
The Actual Star
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Carolina Hoyos
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Kareem Ferguson
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Gisela Chipe
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By:
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Monica Byrne
About this listen
David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas meets Octavia Butler's Earthseed series, as acclaimed author Monica Byrne (The Girl in the Road) spins a brilliant multigenerational saga spanning two thousand years, from the collapse of the ancient Maya to a far-future utopia on the brink of civil war.
The Actual Star takes listeners on a journey over thousands of years and six continents—collapsing three separate timelines into one cave in the Belizean jungle.
An epic saga of three reincarnated souls, this novel demonstrates the entanglements of tradition and progress, sister and stranger, love and hate. The book jumps forward and backward in time among a pair of twins who ruled a Maya kingdom, a young American on a trip of self-discovery, and two dangerous charismatics in a conflict that will determine the fate of the few humans left on Earth after massive climate change.
In each era, age-old questions about existence and belonging and identity converge deep underground. Because only in complete darkness can one truly see the stars.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Monica Byrne (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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By: Tim Pratt
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The Municipalists
- A Novel
- By: Seth Fried
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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In Metropolis, the gleaming city of tomorrow, the dream of the great American city has been achieved. But all that is about to change, unless a neurotic, rule-following bureaucrat and an irreverent, freewheeling artificial intelligence can save the city from a mysterious terrorist plot that threatens its very existence.
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Timely for Do Gooders
- By Will Simson on 05-13-19
By: Seth Fried
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3zekiel
- By: Peter Cawdron
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Deep within the Congo, a team of scientists prepares for the greatest event in the history of humanity, making first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial species. Only the jungle is no place for doubts. Could first contact be our last?
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avoid this book
- By Ralf Månsson on 07-19-22
By: Peter Cawdron
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Superluminary
- The Complete Trilogy
- By: John C. Wright
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Lords of Creation rule the Nine Worlds through its control of the ultra-advanced technology that has permitted the colonization of the entire solar System. More gods than men, the Lords of Creation have cheated Death itself. But although they rule the solar system with their god-like scientific knowledge, there are even more powerful forces to be feared lurking out in the dark depths of space. And when an unthinkably terrible enemy that rules a vast network of dead stars and planets comes to the Nine Worlds, it falls to them to stop it, though entire worlds may perish.
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Sci-fi on a scale most authors can't even dream of
- By Zach on 04-17-19
By: John C. Wright
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The Powers of the Earth
- Aristillus, Book 1
- By: Travis J. I. Corcoran
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 19 hrs
- Unabridged
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Earth in 2064 is politically corrupt and in economic decline. The Long Depression has dragged on for 56 years, and the Bureau of Sustainable Research is hard at work making sure no new technologies disrupt the planned economy. Ten years ago, a band of malcontents, dreamers, and libertarian radicals bolted privately developed antigravity drives onto rusty seagoing cargo ships, loaded them to the gills with 20th-century tunnel-boring machines and earthmoving equipment, and set sail - for the moon.
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Might be worth continuing
- By Michael on 11-25-18
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The Last Human
- A Novel
- By: Zack Jordan
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Most days, Sarya doesn't feel like the most terrifying creature in the galaxy. Most days, she's got other things on her mind. Like hiding her identity among the hundreds of alien species roaming the corridors of Watertower Station. Or making sure her adoptive mother doesn't casually eviscerate one of their neighbors. Again. And most days, she can almost accept that she'll never know the truth - that she'll never know why humanity was deemed too dangerous to exist.
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Half way through and giving up.
- By The Kindly One on 05-21-20
By: Zack Jordan
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Midworld
- By: Alan Dean Foster
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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From the rich imagination of science-fiction great Alan Dean Foster comes the story of Midworld, a Humanx Commonwealth planet that's equally fragile and hostile. Covered by a lush rainforest, Midworld is home to a primitive society that lives in harmony with the natural world. But the arrival of an exploitative human company, whose workers know nothing of Midworld's delicate ecosystem, sparks a conflict. Should Midworld's villagers aid the humans or stand against them?
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This one will make you think.
- By John on 02-15-19
By: Alan Dean Foster
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The Spirit of Music
- The Lesson Continues
- By: Victor L. Wooten
- Narrated by: Victor L. Wooten, full cast
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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We may not realize it as we listen to the soundtrack of our lives through tiny earbuds, but music and all that it encompasses is disappearing all around us. In this fable-like story, three musicians from around the world are mysteriously summoned to Nashville, the Music City, to join together with Victor to do battle against the "Phasers", whose blinking "music-cancelling" headphones silence and destroy all musical sound. Only by coming together, connecting, and making the joyful sounds of immediate, "live" music can the world be restored to the power and spirit of music.
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A rich exploration of our relationship to music
- By Dave on 02-24-21
By: Victor L. Wooten
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Midshipman's Hope
- The Seafort Saga, Book 1
- By: David Feintuch
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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When a hideous accident kills the senior officers of the UNS Hibernia, it leaves a terrified young officer to save 300 colonists and crew aboard a damaged ship on a 17-month gauntlet to reach the colony of Hope Nation. With no chance of rescue or reinforcement, Nicholas Seafort must overcome despair, exhaustion, and guilt. He must conquer malfunctions, mutiny, and an alien horror beyond human understanding. And he must save lives, and take them - in the name of duty.
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Amazing Writing, Decent Story
- By Striker on 09-13-15
By: David Feintuch
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The John Varley Reader
- Thirty Years of Short Fiction
- By: John Varley
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Paul Boehmer, Gabrielle de Cuir, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his short fiction was like nothing anyone else was writing. His stories won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over. His first collection, The Persistence of Vision, published in 1978, was the most important collection of the decade and changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction.
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3 Hugo & 2 Nebula awards. Great narrators.
- By Ed Pegg Jr on 12-29-21
By: John Varley
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Earth Alone
- Earthrise, Book 1
- By: Daniel Arenson
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise from the ashes. Now we fight back. Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win.
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I JOINED THE ARMY TO DIE
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 08-31-17
By: Daniel Arenson
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The Circuit
- By: Rhett C. Bruno
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 28 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Earth is a dying planet. To survive, humanity founds the Circuit, a string of colonies across the solar system, dedicated to mining resources vital to preserving what remains of mankind. Here there are no heroes or villains, only those willing to do what's necessary to survive. The New Earth Tribunal, a powerful religious faction, has risen to rule the Circuit. They believe a Spirit within the Earth will one day appear and welcome humanity back home.
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If you liked The Expanse, walk away.
- By Anonymous User on 09-25-18
By: Rhett C. Bruno
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Intrinsic
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Kalian Gaines has a secret; he just doesn't know it yet. He looks like us, he lives like us...but he is not one of us. Kalian knows nothing outside of his mundane life teaching history on 30th-century Earth, until a day like any other triggers a series of events that will tie his fate to that of humanity. A human handprint, embedded into a rock with alien script, is discovered on a moon that mankind has never set foot on. This discovery holds a secret, which will sweep Kalian into the heart of a conspiracy that has corrupted the galaxy for 200,000 years.
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Unexpectedly Brilliant
- By Fraser on 04-22-18
maybe I'm daft, but I did not get how it ended
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masterpiece time spanning epic
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Friggin weird
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Best Audio Book So Far
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Echoes of Cloud Atlas
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Notes: some of the themes are a bit graphic (cw: self harm, sex)
Incredibly creative, still processing
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Another comment - I think this book is categorized as science fiction, but people who don't usually like science fiction shouldn't let that discourage them. The science fiction element is just the vision of what the future could be. Really the book is a literary masterwork on humanity, spirituality, and the ties that bind us. I hope this review encourages someone to read the book! It truly is extraordinary.
A Masterpiece
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the performance is excellent
highly entertaining and engrossing
stunning story telling, transcendant
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Speculative fiction enters a whole new dimension
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The novel jumps around between the three different periods but begins in 1012, set in a Mayan kingdom in Belize. A royal brother and sister set of twins are preparing to rule their kingdom but face difficulties as there are rumors of rebellion and the climate is changing, and their and the surrounding kingdoms are in decline due to this. The twins’ beloved younger sister is also featured in this section. She takes mushrooms early on and begins to have visions and plays an important role as this storyline progresses. We are introduced to a nearby sacred cave, supposedly a portal to the Mayan underworld, which ultimately becomes a central part of all three timelines.
A thousand years later in 2012 in the fictional city of Anoong, Minnesota a young half-Belizean lady, Leah, who was conceived by her mother there on a missionary trip, plans to travel to Belize to explore her roots and tour the mythical cave. She befriends two of the cave tour guides, who happen to be twin brothers, and hijinks ensue. She becomes infatuated with the cave and longs to explore past what the official government tours allow.
Sidenote: the fictional city of Anoong, Minnesota is located near the real city of St. Cloud, close to where I live. It was funny to read her bumming around town and when she drove to MSP to fly to Belize she would’ve rolled right through my town. Nitpick: Leah and her boyfriend drive out on the ice-covered Mississippi River near St. Cloud in the winter to make out. There is no way a car drives out on the Mississippi River in my neck of the woods in the winter! The ice never gets thick enough to support a motor vehicle as the water underneath is always moving. An easy fix to this would’ve been to have Leah and her boyfriend drive out on to the ice of any area lake. Most lakes have ice fishing houses on them and many have trucks criss-crossing them once the ice is thick enough as roads come right off boat landings. Been there, done that.
Yet another thousand years later in 3012 an outspoken member of society, Niloux, finds herself in hot water as she is questioning the sacred beliefs of her culture, particularly the divinity of St. Leah (the woman from 2012!). This is the part of the novel that requires the aforementioned glossary. The world building in this second is complex and mind-blowing. I know I didn’t understand all of it. In 3012 human society is reeling from the effects of climate change. Population levels have plummeted and civilization has become nomadic and religious, centered on the worship of St. Leah and the two Belizian cave guides. There is some really cool tech. Niloux travels to the Mayan cave from the Middle East in hopes of proving her theory and disproving the overriding religious beliefs of her culture.
It all sounds crazy but it works. I really enjoyed this novel. It was epic. The scope was vast. The main characters are interesting and well fleshed-out. I couldn’t wait to see how the author was going to tie this all together. The ending was confusing and I’m not sure if I fully understood it but I can’t stop thinking about it. I'm going to read more about this book in upcoming days.
Excellent Time Hopping Mindbender
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