One of the best I've ever listened to.

This was a really interesting story. As a Jeff fan, I can't help myself, so picked this up as soon as he posted on facebook.

What I really loved about this story was just that, the story. It was so intricate, so well written and of course performed that I was totally hooked in from the first five minutes. This is, in fact going to be one of my all time favourites probably for a long time. If I could give this one 10 stars I would.

The characters in here, were so deep and wonderfully developed, their backstory and lives just so heartbreaking and wonderful. I felt and went through their journey with them and was on the edge of my seat with it many, many times.

I think my only criticism was the ending and I won't spoil it for anyone, honestly I think it could have ended much sooner. But, that's my only real quibble. I don't know if this is going to be something there can be another story with but I'll be watching for more, especially from the writer, it was just brilliant. Thank you very much for this. Some of the best hours I've spent listening.

:)

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1 person found this helpful

"But you, you could be anybody."

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A lone human man has become Father to a whole society. With no other humans on his planet, he has used his own body to clone copies of himself, growing babies in vats, all identical in appearance. And, necessarily, all male. The occasional mutation is destroyed. The members of this new society are known by a number, sewn onto the individual's clothing, and a verifiable inserted chip. Like "peas in a pod", each successive generation is trained to fit in, to never stand out as different, conforming to a unity within the highly structured organisation.
But one clone is visibly different from the others, a mutation who has been hidden by his sponsor since childhood but who yearns to leave his father's home and enter the world he sees outside of the window. 1672, also known as Twain, is about to enter a mostly hostile world at an especially dangerous time: they are about to be invaded by the infamous Frag virus.

As well as being an exciting action adventure, Clan has the classic science fiction quality of building a new world by which our own with it's faults and growing trends can be reflected back to us writ large, as in Brave New World, or 1984. The nature of personality, emotion and corruption is well covered, as is discrimination, but some good ideas, although introduced, are not followed through, such as that of how can someone really be identified when everyone looks identical? And also the very interesting possibilities. offered by the nature of Twain's differentness. Perhaps these are being saved for a future story.

Jeff Hays is an excellent narrator, with a very pleasant reading voice which imbues the written word with even greater tension and excitement and his protagonists are always very distinctive and fitting in character. The dramatisation is further enhanced by subtle (or occasionally explosive) sound effects - I especially enjoyed the very gentle echo on speech which is internal thought, thus differentiating it clearly from that spoken aloud. The whole is a pleasure to hear.

My thanks to the rights holder who freely gifted me a copy of Clan, via Audiobook Boom. It has very interesting and thought provoking ideas bound together in an enjoyable story. Whilst not meeting it's full potential and being a bit ragged in parts, it is still one I would happily recommend, especially in this audio format.

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Imaginative

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I loved the premise of this book; in a world of clones, one (1672) finds himself different, hidden from society from which he wouldn't fit in.
While the audio narration is very good (Jeff Hays is amazing and should totally narrate a lot more audiobooks), I wasn't drawn into the characters. Once Twain (1672) meets up with the underground other Clans, there is unnecessary excessive profanity and I feel like it detracts from the novel.
While I really wanted to read this book from the blurb, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

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