Ultima Audiobook By Stephen Baxter cover art

Ultima

Proxima, Book 2

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Ultima

By: Stephen Baxter
Narrated by: Kyle McCarley
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About this listen

On the planet of Per Ardua, alien artifacts were discovered - hatches that allowed humans to step across light-years of space as if they were stepping into another room. But this newfound freedom has consequences. As humanity discovers the real nature of the universe, a terrifying truth comes to light: We all have countless pasts converging in this present - and our future is terrifyingly finite. There are minds in the universe that are billions of years old, and now we are vulnerable to their plans for us. It's time to fight back and take control.

©2014 Stephen Baxter (P)2015 Tantor
First Contact Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction
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Creative Premise • Coherent Plotline • Excellent Character Voices • Epic Adventure • Mind-blowing Ideas • Vocal Range
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Uri Eden, the main protagonist from Book 1, has just barely made it through the hatch with Steph Kalinsky and the Col-U. As their brains wrap around the idea that in this version the Roman Empire didn't fall and became space faring, Uri begins to succumb to what he calls Freezer Burn. Apparently when you've been subjected to Cryo sleep for a large portion of your life cancers run amok when you are thawed.
Back in the Sol system Penny Kalinski, Lex Macgregor, and Beth Eden Jones Narrowly escape distaster in a Hulk-kernel ship test platform as the Chinese Hedgemony crash a bundle of kernel ships moving at near relativistic speed into Mercury. The result propels them to the Roman-Bricante-Sheen Universe without the use of a hatch. One other person is with them...Earthshine. One of the three deep core artificial intelligences. He has an agenda.
There is yet two more Universes visited in this book but I will leave those for you to discover. The story is gripping and in this form excellently told through the vocal ranges of the narrator. It did not disappoint and I'm giving it four out of five entertainment points.

Book 2 delivers the goods.

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Not sure killing off all the main characters in order to conclude the story was an original concept.
The universe ending at a natural wall or boundary is the basis for this story, this is not supported by physics published in the 21st century, therefore it delves into fantasy.

End of the world

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Baxter does ideas better by far to anyone. Great story taking that I mostly enjoy

Great and powerful story

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Pointless killing of the main personages makes me want to unread this book. Like go back in time and miss it in the library.

Medicine for depression

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Great always up to exploring concepts of different universes and mind blowing ideas. Good hard science.

The span of time explanation

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Even though it is about ancient Romans and Incas, the general concept goes beyond the absurdity of them being in space. In the end, although the are some loose ends, the author brings it all together.

Interesting... not as good as the first book

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I really like the story, but the characters are seriously behaving like idiots half the time.

Are the characters deliberately idiotic, or what?

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The whole book is one very long introduction with minimal character development. Overall plot is thought provoking if boiled down to its core elements.

Not for those with short attention spans

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Overall, it was entertaining enough for me listen to both books in the series. I would say it was a very ambitious undertaking by the author. Maybe a little to ambitious? I would have given it a better review if not for the storyline being very difficult to follow at times.

Lots of very interesting theories.

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An expansive and thought provoking trip through time and space where even the Multiverse has an end.

Expansive and thought provoking

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