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  • House of Suns

  • By: Alastair Reynolds
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,137 ratings)

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House of Suns

By: Alastair Reynolds
Narrated by: John Lee
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Summary

Six million years ago, at the very dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones: the shatterlings. Sent out into the galaxy, these shatterlings have stood aloof as they document the rise and fall of countless human empires. They meet every 200,000 years to exchange news and memories of their travels with their siblings.

Not only are Campion and Purslane late for their 30-second reunion but they have also brought along an amnesiac golden robot for a guest. But the wayward shatterlings get more than the scolding they expect: they face the discovery that someone has a very serious grudge against the Gentian line, and there is a very real possibility of traitors in their midst. The surviving shatterlings have to dodge exotic weapons while they regroup to try to solve the mystery of who is persecuting them and why---before their ancient line is wiped out of existence forever.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2009 Tantor
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What listeners say about House of Suns

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
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Performance
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

House of Suns

Who wants to kill all the Gentian shatterlings and why? This is what I would describe as proper scifi; strange aliens, lots of space travel and strange future technology. This was the second book by Alastair Reynolds that I listened to (I can also recommend Terminal World). Wonderfully read by John Lee. A great listen.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but not outstanding

What made the experience of listening to House of Suns the most enjoyable?

I listend to this book and enjoyed going back to it each day, never feeling I wanted to give up. The story was entertainging and I would recomend it, however it does not stnd out to me as outstanding - just a good book work listening to.

What other book might you compare House of Suns to, and why?

None

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

I liked the acent of this narator

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nor really

Any additional comments?

I m currently listen to "Revalation space" which is a bit of a slog in comparision, however I am persisting with it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic concepts

Conceptually one of my favourite Sci-Fi books, great ideas and would love more books in this universe

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good epic sci fi.

Lots of interesting sci fi ideas throughout. Good narration. Twists and turns. I can recommend.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good read

Not his best book but not the worst, John Lee great as usual, would recommend

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Alastair Reynolds doesn’t disappoint

More twists and turns to the plot than a roller coaster on steroids. An Incredible inspired story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

House of Suns

My first Alastair Reynolds novel. (Will not be my last). Took a little while to get a handle on the events and characters but other than that an exceptional read. Loved the narration and the British accents 😍 used.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good but long

House of Suns is a very interesting story with some good characters.
However it’s much longer than necessary- it was nearly 6 hours before I got into it.
The ending is ok but rather abrupt.
The narrator is decent but the two main characters sounded rather similar so sometimes it took a few moments to figure out which character was speaking.
Despite these minor issues it is good sci-fi story with some really interesting, unusual ideas which have stayed with me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful story telling! SF at its best

Loved the story and the twists as well as the ending. Wish there was a sequal.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it after a slow start

i really liked it after not really liking it at all for for first few chapters. initially the reader grated but actually i was hooked by mid way. great ideas even if some characters are a bit 1d.

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