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Lord of All Things

By: Samuel Willcocks - translator, Andreas Eschbach
Narrated by: Nick Podehl
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Summary

Winner of the 2012 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis.

They are just children when they first meet: Charlotte, daughter of the French ambassador, and Hiroshi, a laundress’s son. One day in the playground, Hiroshi declares that he has an idea that will change the world. An idea that will sweep away all differences between rich and poor.

When Hiroshi runs into Charlotte several years later, he is trying to build a brighter future through robotics. Determined to win Charlotte’s love, he resurrects his childhood dream, convinced that he can eradicate world poverty by pushing the limits of technology beyond imagination. But as Hiroshi circles ever closer to realizing his vision, he discovers that his utopian dream may contain the seeds of a nightmare — one that could obliterate life as we know it.

Crisscrossing the globe, from Tokyo to the hallowed halls of MIT to desolate Arctic islands and Buenos Aires and beyond — far beyond — Lord of All Things explores not only technology’s dizzying potential, but also its formidable dangers.

©2011 Andreas Eschbach and Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG. English translation © 2014 by Samuel Willcocks. (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
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What listeners say about Lord of All Things

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

Good Concept, solid sci-fi - shame about the end

What did you like most about Lord of All Things?

The scope and vision of this book are impressive. The characterisation is excellent and the love arc for the two protagonists manages to be believably frustrating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Actually Charlotte to about half way through after which she just seemed to be sidelined to the role of doomed romance love interest.

Have you listened to any of Nick Podehl’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I thought the reading was excellent, loved it.

Any additional comments?

This wasn't without it's flaws and for me the main issues lie with the illogical, easily avoided and ultimately pointless ending, which only seemed worse the more I thought about it.


More importantly was the obvious set-up where Charlotte's psychometric talents, which were obviously intended to be used as a vehicle for some pre-historic exposition, were largely forgotten about after a certain point in favour of a simpler knowledge dump though the main protagonist.

Despite these criticisms I feel it is definitely worth your time, especially if you are interested in high concept sci-fi or nanotechnology.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing story about nano technology

Where does Lord of All Things rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Excellent science fiction book and narration

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hiroshi, because of the moral dilemmas he faces as in trying to get nano technology to work for everyone and then the implications of his success.

What about Nick Podehl’s performance did you like?

He brought the characters to life and kept the momentum going through the story,

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

The moment on the ice when the nano's reacted to the presence of the expedition.

Any additional comments?

This is a long rambling story stuffed full of science and technology hung on an unusual framework of personal relations. Sometimes the story stumbles but the narrative arc pulls the story back into step.
I liked the ending, a prescient warning about implications of new technology.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

love it

very wel write and performed story with a dramatic ending. I enjoyed every minute of it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

More than Sci-fi

It really makes you think about life, what's worthy what's a waist and how prepared are humans to give good use of technology. The drama that links the sci-fi aspects of the plot keeps you engaged and the sounds and voice is consistent and incredibly versatile to represent/play so many characters at different ages throughout this long adventure.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great idea! Author became board?

The novel had such potential. The author seems to lose interest towards the end and absolutely ruins the story. Great idea, dismal execution

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