Narrator basal, book feels padded.

2nd in the Wool series.
The premise for this trilogy is interesting and well thought out.
This is the middle book and it feels like the least-loved of the 3.
The narrator is good but his voice has a nasal quality I didn't take to.
The book itself seems padded. Hugh Howey has a habit of describing every.single thought and action of his protagonists. It leaves little room for one's own imagination and means the story moves at a snail's pace.
Also the chapters about Solo/Jimmy are redundant. There's no tension - we know his story from book 1 and he's not an engaging enough character to be interested in the minutae of what happened to him.
It was interesting to learn about the how and the why the silos came into being and how the world ended, but I'm not convinced the "pact" is believable. It goes too far to be convincing.

I think this entire book could have been condensed into 6 or so decent, exhilarating chapters.

That said, I've downloaded book 3: I want to see how it all turns out.

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As many others I’ve paused after the first chapter and googled “can I skip Shift book”…

…disappointed in both narration and prequel-ness of it. Politics part was tedious, mostly because it’s to close to reality and I read/listen books to escape from it. However story gets better and after finishing the book I see why it’s crucial to the series. I didn’t see how “why all this happened” part might be important, and I was so wrong! I did not expect the “why” to be so twisted and dark. This book adds a whole new deep and depressing perspective to the story and I can’t wait to learn if protagonists are up to the challenge in the next book.

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Great story but an awful narrator

It’s a great story but there are great sections on Solo/Jimmy that are overlong and I’m not sure why they were included - it doesn’t really add a great deal to the storytelling. The narrator isn’t great and some of the accents are genuinely hilarious, but it’s still an epic tale, and it’s good to have all the backstories filled in.

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Abandoned, not sure if…

I abandoned this book. The narration is sooo boring and monotonous I realised that every time I returned to the book, after a few minutes I was thinking about other things and I was just listening to get through it. So I have no idea what happens. I’ll get the kindle version instead.

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loved these books

no shade to the narrator but I didn't like the voice characterisations. book is brilliant.

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Perfect prequal to Wool

Where does Shift rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Shift is one of the best audio books I've listened to, always exciting and surprising, with well developed characters and great narration.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's a book where emotional detachment isn't possible, not when you consider the scenarios presented in it and the possibility of human nature being more then capable of precipitating them.

Any additional comments?

How did the silos come about and how is it possible for people to have no memories of their human past and history, are just a few questions answered in this great prequel to Wool. I can't wait for the next instalment.

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Definitely worth a listen

The narration is a bit odd, particularly given how well the first book was performed... but after a couple of chapters I didn't really notice it. The story was excellent and answered a lot of questions raised by the first book. Don't skip it!

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Simply Brilliant

If you could sum up Shift in three words, what would they be?

A Brilliant Sequel

Any additional comments?

Stunning sequel to Wool, that keeps you glued to the player. Looking forward to reading Dust next.

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Brilliant and hurry up with recording Dust!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a worthy and fascinating sequel to Wool, so refreshing to find that its as gripping in book two and cant wait for book three! Hurry up please!

What other book might you compare Shift to, and why?

You have to compare it to Wool book one, but also it feels a bit like Stepehen King to me with more mystery if thats possible!

What does Peter Brooke bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The terrible and very real feeling of living underground in a large community and not knowing what is out "there"....

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me cry.......

Any additional comments?

Read Wool first...and then settle down and enjoy!

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Better than Wool.

Far better than Wool in my opinion. Seems other reviewers think the opposite but this was a much better fleshed out story.

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