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Gemini
The Raog are a successful race of aliens who have a good life. Their planet is bountiful, their families are growing and they have peace. Some of them ask questions about their solar system and Doctor Wong finds clues that another planet is orbiting opposite to them on the other side of their sun.
Like any species would, they send a satellite to see if there is another planet. The good news is, 'there is another planet', and the bad news is 'there is another planet'. Once the satellite finds the other planet, the situation changes rapidly and the peaceful Roag are forced to defend themselves, their civilization, their religion, and their very existence.
Along the way, they must endure violent acts against them. New leaders are forced to emerge and they are forced to change in order to survive. They must adapt, learn new technologies, learn to fight and learn to survive. And most of all they find that their beliefs must grow to reflect the new realities they face.
Like any species would, they send a satellite to see if there is another planet. The good news is, 'there is another planet', and the bad news is 'there is another planet'. Once the satellite finds the other planet, the situation changes rapidly and the peaceful Roag are forced to defend themselves, their civilization, their religion, and their very existence.
Along the way, they must endure violent acts against them. New leaders are forced to emerge and they are forced to change in order to survive. They must adapt, learn new technologies, learn to fight and learn to survive. And most of all they find that their beliefs must grow to reflect the new realities they face.
- GenresFiction
378 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2014
4 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Ray Jay Perreault
54 books141 followersI’m a retired Aeronautical Engineer who is trying to bring a different style to science fiction writing. I’ve always loved science fiction and I’m trying to write with deeper characters and create stories and situations that a reader can feel part of. The be honest I love a hero that has amazing weapons, takes on hundreds of aliens and can survive anything, but I also want to read a situation and be able to relate to it. An extrapolation of what might really happen with a little less stretch in my imagination.
I’ve been fortunate and I flew in the US Air Force for 10 years, during which time I flew C-130’s and visited 27 countries, then I flew T-38's and trained the best pilots in the world, as well as the first female US Air Force pilots. I then was fortunate to spend 28 years in a major aerospace firm and worked on some of the best programs in the world including the F-23, F-35, B-2, Global Hawk and many I can’t tell you about….
I hope I can bring my real life experiences into my writing so you can appreciate my work.
I’ve been fortunate and I flew in the US Air Force for 10 years, during which time I flew C-130’s and visited 27 countries, then I flew T-38's and trained the best pilots in the world, as well as the first female US Air Force pilots. I then was fortunate to spend 28 years in a major aerospace firm and worked on some of the best programs in the world including the F-23, F-35, B-2, Global Hawk and many I can’t tell you about….
I hope I can bring my real life experiences into my writing so you can appreciate my work.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 26, 2017
This book has an interesting premise and reminded me of some of the early 1950's sci-fi books/movies. However, this interesting idea seemed to have gotten bogged down in a lot of minutiae.
The Raog are a peaceful species and become curious about a possible twin planet. When they send up a satellite to find out if the planet exists, all of that changes.
If I had been reading a physical book instead of listening to it on Audible, I would probably have skipped a lot of it. The first part was rather boring and read more like a technical paper on how to grow the Raog's one crop, Jabon. Also, it was hard to follow the story at times because of the foreign names and the author's style of jumping from place to place a lot without any explanation.
The writing style was also more like a technical paper, without any flow or attempt to draw the reader into the story. And, why oh why, did Mr. Perreault feel that each and every time that a character left, they had to say, "May your soil always bear Jabon"!!!
The narration was OK, but very uninspiring. I don't know if this is due to the style of writing or not. Mr. Waldorph was basically just reading the book aloud without any emotion attached at all.
If you are a diehard sci-fi fan, especially of old style sci-fi, give this a try. I think that the whole story could have been a great novella, but seemed a little long in this format.
The Raog are a peaceful species and become curious about a possible twin planet. When they send up a satellite to find out if the planet exists, all of that changes.
If I had been reading a physical book instead of listening to it on Audible, I would probably have skipped a lot of it. The first part was rather boring and read more like a technical paper on how to grow the Raog's one crop, Jabon. Also, it was hard to follow the story at times because of the foreign names and the author's style of jumping from place to place a lot without any explanation.
The writing style was also more like a technical paper, without any flow or attempt to draw the reader into the story. And, why oh why, did Mr. Perreault feel that each and every time that a character left, they had to say, "May your soil always bear Jabon"!!!
The narration was OK, but very uninspiring. I don't know if this is due to the style of writing or not. Mr. Waldorph was basically just reading the book aloud without any emotion attached at all.
If you are a diehard sci-fi fan, especially of old style sci-fi, give this a try. I think that the whole story could have been a great novella, but seemed a little long in this format.
October 5, 2017
This is the unusual story of two alien races and the battle for survival between the peaceful Raug and the bloodthirsty race of Ora. Somewhat slow in the beginning, the story improves as it progresses with some great battle scenes and twists. In the audiobook I did find the narrators pace a bit sluggish and his voice was somewhat sleepy and flat, which compounded the slowness at the start of the book. This is not just a simple tale of good vs evil, rather a complex story of a cultural clash and the need to be able to adapt
September 19, 2017
I love it when an indie author finds a way to take a well-worn genre and breathe some life into it. Ray Jay Perreault takes a classic 1960s-70s scifi theme and brings it into the 21st century. Reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin and Robert A. Heinlein, this novel delves bravely into the cultural motivations and sociological possibilities of an entirely alien culture. Is it exciting? I can't claim that it is. But is it interesting? Certainly.
I enjoyed meeting and getting to understand the Raog people, just as I enjoyed learning about Valentine Michael Smith, when I met him in Stranger in a Strange Land. The bonus with Gemini was the notable lack of 20th century misogyny typical of those classic getting-into-the-heads-of-aliens novels, which was a delight to encounter.
I "read" the Audible version, and I'm sorry to admit I found the narration terrible. The narrator, Ed Waldorph, simply read, slowly and painstakingly, which drained any possible energy from the story. As well, the version I heard had some intermittent background noises that were distracting. Given the chance, I would have preferred to actually read, as the complexities of the characters and world-building were lost in an almost disinterested style of reading.
Four stars for the story, one star for the narration --> three stars overall.
I enjoyed meeting and getting to understand the Raog people, just as I enjoyed learning about Valentine Michael Smith, when I met him in Stranger in a Strange Land. The bonus with Gemini was the notable lack of 20th century misogyny typical of those classic getting-into-the-heads-of-aliens novels, which was a delight to encounter.
I "read" the Audible version, and I'm sorry to admit I found the narration terrible. The narrator, Ed Waldorph, simply read, slowly and painstakingly, which drained any possible energy from the story. As well, the version I heard had some intermittent background noises that were distracting. Given the chance, I would have preferred to actually read, as the complexities of the characters and world-building were lost in an almost disinterested style of reading.
Four stars for the story, one star for the narration --> three stars overall.
September 11, 2017
If you like detailed science fiction that drops you into a new and exciting world, I believe you will enjoy “Gemini” which is written by Ray Jay Perreault and narrated by Ed Waldorph. The author is known for his saying, “A good science fiction author shows you an alien world; a great one takes you there.” Even though there were a few slower parts to the story, I cannot deny the author actually took me to this new and wonderful world called Gemini. The story is packed with action, emotion, and love. From the book, you really get a sense of who and what the native people are along their culture. The story is quite different from his other books such as SIMPOC and Virus, this one takes the reader to a whole new world. I enjoyed the book and even though it may have seemed slower at times allowing the author to help us understand this world, by the end, it seemed to all fit together and it made for quite a story. If you are looking for a science fiction tale of a distant world, pick up Gemini and give it a listen.
Let me say up from that the first chapter of the book spends a large amount of time getting the listener up to speed on who these people are, how they live, and the planet in general. In a world where we are expected to be dropped right into action and adventure, this book instead takes its time to simmer and allow the reader to come to know its inhabitants; and for me that was a good thing. The author takes time to tell us about the seasons and what they are called, the food the people eat, and their love of life in general. You are presented with a utopian society where roles are shared across the genders and also assigned to those most capable of accomplishing them which brings the greatest good to the culture as a whole. We see their intelligence, enjoyment of music, a focus on religion, and their embracing of technology. Again, all of this is done so the civilization can become stronger. Unlike our society, wealth is not a sign of success in this world. We are given a view into this quite unique creature along with some love and romance along the way. This people are mostly an agricultural society that grows and consumes the one crop necessary for sustaining life. We are also given a glimpse into some ancient writings which are believed to foretell of a specific event which appears to be unfolding. One thing that seemed to catch my eye while listening was the author’s use of different names for objects, yet when describing their star, he used Sun, which is specific to our solar system’s star. Not a big deal, but something that stood out for me while listening.
What can or does a society do when a discovery turns their peaceful existence into one that forces some of them to abandon their morals and beliefs to endure? And that is exactly what you will learn from this book. There seemed to always be a sense of tension along with new discoveries keeping the listener wondering what could these inhabitants do when required to turn from their life of farming to a life of war. Many were required to turn their plows into weapons if they hope to survive. Much of their research into growing crops needed to be turned towards better knowing their enemy and how to best defend against them. No matter the outcome, the people always attempted to do what was right for the society. You felt the tight bond when they would always greet one another by saying, “May your soil always bare jobalm (sp?)” and a reply of “And yours also.”. One really gets a sense of how close-fitting this society is, and at other times how naive they can be. When one’s enemy know much more about you then you do of them, it may feel overwhelming. The author did a good job of putting this feeling into the story. The characters were complex, likable, and multidimensional.
Let me turn to the book’s narration. Even though this book appears to be Ed Waldorph’s second narration released on Audible, at the time of this review, I thought he did a decent job. I would have liked to have had a few more distinct voices for the characters, but it was not required to enjoy the book. The book’s audio volume was consistent and lacked any major audio artifacts. The two things that I will mention are the audio compression which could be heard during times of long pauses. It seemed to have a computer hiss sound, but these were infrequent. The second was a slight background bell ringing sound that did not seem to be a part of the book or significant to a specific character. Again, this bell noise was very quiet, but noticeable when you listen for it. It was not there constantly nor did it appear only when a given event or character appeared. So, to me, it seemed like some artifact that was not edited out prior to production. Neither of these would prevent me from recommending the book to others.
In summary, I felt that Mr. Perreault did a great job of telling us a story while at the same time immersing us within the world. It did have points where it seemed to be slower than others, but for me, it gave me the opportunity to learn more about the world, the people, and their enemy. I like to have some periods of rest from all the tension, mystery and action. Thank you Mr. Perreault and Mr. Waldorph for taking me to this new and wonderful world called Gemini, and for giving us a stand-alone book that is complete and entertaining.
Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
Let me say up from that the first chapter of the book spends a large amount of time getting the listener up to speed on who these people are, how they live, and the planet in general. In a world where we are expected to be dropped right into action and adventure, this book instead takes its time to simmer and allow the reader to come to know its inhabitants; and for me that was a good thing. The author takes time to tell us about the seasons and what they are called, the food the people eat, and their love of life in general. You are presented with a utopian society where roles are shared across the genders and also assigned to those most capable of accomplishing them which brings the greatest good to the culture as a whole. We see their intelligence, enjoyment of music, a focus on religion, and their embracing of technology. Again, all of this is done so the civilization can become stronger. Unlike our society, wealth is not a sign of success in this world. We are given a view into this quite unique creature along with some love and romance along the way. This people are mostly an agricultural society that grows and consumes the one crop necessary for sustaining life. We are also given a glimpse into some ancient writings which are believed to foretell of a specific event which appears to be unfolding. One thing that seemed to catch my eye while listening was the author’s use of different names for objects, yet when describing their star, he used Sun, which is specific to our solar system’s star. Not a big deal, but something that stood out for me while listening.
What can or does a society do when a discovery turns their peaceful existence into one that forces some of them to abandon their morals and beliefs to endure? And that is exactly what you will learn from this book. There seemed to always be a sense of tension along with new discoveries keeping the listener wondering what could these inhabitants do when required to turn from their life of farming to a life of war. Many were required to turn their plows into weapons if they hope to survive. Much of their research into growing crops needed to be turned towards better knowing their enemy and how to best defend against them. No matter the outcome, the people always attempted to do what was right for the society. You felt the tight bond when they would always greet one another by saying, “May your soil always bare jobalm (sp?)” and a reply of “And yours also.”. One really gets a sense of how close-fitting this society is, and at other times how naive they can be. When one’s enemy know much more about you then you do of them, it may feel overwhelming. The author did a good job of putting this feeling into the story. The characters were complex, likable, and multidimensional.
Let me turn to the book’s narration. Even though this book appears to be Ed Waldorph’s second narration released on Audible, at the time of this review, I thought he did a decent job. I would have liked to have had a few more distinct voices for the characters, but it was not required to enjoy the book. The book’s audio volume was consistent and lacked any major audio artifacts. The two things that I will mention are the audio compression which could be heard during times of long pauses. It seemed to have a computer hiss sound, but these were infrequent. The second was a slight background bell ringing sound that did not seem to be a part of the book or significant to a specific character. Again, this bell noise was very quiet, but noticeable when you listen for it. It was not there constantly nor did it appear only when a given event or character appeared. So, to me, it seemed like some artifact that was not edited out prior to production. Neither of these would prevent me from recommending the book to others.
In summary, I felt that Mr. Perreault did a great job of telling us a story while at the same time immersing us within the world. It did have points where it seemed to be slower than others, but for me, it gave me the opportunity to learn more about the world, the people, and their enemy. I like to have some periods of rest from all the tension, mystery and action. Thank you Mr. Perreault and Mr. Waldorph for taking me to this new and wonderful world called Gemini, and for giving us a stand-alone book that is complete and entertaining.
Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
September 23, 2017
This review is for the audio version narrated by Ed Waldorph.
To help you understand where I'm coming from, I'll say here that I'm a huge Star Wars fan and own dozens of old Star Wars books. I also love watching old Star Trek episodes. I prefer fantasy (Brandon Sanderson, Pierce Brown) to hard-core science fiction, but I recently enjoyed reading The Martian.
I was given a free copy of this audio version by the author Ray Jay Perreault in exchange for an honest review. I have read one of his other books before (SIMPOC - The Thinking Computer) and really enjoyed it. When Mr. Perreault offered an audio version of Gemini, I jumped at the chance to listen. For the first few chapters, maybe the first hour of listening, I wasn't too excited about the book. While very interesting, it was mainly cultural information about the people of Varo, the alien planet. It was incredibly realistic, but I felt like I was reading a social studies or archaeology text. The world-building was great, but it would have been improved if there was more action going on during the descriptions of the aliens' religion, appearance, and occupations. However, all the background information was helpful once the story got going. It helped me to understand the Raog's way of thinking, their motivations, and their reactions to being invaded by a species very different from them. I particularly enjoyed reading about the roles of the men and women in the society. The story became faster paced a few chapters in, and it was a great listen.
The Raog are not like humans. Their appearance is different, for one, but their society is very different from ours as well. Up until the events in the book, the Raog have never experienced violence of any kind. They tend to their crops, which is a religious act, and they take care of their families. They live a peaceful existence. Their economy would be socialist, I guess, because the government collects the food produced and distributes it to everyone. People are given homes when they marry. There are no poor, no rich. For the most part, they do not crave power. When they make contact with another planet, however, the Raog have to learn to adapt while maintaining their core values. It was a fascinating story,and I turned it on every time I got in the car.
As for the narrator, I had a mixed reaction. His voice was smooth and easy to listen to, just not amazing. He was animated and showed emotion. I probably wouldn't seek out a book narrated by Ed Waldorph, but I wouldn't hesitate to listen to another book narrated by him if I wanted to hear the story. His narration is pleasant. I was glad to listen to the book, as I do not have a lot of time to spend reading.
My recommendation? If you like speculative science fiction, give Gemini a try. If you enjoyed The Martian and were transfixed by Mark Watney's fight for survival, you may also enjoy the character Ornage in this book. The Raog are in a fight for survival of their own and have to be innovative in order for their race to survive.
To help you understand where I'm coming from, I'll say here that I'm a huge Star Wars fan and own dozens of old Star Wars books. I also love watching old Star Trek episodes. I prefer fantasy (Brandon Sanderson, Pierce Brown) to hard-core science fiction, but I recently enjoyed reading The Martian.
I was given a free copy of this audio version by the author Ray Jay Perreault in exchange for an honest review. I have read one of his other books before (SIMPOC - The Thinking Computer) and really enjoyed it. When Mr. Perreault offered an audio version of Gemini, I jumped at the chance to listen. For the first few chapters, maybe the first hour of listening, I wasn't too excited about the book. While very interesting, it was mainly cultural information about the people of Varo, the alien planet. It was incredibly realistic, but I felt like I was reading a social studies or archaeology text. The world-building was great, but it would have been improved if there was more action going on during the descriptions of the aliens' religion, appearance, and occupations. However, all the background information was helpful once the story got going. It helped me to understand the Raog's way of thinking, their motivations, and their reactions to being invaded by a species very different from them. I particularly enjoyed reading about the roles of the men and women in the society. The story became faster paced a few chapters in, and it was a great listen.
The Raog are not like humans. Their appearance is different, for one, but their society is very different from ours as well. Up until the events in the book, the Raog have never experienced violence of any kind. They tend to their crops, which is a religious act, and they take care of their families. They live a peaceful existence. Their economy would be socialist, I guess, because the government collects the food produced and distributes it to everyone. People are given homes when they marry. There are no poor, no rich. For the most part, they do not crave power. When they make contact with another planet, however, the Raog have to learn to adapt while maintaining their core values. It was a fascinating story,and I turned it on every time I got in the car.
As for the narrator, I had a mixed reaction. His voice was smooth and easy to listen to, just not amazing. He was animated and showed emotion. I probably wouldn't seek out a book narrated by Ed Waldorph, but I wouldn't hesitate to listen to another book narrated by him if I wanted to hear the story. His narration is pleasant. I was glad to listen to the book, as I do not have a lot of time to spend reading.
My recommendation? If you like speculative science fiction, give Gemini a try. If you enjoyed The Martian and were transfixed by Mark Watney's fight for survival, you may also enjoy the character Ornage in this book. The Raog are in a fight for survival of their own and have to be innovative in order for their race to survive.
February 3, 2020
In a solar system with twin planets orbiting in the same orbit on opposite sides of the star, we meet two alien species, the Raog and the Ora.
The Raog are peaceful, cooperative, with a society that shares out jobs and roles based on ability, not gender or other divisions of society, with the goal being families that grow and thrive. Individual or family wealth isn't a thing they work for. The focus is growing their food crop, jabon. Beyond raising jabon, there are Raog who ask questions about the world and the space beyond it. The main function of their space program is maintaining weather satellites to help in the cultivation of jabon, but Dr. Wong, his son Ornage, and others are asking questions about the wider universe. Dr. Wong thinks he's discovered another planet, on the other side of their sun, and wants to send an uncrewed ship to investigate.
The Raog don't look like humans, but they're bipedal and apparently mammalian.
The Ora are insects.
They have a far more structured, disciplined society than the Ora, and a world that's less bountiful for their needs. They too have figured out that there's another planet, in the same orbit, on the other side of their sun, and they're not engaging in intellectual inquiry. The Ora want to know if the other planet might offer the resources they lack. Their expedition is already set to launch when the Raog satellite shows up. And they're not interested in sharing, or trade.
The Raog are in for some major challenges, that will change their worldview, force them to invent "defensive tools" and fight, and expand their understanding of the universe. Starting with, of course, the fact that they are not alone.
I like the Raog. They're interesting characters, more complex than a brief overview would suggest. They start out naive, but they don't stay that way. At the same time, while their beliefs need to change, they don't let go of their values. The Ora, also, are not just bloodthirsty villains. Some of them, certainly, are not good guys. Yet there are others, all through their society, who aren't happy with the current leaders, and weren't even before the invasion of the Raog's planet, Varo. They want change, and change may be possible for their society.
I listened to the audiobook, and I'm sorry to say that Ed Waldorph is not a terrible narrator, but not a particularly good one, either. It's sometimes difficult to be sure who is intended to be speaking, and there are some Raog words that even by the end I wasn't sure what the intended pronunciation was. I've heard Perreault narrate his own books, and I really would have preferred that he do this one, but obviously that may not have been convenient for him.
Overall, though, Perreault's books are interesting and fun, with the clean, sharp storytelling of the Golden Age of science fiction, without the unfortunate social attitudes of the Golden Age. Strongly recommended.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
The Raog are peaceful, cooperative, with a society that shares out jobs and roles based on ability, not gender or other divisions of society, with the goal being families that grow and thrive. Individual or family wealth isn't a thing they work for. The focus is growing their food crop, jabon. Beyond raising jabon, there are Raog who ask questions about the world and the space beyond it. The main function of their space program is maintaining weather satellites to help in the cultivation of jabon, but Dr. Wong, his son Ornage, and others are asking questions about the wider universe. Dr. Wong thinks he's discovered another planet, on the other side of their sun, and wants to send an uncrewed ship to investigate.
The Raog don't look like humans, but they're bipedal and apparently mammalian.
The Ora are insects.
They have a far more structured, disciplined society than the Ora, and a world that's less bountiful for their needs. They too have figured out that there's another planet, in the same orbit, on the other side of their sun, and they're not engaging in intellectual inquiry. The Ora want to know if the other planet might offer the resources they lack. Their expedition is already set to launch when the Raog satellite shows up. And they're not interested in sharing, or trade.
The Raog are in for some major challenges, that will change their worldview, force them to invent "defensive tools" and fight, and expand their understanding of the universe. Starting with, of course, the fact that they are not alone.
I like the Raog. They're interesting characters, more complex than a brief overview would suggest. They start out naive, but they don't stay that way. At the same time, while their beliefs need to change, they don't let go of their values. The Ora, also, are not just bloodthirsty villains. Some of them, certainly, are not good guys. Yet there are others, all through their society, who aren't happy with the current leaders, and weren't even before the invasion of the Raog's planet, Varo. They want change, and change may be possible for their society.
I listened to the audiobook, and I'm sorry to say that Ed Waldorph is not a terrible narrator, but not a particularly good one, either. It's sometimes difficult to be sure who is intended to be speaking, and there are some Raog words that even by the end I wasn't sure what the intended pronunciation was. I've heard Perreault narrate his own books, and I really would have preferred that he do this one, but obviously that may not have been convenient for him.
Overall, though, Perreault's books are interesting and fun, with the clean, sharp storytelling of the Golden Age of science fiction, without the unfortunate social attitudes of the Golden Age. Strongly recommended.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
September 24, 2017
( Format : audiobook )
"May your soil always bear jarbon."
Ray Jay Perreault is a classic style writer of science fiction, his work building on character and ideas, challenging thought. This seemingly simple story is, in fact, a challenging tale of change, coexistence and love for others. In order to establish the original way of life on Varo, a planet seemingly circling a sun alone in the distant galaxy, considerable time is spent word holding, establishing the society and politics, agriculture and daily life. The inhabitants are a peaceful people, living in harmony with each other and their sacred soil, to which they will one day return, and which provides everything they need for life. Without personal ambition to rule over others, leaders emerge naturally chosen as needed, but, although respected, they are not higher in the social system, there is no divide between rich and poor and all are fed and housed and comfortable. Life is good.
Then into this world comes a different, invading culture, threatening everything held dear. To survive they must face this new intrusion. To survive, they have to change. After the book's leisurely beginning, the pace increases as the people try to save their place on the planet.that has been their home and comfort back into the depths of time.
Ed Waldorf's narration, whilst being steady and clearly given, is not inspirational, being rather unemotional and far too slow. Increasing the speed helps a little but, combined with some repetition in the text in early stages of the book, his performance could deter some listeners from going beyond this stage into the more action filled sections which follow. Which would be a great pity. This is a book well worth reading.
My thanks to the author for freely gifting me a complementary copy of Gemini. I have read and enjoyed many of his earlier works, such as SIMPOC, and the other associated Virus stories. This one is different but still explores the nature of humanity - even amongst aliens.
"May your soil always bear jarbon."
Ray Jay Perreault is a classic style writer of science fiction, his work building on character and ideas, challenging thought. This seemingly simple story is, in fact, a challenging tale of change, coexistence and love for others. In order to establish the original way of life on Varo, a planet seemingly circling a sun alone in the distant galaxy, considerable time is spent word holding, establishing the society and politics, agriculture and daily life. The inhabitants are a peaceful people, living in harmony with each other and their sacred soil, to which they will one day return, and which provides everything they need for life. Without personal ambition to rule over others, leaders emerge naturally chosen as needed, but, although respected, they are not higher in the social system, there is no divide between rich and poor and all are fed and housed and comfortable. Life is good.
Then into this world comes a different, invading culture, threatening everything held dear. To survive they must face this new intrusion. To survive, they have to change. After the book's leisurely beginning, the pace increases as the people try to save their place on the planet.that has been their home and comfort back into the depths of time.
Ed Waldorf's narration, whilst being steady and clearly given, is not inspirational, being rather unemotional and far too slow. Increasing the speed helps a little but, combined with some repetition in the text in early stages of the book, his performance could deter some listeners from going beyond this stage into the more action filled sections which follow. Which would be a great pity. This is a book well worth reading.
My thanks to the author for freely gifting me a complementary copy of Gemini. I have read and enjoyed many of his earlier works, such as SIMPOC, and the other associated Virus stories. This one is different but still explores the nature of humanity - even amongst aliens.
October 6, 2021
I find every time I listen to one of Ray Jay Perreault's books I find myself contemplating what is going on in the atmosphere. When I started listening I thought it would be of two planets sharing resources. However, this book was so interesting to listen to. Each planet had their own existence and lifestyle. I recommend this book. I did receive a copy but this is my honest opinion of this book.
December 2, 2022
I gave this 2 stars because this is the author's "inaugural" offering, otherwise I would have only given it 1 star. A plodding, YA or even child level story progression. Not really my cup of tea.
February 12, 2016
I was offered a free copy of this book in audio format by the author in exchange for an honest review.
The peaceful and naïve Raog live a pleasant life on Varo, but one day Doctor Wong discovers a planet at the other side of their sun and they decide to communicate with anyone who could live there. Shortly after they are invaded by them and must learn quickly how to defend themselves and learn that not every culture is based on respect and peace.
I loved this book. Ray Perreault does not only tell about the story but also gives us a background, describing how the Raog society works, their motivations and their believes. This makes the story to be slowly paced at times, but one can enjoy how the Raog world is and the relationships among them. The characters are beautifully constructed, and I especially enjoyed the description of their culture. It is a religion and respect based society, who live from and for their soil, since their main food and materials source is a plant called jabom.
The attackers are at first described as a reckless race and I was worried that this was going to be a story of the good against the evil, but further along the story we see that the others have their motivations, that not everything in their culture is bad, and that there are good individuals caring for a better world.
This story is about the clash between two different cultures, how one must always learn and adapt to new situations, and despite how bad things can go, there is always hope.
One thing that stroke me as strange was how unified the Raog were. On a planet with no extraplanetary relationships it feels strange having a unique Gran Leader. Also, the language unification felt a little bit artificial on a planet where nobody traveled far since they had everything they needed close by. Anyway, these are minor complaints.
What really ruined my experience was the audio. Paul Stefano's narration was flat and dry and most of the time he was more mumbling than talking. The audio production did not improve this, and I had issues listening to the audiobook in noisy environments, like driving or on the street.
All in all, this is a wonderful story, deep and rich; but I would not recommend the audio version due to the above. And may your soil always bear jabom.
The peaceful and naïve Raog live a pleasant life on Varo, but one day Doctor Wong discovers a planet at the other side of their sun and they decide to communicate with anyone who could live there. Shortly after they are invaded by them and must learn quickly how to defend themselves and learn that not every culture is based on respect and peace.
I loved this book. Ray Perreault does not only tell about the story but also gives us a background, describing how the Raog society works, their motivations and their believes. This makes the story to be slowly paced at times, but one can enjoy how the Raog world is and the relationships among them. The characters are beautifully constructed, and I especially enjoyed the description of their culture. It is a religion and respect based society, who live from and for their soil, since their main food and materials source is a plant called jabom.
The attackers are at first described as a reckless race and I was worried that this was going to be a story of the good against the evil, but further along the story we see that the others have their motivations, that not everything in their culture is bad, and that there are good individuals caring for a better world.
This story is about the clash between two different cultures, how one must always learn and adapt to new situations, and despite how bad things can go, there is always hope.
One thing that stroke me as strange was how unified the Raog were. On a planet with no extraplanetary relationships it feels strange having a unique Gran Leader. Also, the language unification felt a little bit artificial on a planet where nobody traveled far since they had everything they needed close by. Anyway, these are minor complaints.
What really ruined my experience was the audio. Paul Stefano's narration was flat and dry and most of the time he was more mumbling than talking. The audio production did not improve this, and I had issues listening to the audiobook in noisy environments, like driving or on the street.
All in all, this is a wonderful story, deep and rich; but I would not recommend the audio version due to the above. And may your soil always bear jabom.
October 4, 2016
What's a Raog To Do? (Audiobook)
The book description has the perfect statement to describe the book: "The good news is, 'there is another planet', and the bad news is 'there is another planet'."
Ray Jay Perrault's first novel, Gemini, contains a unique set of people, the Raog, that are well described along with their culture in the opening of the novel. The description goes on a bit longer than I prefer. I would have liked to see the description broken up a bit more by events and progression of the story line. Once the descriptive information is complete the story and action begins full force.
The peaceful Raog show logic, kindness, gentleness, determination and a lack of ego. The latter being the most surprising, a nice surprise. Their leadership exhibit the same qualities. I really wish that many of our politicians and general population would exhibit the same qualities.
Paul Stefano did a good job with the narration and voices but was a little on the dry side. This did not interfere with the story.
This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
The book description has the perfect statement to describe the book: "The good news is, 'there is another planet', and the bad news is 'there is another planet'."
Ray Jay Perrault's first novel, Gemini, contains a unique set of people, the Raog, that are well described along with their culture in the opening of the novel. The description goes on a bit longer than I prefer. I would have liked to see the description broken up a bit more by events and progression of the story line. Once the descriptive information is complete the story and action begins full force.
The peaceful Raog show logic, kindness, gentleness, determination and a lack of ego. The latter being the most surprising, a nice surprise. Their leadership exhibit the same qualities. I really wish that many of our politicians and general population would exhibit the same qualities.
Paul Stefano did a good job with the narration and voices but was a little on the dry side. This did not interfere with the story.
This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
March 1, 2016
The discovery of a new planet or life isn't always worth taking a chance to make contact. This was an awesome listen.
I have to say this book really hit my sociologist part of me. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but it was always fascinating to see what a society will do to survive. Looking forward to the next book.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
I have to say this book really hit my sociologist part of me. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but it was always fascinating to see what a society will do to survive. Looking forward to the next book.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
March 6, 2017
Some on Kindle Unlimited bit more surprised than used to, read a LOT and in a lot of genres, lot of things going on in this story, and the writer told it well. Also just read SIMPOC by same writer, Gemini, and Science Fiction Anthology: Vol1 which has "Progeny" "The Greatest Host" "Circle is Closed" ‘Good Morning…’ Same genre basically but definite differences in each type of book somehow.
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