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Authority: A Dystopian Sci-fi Novel
The aliens came to conquer. We won, but billions died. Now, it's time to rebuild. The neons do as they're told. Chemically bound to their masters by the experimental chemi-chip implant created from alien technology, they are genetically engineered at rapid rates to be servants for the survivors of the war against alien invaders. Without neons, reconstruction would be impossible. Colin Hanston—the unremarkable son of the genius who invented the chemi-chip—leads a simple life as a farmer, helping feed his district as any good citizen should. But when he redeems his voucher for a neon servant of his own named Michael, everything changes. His father’s old friend-turned-rebel shows up, and Colin learns that not everyone believes the neons are a simple commodity used by the Authority to fix the world and help prepare in case the aliens return. Knowing he could be killed just for talking to the rebels, Colin will have to decide for himself whether his father’s work is truly a benefit to humanity as his leaders claim, or a perversion. Is the truth worth destroying his father’s legacy and putting his family in danger? Is it worth dying for? Don't miss this Dystopian thriller, perfect for fans of Hugh Howey, Jasper T Scott, and Paul Antony Jones. Also available on Audible from award-winning narrator Ray Porter.
- GenresAudiobook
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 31, 2019
This was just not good. So many, many details missing.
Six months later..
No character development aside from the switch flipping. And resemblance of development happened during a time where you’re not privy to. I would have stopped if this was any narrator besides Porter. I saw another review for a different book that said this author seems like he writes sci fi just for the paycheck and that seems spot on. The ending was just atrocious.
Six months later...
I’d give this a 3/10.
Six months later..
No character development aside from the switch flipping. And resemblance of development happened during a time where you’re not privy to. I would have stopped if this was any narrator besides Porter. I saw another review for a different book that said this author seems like he writes sci fi just for the paycheck and that seems spot on. The ending was just atrocious.
Six months later...
I’d give this a 3/10.
November 27, 2019
This was an enjoyable listen, but the book didn't really click for me at first, it felt like the main story hadn't got going enough for the amount of flashbacks near the start that were more disruptive to the story than particularly informative. I found that once the book progressed and the focus was on the present that the story engaged me a lot more and it finished very strongly.
While the world-building could have been done more smoothly, the world the author creates is an intriguing one with an authoritarian state emerging n the wake of an alien attack, so you have an interesting mix of regressive attitudes with technological advances.The cast populating the world of this book is a varied one that steadily becomes more interesting over the course of the book.
The narrator does a good job of voicing that cast and helps to enhance the listener's enjoyment of the book with a tone that just seemed to fit the setting of this book very well.
Overall, an enjoyable book that started too slow for me, but finished strongly.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
While the world-building could have been done more smoothly, the world the author creates is an intriguing one with an authoritarian state emerging n the wake of an alien attack, so you have an interesting mix of regressive attitudes with technological advances.The cast populating the world of this book is a varied one that steadily becomes more interesting over the course of the book.
The narrator does a good job of voicing that cast and helps to enhance the listener's enjoyment of the book with a tone that just seemed to fit the setting of this book very well.
Overall, an enjoyable book that started too slow for me, but finished strongly.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
November 26, 2019
So much potential but just felt hollow.
Let me start y saying as always Ray Porter was amazing and probably the only reason I kept going past the 3/4 mark.
This book had SO MUCH potential and started off with everything I like in a book as a Sci-Fi geek. Unfortunately, the last quarter of the book and the ending just seemed really hollow like the author stopped trying.
Have you ever read/listened to a book and half way through you just feel like they are setting it up for a series and then the book just abruptly ends and your left feeling unsatisfied? That's this book unfortunately!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Let me start y saying as always Ray Porter was amazing and probably the only reason I kept going past the 3/4 mark.
This book had SO MUCH potential and started off with everything I like in a book as a Sci-Fi geek. Unfortunately, the last quarter of the book and the ending just seemed really hollow like the author stopped trying.
Have you ever read/listened to a book and half way through you just feel like they are setting it up for a series and then the book just abruptly ends and your left feeling unsatisfied? That's this book unfortunately!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
November 1, 2020
I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Written by A.K. Meek and narrated by Ray Porter, Authority is a science fiction adventure set in near-future earth. Although the pacing is somewhat erratic and the conclusion feels rushed, Meek writes a compelling, action-oriented story. The characters and locations are believable, and the dialogue is solid. He also raises interesting social and political questions. Ray Porter brings it all together with his unique, emotionally captivating narration.
Authority follows Colin Hanston, the son of a renowned scientist. Colin's father helped create a chip that connects humans with neons, genetically modified humans with suppressed emotions. Because of this suppression, Neons will work endlessly while never complaining or revolting. After acquiring his own Neon, Colin quickly learns that there are deep, ethical implications with his father's work. The story starts off strong, but it succumbs to an erratic pace during its 10 and a half hour duration. The ending comes abruptly, while leaving some loose ends. The characters are believable and likable throughout, and their dialogue is relatively smart. Much of the science behind the technology isn't explained in detail, so the reader must suspend disbelief to an extent. Possibly the strongest aspect of Meek's work are the moral questions and situations that he presents. He creates a plausible world that demands ethical examination.
Ray Porter is one of the best narrators working today. He brings a passion, intensity and emotion to this book that elevates it to another level. His characters are all unique and powerfully presented. The primary villain is one of the standout characters; his hatred and villainy is expertly presented. Porter brings the characters, environments and action to life. He's the perfect narrator for this book.
Authority is easy to recommend. It doesn't always maintain a strong pace, but it stays engaging throughout. Meek writes convincing characters and situations while raising interesting questions. Porter's narration is worth the price of admission alone. He sets a new bar for dialogue, exposition and action. If you're a fan of sci-fi or dystopian fiction, you should be reading Authority.
Written by A.K. Meek and narrated by Ray Porter, Authority is a science fiction adventure set in near-future earth. Although the pacing is somewhat erratic and the conclusion feels rushed, Meek writes a compelling, action-oriented story. The characters and locations are believable, and the dialogue is solid. He also raises interesting social and political questions. Ray Porter brings it all together with his unique, emotionally captivating narration.
Authority follows Colin Hanston, the son of a renowned scientist. Colin's father helped create a chip that connects humans with neons, genetically modified humans with suppressed emotions. Because of this suppression, Neons will work endlessly while never complaining or revolting. After acquiring his own Neon, Colin quickly learns that there are deep, ethical implications with his father's work. The story starts off strong, but it succumbs to an erratic pace during its 10 and a half hour duration. The ending comes abruptly, while leaving some loose ends. The characters are believable and likable throughout, and their dialogue is relatively smart. Much of the science behind the technology isn't explained in detail, so the reader must suspend disbelief to an extent. Possibly the strongest aspect of Meek's work are the moral questions and situations that he presents. He creates a plausible world that demands ethical examination.
Ray Porter is one of the best narrators working today. He brings a passion, intensity and emotion to this book that elevates it to another level. His characters are all unique and powerfully presented. The primary villain is one of the standout characters; his hatred and villainy is expertly presented. Porter brings the characters, environments and action to life. He's the perfect narrator for this book.
Authority is easy to recommend. It doesn't always maintain a strong pace, but it stays engaging throughout. Meek writes convincing characters and situations while raising interesting questions. Porter's narration is worth the price of admission alone. He sets a new bar for dialogue, exposition and action. If you're a fan of sci-fi or dystopian fiction, you should be reading Authority.
April 13, 2020
*Recieved for Free*
Right, where do I begin with this? Lets start with the fact that I listened to 9 chapters, realised I had no idea what was actually going on, and had to start the book over. Authority is an odd one, it has some really good ideas and should in theory be thought provoking, but its let down by 2 things:
1) Its Narrative Structure
2) Its protagonists
Lets tackle narrative Structure first. The book starts with Aliens attacking, and then jumps 30 years later, and spends a significant amount of time playing the events of said Aliens down. They do get revisited, but they are really only as a plot device. You could swap out Aliens with Nuclear War, or a pandemic, and you would have ended up with the same story.
The story jumps backwards and forwards in time on a wim, this would be fine, if there was anything particually interesting in the 2 time periods. Its not really untill the book gets into its second act that things get interesting, and this is quickly shot down by the books second issue.
In theory, the book is presented as coming from the 2 main protogonists, 1 for each time period. By the third act, this has gone out of the window for various reasons, and you are now expected to be interested in other charactors motivations and plots.
Im still giving the book 3 stars though? The actual main plot idea is decent, humanity is struggling after a catastrophy, robots arent practical - so sod it, lets bring back Slavery. Oh they are grown as slaves, its fine, really. The fact that most people in the book are fine with out and out slavery is a bit jarring to be honest, but its interesting how they justify it. The author still fails to really attached a good story to the premise however, which is a real shame.
Lastly, others have said this, but seriously Authority is completely carried by Ray Porter. I think, without good narration, I would have just given up and not finished it. He does his usual 5 star performance, its just a shame the material here doesnt match his talents.
Overall, an average book. Give it a go, but dont expect fireworks
Right, where do I begin with this? Lets start with the fact that I listened to 9 chapters, realised I had no idea what was actually going on, and had to start the book over. Authority is an odd one, it has some really good ideas and should in theory be thought provoking, but its let down by 2 things:
1) Its Narrative Structure
2) Its protagonists
Lets tackle narrative Structure first. The book starts with Aliens attacking, and then jumps 30 years later, and spends a significant amount of time playing the events of said Aliens down. They do get revisited, but they are really only as a plot device. You could swap out Aliens with Nuclear War, or a pandemic, and you would have ended up with the same story.
The story jumps backwards and forwards in time on a wim, this would be fine, if there was anything particually interesting in the 2 time periods. Its not really untill the book gets into its second act that things get interesting, and this is quickly shot down by the books second issue.
In theory, the book is presented as coming from the 2 main protogonists, 1 for each time period. By the third act, this has gone out of the window for various reasons, and you are now expected to be interested in other charactors motivations and plots.
Im still giving the book 3 stars though? The actual main plot idea is decent, humanity is struggling after a catastrophy, robots arent practical - so sod it, lets bring back Slavery. Oh they are grown as slaves, its fine, really. The fact that most people in the book are fine with out and out slavery is a bit jarring to be honest, but its interesting how they justify it. The author still fails to really attached a good story to the premise however, which is a real shame.
Lastly, others have said this, but seriously Authority is completely carried by Ray Porter. I think, without good narration, I would have just given up and not finished it. He does his usual 5 star performance, its just a shame the material here doesnt match his talents.
Overall, an average book. Give it a go, but dont expect fireworks
November 23, 2019
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I really like sci-fi and fantasy novel, so this was definitely my thing. The book starts out strong. It is in a post-apocalypse world where aliens have ravished earth and human slaves are a household commodity. The premise of the plot is great, solid world building.
The downside was that the book started to lose me with all the plot lines that jumped around and the non-linear format. Ultimately I just couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted.
I also listened to this as an audiobook. And as always, you can be sure Ray Porter does not disappoint.
I really like sci-fi and fantasy novel, so this was definitely my thing. The book starts out strong. It is in a post-apocalypse world where aliens have ravished earth and human slaves are a household commodity. The premise of the plot is great, solid world building.
The downside was that the book started to lose me with all the plot lines that jumped around and the non-linear format. Ultimately I just couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted.
I also listened to this as an audiobook. And as always, you can be sure Ray Porter does not disappoint.
November 12, 2019
I really liked this story and I had no problem following the action-packed story lines... Initially, we learn about Thomas Hanston, Hero, genius, and martyr... and in alternate chapter's, we find Colin Hanston his son trying to cope with the world, and his father legacy. A legacy of legalized slavery, of a dystopic society run by the Authority! You'll wanna grab the book, and let Ray Porter tell you a story!
November 17, 2019
I enjoyed the basic premise of this book, the world that was created, and some of the characters. But ultimately, especially in the closing third of the book, the plot felt a little thin, with no twists and turns away from a predictable ending. The motivations of some of the characters were bluntly told rather than sold to us through stronger writing. A fun read but forgettable.
November 4, 2019
Compelling premise. Unfortunately, the author telegraphed his first punch about 1/3 of the way into the book and direction of the rest of the plot fell into place. I couldn't relate to any of the characters. The story does raise some interesting moral questions that make the reader think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2022
Great story told by one of the best narrators!
November 4, 2019
I was given a free review copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.
In the near future, aliens lay waste to Earth's major cities before being destroyed. To rebuild, humanity uses slave humans, who have their humanity removed.
The first half of this book take place in parallel timeliness. The primary following the "abolishionists" (excuse the spelling) and the fight to free the "neons" (slaves). The secondary timeline takes place roughly 30 years previous, and the alien attacks and setting up the systems that are in place in the primary timeline.
This happens until about halfway through the book, where the secondary timeline runs its course and the rest of the book is set in the primary timeline. This brings me to my furjst annoyance, where as the first half of the book has chapters starting with a date, the second half starts with "present". Either the date should have been kept all the way through the book or the first half should have been half "present" and half date.
The story is, in itself, nothing all that new. The specifics and technology are new, but the plot of slaves fighting back against slavery, and slavery being wrong are well worn. This book has nothing really new to say regarding this, or any new insight.
The characters are varied and each feels like their own individual person, rather than just "good guy number 3" or something. However, due to events in the plot, the characters change from time to time and the focus shifts from one character to another. So this feels like less of 1 characters journey and more of an event. This isn't a problem per se, but the writing style is written more like the former rather than the latter. I'm not sure if this was done for shock value, or if the author let the story unfold as it progressed and things went down a path he didn't anticipate.
The issue with this is that characters enter and exit the story, and they fail to leave an emotional impact. Because there are so many characters, and they are all relatively well created, saying good bye should be a hardship. But because the story is written like 1 characters journey, and it's never clear who that character is, and because so many characters are comming and going, departures are failed to grip me, and make me sad they are happening.
Having said that, the characters are well fleshed out and multidimensional. They have unique back stories, motivations and character flaws. The world is described in detail, and with the back story, it's easy to understand the setting and laws. The gut wrenching execution at the beginning was a unnecessary evil, in my opinion, though.
The voice acting by Ray Porter, was top notch, as always. He has a great range of voices and a genuine way of speaking that makes the things he reads feel, well, believable. However, I disagree with his pronunciation of "dirigible".
All in all a pretty OK read. There is nothing wrong with it, but it offers very little of anything new to set it apart. I definitely wasn't upset that I listened to it, but it also didn't wow me in any way.
In the near future, aliens lay waste to Earth's major cities before being destroyed. To rebuild, humanity uses slave humans, who have their humanity removed.
The first half of this book take place in parallel timeliness. The primary following the "abolishionists" (excuse the spelling) and the fight to free the "neons" (slaves). The secondary timeline takes place roughly 30 years previous, and the alien attacks and setting up the systems that are in place in the primary timeline.
This happens until about halfway through the book, where the secondary timeline runs its course and the rest of the book is set in the primary timeline. This brings me to my furjst annoyance, where as the first half of the book has chapters starting with a date, the second half starts with "present". Either the date should have been kept all the way through the book or the first half should have been half "present" and half date.
The story is, in itself, nothing all that new. The specifics and technology are new, but the plot of slaves fighting back against slavery, and slavery being wrong are well worn. This book has nothing really new to say regarding this, or any new insight.
The characters are varied and each feels like their own individual person, rather than just "good guy number 3" or something. However, due to events in the plot, the characters change from time to time and the focus shifts from one character to another. So this feels like less of 1 characters journey and more of an event. This isn't a problem per se, but the writing style is written more like the former rather than the latter. I'm not sure if this was done for shock value, or if the author let the story unfold as it progressed and things went down a path he didn't anticipate.
The issue with this is that characters enter and exit the story, and they fail to leave an emotional impact. Because there are so many characters, and they are all relatively well created, saying good bye should be a hardship. But because the story is written like 1 characters journey, and it's never clear who that character is, and because so many characters are comming and going, departures are failed to grip me, and make me sad they are happening.
Having said that, the characters are well fleshed out and multidimensional. They have unique back stories, motivations and character flaws. The world is described in detail, and with the back story, it's easy to understand the setting and laws. The gut wrenching execution at the beginning was a unnecessary evil, in my opinion, though.
The voice acting by Ray Porter, was top notch, as always. He has a great range of voices and a genuine way of speaking that makes the things he reads feel, well, believable. However, I disagree with his pronunciation of "dirigible".
All in all a pretty OK read. There is nothing wrong with it, but it offers very little of anything new to set it apart. I definitely wasn't upset that I listened to it, but it also didn't wow me in any way.
September 14, 2020
Plot-driven story of the near future about an alien threat that decimated modern life, the radical response and dystopian society it spawned, and the revolution from within that brought it toppling down.
If that sounds like a lot to cram into a ~365 page book, all I can say is yes, yes it is. There were many parts of the story I would have liked to see developed further, as well as a few narratives that were just dropped with no explanation. Normally I appreciate good, tight editing that cuts out the extraneous fluff, but this feels like the theatrical release edited for time where a bit too much fell on the cutting room floor and you really need the director's cut.
Pay attention to chapter heading in the first half of the book; it jumps back and forth between two time periods and can be a little hard to follow in parts. The second half is told linearly but jumps from character to character.
Fast moving, action filled story that verges on horror. Being plot driven it focused on the what far more than the why. It was an interesting premise, and kept my attention for a fast read, but I think it needed a little more character development to bump it from a good book to a great book.
If that sounds like a lot to cram into a ~365 page book, all I can say is yes, yes it is. There were many parts of the story I would have liked to see developed further, as well as a few narratives that were just dropped with no explanation. Normally I appreciate good, tight editing that cuts out the extraneous fluff, but this feels like the theatrical release edited for time where a bit too much fell on the cutting room floor and you really need the director's cut.
Pay attention to chapter heading in the first half of the book; it jumps back and forth between two time periods and can be a little hard to follow in parts. The second half is told linearly but jumps from character to character.
Fast moving, action filled story that verges on horror. Being plot driven it focused on the what far more than the why. It was an interesting premise, and kept my attention for a fast read, but I think it needed a little more character development to bump it from a good book to a great book.
November 4, 2019
This is a tough one to review, y'all!
Authority has pretty much everything I enjoy when looking for science-fiction (an alien invasion!; AI? Robots? What are they exactly?; post-apocalyptic World!; etc). And let me say that I was really hooked for a while.
The story was entertaining, things moved forward, characters were troubled and interesting, and a few different plots were taking place at the same time. Fun!
On top of that, Ray Porter, my favorite narrator, was as fabulous as always.
Then things started to... flop? Flatten Out? I don't really know. Some plots fell thru or got "solved" in what I feel was a rush. I know I sometimes have the attention span of a Golden Retriever puppy, but I had to listen to the last chapter a few times to understand what was happening. Even then, I was left with a "wait, that's it?" kinda feeling.
I was also quite put-off by the many stereotypes throughout the story as well: The feeble and "can't handle stress" wife; the bitter woman in a wheelchair; the successful businesswoman that seduced men to get where she was; etc.
Overall, I do believe it's an entertaining book but it just didn't work out for me.
Authority has pretty much everything I enjoy when looking for science-fiction (an alien invasion!; AI? Robots? What are they exactly?; post-apocalyptic World!; etc). And let me say that I was really hooked for a while.
The story was entertaining, things moved forward, characters were troubled and interesting, and a few different plots were taking place at the same time. Fun!
On top of that, Ray Porter, my favorite narrator, was as fabulous as always.
Then things started to... flop? Flatten Out? I don't really know. Some plots fell thru or got "solved" in what I feel was a rush. I know I sometimes have the attention span of a Golden Retriever puppy, but I had to listen to the last chapter a few times to understand what was happening. Even then, I was left with a "wait, that's it?" kinda feeling.
I was also quite put-off by the many stereotypes throughout the story as well: The feeble and "can't handle stress" wife; the bitter woman in a wheelchair; the successful businesswoman that seduced men to get where she was; etc.
Overall, I do believe it's an entertaining book but it just didn't work out for me.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews