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Metamor City #1
Making the Cut
All Daniel Sharabi wanted was a family of his own. Born into a collectivist society of telepaths, Daniel grew up believing that he and his lifelong love Rebecca would form the core of a new breeding cell, helping to raise the next generation of their people. But when Daniel reaches adulthood, and learns that his psychic talents are mediocre at best, he finds himself marginalized and discounted by the society he has dedicated his young life to.
All Brian Sommers wanted was to raise his family in peace. After five years of service in the Empire's elite Psi Ops Division, Brian and his polyamorous partners were granted permission by the Psi Collective to form a new breeding cell. But when an old enemy threatens the security of the Collective, Brian finds himself being drawn back into a world of espionage, paranoia and covert action.
Now these two men, longtime friends driven apart by Collective politics, become entangled in a web of threats, lies and deadly secrets. Both will risk everything to prove their worth to the community they love -- and neither will emerge unchanged.
"Making the Cut" is the first full-length novel in the world of Metamor City. It was released as a full-cast audio production on The Metamor City Podcast between December 2007 and May 2009. It won the 2009 Parsec Award for Outstanding Audio Drama (Long Form), and has been heard by over 20,000 listeners around the world.
All Brian Sommers wanted was to raise his family in peace. After five years of service in the Empire's elite Psi Ops Division, Brian and his polyamorous partners were granted permission by the Psi Collective to form a new breeding cell. But when an old enemy threatens the security of the Collective, Brian finds himself being drawn back into a world of espionage, paranoia and covert action.
Now these two men, longtime friends driven apart by Collective politics, become entangled in a web of threats, lies and deadly secrets. Both will risk everything to prove their worth to the community they love -- and neither will emerge unchanged.
"Making the Cut" is the first full-length novel in the world of Metamor City. It was released as a full-cast audio production on The Metamor City Podcast between December 2007 and May 2009. It won the 2009 Parsec Award for Outstanding Audio Drama (Long Form), and has been heard by over 20,000 listeners around the world.
Audiobook
First published May 2, 2009
About the author
Chris Lester
32 books47 followersHi there! I'm Chris Lester, and I tell stories. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember; whether the audience was a playmate, a classroom, a parent, or a room full of strangers, I've always had a soft spot for a tale well told.
I grew up on stories of places that never were, of science fiction and fantasy, heroes and gods. I was captivated by ideas of transformation and transcendence, of people who passed out of the world of the ordinary and into a world where the impossible could happen. While it was the spectacle and wonder of these stories that gripped me first, as I grew older I came to appreciate them for another reason: by taking us out of our mundane context, these authors could tackle ideas and quandaries that would otherwise be too close for the reader's comfort. Authors like Tolkien and Heinlein and Card may have written stories filled with impossible things, but the stories were ABOUT ideas and problems at the heart of human experience. They were stories about people -- and whether those people were hobbits or Martians or nine-year-old military masterminds, there was Truth to be found in these stories that could be of value to us today.
It's my hope that my own stories inspire you to think about these deeper issues, as well -- and give you a rollicking good time in the process.
If you'd like to say hello, come check out my Discord server: https://discord.gg/PFHVVNp
I grew up on stories of places that never were, of science fiction and fantasy, heroes and gods. I was captivated by ideas of transformation and transcendence, of people who passed out of the world of the ordinary and into a world where the impossible could happen. While it was the spectacle and wonder of these stories that gripped me first, as I grew older I came to appreciate them for another reason: by taking us out of our mundane context, these authors could tackle ideas and quandaries that would otherwise be too close for the reader's comfort. Authors like Tolkien and Heinlein and Card may have written stories filled with impossible things, but the stories were ABOUT ideas and problems at the heart of human experience. They were stories about people -- and whether those people were hobbits or Martians or nine-year-old military masterminds, there was Truth to be found in these stories that could be of value to us today.
It's my hope that my own stories inspire you to think about these deeper issues, as well -- and give you a rollicking good time in the process.
If you'd like to say hello, come check out my Discord server: https://discord.gg/PFHVVNp
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 19, 2015
I am in love with the Metamor City Podcast! I have enjoyed everything I've heard so far and this novel was no different. This book was full of action and excitement. There are almost two different stories contained in this one book and I really liked that. The author blended the two halves of the book perfectly by intertwining almost every character and their actions. The world is so interesting and fun to read about. I have already continued listening to the podcast, and I would read anything this author writes that I can get my hands on!
July 12, 2015
There's so much to this podcast novel that it took me a long time to figure out what to write here. I thoroughly enjoyed Making the Cut (so much so that I left the author a bunch of comments after listening to each chapter). Part of what made this story so good is the rich worldbuilding of Metamor City and the communities within. This made for a fascinating backdrop for an intricate, emotional plot with some great twists and turns. This story explored a variety of themes from various angles, which was enjoyable to listen to. I sympathized with so many of the characters and their struggles. Solid writing and a great voice cast brought the story to life quite well. All in all, a great story, and I look forward to reading/listening to more from Chris Lester.
September 27, 2014
Making the Cut is an intriguing, well-thought-out, well-produced roller coaster that had me aching to listen to the next episode. It's a real page-turner, whether you're actually reading it or not. There wasn't a character I couldn't identify with or relate to, and that includes Victor and even Malcom ard'Valos, the vampire prince. These are real, fleshed-out people populating Metamor City, and they make the world function in a way I can't help but admire. The threads of plot are woven with great mastery, the cultures are thick and rich (not unlike hot chocolate) and I was just plain in awe of how perfectly the pieces of this puzzle fit together. I am eager to get into more of the Metamor City literature.
July 15, 2014
4.5 stars WOW!
As I listened I found on numerous occasions I stopped doing what I was doing and started listening intently as I'd been drawn into the story so deeply. Drawn on so many levels! Action, suspense, character aw, world mezmerizing, and story events and connections.
Chris's ability to weave characters, a magical world, and plot together is mind blowing. I love all the aspencts here!
****FULL REVIEW TO COME****
As I listened I found on numerous occasions I stopped doing what I was doing and started listening intently as I'd been drawn into the story so deeply. Drawn on so many levels! Action, suspense, character aw, world mezmerizing, and story events and connections.
Chris's ability to weave characters, a magical world, and plot together is mind blowing. I love all the aspencts here!
****FULL REVIEW TO COME****
March 3, 2014
This was a lot of fun. Some cool spy action in a futuristic city, lotsa human drama, and a wonderful tone and atmosphere throughout. I highly recommend subscribing to this podcast thru the iTunes and taking a listen to all of them from the beginning.
December 16, 2017
Metamor City takes place in a world in which sci-fi and fantasy meet. There's flying cars, but also vampires, psychics, wizards, and the like. This is an action packed story with a large cast of characters and interesting plot twists.
Making the Cut focuses on a group of friends with psychic powers who are coming of age. When we first meet them, they're using their psychic powers to cheat at basketball and they complain that they can't use their powers more openly because people without superpowers are so prejudiced. I've got to admit, I'm tired of stories in which we're supposed to feel sorry for people with superpowers. You've got superpowers! If anybody has a right to complain, it's the normal people. I also found it odd that the friends were willing to come to blows with each other over minor ribbing. Why so serious?
After the rocky start, the story does get better. A lot of interesting issues are raised. For example, abortion is forbidden once a fetus is able to communicate telepathically, which I'd guess would be the moment a fetus is first able to feel emotion. I'm not sure when that would be, but it's interesting to think about.
Some psychics have precognition, which raises the free will question. However, we're also told that free will interferes with precognition. I'd think this would make precognition a largely useless power. Maybe you could predict natural disasters and the weather, but that would be about it. Also complicating the free will question is the fact that psychics and vampires can use mind control on people. There's also a guy who can control souls, but I'm unclear on how that's different from the other types of mind control in the story.
One character becomes an androgyne, which means he can change into a woman. In order to give her a personality distinct from his own, she's given false memories. This raises the question of identity. How much of our personalities are a result of our memories and how much of our personalities come from other things like our genes and environment?
Overall, an interesting book with a fast paced story that really got me thinking.
Making the Cut focuses on a group of friends with psychic powers who are coming of age. When we first meet them, they're using their psychic powers to cheat at basketball and they complain that they can't use their powers more openly because people without superpowers are so prejudiced. I've got to admit, I'm tired of stories in which we're supposed to feel sorry for people with superpowers. You've got superpowers! If anybody has a right to complain, it's the normal people. I also found it odd that the friends were willing to come to blows with each other over minor ribbing. Why so serious?
After the rocky start, the story does get better. A lot of interesting issues are raised. For example, abortion is forbidden once a fetus is able to communicate telepathically, which I'd guess would be the moment a fetus is first able to feel emotion. I'm not sure when that would be, but it's interesting to think about.
Some psychics have precognition, which raises the free will question. However, we're also told that free will interferes with precognition. I'd think this would make precognition a largely useless power. Maybe you could predict natural disasters and the weather, but that would be about it. Also complicating the free will question is the fact that psychics and vampires can use mind control on people. There's also a guy who can control souls, but I'm unclear on how that's different from the other types of mind control in the story.
One character becomes an androgyne, which means he can change into a woman. In order to give her a personality distinct from his own, she's given false memories. This raises the question of identity. How much of our personalities are a result of our memories and how much of our personalities come from other things like our genes and environment?
Overall, an interesting book with a fast paced story that really got me thinking.
February 9, 2017
I'm revisiting my long ago love of podiobooks. So many free, quality audiobooks presented in podcast format. Now, with a podcast app, you can download podcast book episodes all at once, and play consecutively just like chapters in an audiobook.
The Metamor City stories are some of my favorites. Highly recommended for lovers of sci fi fantasy supernatural stories. And Chris Lester does a great job, starting with the Huntress, collaborating with talented voice actors and writers.
The Metamor City stories are some of my favorites. Highly recommended for lovers of sci fi fantasy supernatural stories. And Chris Lester does a great job, starting with the Huntress, collaborating with talented voice actors and writers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews