Another Life

by Karla Marie Sweet

One of Audible’s “Best of 2024”

"A moving and well thought out story of two different lives in different times colliding... the ending is so satisfying!" 5* reader review

"black mirror fans will love this. Captivating and love the true elements intertwined with fiction. Could not 'put it down'." 5* reader review

"moving and clever... written in such a beautiful way and is terrifyingly believable... I don't have the words to really explain how much I love this story. it will stay with me forever." 5* reader review


For fans of Octavia E Butler, Margaret Atwood and Naomi Alderman, a thrilling, heart-wrenching debut novel from Karla Marie Sweet, exploring disparity of privilege, the quest for identity and the human need for connection.

When the External Womb Programme is launched, the news is controversial. Hundreds take to the streets in protest, feeling strongly that growing a baby outside of the human body is "unnatural". But thousands more people rejoice: at last, an alternative for those who wish to have children but worry about the physical toll it may take. A chance that throwing a baby-shaped grenade into one's career path might not derail it entirely.

For Lucy, whose acting career is finally taking off, the news is well worth celebrating. Could having a baby this way mean she can have it all? As she and her husband James embark on their journey, however, it becomes clear she's not being entirely honest with him and, as an old flame returns, everything is thrown into jeopardy.

Decades later, the use of external wombs is commonplace. But a corrupt government stepping into power leads to this groundbreaking piece of technology falling into the wrong hands, forcing everyone to reckon with a challenging new world and their place within it.

Performed by Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (Bob Marley: One Love), Another Life marks the arrival of a brilliant new literary talent that will thrill, entertain and challenge you from beginning to end.

Genres: Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction

11 pages, Audible Audio

Published September 19, 2024

About the author

Karla Marie Sweet is a British-American actor, screenwriter, novelist and dramaturg born and based in Manchester, UK. Recent acting credits include Black Dog and season 2 of Hulu’s No Man's Land. As a writer, she has multiple television credits to her name and her comedy-drama script DaSilva & Sharp landed her on the 2023 Brit List. Her theatre credits include Cheetham Hill (for the Royal Exchange), This Little Relic (BBC Radio 3 and the Belgrade Theatre) and Othello (Watermill Theatre), a re-versioning that The Guardian and WhatsOnStage awarded four stars each, calling it a "remarkable" adaptation that "moves with the pace of a thriller."
Another Life is Karla's first novel.

Reviews

[Angela Kirwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded expectations 100% and I'd recommend giving it a listen if you're after a twisty, intelligent book that is hugely entertaining, while challenging you.

It had me questioning my own life, my own moral compass & what it means to exist in a world where there are plenty more shades of grey, than right & wrongs. Karla Marie Sweet has managed to develop characters that are wholly human, rather than just black and white. So much so, that sometimes I wanted to scream at them! 'Don't do that!' 'Nooooo, don't do that!', but that just goes to show how believable and real they were, capturing all the messiness of real people.

It's such a complex book, with a vast array of diverse characters, making complex choices across two different worlds set in the near future. The narrators did an incredible job of bringing the characters to life and I listened constantly to learn more about the central characters.

As wars are waged and women's rights are a constant political football, this book is so relevant to the world we live in now, and cleverly raises these issues without ever ramming them down your throat.

[Nat Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh it’s okay. Interesting concept but I kept zoning out. The two point of views were just odd, they didn’t seem at all connected (but to be fair I probably missed something) until the very end when they’re talking. I don’t care enough to go back and find out how

[Roxanne Rodriguez Rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who’s read many of the dystopian classics, I really enjoyed this modern story of two characters: A woman in the near-future, and a man in the far-future. The intertwining stories had so much depth and perspective. Definitely one of the best newer novels I’ve consumed in quite a while! I won’t be surprised if this book is considered a modern classic in the years to come! This story will also make a great Television Series.

10/10

[Diane 🌻 Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Really enjoyed Lucy’s storyline but was VERY thrown by the switch to Omar’s storyline. The 2 were both good but I feel like they should have been two completely separate books.

Am I glad I read it - yes because the concept was very interesting and I enjoyed following Lucy’s life and the issues she faced.

Would I recommend it? Sadly, no. I just feel that it was 2 very interesting books just smooshed together.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karla Marie Sweet (2024) ANOTHER LIFE (AUDIOBOOK)
Audible - Audible Originals

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars

Audible writes, "When the External Womb Programme is launched, the news is controversial. Hundreds take to the streets in protest, feeling strongly that growing a baby outside of the human body is "unnatural". But thousands more people rejoice: at last, an alternative for those who wish to have children but worry about the physical toll it may take. A chance that throwing a baby-shaped grenade into one's career path might not derail it entirely. For Lucy, whose acting career is finally taking off, the news is well worth celebrating. Could having a baby this way mean she can have it all? As she and her husband James embark on their journey, however, it becomes clear she's not being entirely honest with him and, as an old flame returns, everything is thrown into jeopardy.
Decades later, the use of external wombs is commonplace. But a corrupt government stepping into power leads to this groundbreaking piece of technology falling into the wrong hands, forcing everyone to reckon with a challenging new world and their place within it."
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Really strange but not implausible futuristic plotline. No spoilers at all but it's pretty obvious that one day the goings on in this book will be possible. Really enjoyed this. It poses and asks questions of you listening throughout. Very clever writing.
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#KarlaMarieSweet #AnotherLife #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audible

[Crissy Cardwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has two timelines and both are interesting on their own. As others have mentioned the switch from one story to the other isn’t the smoothest. But you do get used to it. I almost stopped listening to the audiobook after the first switch but I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s interesting witnessing the choices characters make. The impact on these characters are relatable to the world we live in today.
I enjoyed the book and glad I finished it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good listen. Thought provoking story, likable main characters, dystopian world.

[Dav Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set over two time periods - looks at the impact of the introduction of a new technology (“the external womb”) and, jumping into the future, the way a dystopian government has gone on to abuse the tech. Character-focussed - you find yourself really rooting for Lucy and Omar, even in the midst of their challenges. LGBTQ+ themes. Really enjoyed it!

[Lauren Dussia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting aspect of a future that very much could be true. Love the back and forth between two different characters with different experiences with the external womb.

[Anna Butler-Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great concept. Really thought provoking and well written. I really enjoyed the story.

[Sammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely thrilling read.
I would describe it as slice-of-life dystopian fiction. It follows the lives of two people either side of the EWP (external womb program) and has some damning parallels to current day Britain.
I really enjoyed the two alternating points of view, the characters are well written and feel realistic in their flaws and growth.
Definitely recommend! Just wish it wasn't audible exclusive so I can recommend to more people!

[Ellen-Arwen Tristram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off very promisingly, but it didn't continue in the same way. I felt much more drawn to Lucy's PoV in the second half of the narrative and, considering the ending (which I won't spoil), that makes a kind of sense because the other half wasn't real. Not knowing it was an illusion, I still felt that it didn't fit with the rest of the book, and became a little impatient and disengaged from Omar's life. It makes sense knowing that it was all constructed to help with his PTSD, but without knowing that, I just felt it didn't quite fit.

A little disappointing overall. Hearing it was for fans of Octavia Butler is perhaps setting it up to fail...

[Zyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first switch to Omar felt disjointed and quite jarring, and the two storylines pretty much stayed that way for the vast majority of the book. I really felt like the author was trying to touch on far too many current hot topics but then didn't explore them in any great depth which made me wonder why bother going there in the first place. I quite liked the concept but the execution just fell short for me I'm afraid.

[Ivy Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this because I just kept hoping it would get better, however, it just never did.

[Fran Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceeded my expectations of an audible original
Original concept in the saturated dystopian genre
I felt for the characters who felt filled out and had backstories

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel with two stoylines that don't mesh very well. The first storyline is about a new way to give birth that is much easier on women and less disruptive to their careers. The babies are grown quickly outside the womb in a special sack, and the public is very divided on if this is too abnormal and if it might produce unnatural, unhealthy children.

The second storyline involves the corrupt government buying some of these babies from their financially struggling families and raising them to be fighting machines and then abandoning them to fend for themselves in a society that resents and distrusts them.

That these soldiers were previously sack babies is not very clear until the end of the novel, so the jumping between the two storylines is puzzling for much of the novel.

However, I think the author’s real purpose is to explore the difficulties many people have with really bonding with each other. Among the characters, there are fickle hearts, jealousy, dishonesty, misunderstandings, anger, and loneliness.

[Bianca Sadler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this overall, it was well written and I liked the Audible narrators. However, it felt like 3 story ideas squashed into one book - the story of Lucy and her relationships with James and Violet, Lucy's decision to use the external womb programme, and then Omar's story. They felt like very different storylines that didn't really seem to have much to do with each other which made it hard to understand why they were part of the same book. The external womb idea was why I chose the book but it wasn't really central to the story. Omar's story was interesting and could have worked well as standalone novel with more world building.

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise poorly executed. The two stories don’t intersect enough for either to have relevance to the other which means it all falls a bit flat. And one of the protagonists is a bit too narcissistic for me to care what happened to her. Might have eked it up to 3 stars if they hadn’t gone for a version of ‘and it was all a dream…’

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I nearly dropped this book after the first half, but I am glad I didn’t. One aspect of the ending surprised me. I wish that Omar’s story had been a separate book with a lot more detail. An exploration of how an elected government could create a group of soldiers/slaves by controlling and misusing reproductive materials would be chilling.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little drawn out but the narrator did an amazing job. Very good book sci fi and civil rights of the future book loved it! Only bad thing was sooooo many characters too many to keep up with unfortunately. But the book came full circle and was a good investment of time.

[Weezie Canada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It did have a similar feel to Handmaid's Tale. I think the narration was good. I felt the ending was lacking. There was so much detail given to some areas that almost felt overdone, but the ending felt very chopped and a little lacking but overall enjoyable.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

One book, two storylines.
I honestly think this would have worked better as two different books or having one story timeline then the other timeline.
the switching between the two didn't really work well.
Apart from that it was a no bad read.

[Michelle Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC

[Zulekha Saqib · Rating 1 out of 5]

— was intrigued by the premise but it was MEH!

[Lauren Ohdee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started strong, but finished on another dimension. 4 star first half with a 2 star second half.

[Susy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had two slightly overlapping storylines. I definitely liked one of them (the male character) more than the other. Don’t think I would recommend it.

[Kristina J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting concept but I didn't feel like the two POVs went together at ALL

[Traci Strozyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange, but interesting. Due to the 7 parts, which go back and forth between characters, it was a little disjointed and not as fleshed out as I would have preferred.