The Long Utopia

A Novel

By: Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter

Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens

The fourth novel in Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's internationally best-selling Long Earth series, hailed as "a brilliant science fiction collaboration...a love letter to all Pratchett fans, readers, and lovers of wonder everywhere" (Io9).

It's 2045-2059. Human society continues to evolve on Datum Earth, its battered and weary origin planet, as the spread of humanity progresses throughout the many Earths beyond.

Lobsang, now an elderly and complex AI, suffers a breakdown and, disguised as a human, attempts to live a "normal" life on one of the millions of Long Earth worlds. His old friend, Joshua, now in his 50s, searches for his father and discovers a heretofore unknown family history. And the superintelligent posthumans known as "the Next" continue to adapt to life among "lesser" humans.

But an alarming new challenge looms. An alien planet has somehow become "entangled" with one of the Long Earth worlds, and, as Lobsang and Joshua learn, its voracious denizens intend to capture, conquer, and colonize the new universe - the Long Earth - they have inadvertently discovered.

World building, the intersection of universes, the coexistence of diverse species, and the cosmic meaning of the Long Earth itself are among the mind-expanding themes explored in this exciting new installment of Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's extraordinary Long Earth series.

©2015 Terry and Lyn Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Short Review

Everything you'd expect from TP and SB. Glorious ending. I'll be subscribing to audible in order to finish the series, and I won't regret it.

Unexpectedly good.

I'd thought the series to have stopped being interesting by now, but Baxter came through with the goods. Not a dramatic barnburner, but lots of fun to read.

Fun Listen

Entertaining and captivating listen. Loved the reader. Annoyed by the strictures of the rating system. 😜

Wonderful world

The world built is the best part of the book, for me, and this continues to deliver on the natural consequences of an unnatural phenomenon. I would describe this series as reliable, consistent, and interesting, but not as riveting or brilliant.

Before going into the few negatives: I fully plan to finish the series and enjoy it greatly.

Some things I don't like:
The exposition is very painful. Not only do the authors assume that you have forgotten everything from book to book, or that you for some reason decided to start in the middle of a series (and all of that is forgivable), but what truly irks me is the way the exposition is shoehorned into dialog. Characters waste time saying things that everybody present already knows, or saying things their character wouldn't say, especially the Next, all for the sake of explaining things to the reader.
If you need to communicate something to the reader, just write it like you describe a planet or a person - not in dialog! Anything is better than compromising characters for that.

In the narration, characters sometimes lose their accents or voice pitches. Women become men and Nelson loses his South African accent. It's small but has given me a few moments of confusion.

The chapters also feel a bit disjointed at times, not in the way us as viewers get moved between time periods, but in the writing - it seems sometimes like chapters were written separately and out of order, then edited together, and not always enough to flow properly, leading to repeating information.

Overall, though, enjoying quite a bit. Great worldsbuilding.

neatly done

enjoyed the flight of imagination by two masters of the craft.
The theory of Long Phenomena as outlined in this book might yet prove to be accurate and prescient.

A rewarding ending to the series

Any additional comments?

I tremendously enjoyed the first novel, The Long Earth. Unfortunately none of the rest of the novels ever really recaptured the sense of adventure and exploration found in the first (Although The Long Mars came close)

I mostly enjoyed this last novel. It mostly answered a lot of questions raised by the first three novels, but still left a lot unanswered. I'm not sure there is much else to do with the series. But all in all it was fun to listen to and I enjoyed Michael Fenton Steven's performance.

The next book is in June 2016

And I'll get it as soon as I can. this series has been an addiction and I've devoured every book I could, the writing is superb and Michael Fenton Stevens preforms it beautifully.

My favorite book in the series thus far.

Completely absorbing and a true testament to the creativity in people. The way the lives of the characters come together is fantastic. The end of this book is astounding and had me choked up a bit.

Read some less glowing reviews but I enjoyed it.

Answers some questions raised in earlier books like what next for the NEXT and Lob Sang. Highly engaging and performed just right.

Comfort Food

People are strange creatures. Often we do things that defy explanation. We might ignore money or choose the wrong girl. Maybe we develop a love of Jazz. No one really gets it, but it just strikes a chord with some people.

I'm joking.

The Long Earth was a great book. I read that one in print. A really intelligent idea that was well executed. My mind wandered for days. What would I do? Where would I go? What if I couldn't step? I've read more Baxter than Pratchett over the years, but this didn't matter.

Then I was introduced to The Long War and Michael Fenton Stevens. I didn't enjoy the War nearly as much but it didn't matter. The narration just felt right.

The same goes for The Long Mars and The Long Utopia.

Not as good as the first in the series, but it doesn't matter. Great narration, check. Intelligent ideas and storytelling, check. All the great characters, check. Though I have to admit, I'm no fan of Miss Linsay. Talk about a chip fit for a Long Earth! But I digress.....

I like the Long Earth world and am quite happy to spend time there. Even though the story doesn't hold me like it used to it is still strangely satisfying.

It might not make sense in a spreadsheet. But let's be honest.

What really worthwhile thing ever does?