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The Ophelia Network cover art

The Ophelia Network

By: Mur Lafferty
Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
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Summary

In an authoritarian America, personal freedoms are at risk, information is being controlled, and legal citizens suddenly find themselves being deported. A growing resistance movement is active, angry, and looking to strike back. And a TV show for kids may be the key.

Enter Celeste Montgomery and Bailey Vance. Celeste is an intern for the show that features Bailey singing and dancing with puppets. While Bailey teaches the kids about geography, Celeste is planting codes into the script, songs, background, whatever she can do to pass messages for the resistance.

Celeste doesn't know who these messages are from or who they're for. But she’s certain about one thing—if the scheme is uncovered, it will be her head on the chopping block.

Only the government got to Bailey first. And Celeste has no idea whose side he’s on.

©2022 Mur Lafferty (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.

What listeners say about The Ophelia Network

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CANDY FLOSS

It’s a free Lafferty on Audible - what’s not to like about that?! Evidently an audio-format novella, this is short-and-sweet, but it packs a punch. The narrative style is unique in its chapter introductions, enhanced by a great performance from Khristine Hvam, which in turn makes the premise more appealing

On its own, the story tells of a near-future, Orwellian-style society under government control and censorship, with a resistance element fighting against the voice assisted ‘Big Brother’ infrastructure - The Ophelia Network, being used to dominate civilians

The interesting element? The core of the resistance is formed of the crew of a puppet-based children’s TV show using the platform to send out secret messages to their counterparts across the nation

Where this lets itself down is its candy floss ending… There are too many vague, happy, easy tie-offs to try and make it more positive than it needs to be. It’d be better if it was more realistic - our successes and victories often come on the backs of battle scars, disappointments, and losses, afterall

So, ultimately, if it played out a little longer and gave just a little more, this would be 4 or 5 stars. It was an enjoyable listen, nonetheless

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    3 out of 5 stars

"There's pie."

A repressive regime, and a children's T.V.puppet show, perhaps along the lines of Sesame Street, teaching the kids to be good citizens, plus a dominant AI network called Orphelia which keeps everything in order. The authorities suspect that the show is delivering coded messages of insurrection and determine to shut it down.
An interesting and fun audio production which succeeds mainly because of the narrator's brilliant (if very irritating) puppet show voices and the horrible songs she leads which the kids are encouraged to sing. Overall, a bit confusing, especially in the early parts, but this is surely deliberate and part of the plot. Sadly, for an inventive coder, the main character seemed just a little too dim to be real.

Well worth a listen, if only to hear Khrisine Hvam's glorious giggle.
This is an Audible Original production, available to listen for free with Audible Plus

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fight for freedom

Great story by Mur Lafferty, and entertaining narration by khristine Hvam.
obvious comparisons to 1984 and big brother control but up to date in today's Alexa and google world, then brought together with puppets 🙂.
Short but enjoyable, I will look out for more.

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