Yours Truly, 2095

By: Brian Paone

Narrated by: Sean Michael Hogan

Jeff Blue - the victim of a time-travel conspiracy - wakes up trapped in the year 2095. The only familiar face is J0, a robotic copy of the wife he left behind in 1981. But can she be trusted? J0 could be the only key to unlock Jeff's journey home, but it will require her to do something against her programming , something human.

During Jeff's perilous journey through the future, he will have to discover the truth about J0's origins, and solve the mystery behind how he wound up in 2095, in order to uncover the reality of his own destiny.

Armed with a one-way ticket to the moon, Jeff must race against the clock to seize what might be his last chance to return home to his time. A time without hover cars, Justice Computers, or TeleSkins - a time over 100 years ago.

©2015 Scout Media (P)2015 Scout Media

Intriguing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It'd be hard to change anything since this is from the authors imagination.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting is trying to picture how technology would be in 2095. I didn't have a least interesting aspect. It was well thoughtout.

Which character – as performed by Sean Michael Hogan – was your favorite?

JO was my favorite because her role is the most interesting to me.

Could you see Yours Truly, 2095 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes it could be made into a movie. I'd say Leonardo Dicaprio as Jeff and Mila Kunis as JO

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast

Amazing time travel adventure!!!!

Spectacular interpretation of the music that inspired this novel! I still don't know if I am team J0 or Julie, but look forward to the debates with my friends. I wonder if there will be a sequel to see how jeff influences the future.

Grabs your attention and never lets go!

What did you love best about Yours Truly, 2095?

"After finishing Yours Truly, 2095 and sitting for a few minutes when it was finished in silence, I have to say I can understand completely why this has been nominated for a Hugo Award.

Not only was Brian able to capture my attention from a early point in the book, he allowed me to imagine what was going on in the book through his word choices, descriptive phrasing, and showing more than telling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and initially was going to listen to this prior to falling asleep. However. I found that was not even possible as I was too engrossed in the story line. I ended up listening for about 3 hours a night and am very glad to have good headphones.

I can't say enough good things about this book. If I did, the dictionary would be emptied of many words!"

What other book might you compare Yours Truly, 2095 to and why?

I honestly don't really know what other books I could compare this to. I don't usually read or listen to books of this nature, but I can now say I would if they were as good as what Brian wrote.

What does Sean Michael Hogan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He makes it easy to listen to and is able to keep your attention very easily.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I can't really say what exact moment in the book moved me, but where he found out she was a robot really caught me off guard.

Any additional comments?

If you want a book that will keep you intrigued, this is what you want.

Meh

First off, I love ELO. Back in the 80's I did love the TIME album. I still know all the lyrics by heart. The story had to be crafted to fit into the album's lyrics. That part was done well.
BUT... the overall story is a bit weak, and the second half of the book is pretty predictable. There are some goofy references to ELO's other works (e.g. calling Horace a wimp) and ELO itself (e.g. cops named after bass players, characters named Jeff and Bev). Very corny. But enjoyably corny.
So it's a mixed bag.

Very clever and fun story

I am an old ELO fan, and when I heard that a book was written about the LP Time, I had to check it out. I may not be the best review writer or a great critic, but what I loved about this story was how clever the author placed song lyrics and song titles into the story. As a fan, this made the reading so much fun, ELO fans will have so much fun with this story. The storyline kept me hooked, and I couldn't wait to see where this story went. I had to play the LP first to remember the story and then after again to check.

I'm sure there will be critics who could rip this story apart, but to me, a good story is on that keeps my interest and one I enjoy. I enjoyed Yours Truly and I'm sure you will also.

If you like ELO, you'll have fun with this cleverly written story.

An interesting and different take on time travel

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

What I really liked about this story is the original and refreshing way to address time travel. The "bouncing" tech was cool. The robots programmed with the memories of their human counterparts was also a nice touch. I would have liked to see a few scenes of Jeff's descendant wrecking mayhem in 1981, but that doesn't take anything away from the overall work. All in all, this was a pretty good story that kept me guessing through most of it. The one little thing that irked me, at the end, is Jeff's lack of compassion for what will happen to his wife's consciousness in the future. JO's consciousness replacing Julie's in 1981 is a nice twist, don't get me wrong, but I still feel bad about the real Julie.

Time Travel with a twist. Not TRULY here or there

Would you consider the audio edition of Yours Truly, 2095 to be better than the print version?

Did not read the printed version

Who was your favorite character and why?

JO was my favorite because her role is the most interesting to me

Which character – as performed by Sean Michael Hogan – was your favorite?

Sean Michael Hogan did a great job on all of the characters, He makes it easy to listen to and is able to keep your attention very easily

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

Yes because it was so well thought out

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

Three for the effort and good plot

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'm not sure yet. Maybe? The plot was great and I was relatively eager to learn what happened next but as the story continued, I grew less interested because of his internal changes. I also didn't understand the "stronger body" last-minute bounce thing. Overall, though, it was decent if you disregard the ending. I liked the dream sequences and every transition in the story flowed beautifully. But...

The ending made me lose every ounce of respect I had for the main character. He loves a robot and his wife and it took less than two weeks to fall in love with the robot. He also was willing to leave his wife in the future so the robot could have her body. His reactions to things were dry and a bit unrealistic, and it was easy to find a stopping point because the narrator gave a step-by-step-by-step account of everything happening. If I didn't know what he was eating the first time he said it, I was reminded the second. I also didn't think the reader matched the character; however, I don't usually listen to audiobooks so it might just be a "me" thing.

This might sound like I hated the book. I didn't. I wouldn't watch a movie about it or read it again, but the intricacy of the book itself was amazing. The 929 and the fluid, simplified descriptions and explanations of the future and how things worked was very well done and must have required a ridiculous amount of research, knowledge, or both. Both. That part alone amazed me, but the book slowly died for me as it went on.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The extreme attention to detail in a foreign, normally cliché world. Least interesting was every bar scene and the ending.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Sean Michael Hogan?

I'm not an avid audiobook listener, so I don't know. But, although he did a great job, I don't think his voice fit the character.

Was Yours Truly, 2095 worth the listening time?

Yes and no. Yes because it was so well thought out and no because reaching the ending just made me hate the character. I don't need a cliché ending, but I don't need an ending that makes me think, "Of course a guy would do that."

Any additional comments?

Keep writing and thanks for sharing! I'm sure I'd read another book by Paone at some point.

Great book and a delight for an ELO fan.

Good story and well read, but the ELO references tickled me throughout. Nice read!

Electric Light Orchestra!

Any additional comments?

This is a fun take on one of my favorite bands. Mr. Paone takes the goofiness of a concept album and distills it into a sensible narrative, but it's still full of references and nods to Electric Light Orchestra. Excellent!