The Echo

By: James Smythe

Narrated by: Rupert Farley

The stunning sequel to James Smythe’s critically acclaimed literary sci-fi novel THE EXPLORER

TWENTY YEARS following the spacecraft Ishiguro’s disappearance, humanity is setting its sights on the heavens once more.

Under the direction of two of the most brilliant minds science has ever seen – twin brothers Tomas and Mirakel Hyvönen – this space programme has been tasked with one of the most difficult missions in its history: to study what is being called ‘the anomaly’ – a vast blackness of space thought to be responsible for the loss of the Ishiguro.

But as the anomaly tests Mira and the rest of the hand-picked crew’s sanity, Tomas will have to use all his ingenuity if he is to save his brother and their mission.

©2017 James Smythe (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

‘If you love GRAVITY try James Smythe’
Buzzfeed.com

‘Creepy, compulsive Science Fiction’
Metro

‘Science Fiction for those who don’t think they like it’
Independent

‘A tightly knotted, expertly constructed space trip of a read’
Guardian

‘A wonderful examination of coping with loss, time and
death’ SFX

‘It’s like an episode of Star Trek written by JM Coetzee’ Guardian

Odd, unexpected, slow, maybe not for everyone

Any additional comments?

It's a layered story, first person all the way and in the end a self-revelatory tale. Nothing much seems to happen and I wouldn't have stuck to it if I were reading. However the audio version has a hypnotic feel that I found pleasant as background to other activities. Rupert Farley did an outstanding job. Still, it's an odd book and if you want a story with action leave this one well alone. If you want something a little different and are patient with stream of consciousness give it a try. I have just finished it and am still digesting it - thinking, so that's a very good sign. I hate reviews that include spoilers so I won't do that. Give it a try. You can always return on Audible.