Imaginative Futuristic Utopia

I really enjoyed immersing myself into this future world born out of our very current global predicaments. 
If I had had a time machine it would be interesting to go forward in time and see if this book turns out to be a classic of its period.
For me this book had the feel of a modern HG Wells time machine tale of sorts and a touch of the William Dufris readings of the classic Asimov robot books. 

This book is a good yarn and I look forward to listening to it again in the not too distant future!

8 people found this helpful

Hollow World by Michael J Sullivan

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I already have. It is a great book that tackles many contemporary issues and questions - such as religion (and violence in the name of religion), love,homophobia, indiviualism - and many more. It tackles them with compassion, tasteful humour and without over-indulgent sentimentality or preaching.

What other book might you compare Hollow World to, and why?

I suppose the obvious comparison would be H G Wells' 'The Time Machine', although the subject of the future of humanity and the planet is handled differently. Both are thought provoking, 'Hollow World' is not afraid to make the reader smile - or even laugh.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The reveal about why Ellis Rogers carries so much guilt about his son's suicide.

Any additional comments?

I will be listening to and reading this again. It was a very enjoyable book.

7 people found this helpful

WOW, A must Read/Listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, one of the best books I have listened to

What did you like best about this story?

Everything. Love the way it addresses so many issues and keeps you gripped throughout

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favourite?

Ellis rogers is great but I think Pax takes it for me

6 people found this helpful

Brilliant new SF on old but fascinating themes

This came as a real surprise to me - I love proper sci fi but detest its modern corruption by fantasy. Despite a foreword by the author where he suggests that sci fi is largely fantasy anyway, I found this to be a great traditional time travel story full of engrossing speculation about the development of human beings, their motives and culture, as well as the earth and all its problems, while never losing sight of the central, flawed character and his personal story and reactions to the world in which he finds himself. It was gripping, moving and exciting and a joy to an old school sci fi fan - by which I mean someone who enjoys the likes of Theodore Sturgeon, Edgar Pangborne and Robert Heinlein. And it is beautifully narrated. Highly recommended!

10 people found this helpful

Cool Mash-up

Think Time Machine meets Brave New World meets Apocalypse Now and other cool literature and cinematic plots. It even has strains of Weird Science reminding me of the quote "making a girl, actually making a girl".

I have a lot of time for Michael Sullivan. I think he's a pretty good author, one might say he is a great author. I certainly loved his Riyria Chronicle series and enjoyed Hollow World. It is therefore possible that my fandom of his Riyira series influenced my judgement of this book.

I confessed that I was a little frustrated with the lead character and there where several times I thought he was a little weak and I'd think, "just shoot them already!". But if you think about it, you can't just go around and start shooting people willy nilly. I think the lead character is supposed to be weak in some ways. He's not an action hero, his strength lies in his moral character. He is trying to do the right thing all the time. So he doesn't just shoot someone because he feels threatened or because it he thinks it might make his life easier. At each point he struggles to do the right thing even in the possibility that he might loose his own life. He tries to see the good in other people and sometimes it is hard, especially when those close to him betray him, but he doesn't let it change his essential nature. That is the struggle in this tale. The death of his son has changed the his view of life and made him a better person but at the same time seriously damages his marriage.

Hollow World also forces us to realise just how different we are as human beings. One person's idea of utopia is another person's idea of hell or at least a thoroughly unpleasant situation. A large part of this is because humans are self-centred, we try to impose our ideas of how the world should work on each other which inevitably leads to conflict since we are not mental clones of each other.

Another interesting outcome of the story is you can't tell a good person from a bad person simply by what they look like, it's only from the quality of their character and the deeds of the person that you can make that distinction. The nature of Hollow World brings this into sharp focus.

The parts on religion were great. He casts different types of believers into sharp relief. There are those that have a literal and simplistic interpretation of holy books that fit their agendas and are often all too willing to create casualties in the name of God and there are others that are desperately trying to seek the light and wrestle with their moral choices in a way that transcends popular social opinions and norms.

Some readers have loved his Riyira Chronicles and have been put off by this book but I think they might have missed the point which is unfortunate since I think it is a great yarn.

4 people found this helpful

Perfect

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ellis, his character was so complex and interesting, really tied all the others into place. Really well written.

What about Jonathan Davis’s performance did you like?

I thought his voices and accents were spot on. I imagine it's difficult to tell what future English will.sound like but he pulled it off.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Ellis chose to stay with Warren instead of going with Pax. You just wanted to shout at him, "what are you doing? !"

Any additional comments?

Very well written and creative.

4 people found this helpful

Crystal ball gazing

I appreciated the spoken introduction by the author, asking us to suspend our disbelief regarding time travel. I immediately felt some empathy with the effort the author had put into writing the story, and continued to listen even though the story began slowly and I could not relate to any of the characters.

When I got into it I found the story quite thought-provoking: will humanity be like that two thousand years in the future; will we create Paradise if we overcome aging, death, and the need to work; will Paradise be improved by removing self-importance?

The main drive of the story was to create comparisons between people of 2014, with their hang-ups, prejudices, jealousies and hates, and the engineered people of 2000 years hence. The story concentrated on just one storyline, which kept it concise and left me continuing to think about it – better to keep it short and have the audience asking for more!

I enjoyed the narration by Jonathan Davis.

3 people found this helpful

Original future idea, thought provoking story

It's a book I would recommend to read. I think any and all Sci-Fi fans will absolutely love it as did I.

It had a really interesting plot, original and thought provoking (really left in thoughts after just finishing the book). The depicted future felt real and possible as everything was explained in a very logical way. The book was also trying to solve the mysteries of what is really love, God and meaning of life and death, aim of life... (btw, really liked his ideas about it)... and at the same time being fast paced and action filled (almost a thriller) and not being boring for one moment.

I like the way of writing and the way how the author presents the story A LOT.

Narrator is fantastic, too.

3 people found this helpful

A good idea but I wanted all the characters dead.

Would you listen to Hollow World again? Why?

No. did not like the characters.

Would you recommend Hollow World to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. Interesting premise

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. I was annoyed by the action of the characters and wanted to shout at them.

3 people found this helpful

Old school vibe

Any additional comments?

An interesting take on the time travel genre, though the emphasis of the story is more on earth of the future then actual time travelling.

I found this book to be a quick and easy listen with a decent but not overwhelming story, it also touched on some interesting philosophical discussions.

I did like how the writer developed the two main characters "Ellis and Pax" Though thought Ellis's friend Warren's actions a bit questionable. Also felt there was a lot, maybe too many references to American pop culture, but all in all the story was enjoyable. It even managed to get me a bit emotional which doesn't happen often!

With a good solid performance by Jonathan Davis, I had no problem following the story, or working out who was talking.

A decent Thriller,Sci-fi, Fantasy, Murder mystery story with an old school vibe.

3 people found this helpful