligan’s Island when they are taken to the island of a mad scientist and get their brains switched. It was entertaining, but not much more.

With the two main characters of the story being female, I enjoyed the book’s narration being done by Patricia Santomasso. She voices the book’s many characters keeping them unique and distinguishable. Most of the thirty-one books she has narrated on Audible (as of this review) are rated 4-5 stars for her performances; and I would agree. I enjoyed her smooth voice and felt it was a good fit to this story. The audio itself was clear and clean. It contained no noticeable audio artifacts such as volume swings, swallows, etc.

Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.