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Our Dried Voices
In 2153, cancer was cured. In 2189, AIDS. And in 2235, the last members of the human race traveled to a far distant planet called Pearl to begin the next chapter of humanity.
Several hundred years after their arrival, the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction, the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence.
With the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a young man named Samuel to repair these breakdowns and save the colony. Aided by his friend Penny, Samuel rises to meet each challenge. But he soon discovers a mysterious group of people behind each of these problems, and he must somehow find and defeat these saboteurs in order to rescue his colony.
Several hundred years after their arrival, the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction, the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence.
With the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a young man named Samuel to repair these breakdowns and save the colony. Aided by his friend Penny, Samuel rises to meet each challenge. But he soon discovers a mysterious group of people behind each of these problems, and he must somehow find and defeat these saboteurs in order to rescue his colony.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
44 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
Greg Hickey
9 books138 followersGreg Hickey is a former international professional baseball player and forensic scientist, and endurance athlete and Amazon-bestselling author. His previous works include the novels Parabellum, The Friar’s Lantern and Our Dried Voices, the latter of which was a finalist for Foreword Reviews' INDIES Science Fiction Book of the Year Award. He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
January 6, 2026
In a world where every disease is cured, the human population skyrockets and they are forced to colonize a new planet (Pearl).
"That's where I'm going. That's where it ends. That's where I will find answers."
But what appeared as a promising start for the next era of human civilization, devolves into something...rather unexpected.
Samuel, one of the colonists, is one of the first to notice that something is wrong. Very wrong.
"They ran in no particular direction, a single mass exodus from the hall, teeming out across the gay green meadows, up and over the soft, undulating hills, and their cries rippled throughout..."
In his society, everything from food preparation to bed-making is fully automated. Even the weather comes in distinct patterns.
When his world is thrown into chaos, Samuel decides to do something about this.
"Two straight days was unprecedented in the colony's memory. Locked sleeping halls were unreal."
Despite his triumphs over the Broken Bridges or the Locked Sleeping Houses, his actions bring about decidedly odd reactions from his fellow colonists.
In a world where the most basic thinking is shunned and abhorred, what in the world is Samuel supposed to do?
"They shrunk against the walls, their eyes downcast, most of them alone. No one moved. No one said a word."
Apparently, the answer is everything.
Overall - this one was pretty dang good!
The plot felt fresh and exciting, the characters were underdeveloped (but in a good way!) and the overall theme was fabulous.
I liked the alien-ness of Samuel's world - I think the author did a great job of creating a new world and a plausible future.
After all, once all of disease and war has been eliminated, what is left?
I found it interesting how the author took that concept to the extreme - that without conflict and something to fight against, that humans will devolve and lose that quintessential difference between us and animals.
Samuel and Penny (his assistant of sorts) begin as severely underdeveloped characters but you watch them overcome the saboteurs, their personalities do take shape and become more fleshed out.
I think that if the book continued a bit longer, they would have become well-rounded (fingers crossed for a sequel!).
That being said, I do feel that there was a bit too much time spent on the tasks for Samuel to complete.
Each task did reveal a bit more of the inner-workings of this fantastic colony (which was definitely cool) but I would have preferred for him to "escape" quicker.
Then, the extra page space could've been used for Samuel
...but hey that could be addressed at a later time (*sequel*) (*hint* *hint*).
(NOTE: Spoiler tag is my speculation based on events that happened at end, not what actually happened. )
Overall - really enjoyed this one. Entertaining and engaging from cover to cover!
With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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November 21, 2018
I read Our Dried Voices in A day. Once I started reading this morning, four coffee breaks and a piece of my mother in law's tasty carrot and wallnut cake, I finished the book an hour ago. Needless to say it was a breeze and once I began I had to finish. Luckily it is not a thousand page tome and the layout was easy on the eye.
A Utopia, in the future. Or a Dystopia?
The beginning of this book reminded me of The Time Machine. Also the video game Resident Evil 4.
(Anybody who has played Res Evil 4 will know what I mean when, The church bells ring...)
Humanity seem to live in bliss until the sound of bells and in a trance like state they head towards the sound. I also had a feeling of the Stepford Wives as the robotic people interacted. Limited speech and basic vocabulary.
Everything is controlled. The weather. Nature. People. (Sounds like today's reality...Lol!)
A reality in which, people are just milling around and everything is done for them. People are like sheep. A hive mentality. A future world of 'useless eaters'.
That is the Duke of Edinburgh 's words by the way, not mine.
Back to the book.
A future with no variety. Sterile. Where all the people look similar; like the Miller Lite Ad from years ago; all living a repetitive robotic existence.
A world of technology and AI, WALL-E springs to mind. As I continued reading, about half way through, I had a memory of the films 'The Village and The Island' where our main characters and their community live shut off, in a microcosm, unaware that there was a macrocosm outside of their hemmed in reality.
Hey Greg, is Leomedes, a mashup of Leonardo da Vinci and Archimedes? Two of my favourites by the way. My cat is Archimedes, unfortunately we lost his brother Socrates when he was a kitten. 😢
Went off on one of my tangents then, I digress.
We follow Samuel, we see how he begins to; for want of a better word and not giving away too much of the story; evolve.
How he has to make certain choices. A true human trait is to help and aid others who are less able. Or to try and better one's own life and go where the grass is greener?
I guess a good analogy would be to look at the whole instead of concentrating on the individual, or a piece. Through his repetitive mundane life Samuel begins to fathom that there is so much more meaning to his life than the fish bowl existence in which he currently resides.
A good tale of a future where people are controlled and dependant on machines. A place of limits and the unknown history.
I really enjoyed Our Dried Voices. Even though it feels like reading a story by other authors, H. G. Wells or George Orwell, Our Dried Voices still seems unique and tells the story the way Greg Hickey intended it to be. Well done Greg on creating an intriguing story from start to end. Our Dried Voices is a good title for the story. This book is a really good read indeed. If you like dystopian novels I recommend this book.
👍💓🐯
A Utopia, in the future. Or a Dystopia?
The beginning of this book reminded me of The Time Machine. Also the video game Resident Evil 4.
(Anybody who has played Res Evil 4 will know what I mean when, The church bells ring...)
Humanity seem to live in bliss until the sound of bells and in a trance like state they head towards the sound. I also had a feeling of the Stepford Wives as the robotic people interacted. Limited speech and basic vocabulary.
Everything is controlled. The weather. Nature. People. (Sounds like today's reality...Lol!)
A reality in which, people are just milling around and everything is done for them. People are like sheep. A hive mentality. A future world of 'useless eaters'.
That is the Duke of Edinburgh 's words by the way, not mine.
Back to the book.
A future with no variety. Sterile. Where all the people look similar; like the Miller Lite Ad from years ago; all living a repetitive robotic existence.
A world of technology and AI, WALL-E springs to mind. As I continued reading, about half way through, I had a memory of the films 'The Village and The Island' where our main characters and their community live shut off, in a microcosm, unaware that there was a macrocosm outside of their hemmed in reality.
Hey Greg, is Leomedes, a mashup of Leonardo da Vinci and Archimedes? Two of my favourites by the way. My cat is Archimedes, unfortunately we lost his brother Socrates when he was a kitten. 😢
Went off on one of my tangents then, I digress.
We follow Samuel, we see how he begins to; for want of a better word and not giving away too much of the story; evolve.
How he has to make certain choices. A true human trait is to help and aid others who are less able. Or to try and better one's own life and go where the grass is greener?
I guess a good analogy would be to look at the whole instead of concentrating on the individual, or a piece. Through his repetitive mundane life Samuel begins to fathom that there is so much more meaning to his life than the fish bowl existence in which he currently resides.
A good tale of a future where people are controlled and dependant on machines. A place of limits and the unknown history.
I really enjoyed Our Dried Voices. Even though it feels like reading a story by other authors, H. G. Wells or George Orwell, Our Dried Voices still seems unique and tells the story the way Greg Hickey intended it to be. Well done Greg on creating an intriguing story from start to end. Our Dried Voices is a good title for the story. This book is a really good read indeed. If you like dystopian novels I recommend this book.
👍💓🐯
December 17, 2015
Short update note: This book has really stuck with me. I think that it is the kind of story it helps to have a little time to absorb. I suspect it will be underrated because it is unlike many stories and might in that sense make it difficult for some readers to get comfortable (and many may set it down early on without finishing it). I hope that folks give it a chance though - it is one of the more memorable books I read this year.
,.............
This was a curious book. There is very little spoken out loud through the greater part of the story. Atmospherically for a while it kept making me think of the segment of The Time Machine in the future, partially populated with simple, childlike beings who lived above ground. After reading a bit further, it becomes easier to see its own unique style without comparing it to anything else.
Frankly, I'm a bit surprised I liked this - typically I like lively dialog and an active mind, whereas this book has little dialog, and when it happens the characters really struggle with it. They also have to work at simple thinking, as they have grown accustomed to not needing to give much thought to anything. However, I liked the main character and found the story interesting - it is really something of a mystery that keeps you trying to puzzle out the answers. Some parts will be obvious to you but not all.
Our main character Samuel seems to be someone willing to accept a challenge, though unhappily thrust upon him, as if he has been placed upon a boat full of passengers and only he knows how to row. He wants to do the right thing, while a conscience seems to be something his fellows never find the need to consult anymore. He also seems to be a little bit of a romantic. I don't necessarily mean that in terms of wooing a mate, though there are some females in the story as well. (Everyone appears to be straight in this version of the world.) I mean romantic in the sense of his looking at the world with hope for more than just eat-sleep-screw, and looking at others people with a desire for a greater connection with them, a connection of hearts and minds, not just sharing space with one another.
At the end he is faced with an important decision - it's interesting to wonder how many of us would have made the same choice as he did.
Memorability factor: 9/10
Follow this author: Maybe - depends on the book, but it is worth a look.
,.............
This was a curious book. There is very little spoken out loud through the greater part of the story. Atmospherically for a while it kept making me think of the segment of The Time Machine in the future, partially populated with simple, childlike beings who lived above ground. After reading a bit further, it becomes easier to see its own unique style without comparing it to anything else.
Frankly, I'm a bit surprised I liked this - typically I like lively dialog and an active mind, whereas this book has little dialog, and when it happens the characters really struggle with it. They also have to work at simple thinking, as they have grown accustomed to not needing to give much thought to anything. However, I liked the main character and found the story interesting - it is really something of a mystery that keeps you trying to puzzle out the answers. Some parts will be obvious to you but not all.
Our main character Samuel seems to be someone willing to accept a challenge, though unhappily thrust upon him, as if he has been placed upon a boat full of passengers and only he knows how to row. He wants to do the right thing, while a conscience seems to be something his fellows never find the need to consult anymore. He also seems to be a little bit of a romantic. I don't necessarily mean that in terms of wooing a mate, though there are some females in the story as well. (Everyone appears to be straight in this version of the world.) I mean romantic in the sense of his looking at the world with hope for more than just eat-sleep-screw, and looking at others people with a desire for a greater connection with them, a connection of hearts and minds, not just sharing space with one another.
At the end he is faced with an important decision - it's interesting to wonder how many of us would have made the same choice as he did.
Memorability factor: 9/10
Follow this author: Maybe - depends on the book, but it is worth a look.
September 7, 2019
Review to come
April 4, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. If I could compare this to something, I’d say it felt a lot like an unofficial sequel to H.G.Wells’s The Time Machine. It’s not framed from the POV of a distinct narrator, but the setting, the tone, and the characters all felt very similar.
There isn’t a lot of action, or even dialogue in the beginning, but it does steadily increase as the story goes on. What pulls you in here is the intrigue. Why are the machines breaking down? Who are the people that fix them? What are all these notes about? It felt like watching one not-so-smart person try to solve an escape room puzzle.
The writing was great and the description was really pretty. I didn’t find a single proofreading or editing error, which is more than I can say for the past few books I’ve read. It’s also a very quick book. The chapters are short, there aren’t any side plots to contend with. I was able to read it all in the span of 24 hours. I appreciated that. (My tolerance for 40/50 page chapters, or worse, books without chapters, has been exhausted for the year.)
I do think the reader will see the end coming long before Samuel does, but I also think that was half the fun. There is an art to foreshadowing and Hickey used it well. The characters are a little flat, but this is very much a plot driven story, so I was able to forgive it.
I do have a couple critiques, but they are minor. Some of the world building was questionable. For example, the colonists drink their water straight from the river. They have a food machine that spits out food cakes, but no filtered drinking water system? It just seemed odd and I was sort of taken out of the story at any mention of drinking from the river.
The other thing I found a little questionable, is that words were used that I’m not sure Samuel would have known, given his experience with the world and the people he had been living with. At one point, late in the book he says/thinks “technologies” and it felt very out of place.
Overall, this is a very quick read that I think is well worth checking out if you were a fan of The Time Machine. Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
There isn’t a lot of action, or even dialogue in the beginning, but it does steadily increase as the story goes on. What pulls you in here is the intrigue. Why are the machines breaking down? Who are the people that fix them? What are all these notes about? It felt like watching one not-so-smart person try to solve an escape room puzzle.
The writing was great and the description was really pretty. I didn’t find a single proofreading or editing error, which is more than I can say for the past few books I’ve read. It’s also a very quick book. The chapters are short, there aren’t any side plots to contend with. I was able to read it all in the span of 24 hours. I appreciated that. (My tolerance for 40/50 page chapters, or worse, books without chapters, has been exhausted for the year.)
I do think the reader will see the end coming long before Samuel does, but I also think that was half the fun. There is an art to foreshadowing and Hickey used it well. The characters are a little flat, but this is very much a plot driven story, so I was able to forgive it.
I do have a couple critiques, but they are minor. Some of the world building was questionable. For example, the colonists drink their water straight from the river. They have a food machine that spits out food cakes, but no filtered drinking water system? It just seemed odd and I was sort of taken out of the story at any mention of drinking from the river.
The other thing I found a little questionable, is that words were used that I’m not sure Samuel would have known, given his experience with the world and the people he had been living with. At one point, late in the book he says/thinks “technologies” and it felt very out of place.
Overall, this is a very quick read that I think is well worth checking out if you were a fan of The Time Machine. Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2015
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I went into this book with high expectations; the world it promised, the intriguing plot and the thought-provoking description of society made this book a decent contender to be as good as classics like Animal Farm. The story promised to be a social criticism with a twist and it sadly felt short, losing the point of the story along the way and being incredibly tedious to get through.
I did finish the book because it isn’t very long but I did skim through a chapter or two. The story begins very well; I sped through the first 50-or-so pages. It kept me reading and all the facts it gives about the future are very interesting but as I got deeper into the book I started to lose interest real soon.
The story has little dialogue and I usually would’ve been fine by that but the author didn't execute it effectively enough. It was interesting to see how the main character changed his thought process and to see how he slowly was able to feel love for a fellow human. If you guys are interested on the evolutionary process of the human race, give it a try but I did not enjoy it.
I went into this book with high expectations; the world it promised, the intriguing plot and the thought-provoking description of society made this book a decent contender to be as good as classics like Animal Farm. The story promised to be a social criticism with a twist and it sadly felt short, losing the point of the story along the way and being incredibly tedious to get through.
I did finish the book because it isn’t very long but I did skim through a chapter or two. The story begins very well; I sped through the first 50-or-so pages. It kept me reading and all the facts it gives about the future are very interesting but as I got deeper into the book I started to lose interest real soon.
The story has little dialogue and I usually would’ve been fine by that but the author didn't execute it effectively enough. It was interesting to see how the main character changed his thought process and to see how he slowly was able to feel love for a fellow human. If you guys are interested on the evolutionary process of the human race, give it a try but I did not enjoy it.
January 10, 2019
Book in short: Utopia turned Dystopia with a happy ending.
The approach of Our Dried Voices world is different in the idea that humans progressed so much that there was nothing left to progress at. The result? Zombie-humans in the new world.
One of the popular books in Utopia-turned-Dystopia genre is The Giver. I couldn't help but compare protagonists struggle through the snow from that in The Giver. There must be something redeeming in walking through snow and freezing yourself to death.
So, I'll say its a light read with not my preferred ending. Therefore, 3 stars.
***I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The approach of Our Dried Voices world is different in the idea that humans progressed so much that there was nothing left to progress at. The result? Zombie-humans in the new world.
One of the popular books in Utopia-turned-Dystopia genre is The Giver. I couldn't help but compare protagonists struggle through the snow from that in The Giver. There must be something redeeming in walking through snow and freezing yourself to death.
So, I'll say its a light read with not my preferred ending. Therefore, 3 stars.
***I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2015
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2015/02/0...
Publisher: Scribe
Publishing Date: November 2014
ISBN: 9781940368931
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.5/5
Publisher Description: In 2153, cancer was cured. In 2189, AIDS. And in 2235, the last members of the human race traveled to a far distant planet called Pearl to begin the next chapter of humanity. Several hundred years after their arrival, the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction, the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence. With the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a young man named Samuel to repair these breakdowns and save the colony.
Review: This was a well written novel with really good characterization as Samuel slowly becomes aware of things and processes greater than what exists within the colony. Inhabitants only exist to eat, sleep and play and when troubles in the form of breakdowns begins to plague the colony, Samuel slowly begins to find himself through processing the malfunctions and creating solutions.
The plot was a hard one to get on board with. How is it that a creative and galactic spanning race finally finds a new haven and over time thought processes dwindle to those of cattle as all basic needs are provided for? I guess that’s the big question. Will a utopian state shift creativeness and cunning to a formalized structure of passivity. I don’t think so. As long as the mind and all its manifestations of identity and ego prevail, there will always be the impetus to have more whether taking, creating, finding or going to…..things. All of which are developed from ideas and a sense of self (ego).
Can’t really say too much more as it may give the novel away. Get this. It is superb writing and despite my shjtpicking of the premise, it really is a solid 4 stars.
Publisher: Scribe
Publishing Date: November 2014
ISBN: 9781940368931
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.5/5
Publisher Description: In 2153, cancer was cured. In 2189, AIDS. And in 2235, the last members of the human race traveled to a far distant planet called Pearl to begin the next chapter of humanity. Several hundred years after their arrival, the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction, the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence. With the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a young man named Samuel to repair these breakdowns and save the colony.
Review: This was a well written novel with really good characterization as Samuel slowly becomes aware of things and processes greater than what exists within the colony. Inhabitants only exist to eat, sleep and play and when troubles in the form of breakdowns begins to plague the colony, Samuel slowly begins to find himself through processing the malfunctions and creating solutions.
The plot was a hard one to get on board with. How is it that a creative and galactic spanning race finally finds a new haven and over time thought processes dwindle to those of cattle as all basic needs are provided for? I guess that’s the big question. Will a utopian state shift creativeness and cunning to a formalized structure of passivity. I don’t think so. As long as the mind and all its manifestations of identity and ego prevail, there will always be the impetus to have more whether taking, creating, finding or going to…..things. All of which are developed from ideas and a sense of self (ego).
Can’t really say too much more as it may give the novel away. Get this. It is superb writing and despite my shjtpicking of the premise, it really is a solid 4 stars.
June 12, 2020
NOTE: A digital copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Greg Hickey's science-fiction novel "Our Dried Voices" feels like the lovechild of George Orwell's "1984" and Ira Levin's "This Perfect Day." Having read both of those wonderful dystopian classics many years ago, I found Hickey's book to be heavily atmospheric and of both a despairing yet ultimately hopeful mood. Most importantly, I found myself deeply involved
with main character Samuel. It was tough watching him fight an uphill battle to bring himself and his people to a higher plane of understanding and living. Samuel's discomfort and regret were palpable as he was faced with the realities of living in a future world filled with so much possibility, so much greatness -- and yet so many limitations. The irony of one
determined man trapped by the restrictions of a blind, unseeing society also reminded me a little of Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's monument "The Fountainhead."
Samuel has a unique, singular vision, and this vision takes him on a quest. He can see beyond the limitations of his community; he has innovative ideas and knowledge that was only gained by his innate curiosity and craving to know, learn and discover. Without these qualities, our hero would not have stepped beyond the confines of the Colony or ever questioned reality; he
would never have learned of another life or thought it possible to live that life. The book constantly reminds the reader that these qualities are both a blessing and a curse, as Samuel's long, hard journey proves throughout.
This gritty work of fiction is relevant to today's events, as we seem to be creeping ever closer to the vision eerily imagined by George Orwell. Samuel, Penny and the Colonists face a real catastrophe of human thought, ambition and validation. Hickey's novel asks the important philosophical question: are we truly validated as human beings if we are deprived of the very things that make us human? Flesh and blood on the outside, dead souls within -- this is not what the Creator intended for us, and Samuel is on a quest to prove it.
Readers will find Hickey's narrative as intelligent and descriptive as Orwell's, with a message speaking to the modern-day consequences of collectivism, "groupthink" and mass hysteria. We are living this reality right now in the wake of COVID-19. We as a society are being manipulated by a not-so-secret evil force pulling the strings of our humanity. We will either wake up like Samuel and strive for greatness and freedom, or continue to graze in the pasture like the sheep we've been programmed to be.
I highly recommend taking this journey with Samuel and Penny. You'll finish the book in awe of how a work of fiction can highlight what's happening in the real world in the eeriest of ways.
Greg Hickey's science-fiction novel "Our Dried Voices" feels like the lovechild of George Orwell's "1984" and Ira Levin's "This Perfect Day." Having read both of those wonderful dystopian classics many years ago, I found Hickey's book to be heavily atmospheric and of both a despairing yet ultimately hopeful mood. Most importantly, I found myself deeply involved
with main character Samuel. It was tough watching him fight an uphill battle to bring himself and his people to a higher plane of understanding and living. Samuel's discomfort and regret were palpable as he was faced with the realities of living in a future world filled with so much possibility, so much greatness -- and yet so many limitations. The irony of one
determined man trapped by the restrictions of a blind, unseeing society also reminded me a little of Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's monument "The Fountainhead."
Samuel has a unique, singular vision, and this vision takes him on a quest. He can see beyond the limitations of his community; he has innovative ideas and knowledge that was only gained by his innate curiosity and craving to know, learn and discover. Without these qualities, our hero would not have stepped beyond the confines of the Colony or ever questioned reality; he
would never have learned of another life or thought it possible to live that life. The book constantly reminds the reader that these qualities are both a blessing and a curse, as Samuel's long, hard journey proves throughout.
This gritty work of fiction is relevant to today's events, as we seem to be creeping ever closer to the vision eerily imagined by George Orwell. Samuel, Penny and the Colonists face a real catastrophe of human thought, ambition and validation. Hickey's novel asks the important philosophical question: are we truly validated as human beings if we are deprived of the very things that make us human? Flesh and blood on the outside, dead souls within -- this is not what the Creator intended for us, and Samuel is on a quest to prove it.
Readers will find Hickey's narrative as intelligent and descriptive as Orwell's, with a message speaking to the modern-day consequences of collectivism, "groupthink" and mass hysteria. We are living this reality right now in the wake of COVID-19. We as a society are being manipulated by a not-so-secret evil force pulling the strings of our humanity. We will either wake up like Samuel and strive for greatness and freedom, or continue to graze in the pasture like the sheep we've been programmed to be.
I highly recommend taking this journey with Samuel and Penny. You'll finish the book in awe of how a work of fiction can highlight what's happening in the real world in the eeriest of ways.
October 3, 2018
First of all thanks to the author for giving me this book for free in exchange of an honest review.Now,this a dystopian novel which is set in 2300s on a different planet.So lot of things,which might seem nonsense today, have been imagined and a story has been constructed around these incidents.
The theme is good but the story drags for about 70% of the book and when it picks up,it is abruptly ended.The good thing is the author's imagination and the last chapter.
Its not a great novel but can be read once.
The theme is good but the story drags for about 70% of the book and when it picks up,it is abruptly ended.The good thing is the author's imagination and the last chapter.
Its not a great novel but can be read once.
February 24, 2015
Humanity's main problems in this particular dystopian novel come in the form of overpopulation and too much coddling. Emphasis on the coddling. Two hundred years from now, after many trials and tribulations, mankind sends a colony ship to an exoplanet. At least three or four hundred years after that (exact time never given) the Pearl colony consists of people who are much like the Eloi of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine but with no Morlocks in sight. They are fed, clothed, and cleaned up after by hidden machines that they never have a single thought about. When those machines start to break down our protagonist is there to puzzle things out. It was this puzzling out that kept me reading through to the end. I love a good puzzle.
He finds scraps of paper with drawings on them, sees people that he calls the heroes acting more intelligently than others and seemingly saving the day but soon the heroes stop showing up and Samuel is left to figure things out on his own. But the puzzles and the way he figures them out don't always make complete sense. In fact, there are several things that bothered me about the story.
First of all, the idea that having all needs met and no adversity in life means society becomes so lazy intellectually that language devolves and people become like placid, empty animals. I think all that time would be spent in the pursuit of art, relationships, basically all the things everyone feels there is never enough time for. There would finally be time. That's assuming that every problem can be solved which in itself just seems silly. Well, that's just my opinion but how long it takes for a species to evolve/devolve so considerably isn't just my opinion. Let's just say it takes longer than a few hundred years.
I was also bothered by clunky writing in general but especially when it came to describing how Samuel, a man with very limited language skills, perceived the world. I know that it's a difficult task, one the writer took on with risks, but this was such an obvious case of too much telling, not enough showing that I really couldn't stand it at times. Describing technology the way Samuel would have seen it first and foremost - using his limited language skills and knowledge and then elaborating for the reader if necessary - would have been much better.
Speaking of technology, there is a machine that controls the weather so perfectly that it turns a blizzard into a warm spring day in seconds. This machine would absolutely not have switches and dials like something out of a bad scifi movie from the seventies.
He finds scraps of paper with drawings on them, sees people that he calls the heroes acting more intelligently than others and seemingly saving the day but soon the heroes stop showing up and Samuel is left to figure things out on his own. But the puzzles and the way he figures them out don't always make complete sense. In fact, there are several things that bothered me about the story.
First of all, the idea that having all needs met and no adversity in life means society becomes so lazy intellectually that language devolves and people become like placid, empty animals. I think all that time would be spent in the pursuit of art, relationships, basically all the things everyone feels there is never enough time for. There would finally be time. That's assuming that every problem can be solved which in itself just seems silly. Well, that's just my opinion but how long it takes for a species to evolve/devolve so considerably isn't just my opinion. Let's just say it takes longer than a few hundred years.
I was also bothered by clunky writing in general but especially when it came to describing how Samuel, a man with very limited language skills, perceived the world. I know that it's a difficult task, one the writer took on with risks, but this was such an obvious case of too much telling, not enough showing that I really couldn't stand it at times. Describing technology the way Samuel would have seen it first and foremost - using his limited language skills and knowledge and then elaborating for the reader if necessary - would have been much better.
Speaking of technology, there is a machine that controls the weather so perfectly that it turns a blizzard into a warm spring day in seconds. This machine would absolutely not have switches and dials like something out of a bad scifi movie from the seventies.
August 31, 2020
3.5 stars
This book is different. It starts out a lot like those science fiction stories in the future where the population have no brain but are being sustained by an advanced technology that no one even knows about or even realizes is there. Then the accidents start happening and life starts to be disrupted for the citizens. Suddenly “heroes” emerge from the citizens. They sort of “wake up” from their numb slumber. This story mainly focuses on Samuel and Penny who make it their mission to help their society fix these broken technologies and Samuel discovers that life is way bigger and more complex than he ever imagined.
I though the book was good. Reminded me a lot of Logan’s Run in certain aspects. The story ended on a cliffhanger that I wish had been elaborated on more. I was invested in Samuel and Penny’s story and it sort of ended and then we got a history of the world and how it had come to be like that in the first place. Definitely a book to check out if you like science fiction.
This book is different. It starts out a lot like those science fiction stories in the future where the population have no brain but are being sustained by an advanced technology that no one even knows about or even realizes is there. Then the accidents start happening and life starts to be disrupted for the citizens. Suddenly “heroes” emerge from the citizens. They sort of “wake up” from their numb slumber. This story mainly focuses on Samuel and Penny who make it their mission to help their society fix these broken technologies and Samuel discovers that life is way bigger and more complex than he ever imagined.
I though the book was good. Reminded me a lot of Logan’s Run in certain aspects. The story ended on a cliffhanger that I wish had been elaborated on more. I was invested in Samuel and Penny’s story and it sort of ended and then we got a history of the world and how it had come to be like that in the first place. Definitely a book to check out if you like science fiction.
August 16, 2019
I've been reading a lot of dystopian fiction over the last couple of years, for reasons you can probably guess. "Our Dried Voices" reminded me most closely in tone to Ira Levin's "This Perfect Day". However, where Levin supposed that humanity would need to be drugged to become docile, lazy and lacking in ambition, Hickey apparently takes the view that simply providing for every material comfort and not requiring any work will do the trick.
The novel starts out with a brief chronology of the future, explaining (among other things) that mankind launched generation ships to colonize a distant planet known as Pearl; then we are dropped into the life of idle luxury enjoyed by the protagonist. The utopia starts to fail, though. Before long lives are in danger, and most of the book is taken up with the protagonist's attempts to work out what is going on and how to stop it.
I found the mystery part of the novel compelling, to the point of not wanting to stop reading, though ultimately it goes on just a little too long. There's also a touch of "Flowers For Algernon" going on with the protagonist and a woman he makes friends with, though since the novel isn't first person it isn't portrayed as effectively as in that book. Overall, the writing style is fairly plain but doesn't get in the way; it makes me think of John Wyndham or HG Wells.
Where I started to really get a sinking feeling was at the end of the story. I think part of the problem is that I fundamentally disagree with the idea that work and hardship are necessary to human fulfillment, intelligence and dignity. I disagreed with that idea when I read Vonnegut's "Player Piano", and I still disagree. I thought this novel was heading to the same conclusion, and it nearly did, only to veer off into something more ambiguous at the last moment. Normally I like a bit of ambiguity, but here it didn't really work. The problem is that the protagonist's reasoning behind his big decision goes unexamined. I can guess what it was, but that is out of keeping with the rest of the book, which doesn't shy from discussing the protagonist's reasoning when dealing with previous problems. Plus, there is at least one event earlier in the story that I would have expected an argument over. So overall, the end of the book seemed hurried; its antagonists are unbelievable, like caricatures.
An afterword presents the same chronology as at the start, but in essay form rather than bullet points. Why? I can only assume that the essay came first, that it was cut down to bullet points to speed up getting to the actual story, but that the author didn't want to throw away the hard work and decided to add the essay version as an afterword. If there's some other reason for it being there, it escapes me.
Still, this is impressive for a debut novel. With a little more time and attention to the ending, and a little more stylistic polish, I think it could have been excellent. I enjoyed it more than Zamyatin’s “We”, for example, so once again I wish I could give 3.5 stars.
(Disclosure: the author provided me with a free ebook copy in return for an honest review, which you just read.)
The novel starts out with a brief chronology of the future, explaining (among other things) that mankind launched generation ships to colonize a distant planet known as Pearl; then we are dropped into the life of idle luxury enjoyed by the protagonist. The utopia starts to fail, though. Before long lives are in danger, and most of the book is taken up with the protagonist's attempts to work out what is going on and how to stop it.
I found the mystery part of the novel compelling, to the point of not wanting to stop reading, though ultimately it goes on just a little too long. There's also a touch of "Flowers For Algernon" going on with the protagonist and a woman he makes friends with, though since the novel isn't first person it isn't portrayed as effectively as in that book. Overall, the writing style is fairly plain but doesn't get in the way; it makes me think of John Wyndham or HG Wells.
Where I started to really get a sinking feeling was at the end of the story. I think part of the problem is that I fundamentally disagree with the idea that work and hardship are necessary to human fulfillment, intelligence and dignity. I disagreed with that idea when I read Vonnegut's "Player Piano", and I still disagree. I thought this novel was heading to the same conclusion, and it nearly did, only to veer off into something more ambiguous at the last moment. Normally I like a bit of ambiguity, but here it didn't really work. The problem is that the protagonist's reasoning behind his big decision goes unexamined. I can guess what it was, but that is out of keeping with the rest of the book, which doesn't shy from discussing the protagonist's reasoning when dealing with previous problems. Plus, there is at least one event earlier in the story that I would have expected an argument over. So overall, the end of the book seemed hurried; its antagonists are unbelievable, like caricatures.
An afterword presents the same chronology as at the start, but in essay form rather than bullet points. Why? I can only assume that the essay came first, that it was cut down to bullet points to speed up getting to the actual story, but that the author didn't want to throw away the hard work and decided to add the essay version as an afterword. If there's some other reason for it being there, it escapes me.
Still, this is impressive for a debut novel. With a little more time and attention to the ending, and a little more stylistic polish, I think it could have been excellent. I enjoyed it more than Zamyatin’s “We”, for example, so once again I wish I could give 3.5 stars.
(Disclosure: the author provided me with a free ebook copy in return for an honest review, which you just read.)
April 3, 2016
https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2015/0...
Our Dried Voices first presents us to a chronology depicting the evolution of current day society into one which, amongst a couple more world wars, actually manages some great achievements like a practical use to non pollutant energy sources and the cure of numerous diseases from the common cold to cancer and HIV. However, after centuries of abuse of our planet, it continues to degenerate, and mankind is forced to seek out an alternative to our planet. The chronology ends with a ship of thousands of colonists landing on planet Pearl, which is later developed in the epilogue.
When the narrative itself begins, we are introduced to what we can only assume are descendants of the humans who landed on Pearl, because we are told that the action develops in that planet and that the colony has been established for hundreds of years.
Said descendants are really nothing more than cattle with human resemblances. They seem to have the intelligence of sheep and do nothing but play in the meadow and river, eat, sleep and mate randomly. They are capable of speech, but it is a jumbled sort, with no pauses between words.
At that point I was thinking... No. There is no way we evolved into that. Those have got to be some indigenous people the colonists first found when they landed and decided to do freaky experiments on. I was bored and kept hoping things would start making sense soon. Why are we being presented to such creatures? What is going on?
So then stuff starts to happen. The creatures (who we keep being told are humans) don't know how to deal with it. When the normal order is magically restored, they have completely forgotten what happened. So it's basically pages and pages of a whole lot of nothing.
Here is what I disliked the most about the book:
- The writing, for the most part. There is a lot of telling and not nearly enough showing. I felt there were whole blocks of information being dumped. There is this object, with these characteristics and then this happens. Very few dialogues to give dynamics. It was hard to resist the urge to skim through the text.
- The plot development was not organic. The main character made assumptions which, to me, seemed to come out of the blue and from those correlations the plot moved on, without there being much proof or development...
Examples:
1. When the incidents first begin, breaking up their well established routine which had never failed before, there are a few smarter cookies in the jar who seem to almost wake up from their huge slumber. It really is as they were asleep or under drug influence all that time and then the torpor vanishes and their eyes get brighter and they begin getting curious about their surroundings. That part I enjoyed.
At first, we - along with the main character - notice a woman who is obviously different from the rest in that way; she seems perkier and smarter in general. For some reason, our Samuel nicknames her The First Hero. More heroes come. Why they are called heroes? No idea. I could tell of no connection between such smarter folks popping up and the problems being solved; they just walked around looking smarter than everyone else - but we are told that was the case.
2. Samuel starts finding little torn papers which he treats as clues. Why say that these drawings were not merely portents of barbarous things to come, but a carefully devised system of messages by which these people communicated their plans to one another? Where did that even come from? Isn't it safe to assume they all came from the same place and are more than able of speaking to each other? It seemed obvious to me that there had to be some other reason.
There were more but those examples should suffice for now, I really don't want to give too much of the plot away.
- Probably my biggest problem with this book is that it had so much potential. Generations survived in this colony. We get to Samuel. The colony is all Samuel and his neighbours have ever known. How would someone like that view the world and the things that start happening? I mean really view it since it was the first time any of that ever happened.
Instead, we get presented to a narrative where descriptions of his actions and thoughts are riddled with analogies of things he could not possibly know, living in the meadow all his life, and I am left wondering where it all came from.
Again, I don't want to give too much away, so let's stick with one of the most basic things, the speech: One minute our main character is speaking in that jumbled manner as all others, and the next he speaks proper sentences, with proper pauses, knowing exactly where each word ended and began, almost as if he suddenly remembered how to do it. How??
It would have been so much engaging if we would see him trying to compare the new things to stuff he actually knew! Perhaps things we would find completely ridiculous knowing better, but at least it would make sense that Samuel would think like that.
- Then there were little things which were way too simplistic, like a weather machine
The ending was beyond abrupt and nonsensical.
The epilogue left me feeling completely dismayed.
In conclusion, even though the idea that the author wants to leave us with is very thought-provoking and even original - that mankind could evolve (or devolve) into something like that -, the fact that the plot did not develop in a cohesive manner, that the writing was for the most part a dump of info with references which were just not believable, and that I could never relate to the characters (it was somewhat enjoyable trying to figure out the puzzles - but me as Ana, not me as the reader actually feeling like they are in the main character's shoes) all caused me not to feel engaged with the story. I am rounding the 1.5 stars up instead of down because I do appreciate the premise, the possibility of it happening, and I enjoy the descriptions of the colonists waking up from their apathy, but overall it just wasn't a very positive experience.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Our Dried Voices first presents us to a chronology depicting the evolution of current day society into one which, amongst a couple more world wars, actually manages some great achievements like a practical use to non pollutant energy sources and the cure of numerous diseases from the common cold to cancer and HIV. However, after centuries of abuse of our planet, it continues to degenerate, and mankind is forced to seek out an alternative to our planet. The chronology ends with a ship of thousands of colonists landing on planet Pearl, which is later developed in the epilogue.
When the narrative itself begins, we are introduced to what we can only assume are descendants of the humans who landed on Pearl, because we are told that the action develops in that planet and that the colony has been established for hundreds of years.
Said descendants are really nothing more than cattle with human resemblances. They seem to have the intelligence of sheep and do nothing but play in the meadow and river, eat, sleep and mate randomly. They are capable of speech, but it is a jumbled sort, with no pauses between words.
At that point I was thinking... No. There is no way we evolved into that. Those have got to be some indigenous people the colonists first found when they landed and decided to do freaky experiments on. I was bored and kept hoping things would start making sense soon. Why are we being presented to such creatures? What is going on?
So then stuff starts to happen. The creatures (who we keep being told are humans) don't know how to deal with it. When the normal order is magically restored, they have completely forgotten what happened. So it's basically pages and pages of a whole lot of nothing.
Here is what I disliked the most about the book:
- The writing, for the most part. There is a lot of telling and not nearly enough showing. I felt there were whole blocks of information being dumped. There is this object, with these characteristics and then this happens. Very few dialogues to give dynamics. It was hard to resist the urge to skim through the text.
- The plot development was not organic. The main character made assumptions which, to me, seemed to come out of the blue and from those correlations the plot moved on, without there being much proof or development...
Examples:
1. When the incidents first begin, breaking up their well established routine which had never failed before, there are a few smarter cookies in the jar who seem to almost wake up from their huge slumber. It really is as they were asleep or under drug influence all that time and then the torpor vanishes and their eyes get brighter and they begin getting curious about their surroundings. That part I enjoyed.
At first, we - along with the main character - notice a woman who is obviously different from the rest in that way; she seems perkier and smarter in general. For some reason, our Samuel nicknames her The First Hero. More heroes come. Why they are called heroes? No idea. I could tell of no connection between such smarter folks popping up and the problems being solved; they just walked around looking smarter than everyone else - but we are told that was the case.
2. Samuel starts finding little torn papers which he treats as clues. Why say that these drawings were not merely portents of barbarous things to come, but a carefully devised system of messages by which these people communicated their plans to one another? Where did that even come from? Isn't it safe to assume they all came from the same place and are more than able of speaking to each other? It seemed obvious to me that there had to be some other reason.
There were more but those examples should suffice for now, I really don't want to give too much of the plot away.
- Probably my biggest problem with this book is that it had so much potential. Generations survived in this colony. We get to Samuel. The colony is all Samuel and his neighbours have ever known. How would someone like that view the world and the things that start happening? I mean really view it since it was the first time any of that ever happened.
Instead, we get presented to a narrative where descriptions of his actions and thoughts are riddled with analogies of things he could not possibly know, living in the meadow all his life, and I am left wondering where it all came from.
Again, I don't want to give too much away, so let's stick with one of the most basic things, the speech: One minute our main character is speaking in that jumbled manner as all others, and the next he speaks proper sentences, with proper pauses, knowing exactly where each word ended and began, almost as if he suddenly remembered how to do it. How??
It would have been so much engaging if we would see him trying to compare the new things to stuff he actually knew! Perhaps things we would find completely ridiculous knowing better, but at least it would make sense that Samuel would think like that.
- Then there were little things which were way too simplistic, like a weather machine
The ending was beyond abrupt and nonsensical.
The epilogue left me feeling completely dismayed.
In conclusion, even though the idea that the author wants to leave us with is very thought-provoking and even original - that mankind could evolve (or devolve) into something like that -, the fact that the plot did not develop in a cohesive manner, that the writing was for the most part a dump of info with references which were just not believable, and that I could never relate to the characters (it was somewhat enjoyable trying to figure out the puzzles - but me as Ana, not me as the reader actually feeling like they are in the main character's shoes) all caused me not to feel engaged with the story. I am rounding the 1.5 stars up instead of down because I do appreciate the premise, the possibility of it happening, and I enjoy the descriptions of the colonists waking up from their apathy, but overall it just wasn't a very positive experience.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
November 19, 2018
I received this ebook gratis from the author in exchange for an honest review. He thought I might enjoy it because of my review earlier this year of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. The connection became obvious quite quickly, as the colonists in Our Dried Voices bear a strong resemblance to the Eloi in The Time Machine. The story wasn't what I expected, though, after skimming through the long, detailed timeline intro. While interesting to ponder as a potential future timeline for space travel and solving major diseases, it has almost no bearing on the plot.
Our Dried Voices is a very interesting and imaginative dystopian story of a future civilization in which every member of the Pearl Colony's basic needs are taken care of and their lives are reduced solely to leisure. So much so that almost all of them regress to the state of simpletons unable to fix anything, or to even imagine fixing things, once their controlled environment starts breaking down. The protagonist has to work through problems that brought back fond memories of Myst and Riven. As the book nears the conclusion there are a few elements from a particular Simpsons episode that I loved. Any Simpsons fan will know what I'm talking about once they get to it.
The book is an interesting reflection on what an ideal life might really look like once we build or evolve AGIs and the robots start doing most of the work. I'm hoping it's more like Star Trek and less like the Pearl Colony.
Our Dried Voices is a very interesting and imaginative dystopian story of a future civilization in which every member of the Pearl Colony's basic needs are taken care of and their lives are reduced solely to leisure. So much so that almost all of them regress to the state of simpletons unable to fix anything, or to even imagine fixing things, once their controlled environment starts breaking down. The protagonist has to work through problems that brought back fond memories of Myst and Riven. As the book nears the conclusion there are a few elements from a particular Simpsons episode that I loved. Any Simpsons fan will know what I'm talking about once they get to it.
The book is an interesting reflection on what an ideal life might really look like once we build or evolve AGIs and the robots start doing most of the work. I'm hoping it's more like Star Trek and less like the Pearl Colony.
February 15, 2019
I was given this book by the author in exchange of an honest review.
The story is supposed to be of an Utopia world where human is no longer in need of anything. All their needs were being provided. But things suddenly start to go wrong and our main character, Samuel, notices these things. He noticed that there are some people who are different from the rest which he named as Heroes.
My take on this book is that it have great potential and I like this genre . However, I feel tyat the writing style needs improvement. There are just too many description on how things were but just doesn't have the "feel". Maybe it's meant to be a thought provoking sort of book .
One thing that bothered me a lot is the part where Samuel make love and after that casually went and urinate and drink from the same water source. The writing is just too matter-of-fact. Am accustomed to less fact and more action in this genre.
overall, i feel that this book will attract more serious readers as it is thought provoking. It does give me the creeps to imagine if our future would be like that, what will our next generation do.
The story is supposed to be of an Utopia world where human is no longer in need of anything. All their needs were being provided. But things suddenly start to go wrong and our main character, Samuel, notices these things. He noticed that there are some people who are different from the rest which he named as Heroes.
My take on this book is that it have great potential and I like this genre . However, I feel tyat the writing style needs improvement. There are just too many description on how things were but just doesn't have the "feel". Maybe it's meant to be a thought provoking sort of book .
One thing that bothered me a lot is the part where Samuel make love and after that casually went and urinate and drink from the same water source. The writing is just too matter-of-fact. Am accustomed to less fact and more action in this genre.
overall, i feel that this book will attract more serious readers as it is thought provoking. It does give me the creeps to imagine if our future would be like that, what will our next generation do.
February 7, 2019
This book was given to me by the author for an honest review. While this is not my genre of what I usually read it wasn't bad. It's a quick easy read that I feel might center more towards young adult reading levels. It's dystopian genre and doesn't really go too much into the characters of the book.
You have a young man who goes through a set of trials to get to a certain level of intelligence. He is then brought into a higher level of living and given the choice to stay or leave.
I thought this book was a good read. The segregation of lower intellect and what they have vs. higher intellect is a very real possiblity years into the future. Those who don't want to think, or improve their thought process will have others do it for them.
You have a young man who goes through a set of trials to get to a certain level of intelligence. He is then brought into a higher level of living and given the choice to stay or leave.
I thought this book was a good read. The segregation of lower intellect and what they have vs. higher intellect is a very real possiblity years into the future. Those who don't want to think, or improve their thought process will have others do it for them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2019
***Disclaimer*** I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Greg!***
This book was a delightful little read. Based on the synopsis it sounded like it would be right within my area of enjoyment and it turned out that it was. I had a few irritations with it, and there were a few struggles but I found that I did not mind those things too much because the story kept my interest well.
The book starts with a bullet pointed list of all the major accomplishments and failures of humanity in the 300-ish years leading from our present to the beginning of the story. While I found this information interesting, I would have preferred that the information was packaged in a different manner. Bullet points are not that enthralling to read. There was a short excerpt from a “history” of the same time period that we get at the end of the book and a lot of the same information was covered. It confused me why this was at the end and not the beginning. It would have been a better introduction to the story than an ending.
I also got the impression that the author struggled with his narrator a bit, which is understandable and I think anyone would have struggled with it but overall it was handled well. I could tell at times that the author really wanted Samuel to be able to describe things better but he couldn’t because he lacked the language or awareness for it at that moment. At times this led to a bit of an inconsistent narrative but not often enough that it got on my nerves.
Warning: There may be some spoilers beyond this point.
As I read other reviews for this book, I saw a lot of people wondering how humanity could get to a point of being so lazy that we experience a regression in all cognitive functioning and lose the vast majority of our language and ability to communicate. I wondered that too for a while. But then I got on social media for a few minutes and it all made sense to me. We already are practically communicating only in pictures these days with memes, GIFs, selfies and emojis. And plenty of people are so lazy that they can’t be bothered to seek out answers for themselves and instead of spending 30 seconds on Google figuring something out will instead spend an hour asking other people to do it for them. So, to me at least, I can completely see this as a future for humanity.
I really liked the series of tests that Samuel encountered trying to help his community but I also got frustrated with him at a certain point. Clearly, his efforts were going to waste. The rest of the colonists didn’t appreciate, nor even notice, his efforts to keep them content and happy so after a point I was wondering why he was still trying. This also leads me to the ending, at first I didn’t understand it. Staying with the other colony seemed like a natural step. These were people like Samuel. He could improve his own life and be with people who valued their minds, like he did. So why didn’t he?
I thought about that a lot since I finished the book last night and I think I came to a conclusion. Just like Samuel decided that he no longer wanted to waste his labor on colonists who would never progress, he equally didn’t want to waste his labor toward an effort that was directed for someone else’s benefit. He wanted to use his ingenuity, his mind, and his labor to forge his own way not just trade one master for another. In the end, I really like that message. It was an enjoyable book that I liked more than I first expected that I would.
This book was a delightful little read. Based on the synopsis it sounded like it would be right within my area of enjoyment and it turned out that it was. I had a few irritations with it, and there were a few struggles but I found that I did not mind those things too much because the story kept my interest well.
The book starts with a bullet pointed list of all the major accomplishments and failures of humanity in the 300-ish years leading from our present to the beginning of the story. While I found this information interesting, I would have preferred that the information was packaged in a different manner. Bullet points are not that enthralling to read. There was a short excerpt from a “history” of the same time period that we get at the end of the book and a lot of the same information was covered. It confused me why this was at the end and not the beginning. It would have been a better introduction to the story than an ending.
I also got the impression that the author struggled with his narrator a bit, which is understandable and I think anyone would have struggled with it but overall it was handled well. I could tell at times that the author really wanted Samuel to be able to describe things better but he couldn’t because he lacked the language or awareness for it at that moment. At times this led to a bit of an inconsistent narrative but not often enough that it got on my nerves.
Warning: There may be some spoilers beyond this point.
As I read other reviews for this book, I saw a lot of people wondering how humanity could get to a point of being so lazy that we experience a regression in all cognitive functioning and lose the vast majority of our language and ability to communicate. I wondered that too for a while. But then I got on social media for a few minutes and it all made sense to me. We already are practically communicating only in pictures these days with memes, GIFs, selfies and emojis. And plenty of people are so lazy that they can’t be bothered to seek out answers for themselves and instead of spending 30 seconds on Google figuring something out will instead spend an hour asking other people to do it for them. So, to me at least, I can completely see this as a future for humanity.
I really liked the series of tests that Samuel encountered trying to help his community but I also got frustrated with him at a certain point. Clearly, his efforts were going to waste. The rest of the colonists didn’t appreciate, nor even notice, his efforts to keep them content and happy so after a point I was wondering why he was still trying. This also leads me to the ending, at first I didn’t understand it. Staying with the other colony seemed like a natural step. These were people like Samuel. He could improve his own life and be with people who valued their minds, like he did. So why didn’t he?
I thought about that a lot since I finished the book last night and I think I came to a conclusion. Just like Samuel decided that he no longer wanted to waste his labor on colonists who would never progress, he equally didn’t want to waste his labor toward an effort that was directed for someone else’s benefit. He wanted to use his ingenuity, his mind, and his labor to forge his own way not just trade one master for another. In the end, I really like that message. It was an enjoyable book that I liked more than I first expected that I would.
February 28, 2020
3.5 Was very interesting and very close to the truth.
May 7, 2025
It's been a long time since I've been confused for an entire book but actually enjoyed being confused.
This book is set in the future on a planet called Pearl, which has been colonized by humans, but these humans don't act quite like we do...
Super intriguing, had me questioning "why?????" the whole time. Not a very long book either so I got through to the reveal fairly quickly.
This book is set in the future on a planet called Pearl, which has been colonized by humans, but these humans don't act quite like we do...
Super intriguing, had me questioning "why?????" the whole time. Not a very long book either so I got through to the reveal fairly quickly.
May 19, 2025
I read half of this book in day one and would have finished the entire book if I didn’t have other things to do. I thoroughly enjoyed this thought provoking novel.
October 17, 2018
I dont know how I feel about this book. I got it for free for an honest review, so let me be eloquent. Its like a 3.5/5 star. But lets get to the things I'm clear about. The book had hyped me up as soon as I read the description and that chronological sequence just pulled me deeper. I was ready to delve into absolutely mind-blowing science fiction dystopian and what not. And then the book finally began. Here's the thing, the book was written in a fairly good style. The word choice and the overall feel of the book, the description etc were better than average. The plot. That was perhaps the biggest problem. I was envisioning something grander, something more elaborate perhaps. The plot didnt work for me. I more or less knew the 'big reveal' by the time I was a quarter into the book. The ending was cliche. Of course the protagonist would do that, he's the "hero" after all. The lack of dialogues wasnt compensated well with other explanations and sketches. That left a lot of things unexplained and unanswered.
SPOILERS
Like for instance, why did the builders of the colony develop a control system for the weather when they expected everything to work perfectly at its default configuration? And if they had made a control system for the weather, why not make control systems for every other thing too? That would've made the job of the people of other colony easier, if maybe the builders of the colony had predicted such a thing happening...see? confusing?
END OF SPOILER
So, yes overall, I think the book was pretty ok. Maybe I would've given it more stars, had it not been for the fact that it built such an excellent premise and background but failed to capitulate on it
SPOILERS
Like for instance, why did the builders of the colony develop a control system for the weather when they expected everything to work perfectly at its default configuration? And if they had made a control system for the weather, why not make control systems for every other thing too? That would've made the job of the people of other colony easier, if maybe the builders of the colony had predicted such a thing happening...see? confusing?
END OF SPOILER
So, yes overall, I think the book was pretty ok. Maybe I would've given it more stars, had it not been for the fact that it built such an excellent premise and background but failed to capitulate on it
March 25, 2015
My Thoughts:
This is a very unique book, which had me hooked from the beginning.
From the first page, we learn that all our worst diseases have been cured, humans have moved on to a new planet and a utopia created. They want for nothing, fear nothing and are living the life of luxury. They've lived this way so long that they have begun to literally not want for anything. Each day they queue for meals when a bell tolls to tell them. They have lost their free will, their ability to see things for what they truly are.
That is until the machines that run their world start to malfunction.
We watch as their lives fall apart. They don't know what to do. Their daily rituals are no longer being rung out for them yo abide by. With only one mechanic to fix the issues, their way of life depends on him finding out why their machines continue to malfunction.
Then the mechanic opens his eyes. He starts to see what is really going on. The problem may be so much bigger than expected. Will he be able to save them, or is this the beginning of the end?
I loved the world that Hickey has created. He gave it so much detail - telling us about their way of life, the machines, the people's mindsets and the little details that we need to feel as though we are a part of their world. I love the description and way her told us about the moment when our mechanic's eyes finally opened. The way his world opened up and changed around him. Everything was the same, yet it was still new and fresh and frightening.
The characters were brilliant. Those who took the main stage really gave the book a lot of excitement, depth and emotion. Each character had their own personality, really bringing the world to life.
Overall, this was an excellent dystopian read. I loved the new and exciting read that we were given. Hickey has taken a typical dystopian read, and given us something completely new. The book was enthralling from beginning to end. I loved that the ending answered some, but not all, of the questions, leaving a bit open to your own interpretation (I love when books and films do this) and it leaves it open for another book to follow. I so hope there will be more! I highly highly recommend this to all dystopian and sci-fi lovers.
This is a very unique book, which had me hooked from the beginning.
From the first page, we learn that all our worst diseases have been cured, humans have moved on to a new planet and a utopia created. They want for nothing, fear nothing and are living the life of luxury. They've lived this way so long that they have begun to literally not want for anything. Each day they queue for meals when a bell tolls to tell them. They have lost their free will, their ability to see things for what they truly are.
That is until the machines that run their world start to malfunction.
We watch as their lives fall apart. They don't know what to do. Their daily rituals are no longer being rung out for them yo abide by. With only one mechanic to fix the issues, their way of life depends on him finding out why their machines continue to malfunction.
Then the mechanic opens his eyes. He starts to see what is really going on. The problem may be so much bigger than expected. Will he be able to save them, or is this the beginning of the end?
I loved the world that Hickey has created. He gave it so much detail - telling us about their way of life, the machines, the people's mindsets and the little details that we need to feel as though we are a part of their world. I love the description and way her told us about the moment when our mechanic's eyes finally opened. The way his world opened up and changed around him. Everything was the same, yet it was still new and fresh and frightening.
The characters were brilliant. Those who took the main stage really gave the book a lot of excitement, depth and emotion. Each character had their own personality, really bringing the world to life.
Overall, this was an excellent dystopian read. I loved the new and exciting read that we were given. Hickey has taken a typical dystopian read, and given us something completely new. The book was enthralling from beginning to end. I loved that the ending answered some, but not all, of the questions, leaving a bit open to your own interpretation (I love when books and films do this) and it leaves it open for another book to follow. I so hope there will be more! I highly highly recommend this to all dystopian and sci-fi lovers.
January 22, 2015
In a future utopia, omni-racial men and women live in a society in which all of their basic needs are provided for, as clear and certain as clockwork. Then, one day, some of the machines break down.
I wasn't sure what to expect heading into this book. It began with a long chronology of the future, which type of list I typically skip through. (I actually did in this case, and I don't feel it added or took away from the reading experience which was otherwise excellent.) When the story opens, one of the nameless men in the colony is living much like the others. He eats when the machines feed him, sleeps in the sleeping area, stays inside on the one day of the week that it rains, makes love casually when the opportunity arises, and otherwise is exactly identical to all of the other people in the colony.
However, this main character, named Samuel even before he acts in such a way as for someone to give him that name, is slightly different. He notices things. For example, he notices that when a problem occurs, and someone reacts to that problem, that someone disappears. He begins to call them "Heroes," and it's not long before he gets the idea to try some problem-solving of his own.
This is a thought-provoking type of story that lingers a while after you close the book. I found the narrow focus on the actions of one main character throughout to be well-sustained by the author, who displayed a deft skill with moving the story along, but still pausing from time to time to let the reader think about the implications of what was happening. Even before he distinguishes himself from the rest of the herd, Samuel becomes interesting to the reader due to the author's excellent development of the character. Both the plot and the characters are consistent with each other, and though the narrative may take an unexpected turn, it never take an unrealistic one.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy science fiction that explores what it means to be human when all challenges have been met, except those that must be remembered - or artificial ones that we place in our path or others.
I wasn't sure what to expect heading into this book. It began with a long chronology of the future, which type of list I typically skip through. (I actually did in this case, and I don't feel it added or took away from the reading experience which was otherwise excellent.) When the story opens, one of the nameless men in the colony is living much like the others. He eats when the machines feed him, sleeps in the sleeping area, stays inside on the one day of the week that it rains, makes love casually when the opportunity arises, and otherwise is exactly identical to all of the other people in the colony.
However, this main character, named Samuel even before he acts in such a way as for someone to give him that name, is slightly different. He notices things. For example, he notices that when a problem occurs, and someone reacts to that problem, that someone disappears. He begins to call them "Heroes," and it's not long before he gets the idea to try some problem-solving of his own.
This is a thought-provoking type of story that lingers a while after you close the book. I found the narrow focus on the actions of one main character throughout to be well-sustained by the author, who displayed a deft skill with moving the story along, but still pausing from time to time to let the reader think about the implications of what was happening. Even before he distinguishes himself from the rest of the herd, Samuel becomes interesting to the reader due to the author's excellent development of the character. Both the plot and the characters are consistent with each other, and though the narrative may take an unexpected turn, it never take an unrealistic one.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy science fiction that explores what it means to be human when all challenges have been met, except those that must be remembered - or artificial ones that we place in our path or others.
December 28, 2018
A hero will always rise when the necessity arises. But what if every hero at some point is lost and never to see again? And unknowingly the next hero will be you?
Samuel lives in a colony far from Earth. Where every needs of man is met and no form of deep thinking is needed to survive. And unexplainable events happened, the machines that kept the colony alive is mysteriously broken in a intricate plan. When no other hero arises, Samuel with his curiosity helped the colony to thrive and he is led in a puzzle to knowledge of their ancestors.
The idea and plot of story shows promise. It will leave the reader with the question of what if? The story has substance.
But the author fails to capture the readers into its tangle of mystery. Plus the world building is kinda rocky... so it's just another earth with same living things? No otherworldly stuff even one? Another thing is the story development, there is something lacking... but it can be improved.
PS: thank you Mr. Greg Hickey for the free copy in exchange of an honest review. Keep on writing!
Samuel lives in a colony far from Earth. Where every needs of man is met and no form of deep thinking is needed to survive. And unexplainable events happened, the machines that kept the colony alive is mysteriously broken in a intricate plan. When no other hero arises, Samuel with his curiosity helped the colony to thrive and he is led in a puzzle to knowledge of their ancestors.
The idea and plot of story shows promise. It will leave the reader with the question of what if? The story has substance.
But the author fails to capture the readers into its tangle of mystery. Plus the world building is kinda rocky... so it's just another earth with same living things? No otherworldly stuff even one? Another thing is the story development, there is something lacking... but it can be improved.
PS: thank you Mr. Greg Hickey for the free copy in exchange of an honest review. Keep on writing!
March 25, 2020
In 2153 cancer is cured, and every disease known to man follows shortly thereafter. This allows the human population to skyrocket even though the cost is unknowingly high. When scientists find an earth like planet, it is deemed as humanity’s savior and those who are sent to the distant planet are tasked with bringing about a new age.
Our Dried Voices poses an interesting look in to the idea of ‘What happens next?’. What happens when a virtual paradise is established on a faraway planet? What happens when every need is met and the struggle to survive is taken away? What happens when we no longer have to think for ourselves?
The answers are both frightening and enlightening. With nothing to worry about the people of Pearl live a carefree life. They are perpetually children, never having to worry about a thing. As everything is completely automated, their largest decision is which of the meal halls will they go to that day. It is both a utopia and a dystopia.
I found Our Dried Voices to be a very interesting read. There are parallels with our own society in that every day more and more of our lives are becoming automated. To have an individual thought, to not ‘go with the flow’, is seen as strange.
There is very little dialogue save towards the end; something that adds to the otherness of the book. Most of the story happens in action, in thoughts and deeds. At times I found things teetering close to purple prose in terms of description. Yet again that also adds to the strange planet and unique lands the colonists reside in.
For readers who wonder “What if…?” or would be interested in seeing what could happen when the idea of a utopia is taken to the extreme, Our Dried Voices should be added to their reading list. If nothing else, it gives a frightening look in to a future that could possibly occur.
January 8, 2017
Dystopian implications for our advancing technology
Our Dried Voices begins with a timeline of events spanning the next two and a half centuries, giving the reader a unique in-depth look into how this fictional colony comes into being. With diseases cured and most essential needs automatically taken care of, this book paints a dreary picture of what an automated, futuristic world would mean for the complex minds of humans.
I felt a Philip K. Dick vibe from the writing style and concept of this book (possibly because I had just finished The Man in the High Castle before coming to this one) which I found interesting and easily consumable.
One issue I had with the book was that the historical timeline to give background to the actual story was so in-depth that I had high hopes for the complexity of the story. I can tell Hickey did the necessary research to make the events which lead to this world, but found myself enjoying the complexity of the timeline more so than the complexity of the story itself. In a way, it was like reading two separate stories. Especially because the timeline focused on medical and technological advances which weren't directly related to the story.
That being said, I think the author successfully took on the task of writing a compelling story with little dialogue. Also, the big picture explained at the end of the book is a powerful treatise on the human condition and where our race may be heading in the next few centuries.
I would recommend this book to dystopian readers or writers who would like to understand how much research goes into writing such a story. It certainly helped me.
Our Dried Voices begins with a timeline of events spanning the next two and a half centuries, giving the reader a unique in-depth look into how this fictional colony comes into being. With diseases cured and most essential needs automatically taken care of, this book paints a dreary picture of what an automated, futuristic world would mean for the complex minds of humans.
I felt a Philip K. Dick vibe from the writing style and concept of this book (possibly because I had just finished The Man in the High Castle before coming to this one) which I found interesting and easily consumable.
One issue I had with the book was that the historical timeline to give background to the actual story was so in-depth that I had high hopes for the complexity of the story. I can tell Hickey did the necessary research to make the events which lead to this world, but found myself enjoying the complexity of the timeline more so than the complexity of the story itself. In a way, it was like reading two separate stories. Especially because the timeline focused on medical and technological advances which weren't directly related to the story.
That being said, I think the author successfully took on the task of writing a compelling story with little dialogue. Also, the big picture explained at the end of the book is a powerful treatise on the human condition and where our race may be heading in the next few centuries.
I would recommend this book to dystopian readers or writers who would like to understand how much research goes into writing such a story. It certainly helped me.
February 20, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
While the premise of the book is a good one, I felt that it was not properly developed. It is hard to believe that with all the scientific/medical progress described in the first chapter, whether it is eradicating cancer or Parkinson's disease, that a civilization capable of those breakthroughs would end up on another planet behaving basically like sheep. As a few people develop enough curiosity to question how their new world works, they break away from the colony in search of something else. But the ending left me feeling disappointed...
While the premise of the book is a good one, I felt that it was not properly developed. It is hard to believe that with all the scientific/medical progress described in the first chapter, whether it is eradicating cancer or Parkinson's disease, that a civilization capable of those breakthroughs would end up on another planet behaving basically like sheep. As a few people develop enough curiosity to question how their new world works, they break away from the colony in search of something else. But the ending left me feeling disappointed...
October 27, 2015
Wow. As a life-time lover of reading, it's not often that I come across a book that's completely different from anything else I've ever read. Our Dried Voices was like that for me. Completely unique.
The concept is compelling and thought-provoking. Although the end is satisfying, I still find myself thinking about the story days later. The novel is well-written; it reads like a classic.
Highly recommend!
The concept is compelling and thought-provoking. Although the end is satisfying, I still find myself thinking about the story days later. The novel is well-written; it reads like a classic.
Highly recommend!
August 14, 2020
A dystopian fable of a human colony of the future and one man’s quest to answer questions that no one thinks to ask.
Humanity’s progress has accelerated in recent decades and continues to do so into the future, its population increasing exponentially. While human proclivity for warfare and aggression wipes out large chunks of the population during times of conflict, the population is growing too large to be sustained on planet Earth. Medical breakthroughs and cures for numerous diseases, including cancer and HIV/AIDS, mean that larger proportions of people are living for longer – the only killers being old age and violence. Meanwhile, we continue to suffocate the planet with the by-products and waste from our progress and it becomes clear that sustaining life on Earth is finite. Technological progress has us reaching out farther into the stars; first in unmanned missions, then manned missions, and finally the beginnings of colonisation of another planet suitable for sustaining life. This planet is Pearl. The year is 2325.
So, the stage is set for the action of this particular tale set within the colony of Pearl, presumably many years later. We find ourselves in an apparent utopia – green fields and blue waters, human beings living together in peace and harmony, eating together, sleeping together, like one community. They have no need for money – food, clothing and shelter is provided for them – they live idyllic, simple lives.
But, scratch the surface and quickly you realise this is no utopia for anyone with even the slightest intellectual or emotional capacity. People do not effectively communicate; they do not wonder; they do not question. They have no identity, no individuality; they have no names. There are no friendships, no emotional bonds. Sex is essentially anonymous. This is no true community and family is non-existent.
Inevitably, there are challenges that disrupt the mechanics of the colony. But these are soon resolved and life continues as if nothing has ever happened. But one man remembers. He recognises that a human hand was required to fix the problems, that these heroes took on an identity, but soon quickly disappeared from colony life. The day comes when he, who will come to be known as Samuel, finds himself striving to solve such problems and delving into the hidden mechanics of the colony.
He develops a friendship with another colonist – whom he comes to call Penny. Their relationship is the emotional heart of the story – there’s a sweetness to it like the friendship between children. Together, they continue to address problems facing the colony. But the challenges soon begin to resemble sabotage, the result of deliberate actions by some unseen other. As the danger to life in the colony mounts, Samuel becomes determined to face this manipulative force and discover the truth behind the colony of Pearl.
Once I’d started reading, I didn’t want to put this book down. Packed with multiple ingredients – dystopian sci-fi, intriguing mystery, a growing emotional bond – Hickey has skilfully written a tale of simplicity that simultaneously addresses many thought-provoking and timely themes. Most prevalent is how humanity’s progress can become counter-productive; technology so advanced that the majority of people no longer have use for their brains. Much like the structure of the colony itself, the story can be read on two levels: an enjoyable, breezy veneer, shrouding the deeper revelation that raises moral questions. This is a story that different readers will take different things away from. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to read more by Greg Hickey in the future – hopefully, one day, a return to Pearl.
Throughout the novel, I was struck by the story’s fable-like quality – like an Old Testament allusion. ‘Our Dried Voices’ is a glimpse of a possible future – here is the warning, but will the lesson be learned?
Humanity’s progress has accelerated in recent decades and continues to do so into the future, its population increasing exponentially. While human proclivity for warfare and aggression wipes out large chunks of the population during times of conflict, the population is growing too large to be sustained on planet Earth. Medical breakthroughs and cures for numerous diseases, including cancer and HIV/AIDS, mean that larger proportions of people are living for longer – the only killers being old age and violence. Meanwhile, we continue to suffocate the planet with the by-products and waste from our progress and it becomes clear that sustaining life on Earth is finite. Technological progress has us reaching out farther into the stars; first in unmanned missions, then manned missions, and finally the beginnings of colonisation of another planet suitable for sustaining life. This planet is Pearl. The year is 2325.
So, the stage is set for the action of this particular tale set within the colony of Pearl, presumably many years later. We find ourselves in an apparent utopia – green fields and blue waters, human beings living together in peace and harmony, eating together, sleeping together, like one community. They have no need for money – food, clothing and shelter is provided for them – they live idyllic, simple lives.
But, scratch the surface and quickly you realise this is no utopia for anyone with even the slightest intellectual or emotional capacity. People do not effectively communicate; they do not wonder; they do not question. They have no identity, no individuality; they have no names. There are no friendships, no emotional bonds. Sex is essentially anonymous. This is no true community and family is non-existent.
Inevitably, there are challenges that disrupt the mechanics of the colony. But these are soon resolved and life continues as if nothing has ever happened. But one man remembers. He recognises that a human hand was required to fix the problems, that these heroes took on an identity, but soon quickly disappeared from colony life. The day comes when he, who will come to be known as Samuel, finds himself striving to solve such problems and delving into the hidden mechanics of the colony.
He develops a friendship with another colonist – whom he comes to call Penny. Their relationship is the emotional heart of the story – there’s a sweetness to it like the friendship between children. Together, they continue to address problems facing the colony. But the challenges soon begin to resemble sabotage, the result of deliberate actions by some unseen other. As the danger to life in the colony mounts, Samuel becomes determined to face this manipulative force and discover the truth behind the colony of Pearl.
Once I’d started reading, I didn’t want to put this book down. Packed with multiple ingredients – dystopian sci-fi, intriguing mystery, a growing emotional bond – Hickey has skilfully written a tale of simplicity that simultaneously addresses many thought-provoking and timely themes. Most prevalent is how humanity’s progress can become counter-productive; technology so advanced that the majority of people no longer have use for their brains. Much like the structure of the colony itself, the story can be read on two levels: an enjoyable, breezy veneer, shrouding the deeper revelation that raises moral questions. This is a story that different readers will take different things away from. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to read more by Greg Hickey in the future – hopefully, one day, a return to Pearl.
Throughout the novel, I was struck by the story’s fable-like quality – like an Old Testament allusion. ‘Our Dried Voices’ is a glimpse of a possible future – here is the warning, but will the lesson be learned?
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