There Are No Countries

By: Marshall Smith

Narrated by: Nick Flesher

Scouting crews arrive on newly discovered Dandros to find it ripe with life and fresh for colonization. There are no people and no vertebrate animals. But there is one castle, and one statue of a man known as the anomaly. Energy resonates from the head of this monument of times past where instruments and machinery probe the anomaly’s head and its empty keep, the only signs of civilization. It mourns for its love, speaks of its demise, and tells the humble beginnings of Dandros. It is kept under lock and key for the stories it tells.

They learn that his name is Doug, a traveler from long ago, and he had prayed to a being known as the Goddess. Doug’s energy mentions her endlessly just before he had turned to stone. He had been making plans for her physical arrival on Dandros.

©2020 Christopher Smith (P)2022 Chris Smith

Deserves A Second Listen

When I finished this title the first time I was going to give it three stars and move on. But I couldn’t stop thinking maybe I had missed something, maybe this one deserved a second listen. It did.
For me the second listen brought the characters to and allowed me to tie up all the loose ends. So glad I gave this one a second chance.

Not for me

I listened to this twice, figuring I'd missed something the first run, but it turns out it's just not for me. It's very dull, didn't live up to the blurb for me.

Audio:
Narrator sounded like AI, very hard to take.

A unique and captivating story

This story was a unique and surprisingly cute story that made me feel immersed into this world. It really put me through a roller coaster of emotions starting from the very beginning, i was overwhelmed with sympathy for Doug, his fate is in my opinion a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, midway through, Doug lost all favor with me, I'm unaware if that was by design but i waited patiently for a redemption arc, i never got it and before long that sympathy i once had for him was replaced with an anxious desire for him to meet his fate already, which made me feel like i couldn't wait for the end of the book. Upon reaching the end i couldn't help but feel something was missing. The fate of Doug was something built up from the first chapter, so i expected more out of the moment.

overall, this book captivated my attention and entertained me throughout the way. I commend the author for creating this fascinating world as well as subverting my expectations and bringing out so many emotions in me. I also want to commend the narrator Nick Flesher on a job well done in bringing to life all these unique characters.