The Hydrogen Sonata
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Narrated by:
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Peter Kenny
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By:
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Iain M. Banks
About this listen
The Scavenger species are circling. It is, truly, provably, the End Days for the Gzilt civilization.
An ancient people, organized on military principles and yet almost perversely peaceful, the Gzilt helped set up the Culture 10,000 years earlier and were very nearly one of its founding societies, deciding not to join only at the last moment. Now they've made the collective decision to follow the well-trodden path of millions of other civilizations; they are going to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new and almost infinitely more rich and complex existence.
Amid preparations, though, the Regimental High Command is destroyed. Lieutenant Commander (reserve) Vyr Cossont appears to have been involved, and she is now wanted - dead, not alive. Aided only by an ancient, reconditioned android and a suspicious Culture avatar, Cossont must complete her last mission given to her by the High Command. She must find the oldest person in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old, who might have some idea what really happened all that time ago.
It seems that the final days of the Gzilt civilization are likely to prove its most perilous.
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A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.
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Odd narrator choice
- By Josh Mitchell on 05-30-15
By: Neal Stephenson
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The Wrong Stars
- By: Tim Pratt
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The shady crew of the White Raven run freight and salvage at the fringes of our solar system. They discover the wreck of a centuries-old exploration vessel floating light years away from its intended destination and revive its sole occupant, who wakes with news of First Alien Contact. When the crew break it to her that humanity has alien allies already, she reveals that these are very different extra-terrestrials and the gifts they bestowed on her could kill all humanity, or take it out to the most distant stars.
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Save yourself a credit, read something else
- By Ian Thomas Healy on 09-19-18
By: Tim Pratt
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The Course of Empire
- By: Eric Flint, K. D. Wentworth
- Narrated by: Chris Patton
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
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Conquered by the Jao twenty years ago, the Earth is shackled under alien tyranny - and threatened by the even more dangerous Ekhat, one of whose genocidal extermination fleets is coming to the solar system. The only chance for human survival is in the hands of an unusual pair of allies: a young Jao prince, newly arrived to Terra to assume his duties, and a young human woman brought up amongst the Jao occupiers. But, as their tentative alliance takes shape, they are under pressure from all sides.
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ERIC FLINT'S VENTURE INTO FULL SCI-FI MODE
- By Professor on 11-01-12
By: Eric Flint, and others
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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
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The Medusa Chronicles
- By: Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
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Howard Falcon almost lost his life in an accident as the first human astronaut to explore the atmosphere of Jupiter - and a combination of human ingenuity and technical expertise brought him back. But he is no longer himself. Instead he has been changed into an augmented human: part man, part machine, and exceptionally capable.
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Almost stopped listening. Glad I didn't.
- By cek on 08-21-16
By: Stephen Baxter, and others
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War of the Spheres
- By: James Millington, B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
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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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Queen of Angels
- By: Greg Bear
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 19 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Emanuel Goldsmith, a famous poet, murdered eight people, then disappeared. Three people want to find him: an aspiring writer, an embittered scientist who wants to use him, and a policewoman who needs to put him in custody before the Selectors, a vigilante organization, get to him first.
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fantastic, a whole new experience on audio
- By Tungsten on 04-02-16
By: Greg Bear
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Diving into the Wreck
- Diving Series, Book 1
- By: Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
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Boss loves to dive historical ships, derelict spacecraft found adrift in the blackness between the stars. Sometimes she salvages for money, but mostly she's an active historian. She wants to know about the past--to experience it firsthand. Once she's dived the ship, she'll either leave it for others to find or file a claim so that she can bring tourists to dive it as well. It's a good life for a tough loner, with more interest in artifacts than people.
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NOT Clive Cussler in Space
- By W. S. on 03-18-10
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Predator - Incursion
- The Rage War, Book 1
- By: Tim Lebbon
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
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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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The very far future: The galaxy is a drifting wreck of black holes, neutron stars, and chill white dwarfs. The age of star formation is long past. Yet there is life here, feeding off the energies of the stellar remnants, and there is mind, a tremendous galaxy-spanning intelligence each of whose thoughts lasts a hundred thousand years. And this mind cradles memories of a long-gone age when a more compact universe was full of light... The 27th century: Proxima Centauri, an undistinguished red dwarf star, is the nearest star to our sun. How would it be to live on such a world?
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Loved Children of Time, DNF this one
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An entirely new level of science fiction
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It is 4034 AD. Humanity has made it to the stars. Fassin Taak, a Slow Seer at the Court of the Nasqueron Dwellers, will be fortunate if he makes it to the end of the year.
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Surprisingly meh
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Loved Children of Time, DNF this one
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Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the definitive collection of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and four collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated eight insightful introductions, one for each title.
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What listeners say about The Hydrogen Sonata
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shawn
- 02-19-13
Intrigue at the End of Civilization
What did you like best about this story?
It was an interesting story about the whole subliming business that civilizations keep doing in Sci-Fi novels. There was a lot of intrigue about the secret past of this civilization and trying to determine if it's true, and what it could mean if this was made public. And of course, Culture minds sticking their metaphoric noses in everyone else's business.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Nathan A Powers
- 03-24-21
Excellent
The best of The Culture series. like all the rest, you don't need to have consumed previous titles. I strongly recommend this story.
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- George
- 12-10-19
Fantastical
Like most of Bank's books it is out there. Science Fiction to the extreme with AI's, giant ships and far out alien races. it is fast paced. Need to pay attention
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- R. Carlson
- 02-20-23
excellent introduction to the culture
I've read several other books about the culture and said in the same universe. there are oblique references to terms like subliming and indications of what shipmind intelligence is capable of. this is a great introduction to both the history of the founding of the culture as well as how it operates within the current universe. the story itself is full of action some of it predictable some of it not so much. overall I really enjoyed the story although the ending is somewhat predictable and somewhat flat. I would definitely recommend this, but with the caveat that it's more of an exploration of the culture than it is a riveting story.
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- Joshua Guttman
- 05-12-15
Brilliant, mind-blowing, and drink-spitting funny!
What made the experience of listening to The Hydrogen Sonata the most enjoyable?
Listening to all the silly names of the ships.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hydrogen Sonata?
His discussion on the morality and futility of advanced simulations was extremely interesting as I work in the field of Computer Science. Very profound.
Which character – as performed by Peter Kenny – was your favorite?
The Mistake Not
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed out loud several times and even spit out my drink once.
Any additional comments?
Sad he's gone.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-26-22
Compelling Story
I am a huge fan of the series. In particular with this book I appreciate how believable the ancient characters are portrayed.
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1 person found this helpful
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- A reader
- 10-23-12
Culture meets Hitchhiker's Guide & Da Vinca Code
I am a big Iain M. Banks fan, and any new Culture novel is a cause for celebration. If you aren't familiar with the Culture -- set in a far future post-scarcity society where AIs, humans, aliens, and impossible engineering co-mingle in interesting ways -- this may not be the ideal book to start with (Player of Games or Consider Phlebas might be better), but all of the books are pretty independent.
As a fan of the series, I wouldn't consider this to be the best offering, though it is far from bad. There is the usual mix of action, wry humor, philosophizing, and amazing flights of imagination that mark Culture novels. But the story itself, while full of great ideas and interesting sections, doesn't really connect the way the most compelling novels do. Perhaps that is because the novel is a bit of a ramble through a civilization that is about to evolve to a higher, immaterial, state. There is an overarching plot about a millennia-old religious secret, but the book is really about the picturesque locations visited in attempt to solve the ancient Da Vinci Code-style mystery. The perpetual parties, people with faces made of bowls of soup, sculpted moons, eccentric robots, and other clever details encountered seem like a slightly harder-edged version of Douglas Adams.
Because the novel veers between humor and seriousness rather suddenly, or perhaps because so many of the main characters are Minds, the super-intelligent ship-board AIs, the book is really interesting but rarely feels emotionally compelling. Since Banks is more than capable of writing at the highest level, this is a little disappointing, but the book is still very much worth listening to, and is generally both thrilling and fun, with a little serious navel-gazing thrown in for interest.
The reading is terrific, but, listener be warned, there are a few very explicit moments voice-acted in great detail. Make sure to have headphones on for, say, the visit to the party ship, or the start of the second half of the book. Overall, I don't think any fan of imaginative science fiction, and especially any fan of Banks, will be disappointing they took the time to listen to the novel.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Aaron
- 12-03-16
A tale of meddling minds and a grand secret.
I have enjoyed all of the culture series audiobooks and this one is no different. In the Hydrogen Sonata the culture minds/ships are prominent chatacters and I enjoyed getting to learn more about thier interactions, thoughts, and history as well as take a glimpse at the culture's early history.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-19
Entertaining for fans of Culture Series.
Weakest of The Culture Series books, but still entertaining if you enjoyed the other ones.
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- Bradley Shannon
- 06-19-15
Decent story, excellent narration
Quite a good story made even better by Peter Kenny's always excellent narration.
Spoilers below...
Not quite as goosebump-generating as some of the earlier books, specifically Player of Games and especially Use of Weapons, but I appreciated the more positive ending than some of the other, slightly depressing "everyone dies in the end" books from earlier in the series.
I like the fact that the Culture was presented here with flaws, and potentially beatable, rather than as all-powerful.
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