Preview
  • Moonbound

  • A Novel
  • By: Robin Sloan
  • Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
  • Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (79 ratings)

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Moonbound

By: Robin Sloan
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
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Publisher's summary

Robin Sloan expands the Penumbraverse to new reaches of time and space in a rollicking far-future adventure.

In Moonbound, Robin Sloan has written a novel with the full scope and ambitious imagination of the very books that lit the engines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: an epic quest as only Sloan could conceive it, mixing science fiction, fantasy, good old-fashioned literary storytelling, and unrivaled enthusiasm for what’s next.

It is eleven thousand years from now . . . A lot has happened, and yet a lot is still very familiar. Ariel is a boy in a small town under a wizard’s rule. Like many adventurers before him, Ariel is called to explore a world full of unimaginable glories and challenges: unknown enemies, a mission to save the world, a girl. Here, as they say, be dragons. But none of this happens before Ariel comes across an artifact from an earlier civilization, a sentient, record-keeping artificial intelligence that carries with it the perspective of the whole of human history—and becomes both Ariel’s greatest ally and the narrator of our story.

Moonbound is an adventure into the richest depths of Story itself. It is a deeply satisfying epic of ancient scale, blasted through the imaginative prism one of our most forward-thinking writers. And this is only the beginning.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

©2024 Robin Sloan (P)2024 Macmillan Audio
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Interview: Robin Sloan goes high science fantasy in his wildly imaginative "Moonbound"

''I kind of set myself the challenge to have my cake and eat it too.'
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  • Moonbound
  • ''I kind of set myself the challenge to have my cake and eat it too.'

Editorial Review

A departure ... and an arrival home
As a superfan of Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore and Sourdough, I have been counting the days to the release of Robin Sloan's newest book, Moonbound. While described as part of the "Penumbra-verse," fans of Sloan's earlier works should be prepared for a totally different listening experience, both in tone (we've got a unique mashup of first and third person) and scope (we are now 11,000 years into the future!). And yet there is something familiar here, plus some amazing Easter eggs. What is most definitely consistent is the wildly inventive creativity and whimsy on display. You will meet a multicellular AI, talking beavers with advanced debate skills, salamander wizards, and sentient swords. In all its complexity, Moonbound feels like Sloan's ultimate labor of love, and it may actually be the connective tissue of his very imagination. Prepare to be amazed. — Emily C.., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Moonbound

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great world building but ...

Beneath some very elaborate and creative world building, this is your basic young wizard coming of age story. And there's no clear denomment. This reads more like the first half of a book rather than the first book in a series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is the real stuff

Robin Sloan has reached a new level. The voice actor is great, clearly representing multiple characters.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

Different in style from previous Sloan novels yet still very much the same. Outstanding story telling, huge imagination, and lots of subtle questions about the nature of our world.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining fantasy

This tale takes place in a post-apocalypse world whose citizens are perfectly adapted to their reality. Just when you think the story is predictable, it takes another twist and you decide to give it a little more time. That is what I did, and loved it to the end. The narrator is amazing with such a variety of voices it is easy to follow the characters. Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Now one of my favorite books

It's been a while since I've had the feeling of "I hope this never ends" while coming towards the end of the book. Thankfully, it ended with the great human question: what comes next. And so I have an itch of a hope that we shall one day return and likely find out more about the storm machines.

I love books that somehow believably intermingle all the genres, science fiction and fantasy, comedy and mystery, adventure and even a hint of romance.

I love love love this book and hope to meet the author some day... probably in his beloved SF.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Story with a capital ‘S’

Moonbound has creative storytelling and language! This book books so hard, you’re gonna love it

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

If you loved a wrinkle in time as a kid you are in for a treat

Some how Sloan manages to have woven together a truly zany plot, with well developed characters and meditative pacing that dives into deeper philosophical thought, without ever taking it too seriously.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow! Wow! Wow!

My mind is stretched, my heart sings, my hope restored, my soul yearns to know - What Happens Next? Thank you Robin, amazing!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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All about story

I enjoyed the construct of the book and truly would love to see it made into a filmed series. It is engaging, terrific characters, and very creative.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Magnificent!

Moonbound was a joy to listen to. I love Robin Sloan’s mind! His stories defy what you think may be a trite genre novel and he flips the narrative this way and that until you have something new, thought-provoking, and original. I highly recommend Moonbound (and his other novels!)

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