Our Future Good

By: T. J. Kirby

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Our Future Good takes place in the not-too-distant future. This is an adventure story that also tells you where our technology is headed and what new challenges we will soon be forced to face.

Mary and Joe are young people just graduating from their General Lessons. It is time for them to go to their first Project Day and choose the first Project they will to join. Mary wants desperately to get her boyfriend, Joe, to join her in the NutriSuit Project, but Joe wants just as desperately to do a Journalist Project because a major event is happening and Joe has an opportunity to play an important role.

A space colony called L5Pilgrim is trying to break away from the established ISS (International Space Station) and form their own weightless community. There is a fierce objection by the international community. People in power at ISS are meeting to approve an invasion of the station so they can return it to normal. However, some of the leaders at ISS who are against the colony have their own devious desires for the rebellious space station.

Both Joe and Mary eventually accept the challenge of getting into the rebel community to report on what is happening in an effort to see if they can help end the conflict peacefully, since the invasion is imminent.

This is a story of their adventure and what eventually happens. Throughout the story, a picture is painted of our life on Earth and in space in the not-too-distant future. How homes are designed, how robots evolve, life in space, and lots of other things are described. Also described are the unavoidable major new challenges we will have created with our advancing technology.

What happens in this exciting story and what finally results will surprise you.

©2013 Ross Books (P)2014 Ross Books

Feels Like Classic Sci-Fi

Good YA sci-fi novella. Kept my interest as we walked through sort of a day in the life of Joe and Mary as they get ready to pick their careers and start their future together.

It felt very much like classic sci-fi in both the good and the not so good. The good in that it has the elements I love about sci-fi: solid concepts, interesting world-building, and fun talk of the future tech. The not so good was that it felt a bit dated. I think the big part of that was in the character names - Joe, Mary, Larry, Sam. At times it just felt as though I was reading a book from the 50s with a look at sci-fi from that perspective instead of from the present.

The narration by Simon Vance was fabulous as always.

Such an unusual and engaging sci-fi adventure!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved loved loved this book--was the perfect package of romance, great narration, engaging story, something I've never read before, suspense, protagonist does the right thing, overall awesome, unique book.

What did you like best about this story?

I probably enjoyed most the fact that the story was set so far in the future. I enjoyed the author's creative mind. It also would not have been the same without Simon Vance narrating.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the banter between Mary and Joe. I also loved how the author describes how our homes would be like in the future.
Anyhting sounded good as long as Simon Vance was speaking it!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did!

reminds me of Robert A HEINLEIN.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes as long as they would not mind a story with a strong belief included in it. I personally enjoy books with something that you have to think about.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Our Future Good?

The end.

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

I have yet to be disappointed in anything that Simon Vance does.

Any additional comments?

Did not expect the ending. Was expecting something else there. Nice character creation and world building.

Interesting futuristic sci-fi novella

Disclosure: I received this audiobook from the publisher.

First, a confession: I'm normally not a novella/short story fan. I like my audiobooks long and meaty ;-) But when offered an opportunity to listen to a futuristic sci-fi novella narrated by the very talented Simon Vance, I couldn't pass it up!

This audiobook is just under three hours long. The story itself is very interesting and once I started listening, I didn't want to stop. It takes place in the not-so-distant future and focuses on protagonists Joe and Mary and their subsequent adventure. The book walks through their day to day life in detail, and describes not yet invented technologies and capabilities in a way that made me wish I was there. I felt the same kind of wonder I used to experience as a kid watching The Jetsons or Apollo launches. Kirby's story reminds one of the promise of the future and its technology.

Simon Vance's narration is, as always, top notch. He voices the various characters in a way that made me forget there was just one narrator! He brought a light tone and the perfect cadence: Vance and this sci-fi adventure story make a great pair. Recommended.

Now I’m expecting great things from T.J Kirby

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Our Future Good, it wasn’t a book I had heard anything about and I had never heard of the author. After listening to the audio book I’m expecting great things from T.J Kirby. I’m not sure of the target audience for this audio book but I think that it would be perfect for young adults or anyone that enjoys a good story with a heart. The audio book is only 2 hours and 47 minutes, I was easily able to listen to it in one session, although it was that good, I have actually listened to it more than once. In a future were space travel is normal and people are living on space colonies two of them; L5Pilgrim and ISS are getting ready to head to war with each other, were genocide is a potential outcome. Mary & Joe are heading to their first project day and are undecided what they want to do, they know they want to be together but cannot decide which project they want to join. Mary wants to work on technology developments and Joe has his heart set on becoming a journalist and getting the facts and information to the public about what is really happening on the space colonies. You really need to join this pair of fun, interesting characters to see what they decide and how this adventure turns out. The book also has some very interesting ideas on future technology, which really adds to the story.

Simon Vance does a fantastic job with the narration, grabbing the readers attention and holding it for the duration of the story. I became invested in the characters that were wonderfully performed, and easily identifiable, you just couldn’t help but want them to succeed. The story is inspiring in a way that is quite special and heart-warming, which really shows through with the narration.

Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.

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A fun tale of possible future humans!

Mary & Joe are about to embark on their adult lives. They’ve just finished their General Studies and it’s now time for them to pick a Project to work on. Mary would like to work on the NutriSuit Project. However, Joe has been following a story in the news and he really wants to join a journalism team reporting on the issue.

Set a few generations from now, this novella tells a fun tale while also providing a subtle commentary on current day society. At least, that is what I got out of it. Joe has been following the story of the L5Pilgrim space colony society. They wish to break away from the International Space Station (ISS) and go weightless. Of course, this not only affects the current inhabitants of the colony, but will affect future generations. Some of the opposition point out that such colonists would not be able to return to Earth, essentially creating a subspecies of humans. Major detractors believe it isn’t right for them to make such a choice for their future offspring.

If the basic story isn’t enough for you, this tale is full of future tech that made the story fascinating. Much of it is seamlessly put into play without distracting from the story. The NutriSuit would allow a person to absorb all the nutrients they need while sleeping. Housing and robots and travel have all improved in the future. You can modify any room with a few button pushes – sound, color, furniture.

Then there are the societal changes. Every human is guaranteed basic housing and a small stipend each month. However, if a person volunteers for a Project, then they are paid for their efforts on top of the stipend, allowing the person to purchase luxuries. Of course I love this idea, even if I think we will never achieve it globally. Then there is sex. Mary and Joe aren’t married, just barely into adulthood, and yet it is clear they have been enjoying each other’s attentions for some time. I think this is fine (perhaps even preferred). Joe’s parents don’t even mind having Mary stay over. Both of these youngsters work hard and are worthy citizens AND they have sex. Good for them! It wasn’t taboo and I found this very refreshing.

My one little criticism about the story is that I found the underlying tale a little predictable. I won’t go into details as that would spoil the ending. However, with all the other goodness going on in this novel, I can overlook the mild predictability. Also, the cover art and title initially made me think this book was on spiritual guidance or world prayer or some such. I wold not have guessed it was a science fiction story from the tile and cover.

The Narration: Simon Vance has been a favorite narrator for some time. His performance here was great, as usual. He had a variety of voices for men and women and imbued the text with emotion where needed.

50s Style YA science fiction story

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Any additional comments?

First, I was given this audiobook for free for an honest review. This is a short novella with young protagonists. I did not enjoy Simon Vance's narration at all. He made the female characters sound like little children, which irritated me to no end. Someone has already mentioned that the novel has a dated feel to it and Vance's narration sounded like a grandfather telling a story to his grandkids. The character's names, Mary, Joe, Larry, Amy and the use of dated terms such as "bots" will not strike a cord with the current generation of young readers.

I felt too much of the novel was "described" rather than flowing from the action. The old writing adage "show, don't tell" is a technique often employed to enable the reader to experience the story through action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the author's exposition and description. Kirby needs to work on his writing style and do much more "showing" than "telling". The world building was interesting.