The Departure
The Owner, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Steve West
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John Mawson
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By:
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Neal Asher
About this listen
The Argus Space Station looks down on a nightmarish Earth. And from this safe distance, the Committee enforces its despotic rule. There are too many people and too few resources, and they need 12 billion to die before Earth can be stabilised. So corruption is rife, people starve, and the poor are policed by mechanised overseers and identity-reader guns. Citizens already fear the brutal Inspectorate with its pain inducers. But to reach its goals, the Committee will unleash satellite laser weaponry, taking carnage to a new level.
This is the world Alan Saul wakes to, travelling in a crate destined for the Calais incinerator. How he got there he doesn't know, but he remembers pain and his tormentor's face. He also has company: Janus, a rogue intelligence inhabiting forbidden hardware in his skull. As Janus shows Saul an Earth stripped of hope, he resolves to annihilate the Committee and their regime... once he's discovered who he was, and killed his interrogator.
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Dystopian in the extreme, The Departure chronicles one man's brave attempt to save Earth from an oppressive bureaucracy bent on a catastrophic plan to winnow the planet’s population. Chilling and remote, this listen is best for fans of hard sci-fi who like plenty of action alongside detailed description of plot points, and political digressions of the Ayn Rand variety. Performers Steve West and John Mawson bring a cool, precise feeling to the story, which is well-suited to the author’s dark and harrowing vision.
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To Inquisitor Angel Xia, it was just another corporate killing on a backwater planet. But as the bodies begin to pile up and she finds herself a target, she realizes she's stepped on one toe too many. Barely escaping attempts on her life by powerful agents with seemingly limitless reach and influence, Angel senses even her co-Inquisitors can't be trusted. But as the web tightens, she receives a cryptic message from a computer program claiming to be a little girl in desperate need of her help.
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meh
- By James Cross on 08-17-15
By: Mitchell Hogan
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Star Warrior
- By: Isaac Hooke
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In a galaxy where the fabric of reality can be bent and shaped by a privileged few, and almost any skill desired is a mere injection away, one young man is thrust into the fight of his life. Tane, a hydroponics farmer with some mad cereal crop gene-splicing skills, decides to get chipped. The operation gives him full control over his autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, plus the ability to install custom memories. All seems well until a couple of days later aliens come knocking at his door. And they aren't the friendly type.
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wheel of time
- By Amazon Customer on 05-02-18
By: Isaac Hooke
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The Last Exodus
- By: Paul Tassi
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Earth lies in ruins in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial invasion, the land devastated by a desperate war with no winners between mankind and a race of vicious, intelligent creatures. The seas are drying up while the atmosphere corrodes and slowly cooks any life remaining on the now desolate rock. Food is scarce, trust even more so, and the only people left alive all have done horrific things to stay that way.
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Paint by numbers
- By sonofapharmacist on 08-19-19
By: Paul Tassi
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The Atlantis Ship
- By: A. C. Hadfield
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, seeks the biggest payday of his life when he's tasked to hunt down a ghost ship that has echoed through the centuries. The legendary Atlantis ship has become a reality, appearing at the Commonwealth frontier and obliterating an orbital station.
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Very Good Story, Looking Forward to the Next Book
- By Striker on 09-13-15
By: A. C. Hadfield
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Predator - Incursion
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- By: Tim Lebbon
- Narrated by: John Chancer
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Predator ships stream into human space in unprecedented numbers. The Colonial Marines, controlled by Weyland-Yutani, respond to the incursion, thus entering the Rage War. This terrifying assault by the Yautja cannot go unchallenged, yet the cost of combat is high. Predators are master combatants, and each encounter yields a high body count. Then, when Lt. Johnny Mains and his marines - the VoidLarks - enter the fray, they discover an enemy deadlier than any could imagine.
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I was really wanted to like this book!!
- By jeremy lamarch on 05-15-16
By: Tim Lebbon
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Crucible: A Max Ahlgren Story
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- By: Ryan W. Aslesen
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
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Captain Max Ahlgren is proud to be one of the first team commanders in the Marine Corps’ nascent MARSOC detachment. Finally, the Corps’ elite warriors are working alongside those of other branches, battling insurgents, not on the front lines but behind them. After his first mission, however, Max learns he will be replaced as team commander.
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Revenge is said best served cold It best high volt
- By Dennis on 03-25-21
By: Ryan W. Aslesen
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Master Sergeant
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- By: Mel Odom
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- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
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They call it The Green Hell. A maze of tangled jungle, the planet Makaum is one of the most dangerous places in the universe. And for Terran Military Master Sergeant Frank Sage, it is now home.The war between the Terrans and the Phrenorians rages, and both sides have their sights set on Makaum. If the planet's rich resources fall into enemy hands, it could mean devastation for the Terran army.
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Fun Romp
- By Bob H. on 04-13-16
By: Mel Odom
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Tantalus Depths
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The Tantalus 13 survey expedition went off the rails as soon as Mary Ketch and the crew of the Diamelen learned that the thing beneath their feet wasn’t a planet. An impossibly vast and ancient artificial structure lies below, hidden from the universe under a façade of cratered stone. SCARAB arrived on Tantalus 13 two years ago. An artificially intelligent, self-constructing factory, it was supposed to aid the crew in their mission, to meet their every need.
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Good primer for Young Adults new to sci-fi!
- By Philip Maddox on 10-09-22
By: Evan Graham
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Terminator 3
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- By: David Hagberg
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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In the third installment of the film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name, John Connor is older and is still a target for killer machines from the future. The human resistance sends back the Terminator who saved his life when he was just a boy to protect him from an even more lethal Terminator model: the Terminatrix - in the shape of a woman and capable of making all previous Terminators seem slow and stupid. If Connor doesn't survive, the future is lost...
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All of what a movie can not offer
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By: David Hagberg
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The Reality Dysfunction
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In AD 2600, the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems, and throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace.
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Finally on Audible!! My favorite Hamilton series!
- By Patrick on 04-05-16
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War of the Spheres
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When humanity reaches for the stars, our probes are destroyed. They crash into an incredibly advanced piece of technology: a massive force-field. Unknown beings have placed a barrier around our star and planets, enclosing us within. We’re locked inside a Great Sphere. Was this invisible obstacle built to imprison us - or to protect us? No one knows the truth, but it soon becomes clear the barrier has leaks. Aliens infiltrate and try to sabotage our efforts to escape our cage.
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misleading summary...
- By Neil Kresl on 04-04-19
By: James Millington, and others
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What listeners say about The Departure
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Michael G Kurilla
- 05-10-15
Realistic, frightening dystopic vision
Neal Asher's The Departure which is the 1st installment in the Owner trilogy, is a frightening realistic dystopic future vision of what may be the eventual outcome of the culmination of a digitally interconnected world that is both powerfully intrusive into individual lives, while at the same time, substantially vulnerable to abuse and corruption. Asher paints a terrifying scenario of a future with a fragile society where the bulk of humanity, referred to a "zero assets" (ZAs) offers nothing of value to an oligarchic government that is seeking a final solution for a sustainable future with their retention of total societal control. Into this mix comes a former genius, since discarded by the power elites, who is both mentally damaged, but also digitally enhanced to challenge the current regime. At the same time,a power struggle for survival is occurring in the fledgling Mars colony that was put on hold, while the Earth issues are sorted out.
The sci-fi elements are pure Asher with the primitive beginnings of artificial intelligence (AI) beginning to emerge and assert itself. There is much in the way of human machine interface that telegraphs Asher's long term perspective on the AI ascendancy. While the space elements are futuristic (a Mars colony, a massive orbital space station, military style laser satellites, etc.), there is nothing overly remarkable or imaginative about their design or utilization. At its heart, this is a tale of prophecy of the potential perils and pitfalls of civilization's expectations for a risk-less and careful future by turning over personal responsibilities to machines and a select group of fallible humans.
The narration is superb with an excellent range of voices, solid pacing, and a tone that perfectly aligns with the delicate, yet tense nature of the action.
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- Anton
- 06-17-17
Incredible!
This book has absolutely blown my mind. I was deeply enthralled the whole way through.
A Definite recommendation from me
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- Cody
- 02-12-13
Neal Asher Delivers Again
After listening to Neal Asher's Spatterjay series I frequently check to see if any of his other works have been released.
Finally to my great satisfaction this showed up in my search results.
This is a revenge story where the Earth itself shakes at one man's fury. I can't really say much else about the plot without spoilers.
You'll notice the book has two narrators. Don't fret though, one of them only reads the intro's to each chapter in a documentary style diction. The other brings the story to life.
I think the worst part of this book is knowing you're going to have to wait for the rest of the series.
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- Friendly Neighborhood Nitpicker
- 09-14-21
Okay, but hard to care about
I have really loved Asher’s “short” stories (novellas, I guess), so I was looking forward to finally reading one of his novels. I came away somewhat disappointed.
I don’t know if he writes better far future, Earth-less, SF; or if he just does better in the novella format, but there was just a lot missing here.
There is an over-blown, over the top, totalitarian world government, that is just asking to be rebelled against. I suppose it is one possible future of what happens when the government passes the tipping point from viewing the people it governs as more than just an ignorant subclass, to overtly viewing them as sacrificial cogs in the machine that empower government.
While this is an extreme view of the future of a world government, I can’t say it is entirely illogical, given the attitude of the American, European, and Chinese governments are lately taking to their people since WWII, so I can’t dismiss Asher’s postulate as ridiculous.
But then we have the characters… The protagonist is excused from having a personality, because his memories were erased, except for those that weren’t. He has plenty of internal dialog, but over all is alien enough that I can’t relate. I can’t even support his goals, since his goals seem to mostly be survive and get revenge, and a few incidental side quests like removing the government, which come up along the way and he reluctantly takes on.
And his girlfriend/touchstone for humanity, is a constitutionally week 65 year old woman, with the emotional development of a 20 year old liberal college student, but apparently is smart and canny enough to make herself an indispensable scientist to the government, and devious enough to turn the main character and others into revolutionaries by her direct and indirect actions. Not really a character that makes a whole lot of sense to me.
I can’t even pull for the villains, since except for the accumulation of personal power, we never get any real idea what drives any of them.
Lastly, the way the first half of this is written—jumping back and forth through time—is off-putting, with no clarity when transitions happen. Unlike some reviewers, I didn’t have a problem when the point of view would change abruptly—I’ve seen authors do this before, and while I don’t love it as a story telling style, it’s far from rare, and you can usually pick up pretty fast that someone else is now doing the thinking. But the jumping through time without warning thing did throw me.
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-08-22
Decent world building
A decent dystopian cyberpunkish experience with good worldbuilding but thin characters.
Asher's 2011 "The Departure" is the first of a trilogy that features a near-future society where nobody really owns anything and those "Zero-Asset" (ZA) members of the population exist on the gov't dole and at the pleasure of increasingly disconnected elites and their "Committees."
Constant gov't surveillance and authoritarianism abound, coupled with scarce resources and food riots. What's a forward thinking oppressive gov't to do? Why, kill a few billion ZAs to stabilize things for the betters' continued survival.
From this comes Alan Saul, with little memory of his life beyond that past 2 years who VERY quickly decides/gets roped in? to trying to bring the whole system down. So we've got resistant groups, orbital stations, and lots and lots of action.
The 1984-esque worldbuilding is far more satisfying than the characters and once bullets start flying, the book loses a lot of its appeal. But as a reasonably prescient look at who credentialed "elites" can run a society into the ground, "The Departure" ain't bad.
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- Edward Cruz
- 08-02-21
Amazing science fiction saga
Loved it, excellent storytelling, can't wait to listen to book two. Hope its as good as this. Well worth the listen.
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- Patrick Smith
- 10-11-22
hard choices for a harder world.
The descriptions were a little shorter than I normally enjoy but the story was gripping if hard. Facing extinction at the hands of global environmental collapse or at the hands of a government that has decided that near extinction isn't a bad idea as long as they keep power.
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- Alexnvy
- 07-10-24
Bioborg in the middle of a bureaucracy apocalypse!
The story is so rich I found myself restarting chapters to keep up, which is something I have not done with any other books I have listened to.
as you know it gets monotonous, but not here, and oh boy is the story relatable to current geopolitical situation.
If you want a book about a bioborg in the middle of a bureaucracy caused apocalypse this is the book for you!
!!!!possible spoilers ahead!!!!
first chapter is wild, and there is a big time skip of about a year, the next following chapters are just amazing, and just Ludacris enough to be exciting, but not enough to be absurd in my opinion!
but okay if I do think back there is a literal feed them to the "laser" sharks, moments, of course the villain had to leave is the main character alive in a torture booth, because they wanted their bio enhancements,
but then I come back defending it with, you know they do set up that specific character to be just arrogant and power-hungry enough to be like that, so it's good it works, and it's exciting cuz you know holy m0ly he actually came close to dying, and only writing this do I go to myself relax it's just a book,
This is how much I liked this book!
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- The guy
- 05-20-16
a bit bloated but started very strong
Asher starts off very well, indeed he went up in my estimation because of those first 100 pages. Asher's typical smash it up comes on strong in the latter half but this book could have been a bit shorter. i have read nearly everything he's written and he gets better with practice, in general his books have increased in skill over the years. however I will always prefer the Banks, Reynolds and Hamiltons more. that does not mean I dislike Asher, but there is something about his earlier sci-fi that turned me off. still I've read everything and he does a good job of bringing the story into interesting places. this book represents a new style for him. another reader commented that this was more like Richard Morgan. i agree, for those first 150 pages, afterwards the monsterama tries to kick in but without any alien creatures or dangerous million years old nano tech to do it with bee is left with robots... very cool and deadly sounding robots mind you.
all in all this book delivered a good yarn and I'll read the other two.
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- S.Kaye
- 06-12-23
S Kaye
A different perspective of the future. I love the progression of our hero.
Narrative is right on the mark.
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