The Smallest Difference can make an Outcast

"This book was given to me for free at my request, and I provided this voluntary review."

Overall I was very satisfied after listening to “Clan”, “Clan” had an interesting story and excellent performance. This book embodies the best in Science Fiction an idea explored with an interesting plot with great characters. I recommend this book to mature YA readers or adult readers, the book explores dark themes. (4.5/5)

The fantastic narration was performed by Jeff Hays. Each character had a differentiated voice, and I could instantly tell when one of the characters was speaking. This audiobook includes sound effects which were expertly interwoven into the story, much better than Delvers LLC (same narrator) where I found them to be inconsistent. I would be remiss if I did not mention that near the beginning of the narration there was an inconsistent echo, other than that I did not notice any audio anomalies. The narration was top notch, and I think the story benefited from it. (4.9/5) [Listening Speed 1.7x]

The author weaves a world which people strive to be the same “unified” but even then differences appear, the story in a sense is a celebration of the smallest differences. The story follows Clan 1672 who strives to be the same as the rest of the Clan, but the large differences make that difficult, those difficulties form the basis of the story. The story goes to some dark places on exploring what people do with outcasts from a group, and how small differences can cause large divides when everyone else is identical. In the end, this story is driven by an idea, but what makes it great is exploring that idea with a cast of great characters. (4.5/5)

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2 people found this helpful

CLAN

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3.5 stars

You might think a story based on a society of clones would be boring, that is not the case. On the outside they are all the same, on the inside they are all different. Even if they don't want to admit it.

This was an entertaining, creative and engaging story.

This was completely different from anything I have listened to recently. A society cloning themselves to survive. Not clones of multiple people. Clones based on one person. Everyone looks the same and acts the same. In public at least. Anything considered not a perfect copy is killed.

The grass is always greener on the other side until your actually standing on it. Twain is about to find this out.

Twain wants is to be part of the Clan. Twain is different, a mutation. If he is discovered it will mean his death. His sponsor Twigg has kept him hidden away from the rest of the Clan. He has raised him in secret for 17 years. Curiosity and longing to be with the Clan cause Twain to make a simple mistake, one which is about to change his life forever.

Not everything is as unified and perfect as the leaders/sponsors would have them believe. There is no perfect society. No matter how perfect things may appear in public there is no way to stop individual traits from forming in the clones. Some may be able to hide it better than others but the differences are there. Even though they all look the same, not even the leaders are telling the truth, there are deviance's within the Clan. Deviance's they are willing to ignore for their own benefit.

These are not the only things that are being hidden from the Clan by the leaders. There is a reason other than survival that they are being cloned. They are a sacrifice.

Jeff Hays once again does a fantastic job with the narration. Nice voice easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a smooth even pace. Even though this is a society based on clones, each individual Clan has a distinct voice. You can always tell which character is speaking, through his tone, inflection, cadence or character voice. I don't think many narrators would have been able to pull this off. He was the perfect narrator for the story. The sound effects just added to the overall enjoyment of the story.

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

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Clan Survival

Twain grows up never going outside, never seeing what’s beyond the opaque glass. He longs for unity, to be fully part of the clan, not just learning about it and never able to join the group. Father says it’s safer this way. Until one day Twain is discovered, he learns he is a mutant. The punishment is usually death, but it is decided that he will join the group as a builder and survive as part of unity…or not.

Twain quickly learns that unity is not all it appears from the outside and there is a whole underworld the clan either doesn’t know exists or ignores. Twain learns that there are those who would be his friend and will risk everything to help him survive. And also that the clan is not what it seems, not at all.

This was a good book and an interesting take on cloning. It all seems so foreign to begin with and the cruelty is hard to listen to. But as I got into it, I was drawn in and by the end I was fully invested in Twain and his friends and their struggle to survive an impossible situation.

The narration by Jeff Hays is a good one. His tone and cadence is perfect for the material and almost all of the voices are male as it is about a cloned society of the same person. But, interestingly, he manages to make them all seem different and unique so I always knew who was speaking.

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.

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Impressive spin use of clones and strong concepts

What about Jeff Hays’s performance did you like?

Jeff gets to perform with this book. We have a few different voices, but for the most part this book is about a clan of same people. This is a challenge for any narrator to perform a book with clones. Why? Because they are all going to have similar voices. However, they could easily have different personalities that come through tones and articulation when they are away from the collective. Jeff performs this with each clone here. We get the voice of the computer that sounds as though it's through computer speakers, giving it a slightly different feel. When we get several speaking at once saying the same words, Jeff creates that for us to hear.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There is a line early in the book, Chapter 2, that really struck me. It feels as though this is the theme of why the clones live as they do.
"We don't want to be like Earth," Father Krume said. "I have told you how their differences caused the humans many wars and strife."
This comment by the creator of these clones on Clades feels to be key, the thought that created this whole world.

Oh the implications of a perfect world where everyone's the same, and how one small difference can be detected and shunned. The thing is, even if you clone and all live in the same fashion, there are still small attributes that shine through. You get a feel of a few clones being slightly different in different aspects; one's stronger and his first interaction with Twain gives us a feel of a bully, another seems carefree and (maybe) loving, another is pointed out to be interested in himself.

This book felt as though it had points that I could really discuss in a discussion group. For instance, influences of clones all being similar and differences in a group, good or bad and why. That no matter how hard you try, there are traits that could show stronger in the same gene pool no matter how hard you try to make all the same.

I loved the strong feeling of creating a society of clones in Father Krume's manner. We get that feel then watch it slowly crumble to pieces. He thinks this is a perfect concept that's not perfect.

Any additional comments?

*At my request, this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

There is more differences in the world than many know or see. But with Twain... there are hints to more secrets with Twain. Twigg knows more than he's let on. When we learn of one huge difference, all the hints of what Twain can or can't do and tiny differences make sense. I loved this big discovery moment. It's about the middle of the book, and feels like a huge reveal readying us for the next steps to come.

This book could easily have been boring, but Realm kept the story moving with curiosity. I was interested in Twain and his situation, then what he learned of others at classes for work. We learn about the world history and that there are differences in the clones as we go, keeping me curious. This is a story teens and adults could read/listen to. Learning the concept the world is suppose to function in, then seeing how it's changing, then the reason behind it all. The story was well written for bringing all the points out through the characters.

Our main character we live through is Twain, but we also get chapters through the eyes of Buster and Chad. The three have different views on the world that's suppose to be the same for all, but isn't. By the end of the story, I saw the clones as individuals people who deserved to live. It was quite a journey to get to know them and their reason for being.

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Interesting premise

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

This book was ... interesting. I liked the unusual premise of it (a planet full of clones) and the underlying message of what it means to be human, in spite of being "identical" to another person. There were some issues that affected my overall score, unfortunately. It started off well enough with the plotting and characters but towards the end it started to seem like it was being rushed along to a conclusion that felt anti-climactic. Not sure how to describe it or exactly when, towards the end, that it happened. But I recall feeling a little unsatisfied with how everything had played out. Still, it made for an interesting listen. Speaking of listening - another superb job by Jeff Hays, the narrator. Recommended for any fan of Hays and/or a fan of this genre.

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Fantastic with a cinematic-like experience

Excellent, dynamic narration. The story was an intense ride. Every character was well-developed and the story was compelling throughout its entirety. Where it starts and where it ends will blow you away. My heart broke a few times, and I cheered during others.

I don't want to spoil the story's twists and turns, but I will say Realm Lovejoy did great work bringing out the highs and lows in the narrative. Buster was my favorite character. He stole the show whenever he was around. This isn't to say Twain and Chad (the other main characters) were slouches, either, but...you have to love Buster.

Honestly, the whole time I felt like this could be turned into a movie as is. This audiobook rendition is the next best thing...and probably even better.

Even with the characters being the "same" by virtue of being clones, Jeff Hays managed to add nuance to their voices that kept them distinguished. He was spot-on with the emotions required. The vocal effects were also a nice touch.

Recommended for those who'd like a thought-provoking science fiction story that tackles the meaning of the human condition and what lives are worth. There's also some well done action sequences in this.

I was voluntarily provided a copy, and have happily given this story high marks for exceeding my expectations. You won't be disappointed.

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Rather orginal

At this point, I seem to be the only reviewer who actually bought this book.

I vacillated between 2 stars (ok) and 3 (liked it). I decided 3 simply because the author had an original take on clones and did an excellent job of character development with the three friends that was believable.

But the way my listening went was: liked it, bored, didn't like it, bored, liked it, didn't like it, great epilogue! So all in all, I'd say I enjoyed listening to about half the book.

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CLAN! Welcome to a great audiobook experience!

Clan was a non-stop listen for me. A must for all Sci-fi audioslaves. Lovejoy hits it out of this world once again. Enjoy the ride!

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