The Quantum Series, Books 1 - 3

By: Douglas Phillips

Narrated by: Graham Halstead, Kirby Heyborne, Traci Odom

Length: 33 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Forget everything you know about reality. The quantum world doesn't play by those rules.

Daniel Rice is a government science investigator whose specialty is solving seemingly intractable problems through scientific inquiry.

But Daniel's intellectual strength is sorely tested by the bizarre realities he finds in the quantum world. Extra dimensions of space trap the unwary, probability replaces cause and effect, and time isn't what anyone imagined. The other side of the mirror is a place full of dangers, but it's also somewhere a dedicated scientist can uncover secrets that connect humans with something greater.

©2017, 2018, 2019 Douglas Phillips (P)2020 Tantor

Yes to making science interesting and fun!

This book listens like your favorite high school physics professor... Which also means if you didn't like science, you are not going to become enthralled by this journey. Also - If you are the latter, please do not vote. No more Kardashians presidents please.
Who is really going to like these books? Those who like to stretch their understanding of the incredible world we live in... imagine the possible and probable - who dream what could be rather than what has been. Douglas does a great job laying out an entertaining story based on science, which allows the listener to contextualize the laws which govern our existence. This is hard... real hard. It's much easier to skip the science and fall back on the "general" mechanics people can see, feel or have previously seen on screens. He does a great job! The end of the books when he reviews the real science - fabulous!
All that said, book 3 story is a little wonky - not based on the time travel, but the entire dynamics between some of the characters. People simply do not act this way. Kooky religious guy - yes. Scientist - yup. Politicians - you bet. Girlfriend that learns you were fishing in a different pond - a huge bag of nope. This was the only aspect of all three stories that I found to be truly unbelievable fiction:)
If I had a billion dollars, I'd team up with him to figure out how we can best educate the world, because he would definitely make it fun - giving us our best chance at turning the tide of tribal ignorance into a vision for the future.
If you are unsure - you should give these books a try,
Reason I gave 4 stars for performance is the narrators changed through the series. All were good, but it's a pain to learn 3 different narrator rhythms and voices. Also, the first book sounded very robotic. Could have been a bad download, When I speed the replay to 1.1x, it sounded better.

Interesting story, terribly narrated

The science and time travel elements are great hooks. My only criticism is the narrator is TERRIBLE, honestly it sounded like a robotic read to me system rather than any inflection or change for the various characters. Poor cadence and annunciation made me want to read it rather than listen.

time travel story with different twists

1st and 3rd books great if you like science and time travel stories. 2nd book good but concentrate a bit heavy on insecurities of the female characters.

It could happen this way, and its fun to see how

When I enjoy a book or story , I remind everyone, its subjective. I think in order to enjoy this series, you need an interest in the subject of Quantum mechanics. Not a knowledge, just an interest, because , correctly or not the characters, explain what is going on in the new dimensions. Creating characters to interact in the new technology, makes it more believable and enjoyable. 3 books, I feel move quickly, and provide clues as to what MIGHT be reality , in our world.. Might, but its a fun ride.
Book 1 starts with Missing return space capsule, and investigating what happened, leading to your introduction into a 4th dimension. That technology is ultimately connected to the missing capsule ( Trying not to give to much away here )
Book 2 deals with the tech, of book one, but more of what happens when we go to fast without knowing what we are really dealing with and Book 3 takes us to moving through time. Again my apology, I dont want to give spoilers and hope you read the books or listen to them. Its moves fast, correct or not, the science is explained and the characters in the story are people you can root for and cheer for... Enjoy

Great Book and Performance

The author does a really good job of explaining what is fiction and what is fact. I really enjoyed these 3 books. Thanks

my new favorite author

I'm a huge fan of hard science fiction. Authors like Larry Niven and his Douglas Phillips that are more science than fiction are the reason why it's called science fiction instead of future fiction or space drama. You know it is hard science fiction when there are formulas and references to actual peer reviewed articles. Love it and thank you Douglas Phillips for renewing my love for the genre with modern stories.

He Blinded Me with Science Again

In 2020 we all found ourselves at home with nothing better to do write and think. Some tried to write a few books. Some succeeded and others failed. This three part series does an okay job at keeping the reader engaged. In fact you could drop part two and read one and three and save yourself the pain of part two.
The archetype male hero has changed from the type A to the 180 pound pale complexion scientist. Daniel Rice makes a pretty decent hero character. The female hero leaves a little to be desired in the series. Maybe a little story but something was missing for me.

Push through the first book.

The first book is important to set the scene, but something was not good about it. At first I thought the writing is not so good, but when the second book starts and it is a different narrator, I realised that was the issue. The second book was definitely the best of the three and if I knew what I know now, I would have stopped after it.

Excellent

Moving through extra dimensions of space and time. Compelling characters and story. Engaging, couldn’t stop listening!

Outstanding - lots of science

Yep this one has a ton of science along with good explanation of the possible. A worthy read. At times it gets a little bogged down in the science but when the explanations complete the story moves well into the future. Very good performance by the speakers/readers. Looking forward to more audible entries from this author and narrators.