Civil war looms in the Bobiverse in this brand-new, epic-length adventure by Audible number-one best seller Dennis E. Taylor.
More than a hundred years ago, Bender set out for the stars and was never heard from again. There has been no trace of him despite numerous searches by his clone-mates. Now Bob is determined to organize an expedition to learn Bender’s fate – whatever the cost.
But nothing is ever simple in the Bobiverse. Bob’s descendants are out to the 24th generation now, and replicative drift has produced individuals who can barely be considered Bobs anymore. Some of them oppose Bob’s plan; others have plans of their own. The out-of-control moots are the least of the Bobiverse’s problems.
Undaunted, Bob and his allies follow Bender’s trail. But what they discover out in deep space is so unexpected and so complex that it could either save the universe – or pose an existential threat the likes of which the Bobiverse has never faced.
| Listening Length | 16 hours and 57 minutes |
|---|---|
| Author | Dennis E. Taylor |
| Narrator | Ray Porter |
| Audible.co.uk Release Date | 24 September 2020 |
| Publisher | Audible Originals |
| Program Type | Audiobook |
| Version | Original recording |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B088C4N9R8 |
My Review
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I heard that it was being released. I have listened to the first three books multiple times and really wanted to know what happened next.
Set some decades after Bob left Earth, he’s looking for Bender. A trail leads him to a star system with a missing planet and a large structure floating in space. Bender’s ship is there but Bender’s cube is missing. Bob gets together a team to infiltrate the structure and find Bender. The team is Bob, Bill, Garfield and Bridget, with Will as back-up and a group of Bobs lead by Hugh of the Skippys and Gandalf of the Gamers.
The Skippys and the Gamers are just two of the groups that the Bobiverse has developed. The Skippys want to develop a true A.I. and the Gamers just want to go on DnD campaigns, but they’re all really good with computers. Another group, Starfleet, have different interests – they want the Bobs to cease contact with all biological beings – humans and Pav at the moment but any other species they come across.
When the Bobs find the Quinlans living in the construct – Heaven’s River – Starfleet demand that the Bobs keep out of it. The humans are up in arms about something or other, because they always are, and Will is getting sick of it. Bob decides Starfleet can get knotted, and the Bobiverse goes to war while Bob and the expedition are in Heaven’s River.
But things are not what they seem and friends are not always who you think they are.
I enjoyed the development of the story from the third novel. I thought the description of Heaven’s River was very good. The society and culture of the Quinlans is well developed and Bob’s adventure through Heaven’s River as he searches for Bender was definitely my favourite part. I actually thought the ‘Administrator’ was Bender, but then the timing meant it couldn’t have been. Then I thought it must be one of the other probes, until I realised they’d all bee accounted for.
When Bob and Bridget visit Quin to test out the Quin-Mannies, it becomes obvious that the species must have created something themselves and then forgotten. I enjoyed the way the different characters Bob meets on his journey argue with each other and the world’s history and culture further develops from the discussions.
I enjoyed the way the Bobiverse had developed and the difference time had made to both Pav and Human society.
The war was a bit of a let down compared to the war with the Others, and I didn’t think the subplot of the exodus was fully developed. Maybe that’ll be for book five?
Everything Is Better With Dragons 