
A Short, Sharp Shock
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Narrated by:
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Richard Powers
About this listen
Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning author of the best-selling trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, was called “a literary landscape artist, creating breathtaking vistas” by the Detroit Metro News. Now he confirms his reputation for brilliance and for the unexpected in this luminous short work.
A man tumbles through wild surf, half drowned, to collapse on a moonlit beach. When he regains consciousness, he has no memory of who he is or where he came from. He knows only that the woman who washed ashore with him has disappeared sometime in the night and that he has awakened in a surreal landscape of savage beauty - a mysterious watery world encircled by a thin spine of land.
Aided by strange tribesmen, he journeys to the cove of the spine kings, a brutal race that has enslaved the woman and several of the tribesmen. That is only the beginning of his quest, as he struggles to find her identity in this wondrous and cruel land - and seeks out the woman whose hold on his imagination is both unfathomable and unshakable.
Haunting and lyrical, filled with uncommon beauty and terrible peril, A Short, Sharp Shock is an ambitious and enthralling story by one of science fiction’s most respected talents.
Kim Stanley Robinson is noted for the verisimilitude of his characters and for the meticulously researched hard-science basis of his work. His works contain ecological themes and emphasize the strong link between the human characters and the natural world. He has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards.
©1990 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Quit listening about a third of the way in.
- By ShySusan on 05-06-12
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Robinson's best; Pinchot's usual excellence
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Needs 6 stars
- By Carl on 01-12-16
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Disappointed in the judgmental tone
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Aurora
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Narrator ruins an otherwise interesting book.
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Quit listening about a third of the way in.
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It is the 14th century, and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur - the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of Europe's population was destroyed. But what if the plague had killed 99 percent of the population instead? How would the world have changed? This is a look at the history that could have been - a history that stretches across centuries, a history that sees dynasties and nations rise and crumble, a history that spans horrible famine and magnificent innovation.
-
-
Robinson's best; Pinchot's usual excellence
- By Alex Levine on 05-13-15
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The Wild Shore
- The Three Californias Triptych, Book 1
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
North America, 2047. For the small Pacific Coast community of San Onofre, life in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear attack is a matter of survival, a day-to-day struggle to stay alive. But young Hank Fletcher dreams of the world that might have been, that might yet be - and dreams of playing a crucial role in America's rebirth.
-
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Needs 6 stars
- By Carl on 01-12-16
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- A Love Story
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- Narrated by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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-
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- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The Future is Limited, Get Used to It
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Narrator ruins an otherwise interesting book.
- By Andrew Pollack on 07-03-21
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Critic reviews
“The novels and short stories of Kim Stanley Robinson constitute one of the most impressive bodies of work in modern science fiction.” (New York Times)
“Kim Stanley Robinson, justly famous for his science fiction, has created a mesmerizing fantasy work in A Short, Sharp Shock…Robinson’s imagination is far-ranging and he has a pointed way with words…Robinson’s evocation of pain is unforgettable. A Short, Sharp Shock is guaranteed to haunt the reader for a long time.” (Amazon.com editorial review)
Wicked, thrilling, exciting
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Is there anything you would change about this book?
I never bought or received this book. SorryWould you recommend A Short, Sharp Shock to your friends? Why or why not?
I never bought or received this book. SorryWhat did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
I never bought or received this book. SorryCould you see A Short, Sharp Shock being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
I never bought or received this book. SorryAny additional comments?
I never bought or received this book. SorryI never bought or received this book.
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What would have made A Short, Sharp Shock better?
This story was very difficult to follow. If the author had not been so into licking toads, it might have helped.
I have three words for this book: L frikin SD
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