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Tau Zero
- Narrated by: Neil Hellegers
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
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Publisher's Summary
This science fiction novel describes the epic voyage of the spacecraft Leonora Christine, which will take a 40-strong crew to a planet some 30 light years distant.
From practically the very first minute, Tau Zero sets scientific realities in dramatic tension with the very real emotional and psychological states of the travelers, exploring the effect of time contraction due to traveling at near-light speed on the human psyche. This tension is a dynamic that Anderson explores with great success over the course of the novel, as 50 crewmembers settle in for the long journey together. While they are a highly trained team of scientists and researchers and therefore professionals, they are also a community of individuals, each of them trying to create for him or herself a life in a whole new space - or, literally, in space.
It isn't long, however, before the voyage takes a turn for the worse. The ship passes through a small, uncharted nebula that makes it impossible to decelerate the ship. Their only hope is to do the opposite and speed up. But acceleration towards and within the speed of light means that time outside the spaceship passes even more rapidly, sending the crew deeper into space and further into an unknown future.
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What listeners say about Tau Zero
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- William
- 05-06-2017
Good scifi bad narration
The exploration of scientific concepts was great and easily grasped, and by far the most enjoyable part of the book. Very few stretches of the imagination required to accept the story. Unfortunately the narration was poor and the characters were unengaging.
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-07-2020
Can't get past chapter 1. Horribly narrated.
Can't comment on the story, just need to let people and Audible know they should re-record this. It's so hard to listen to. Every sentence ends in a almost dramatic pause like it's the most important in the whole novel.
It's a shame because I'd have liked to get through this one. I hope that this was just a bad reading by Neil and not everything else he narrates.
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- Chris Gordon
- 10-01-2024
Wasn't for me
I can take or leave hard science fiction but this was unrelenting exposition and had virtually no characterisation and relationship building. Also the reader offered very little intonation or differentiation of voices, making it even tougher to follow. A very clever concept but, try as I might, I couldn't get into it.
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- ozsteveo
- 31-03-2022
Unable to listen
Sorry narrator, but your tone and pace are really jarring. I’m disappointed I purchased this one because I gave it about 10 minutes and had to give up, it was unlistenable.
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- Irwin lowe
- 29-05-2022
Unengaging story poorly read
I listened to the entire novel despite my brain wanting to stop every 15 min or so. The tale could have been set on a cruise ship for all the innuendo and shenanigans. Not much science going on except the spaceship and some minor mentions of the laws of physics. The narrator really did not help with his unusual style and frankly weird cadences.
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