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Providence

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Providence

By: Max Barry
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
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About this listen

 From the ingenious author of JENNIFER GOVERNMENT and LEXICON: a brilliant work of science fiction that tells the intimate tale of four people facing their most desperate hour - alone, together, at the edge of the universe.

The video changed everything. Before that, we could believe that we were safe. Special. Chosen. We thought the universe was a twinkling ocean of opportunity, waiting to be explored.

Afterward, we knew better.

Seven years after first contact, Providence Five launches. It is an enormous and deadly warship, built to protect humanity from its greatest ever threat. On board is a crew of just four-tasked with monitoring the ship and reporting the war's progress to a mesmerized global audience by way of social media.

But while pursuing the enemy across space, Gilly, Talia, Anders, and Jackson confront the unthinkable: their communications are cut, their ship decreasingly trustworthy and effective. To survive, they must win a fight that is suddenly and terrifyingly real.


PRAISE FOR LEXICON
'A spellbinding, intelligent read... a freewheeling plot intermeshed with linguistic theory and some genuinely creepy horror set-pieces.' Guardian

'Truly original... a crack-paced thriller... smart and tons of fun.' The Australian

'Gripping... a pitch-perfect thriller, a jetpack of a plot that rocketed me from page one to page 400 in a single afternoon.' Cory Doctorow Adventure Fiction First Contact Science Fiction Space Exploration Space Opera Suspense Thriller & Suspense Interstellar

Critic Reviews

a quirky, character-driven commentary on the mechanisation of conflict and the sheer perversity of human nature
Providence is a light-hearted thriller with a superbly dark, existential sting in its tail.
a fast-paced, intelligent military space opera
All stars
Most relevant
Very much enjoyed the book. Those who have enjoyed The Martian or Hail Mary by Andy Weir will enjoy this one.
Excellently narrated.

Really great read and excellent narrator

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Having enjoyed all of his novels to date, my expectations for this new Max Barry book were quite high. And still he managed to exceed them.

The narrative is gripping, the commentary interesting, and the characterisation masterful.

This is my new go-to recommendation for Max Barry’s works.

A new favourite

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Barry does a great job at setting up a potential future version of Earth, and locating the characters within it - giving them backstory, motivations, and clear distinction from one another. This is all set in a novel that explores our potential relationships both with AI, and alien life. It is a great example of science fiction, and I anticipate reading it again down the track.
Pressley's performance does a good job at differentiating the characters and highlighting their emotional state.

Quick note: do not read the chapter headings ahead of time, they contain spoilers!

Awesome Book!

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Brittaney Pressley with another amazing performance in a really interesting but very easy to digest sci fi novel. If the concept of long complex sci fi world's with political intrigue is a lot for you, this could be the perfect book for you. A fairly light easy read, this might be too simple for sci fi veterans but as someone who enjoys human drama stories I found it very enjoyable.

p.s like another review mentioned. Don't read the chapter titles, since they do have spoilers. a weird design choice honestly.

Exciting setting and memorable characters

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