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The Circuit  By  cover art

The Circuit

By: Rhett C. Bruno
Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
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Publisher's summary

USA Today Best-seller Rhett C. Bruno's debut sci-fi series is a gritty, space-opera epic perfect for fans of The Expanse!

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. Following a string of seemingly random attacks, the Tribunal suspects its mortal enemy, the Ceresians, have again rallied to challenge their absolute rule. But a new, sinister threat has arisen - and it plans to bring down the Tribunal once and for all.

Join an unlikely band of would-be saviors - the Tribunal's best spy, a roguish Ceresian mercenary, a subservient android, and a disgraced general - as they are drawn into a conspiracy destined to change the Circuit forever.

"Bruno has crafted a complex, multi-dimensional story that combines the best of his genre with age-old truths - and quandaries - about humanity, politics, religion, family, and, yes, love." (Portland Book Review)

©2017 Diversion Books (P)2018 Podium Publishing

Critic reviews

"All the distinctive voices carry a complicated, ultimately very human, story to a powerful conclusion." (Audiofile Magazine)

What listeners say about The Circuit

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

An Ugly Yet Beautiful Gift to Space Opera

Rhett delivers a fast-paced, dystopian, gray-morality thriller in the Circuit Trilogy. Having read science fiction for over 30 years, it is refreshing to find new authors with the talent to create characters that you'll remember after putting their books down. Rhett delivers here: from a broken-hearted megalomaniacal savior, to a brain-hijacked, religious assassin to a pirate father who is desperate to save his innocent daughter, you'll find gems of humanity in this story about so much inhumanity.

The fact that Podium picked Jefferson Mays, narrator for the wildly successful Expanse series, tells you all you need to know about the confidence that they have about how much you will enjoy this story.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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You're going to want to keep reading.

A great story. The characters were compelling. I found myself wanting each main character to achieve their goals, despite having conflicting motivations. This is one of those great novels that makes you want to keep going, eschewing sleep, just to finish the story.

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1 person found this helpful

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Amazing

True SCI FI, the author painstakingly creates a universe, fills it with rich characters and turn them loose. Narration is top notch, if you enjoyed “The Expanse” this is a must buy, an incredible tale!

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Multiple character perspectives

While I really enjoyed the story overall, the thing that impressed me most was how switching between characters was handled. Even when you experience something you already saw with another character you remain invested. Throughout the whole experience I kept jumping between who I related to most and which side I was rooting for.

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  • 08-05-18

A wonderful story

Bruno has built a convincing world where Humankind has nearly destroyed the earth and sentimentality has turned regard for its former home into a religion. But while humans have learned to succeed outside of its original world, there are factions fighting for the claim to earth and independence. Bruno's work has nicely three-dimensional characters, very good world building, an interesting plot, and tensions around the primary characters values. A wonderful read.

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

For the good of humanity.

The story has an interesting setting where humans have colonized different planets and asteroids after earth has become a wasteland, but what I liked most about it was how the story was told through the eyes of different characters, each one part of a different faction. It gives so much insight into how each of them sees the actions of the other.

The narrator has done a great job in telling the story in an enjoyable way. I really loved the performance. It was almost perfect.

I recommend this book to any science-fiction fan.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Overall good book, but a little hard to follow

I enjoyed the book overall, but it did not flow quite as well as some and the plot line was harder to follow.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Narration brings the story and characters to life!

I have both the Kindle version of The Circuit Trilogy and I have now listened to the narration expertly executed by Jefferson Mays on the Audible version.

Rhett Bruno is an expert at painting a story picture in words, and The Circuit Trilogy, comprising 3 volumes and 30 odd hours of listening pleasure is no exception. The Circuit is extremely professionally and well-crafted with a flair for imagery and extremely high quality writing and language usage. One of my favorite things about a Rhett Bruno piece is the quality of literary skill and enjoyment you get.

Adding the narration by Jefferson Mays, who is perfect for the characterizations and story-telling, only makes this near flawless gem all the more satisfying.

I read The circuit a while ago, so remembering the Frankensteinian awe of ADIM, the savage, ruthless pursuit of Casius Vale and his goals, yet at the same time his tenderness and love for what he cares about – this is a story full of juxtapositions, angst, and action. Casius is to all intents and purposes amoral and unethical in his single-mindedness of purpose. ADIM, for all that he is a lethal killing machine who flawlessly executes instructions demonstrates the innocence and naiveté of a child in some ways, yearning to express that machine-based love of his creator, wanting to be "loved", and exhibiting a sense of wonder in all things human.

There is a lot of action, violence, and immorality in this story. There are times when it will leave you gasping, crying, laughing and having to remember to breathe.

For me, that is what a good story is all about. Yes, it paints a dark – but very realistic – picture of humanity, with all its flaws, shams, and broken dreams, and yes, a very bleak future after we have decimated the planet. Yet somehow Bruno manages to find beauty, love, and some measure of hope for a better future. In a way it gives you that sense of morbid fascination like coming upon a horrific disaster or incredible work of art; it is terrible or wondrous to behold but you cannot take your eyes off it either way.

This is a very fast-paced story. It goes from subplot to storyline to action to alternating characters and points of view in such a flowing way that it never lags, and will always keep your interest. It will often keep you on the edge of your seat, and it will keep you up reading / listening long after you should turn out the lights and go to sleep.

Jefferson Mays was the absolute perfect pick for bringing this story to life, and he does so in a fashion that will keep you 100% riveted, attentive and absorbed. He was type cast for the roles, and does a masterful job at capturing the menacing immorality and the fragility of the human condition. Mays brings The Circuit to life.

This is one incredible story, one incredible performance, and left me saying to myself, if Bruno writes it or Mays performs it, I’m in! I want it!

This is not one to be on the fence about. Push the button. This is one not to be missed.

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8 people found this helpful

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Great SciFi

I loved the written book and very much enjoyed the audio version. Great production of a great book.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting Story with Excellent Narration

The story was fairly refreshing hard sci fi mixed with the excellent narration of Jefferson Mays.

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2 people found this helpful